NJ Gov. Murphy Signs 7 Bills Into Law; Tax Hike Plans In Peril

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has signed seven bills into law. But one plan – a tax hike on millionaires – may never get anywhere near his desk.

As Murphy signed bills to protect maternal care and animal rights, the governor hit a wall with lawmakers – primarily those from his own Democratic Party – who voiced strong opposition to his plan to raise taxes on those making $1 million or more a year.

Indeed, the state's top lawmaker, Democratic Senate President Steve Sweeney, effectively scuttled the tax hike proposal, issuing a statement that said New Jersey "needs a real budget with long-term, sustainable property tax savings, not gimmicks."

Murphy offered $250 million in property tax relief to residents if lawmakers approve his plan to raise taxes on those making $1 million or more a year. But Sweeney dismissed that idea, too.

“For this Governor, the millionaire’s tax is just a talking point," he said. “First, he said he needed it to balance the budget. He didn’t. Now he says he wants it because he has suddenly discovered that property taxes are an issue after years of saying that high property taxes are not a problem because New Jerseyans get value for their taxes."

The governor signed the following four bills into law that deal with maternal care into law:

• S1784 (Weinberg, Gill/Pintor Marin, Jimenez, Sumter) – Provides Medicaid coverage for doula care.
• S3365 (Pou, Cryan/Mosquera, Taliaferro, Benson) – Establishes perinatal episode of care pilot program in Medicaid.
• S3378 (Ruiz, Greenstein/McKnight, Mukherji, Huttle) – Prohibits health benefits coverage for certain non-medically indicated early elective deliveries under Medicaid program, SHBP, and SEHBP.
• S3406 (Kean, Vitale/Lampitt, Pintor Marin, Mosquera) – Codifies current practice regarding completion of Perinatal Risk Assessment form by certain Medicaid health care providers.

Here is more detail on the seven bills he signed:

• Legislation that would expand Medicaid coverage for doula care. A doula is a non-medical person who assists a woman before, during, or after childbirth, in providing emotional support and physical help if needed. “Many women are finding comfort in the support of a doula during their pregnancies,” said Assemblywomen Eliana Pintor Marin, D-Essex.
• Legislation aimed to improve medical outcomes for mothers and newborn babies. The new law prohibits the health benefits coverage of certain non-medically early elective deliveries under the Medicaid Program, the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP), and the School Employees’ Health Benefits Program (SEHBP). Assemblywoman Angela McKnight, D-Hudson, said newborns may face respiratory complications, hypoglycemia, pneumonia and other conditions, and mothers may experience bleeding, infections and anesthesia complications. "We must do all we can to prevent pregnant women in New Jersey from going through this process unless it’s an absolute necessity,” she said.
• Legislation to establish a perinatal episode of care pilot program in Medicaid. The law mandates the three-year perinatal episode of care pilot program in Medicaid to be developed by a steering committee established by the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services in the Department of Human Services.
• Two pieces of legislation intended to further protect animal rights across New Jersey. S2674 revises the law to make it easier for law enforcement officers to rescue animals whose life or health are in danger. S1923 changes municipal court requirements to allow more consideration of abusive circumstances in cases where dogs are at risk of euthanasia. The bill also prohibits courts from declaring a dog to be potentially dangerous for causing bodily injury in the act of defending its owner from a person committing or attempting to commit a crime against them.
• Legislation intended to improve safety precautions in sign fabrication and manufacturing facilities. “Improving both public and workplace safety are priorities of my administration,” said Murphy. “Today, we are ensuring that our workforce is properly trained with the necessary skills and knowledge to do their work safely, while also protecting the public from the dangers of defective signs.”