Gov. Phil Murphy announced Friday at the Statehouse in Trenton that he will sign the new state budget Friday night, hours after it passed the Legislature. From left, State Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald, Treasurer Elizabeth Muoio, Assembly Budget Chairwoman Eliana Pintor Marin, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, Senate President Nicholas Scutari, Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz, Senate Budget Chairman Paul Sarlo, and Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way.
Murphy’s signature will cap five months of budget negotiations, highlighted by what has become a typically hectic final week in June. The Democratic governor unveiled a proposed budget in February, followed by public hearings, and then negotiations with fellow Democrats who control the Legislature to cut a deal on a final version.
“I know three-quarters of you have a driver who drove you here today, and maybe a job or two,” Bergen continued. “If you try thinking like a working-class person for just one second, you would realize the budget is more harmful than helpful. Please do me a favor and be normal for one second and vote no.”
“It’s a hard truth, but we’ll say it: We believe that some policymakers have some work to do to make our job creators feel they’re more than a bottomless trough of revenue,” NJBIA President and CEO Michele Siekerka said after the vote. “And they should know that we will always tirelessly fight for those employers and their right to a business climate that breeds success.