The Pew Charitable Trusts - State and Consumer Initiatives from New Jersey

Report: Sandy Inundated East Coast With Sewage

Hurricane Sandy’s floodwaters last October inundated East Coast with sewage. Researchers have now estimated how much flowed from crippled treatment plants.

Tanning-Bed Bills Burn With Controversy

Republican governors take different sides on teen tanning.

Maryland Repeals Death Penalty, Sixth State in Six Years

Maryland became the sixth state in as many years to repeal the death penalty. But the fate of the state’s five remaining death row inmates is up to Governor Martin O'Malley.

Backlash for Red-Light Cameras Hasn’t Slowed Spread

Throughout the country, state legislatures are considering how broadly to use traffic cameras, but the number of communities using them keeps growing.

Proposals Would Shift Utility Infrastructure Costs to Ratepayers

Electricity and gas bills could creep higher in several states, as lawmakers consider whether to allow utilities to charge customers upfront for upgrades to aging infrastructure.

Nevada and New Jersey Jockey for Online Gambling Revenue

One day after Governor Chris Christie gave conditional support to a bill that would open up New Jersey to gambling on the Internet, Governor Brian Sandoval Friday released a statement saying “the need to act quickly has become even more important.”

Governing: How Can States Eliminate Medicaid Fraud?

Eradicating Medicaid fraud has become a central focus for states in recent years, especially as the low-income insurance program has consumed more and more of state budgets.

Obama Sends $50.5 billion Sandy Relief Package to States

Federal aid is finally headed to the Atlantic Coast states, three months after Hurricane Sandy ravaged their shores.

Christie Vetoes Minimum Wage Hike, Offers Compromise

Governor Chris Christie has conditionally vetoed legislation that would have boosted New Jersey’s minimum wage. Instead, he proposed a compromise that New Jersey lawmakers appear unlikely to accept.

Public Safety in New Jersey

Public safety in New Jersey.

Governors Kick Off Legislative Sessions

Two of the country’s most prominent Republican governors opened their states’ legislative sessions with state of the state speeches from different fiscal vantage points. One day after a strong revenue projection for the upcoming two years, Texas Governor Rick Perry was somewhat optimistic, but warned lawmakers aga

New Jersey State of the State Address 2013

TRENTON, New Jersey -- Jan. 8 -- Following is the prepared text of Gov. Chris Christie's (R) 2013 State of the State Address:

Falling Short on Dental Sealants: New Jersey

How well is New Jersey protecting kids from tooth decay?

Northeast Governors Outraged About Sandy Aid Delay

Frustration boiled over on Wednesday, the day after the U.S. House, finishing up a compromise to avert the nation’s “fiscal cliff,” scrapped a vote on the $60.4 billion relief plan approved last month by the Senate.

Cory Booker Opts Out of Governor’s Race, Looks Instead to U.S. Senate

The decision prevents a major shakeup to New Jersey politics, rendering moot months of speculation that the state would see a marquee matchup in its race for governor.

Best of #StateReads: Roots of a Voting Rights Challenge

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

New Jersey Lawmakers Send Minimum Wage Boost to Governor

Minimum wage workers in New Jersey would get a major raise under legislation that’s been sent to the governor’s desk. But it is unlikely Governor Chris Christie will sign the bill as is.

Best of #StateReads: Washington State Loses Women and Latino Lawmakers

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Best of #StateReads: Why New Jersey’s Trains Flooded but New York’s Stayed Dry

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

The Impact of the Fiscal Cliff: New Jersey

Federal and state finances are closely intertwined, and the fiscal cliff’s tax and spending provisions will have consequences for states.

At New Jersey Gas Pumps, Life Returns to Normal

Governor Chris Christie announced Monday the state would end gas rationing in 12 New Jersey counties, signaling major progress made in restoring power and fuel delivery to areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

Hurricane Sandy’s Impact on Election Day

Hurricane Sandy devastated states across the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. In Maryland and the District of Columbia, election officials canceled early voting for two days–and then extended early voting hours on subsequent days.

In Some States, Election Season Could Linger Long After Tuesday

Here’s a look at several states whose elections may remain undecided long after Tuesday night.

New Jersey Officials: Displaced Sandy Victims May Vote By Email

New Jersey voters displaced by Hurricane Sandy may cast their ballots using fax or email, state officials announced Saturday, prompting concern among some computer security experts.

After Sandy, Some Homeowners Spared from Costly Hurricane Deductibles

Governor Tom Corbett added Pennsylvania to the growing list of states — including Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey and New York — where governors and insurance regulators have told insurers to spare homeowners from the costly deductibles after the superstorm whirled across the East Coast, causing heavy wind and flood damage to property and leaving millions without power.

Best of #StateReads: “State Faces Major Doctor Shortage”

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Still Risky: Safe Checking in New Jersey

Checking accounts, the most widely used financial product in America, contain hidden risks that can harm consumers. Eight of the 12 largest banks nationwide offer checking accounts in New Jersey and hold 54 percent of all deposits in the state. Here’s what consumers in New Jersey may be paying.

N.J. Lawmaker to Replacement Refs: ‘Keep Out’

New Jersey’s Senate president plans to introduce legislation that would ban the use of replacement officials in professional sporting events played on state soil.

In New Jersey, Christie Vetoes Anti-Fracking Bill

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has vetoed a bill that would have banned the disposal of hydraulic fracturing waste in New Jersey.

Cory Booker Hints at N.J. Governor Run

Newark Mayor Corey Booker has floated another hint that he’ll run for Governor in 2013, challenging Republican Chris Christie in what would be a high-profile clash of rising political stars.

Can Digital Recordings Save Money for Courts?

Faced with crippling budget shortfalls, state courts are replacing in-person stenographers with digital recording systems. But do they really save money?

Best of #StateReads: N. C. Regulators Miss Catching Cheating Businesses

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Christie Headlines Romney Event With GOP Governors

Ten Republican governors joined Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, for a rally and fundraiser in Colorado Thursday (August 3), but most of the attention seemed focused on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Romney gave Christie, who is often mentioned as a potential vice presidential pick

With Governor’s Signature, New Jersey Expands Drug Courts

Governor Chris Christie signed a bill Thursday (July 19) that expands New Jersey’s drug court program and mandates treatment rather than jail time for drug abusers convicted of non-violent crimes. That makes New Jersey the first state to require drug treatment within the justice system. For months, the governor has

Campus Mergers Bring Big Changes but Questionable Savings

Georgia and New Jersey are hoping to build major public research universities through mergers. Will they work?

In New Hampshire, No Veto on Cap-and-Trade Compromise

Under a new law, New Hampshire will leave the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, but only if other states do first. Governor John Lynch, a champion of New England’s cap-and-trade pact, tentatively supported a policy viewed as a compromise.

With New Fiscal Year Looming, Government Shutdowns Unlikely

A year after Minnesota’s three-week shutdown, New Jersey is the state that appears at greatest risk of starting the fiscal year without a budget.

Best of #StateReads: Dangerous Times in New Jersey Halfway Houses

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Widening Gap Update: New Jersey

New Jersey failed to consistently pay its full annual pension contribution from 2005 to 2010. The system was 71 percent funded in fiscal year 2010 and faced a $36 billion funding gap. Most experts agree that a fiscally sustainable system should be at least 80 percent funded. The state also had a $71 billion bill for retiree health care costs, none of which was funded, well below the 8 percent national average in 2010.

Public School Alternatives Gather Steam in States

Louisiana gave advocates of charter schools, vouchers and other publicly funded education alternatives everything they could have asked for, but opposition remained fierce elsewhere.

New Hampshire Lawmakers Compromise on Cap-and-Trade

New Hampshire lawmakers this week passed legislation calling for the state to exit New England’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, but only if two other states drop out first.

Time Served in New Jersey

The average offender in New Jersey released in 2005 served 2.6 years in custody, 8% more than the average offender released in 1990.

States Have Second Thoughts About Juveniles in Adult Court

In Colorado, prosecutors have had full power to try juvenile offenders in adult courts. Now the state is restricting that power.

New Jersey's Waiver Wars

Governor Chris Christie is seeking to make New Jersey’s tough regulatory climate more business-friendly, but environmental groups say his new waiver rule goes too far.

America - The Land of Equal Opportunity for All?

Americans take pride in living in a land of opportunity, where you can "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" and succeed in the face of adversity. But recent research shows that old adage may not be true, depending on where in the country you live.

Climbing the Economic Ladder? Think North and East

Where do you have the best chance of climbing the economic ladder?

Which States Have the Most Economic Mobility?

Americans love economic mobility. It’s kind of a founding myth for us: We see ourselves as having broken free from rigid, aristocratic Europe to form a meritocracy that guaranteed a chance to move up in the world. Though there has been much talk lately about rising income inequality in the United States, what has worried pundits on both the left and the right has been recent reports that Americans aren’t as economically mobile as citizens other Western nations.

Pew Study: Americans In The Northeast Have More Economic Mobility

A new study from the Pew Charitable Trusts finds economic mobility differs significantly across the United States. The report finds Americans are more likely to move up the economic ladder if they live in the northeast.

Climbing Income Ladder Easier in New Jersey Than Texas, Pew Says

A week after the Occupy Wall Street movement protested economic inequality in May Day rallies across the U.S., a study found that the ability to become rich may depend on where you live.

Study: Economic Opportunity Better in Northeast, Worse in South

They call it the American Dream, but it doesn't seem to be stretching from sea to shining sea.