View a Featured Ad at the End of this Email.
 

April 8, 2022

 
I.   State Issues
II.  Federal Issues
III. Also of Interest
 
Municipal Clerks: Please forward to your Mayor, Governing Body and Department Heads.
 
******************************************************************************************************

I. State Issues

a. Office of Legislative Services and Department of Treasury Give Testimony on FY2023 Budget

 
On Monday, April 4, the legislative hearings on Governor Murphy’s proposed $48.9 billion FY2023 budget began. The Assembly Budget committee heard testimony from the New Jersey Office of Legislative Services (OLS) and the New Jersey Department of Treasury. On Tuesday, OLS and the Department of Treasury provided similar testimony before the Senate Budget Committee. Please see our blog post for a deeper dive into their testimonies.
 
Contact: Andrew LaFevre, Legislative Analyst, alafevre@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x116.

b. 2022 Financial Disclosure Statements Guidance Issued

 
The Division of Local Government Services (DLGS) has issued Local Finance Notice 2022-06, which provides guidance on the filing of the 2022 Financial Disclosure Statements. The deadline to file the Financial Disclosure Statements is on or before April 30. After April 30, any new local government officers will have 30 days from taking office to file their Financial Disclosure Statement.
 
For 2022, the Financial Disclosure Statement was updated to conform with the Police Information Laws and Daniel’s Law. Home addresses and telephone numbers included in Section 1-Personal Information (optional) will not appear in public search results.
 
Please note that the Local Finance Board may periodically conduct audits for compliance and initiate investigations. Local Government Officers can be assessed an appropriate fine that is not less than $100 nor more than $500 pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:9-22.10. The Local Finance Board anticipates that at its June 8 meeting, it will find any person who has not field the 2022 Financial Disclosure Statement to be in violation of the filing requirement.
 
For assistance with the filing of the annual Financial Disclosure Statement, please visit the Local Finance Board resource page.
 
Contact: Lori Buckelew, Deputy Executive Director & Director of Government Affairs, lbuckelew@njlm.org or 609-695-3481, x112.

c. New Jersey Bans Single-Use Plastic Products

 
Starting on Wednesday, May 4, New Jersey will implement P.L 2020, C.117, which bans single-use plastic bags, straws, and polystyrene foam food service products. The laws states that New Jersey businesses are banned from providing or selling single-use plastic products, except for providing a plastic straw upon request to comply with federal ADA regulations. For more information please visit our blog post on New Jersey’s single use plastic ban.
 
Contact: Andrew LaFevre, Legislative Analyst, alafevre@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x116.

d. Civil Service Commission Issues Final Administrative Action in Telework Matter

 
This past Wednesday, the Civil Service Commission approved CSC Docket No. 2022-2243, establishing a pilot program to provide for a Model Telework Program for the State’s Executive Branch employees for a period of one year to commence on July 1, 2022. Each department, after consultation with its bargaining units, must submit a plan to the CSC by June 1. Eligible employees would be able to work remotely no more than 2 days a week. In addition, employees would be required to engage in an eligibility application process and complete telework training. Employees who handle in-person services with the public are not eligible.    
 
The Commission docket provided information on model telework guidelines, telework provisions, eligibility, data security, performance evaluation, equity and accessibility, and balancing work and family needs.
 
While this program as outlined is only available to the state’s executive branch employees, we encourage you to review it with your municipal administrator should program eligibility expand in the future.
 
Contact: Paul Penna, Senior Legislative Analyst, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.

II. Federal Issues

a. Scam Targeting ARPA SLFRF NEUs

 
We want to share correspondence from the U.S. Treasury that was sent to the League’s federal partner, the National League of Cities, regarding a SAM.gov registration scam targeting Non-Entitlement Units (NEUs) as classified by the federal government. 
 
U.S. Treasury has identified a scam targeting NEUs asking them to pay money for SAM.gov renewal. U.S. Treasury has received forwarded emails similar to this pdf from multiple NEUs.
 
SAM.gov does not charge any fee for renewal. The State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) contact center has been instructed to direct callers to federal sites that explicitly say there is no fee. If you receive this email, please forward it to the U.S. Treasury at SLFRP@treasury.gov and please copy Paul Penna, Senior Legislative Analyst, at ppenna@njlm.org.  
 
Contact: Paul Penna, Senior Legislative Analyst, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.

b. FY23 Congressionally Directed Spending Application Process Opens

 
The recently signed Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 reinstituted the congressionally directed spending process, also referred to as earmarks. The Act authorized $9 billion for earmarks for state and local projects. New Jersey’s senators and congressional delegation have begun the solicitation from local officials for direct spending request for FY 2023.

The Fiscal Year 2023 Congressionally Directed Spending application process for US Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker is open. The application deadline for both senators is April 20. In addition, Senator Booker has a helpful FAQ page.
 
The application process for New Jersey’s House members is also open. Representatives Gottheimer, Kim, Malinowski, Norcross, Pallone, Pascrell, Payne, Sires, Sherrill, and Watson Coleman have posted instructions and applications on their websites with varying deadlines, mostly by mid-April. If your member is not listed, we would encourage you to reach out to their office directly.   
 
If you have a project that would benefit from funding, we encourage you to apply to each senator and your House member separately. As a reminder, House members can request up to 15 projects and the senators have wider latitude in the number of project request. Both the Senate and House members must attest that they do not have a financial interest in the projects. Only a small fraction of applications receive funding.
 
In FY22, a sampling of New Jersey municipal projects that received funding included:

• $2,200,000 for Bound Brook to create a pedestrian plaza in the Borough’s downtown district.
• $898,257 for Clinton Town to replace the West Main Street water main.
• $250,000 to Jersey City for the integration and career advancement program
• $251,000 to Leona for strengthening public safety communications.
• $8,000,000 to Newark to create and preserve affordable housing in Newark residents with household incomes at or below 30% of Area Median Income.
• $413,000 for Penns Grove to repair and repurpose the Borough’s community center and eliminate blight in the community.
• $30,000 for Stafford Township Police Department to expand the Proactive Outreach In Needs and Treatment program to include Barnegat Township.
• $677,000 to Stanhope for water main replacement on Sunset Avenue.
• $100,000 for Sussex Borough to purchase equipment to detect water leaks through the system and to repair them.
• $1,000,000 to Trenton for mixed-use recreational facility.
• $500,000 to Union City to purchase a site and develop a new active recreational complex on the site.
• $398,000 to Wharton for sanitary sewer system study and rehabilitation.
• $1,000,000 to Woodbridge for Cypress Park. 

Contact: Paul Penna, Senior Legislative Analyst, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.

III. Also of Interest

a. Mayors Wellness Campaign Mental Health Toolkit Launch

 
Join the Mayors Wellness Campaign for the release of its new resource, the MWC Mental Health Toolkit, on April 20 at 10 a.m. Register for the Toolkit Launch Webinar to learn what mental health is and how it affects your residents, how to leverage your MWC to address mental health in your community, and resources to support residents in need of mental health services.

You’ll hear from community leaders who have implemented some of the programs highlighted in the toolkit. The MWC is a program of the Quality Institute in partnership with the NJ State League of Municipalities.

b. Lunch and Learn Cybersecurity Briefing with New Jersey’s Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell

 
On Wednesday, April 27 at noon, the League is hosting a free Lunch and Learn briefing with Krista Valenzuela, Senior Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst, New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell, to discuss cybersecurity best practices and what municipalities should do to prevent a cyber incident.
 
New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell, part of New Jersey’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, is a one-stop shop for cybersecurity information sharing, provides a wide array of cybersecurity services, including the development and distribution of cyber alerts and advisories, cyber tips and best practices for effectively managing cyber risk. Other services include threat briefings, risk assessments, incident response support, and training.
 
Please register in advance to participate. Once registered, a link to the briefing will be sent to you the morning of April 27.
 
Contact: Paul Penna, Senior Legislative Analyst, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.

c. Lunch and Learn Briefing with US DOT 

 
On Tuesday, May 3 at noon, the League is hosting a free Lunch and Learn briefing with Charles Small, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Intergovernmental Affairs Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, to discuss municipal funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the new federal Commercial Drivers’ License rules.
 
Please register in advance to participate. Once registered, a link to the briefing will be sent to you the morning of May 3.
 
Contact: Paul Penna, Senior Legislative Analyst, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.

_______________________________________________________________________

Advertiser Spotlight 

NJLM on Social Media:     Facebook     Twitter    LinkedIn     YouTube