Exploring Opportunities for LD11 Residents in the State Budget

By Assemblywomen Dr. Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul

When Governor Murphy delivered the state budget proposal for 2025 to the State Legislature last week, we were pleased to see that key elements of the state budget aligned with our priorities in the State Assembly.

Specifically, as members of the Health Committee and the Tourism, Gaming & the Arts Committee (Asw. Donlon) and the Commerce, Economic Development & Agriculture Committee and the Aging and Human Services Committee (Asw. Peterpaul), we are encouraged by the proposed appropriations for healthcare, property tax relief, and economic development.

The $5 million investment in a new Nursing Workforce Initiative is in line with our priority to address the nursing shortage in the state. Many nurses, including school nurses, left the profession during the COVID-19 pandemic. The investment would help recruit aspiring nurses, help future nurses pay off their student loans, and provide money for training grants. We have also introduced legislation to address the shortage of school nurses by allowing nurses licensed in other states to serve as school nurses in New Jersey.

Making healthcare more affordable is a priority. We support programs like the NJ Department of Human Services’ latest initiative, which expands income eligibility limits by $10,000 for two programs designed for seniors and people with disabilities. Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD) and the Senior Gold Prescription Discount help those who struggle to afford medications. Drug costs have continued to climb and too often do we hear stories of residents who are choosing between buying groceries and purchasing necessary medications. Residents deserve to go to the pharmacy without fear that their medications will have a drastic impact on them financially.

We are committed to improving resources for elder care. In our experiences as a physician and as a caregiver to parents, we recognize that improved access to a comprehensive network of care is absolutely essential to meet the needs of an aging population. As we move forward with budget negotiations in the legislature, we will continue to support investment in initiatives to reduce the cost of prescription medications and crack down on predatory medical debt collectors.

We support the budget appropriations to expand the ANCHOR and Senior Freeze property tax relief programs. Providing property tax relief to seniors is critical to keeping life in New Jersey affordable for them so they can stay in their homes. ANCHOR, which has no age restrictions and is available to all homeowners and renters who meet the residency and income criteria, pays eligible homeowners up to $1,500 and $450 to qualifying renters, plus an added bonus of $250 for both senior renters and homeowners for the 2020 benefit year.

We also want to note that the state is taking significant steps to prepare for the World Cup in MetLife Stadium in two years. As members of the Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee and the Commerce, Economic Development Committee, we appreciate the potential impact of the World Cup on our state’s tourism economy. Estimates predict it will generate $2 billion in economic activity and as many as 14,000 jobs.

Tourism is a mainstay of economic development at the shore. As we begin negotiations in the legislature of how the state budget will be appropriated, we, along with our LD11 legislative partner, Senator Vin Gopal, will be fighting to make sure that Monmouth County gets its fair share of economic development and tourism dollars in the 2025 state budget.

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Assemblywoman Luanne Peterpaul is a member of the Assembly Commerce, Economic Development & Agriculture and the Aging & Human Services Committees. Dr. Margie Donlon is a member of the Assembly Health and the Tourism, Gaming & the Arts committees. They represent residents of Asbury Park, Allenhurst, Bradley Beach, Colts Neck, Deal, Eatontown, Fair Haven, Freehold, Freehold Township, Interlaken, Loch Arbor, Long Branch, Neptune City, Neptune Township, Ocean Township, Red Bank, Tinton Falls, Shrewsbury, and Shrewsbury Township in the State Assembly.