II. Federal
a. Federal Budget & Reconciliation Update
Federal Budget UpdateThe coming weeks are going to very busy in Washington D.C. as Congress considers spending priorities, government funding deadlines, and authorization to raise the debt ceiling. Further, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promised to post the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that passed the Senate in August. This is a fluid situation and much is likely to evolve. We will continue to monitor and report accordingly.
AppropriationsThe federal fiscal year ends on September 30. Congress is expected to pass a short-term continuing resolution while considering the 13 appropriations bills that fund all aspects of the government including Agriculture; Commerce/Justice/State; Defense; District of Columbia; Energy and Water; Foreign Operations; Interior; Labor/Health and Human Services/Education; Legislative Branch; Military Construction; Transportation; Treasury/Postal Service; and Veterans’ Affairs/Housing and Urban Development. President Joe Biden has asked that more than
$20 billion in supplemental spending be included in the continuing resolution for disaster relief and Afghan resettlement. While not finalized, it appears the continuing resolution would carry through the end of the calendar year.
Budget Reconciliation Process ProceedingOver the summer, both the Senate and House voted to begin the budget reconciliation process and tasked committees to hammer out specific items germane to their jurisdiction. This week, several House Committees began meeting to consider their specific portions of the $3.5 trillion reconciliation including the House Ways and Means Committee; the House Science, Space and Technology Committee; the House Small Business Committee; the House Agriculture Committee; and the House Natural Resources Committee. Next week, the House Veterans Affairs Committee will begin meeting as well.
Debt LimitTreasury Secretary Janet Yellen
sent a letter to congressional leaders this week urging them to act swiftly and vote to raise the debt ceiling. U.S. Treasury estimates that the debt capacity will reach its limit by mid-October. There is currently a partisan stand-off as the deadline approaches in the next few weeks.
As stated earlier, there is much happening and we will continue to monitor and keep you appraised.
Contact: Paul Penna, Legislative Analyst,
ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, ext. 110.
b. President Biden Announces Path Out of the Pandemic Plan
On Thursday, President Joe Biden announced a
Path Out of the Pandemic that includes six major programs–Vaccinate the Unvaccinated; Further Protecting the Vaccinated; Keeping Schools Safely Open; Increasing Testing & Requiring Masking; Protecting Our Economic Recovery; and Improving Care to those with COVID-19.
Included in the plan is a requirement that all employers with more than 100 employees ensure their workers are vaccinated or tested weekly.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is developing a rule that will require all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require any workers who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before coming to work. OSHA will issue an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to implement this requirement.
In addition, OSHA is developing a rule that will require employers with more than 100 employees to provide paid time off for the time it takes for workers to get vaccinated or to recover if they are under the weather post-vaccination.
It is our understanding that this rule will apply to local governments that meet this threshold.
Lastly, the plan calls on entertainment venues like sports arenas, large concert halls, and other venues where large groups of people gather to require that their patrons be vaccinated or show a negative test for entry. If you have a venue that fits this criteria, it is unclear what enforcement mechanism exists to comply with this request.
We encourage you to review this information with your municipal professionals and develop a plan to ensure compliance and tracking if your municipality meets this minimum employee threshold.
Contact: Paul Penna, Legislative Analyst,
ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, ext. 110.
III. COVID-19 Weekly Update
As the school year begins, Governor Murphy reminded all students, school personnel, and visitors that they are required to wear a face mask when in a school building. Governor Murphy also noted that the state is awaiting guidance from the federal government on the administering of a booster shot. Department of Health Commissioner, Judith Persichilli noted that they are planning for almost any scenario so the state will be ready to administer boosters.
COVID Data for September 10, 2021:
- 2,173 new positive cases for a total of 969,062 confirmed cases
- 15 new confirmed deaths for a total of 24,290 confirmed deaths
- The rate of transmission is at 1.01
- 11,293,164 vaccine doses have been administered, including 6,225,718 who have received at least one dose and 5,498,719 who are fully vaccinated. 57% are Pfizer, 39% Moderna, and 4% J&J.
Vaccine Information As a reminder, the Department of Health is providing access to individuals COVID vaccination records through NJ Docket, a
secure and free smartphone app Docket, which is CDC approved.
Homebound residents who have not yet connected with their local health department, or a home health agency, and who need an in-home vaccination should visit www.covid19.nj.gov/homeboundvax or contact the call center at 855-568-0545.
IV. 2021 Governor's Conference on Housing and Economic Development
The 2021 Governor’s Conference on Housing and Economic Development virtual conference will be held on September 29-30, 2021. The agenda includes sessions addressing lessons learned from the pandemic, what has changed, and efforts the state has taken to stabilize and adapt to address the needs of impacted homeowners, renters, businesses and communities. Registration fee is $85. More information on the Governor’s Conference is available on their conference’s website or by contacting njhousingconference@njhmfa.gov.