New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy previewed his senior agenda Tuesday during his annual State of the State address, seeking to protect his clean energy agenda, stockpiling the abortion pill and restricting phones in schools while extending an olive branch to the incoming countries. Trump administration.
In one important respect, Murphy is ending his term the same way he began: alongside Donald Trump’s presidency.
The New Jersey Democrat began his governorship in 2018, early in the Trump administration. But while Murphy often clashed with federal officials in the Trump era, he has developed the strongest relationships of any Democrat with the Republican president.
“I will never shy away from working with the Trump administration where our priorities are aligned,” Murphy said in his speech to state lawmakers, state officials and lobbyists. “But just as importantly, I will never shy away from defending our New Jersey values – if and when they are tested.”
It’s a line of cooperation that other blue state governors have echoed. New York’s Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, has previously said there are areas where she can work with the newly elected president. However, Hochul made no mention of Trump in her State of the State address, which also took place on Tuesday.
Murphy’s speech comes amid a hyper-competitive race to succeed him. There are already ten major candidates for governor, including six Democrats and four Republicans. And they will compete in a new era of state politics, in which the state’s unique voting design, which gives county party bosses extraordinary power in primaries, will be retired for the first time in generations.
It’s not that Murphy has given up on his left-wing governing goals. The State of the State address offered a temperature check for Murphy’s final year in office, during which he described a busy agenda that included navigating some of his old priorities.
“I’m not done yet, and we’re not done yet,” Murphy said.
One of Murphy’s top priorities is eliminating out-of-pocket costs for abortions under state-regulated health care plans — which he has pushed for since his first term. Murphy also called for the policy to become law during his last State of the State address, but the legislation has reached an impasse in the Legislature.
Murphy also said the state would begin stockpiling the abortion pill mifepristone — a new policy initiative — citing “anti-choice policies” under pressure from the new Republican majority in Congress.
“Now we must further secure our reputation as a safe haven for reproductive freedom,” Murphy said.
The governor is also lending political capital to codify a key part of his environmental agenda: New Jersey must get all of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2035. By pushing for a new law to do this, Murphy’s environmental legacy would be made permanent, not undone by the next governor’s administration.
The push also comes ahead of a Republican trifecta in Washington, where clean energy initiatives are expected to stagnate or be rolled back. Murphy’s plan to enact 100 percent clean energy into law would be the most ambitious of any major state in the country.
“This is also about securing our state’s energy independence – and creating good-paying union jobs in the clean energy industries that will power our future,” Murphy said.
Focus on local issues
Not all of Murphy’s initiatives in the last year had national overtones, such as reproductive rights or the environment. One effort by the governor is to overhaul the state’s 10 most dangerous intersections to prevent accidents and implement mobile driver licensing. Murphy also promised to change zoning and permitting laws in the state — he did not say how — to build more affordable housing, which has been a major theme in the governor’s race so far.
Some ideas also emerged much closer to home. The governor supported an initiative brought to his attention by a frequent caller to Murphy’s regular radio call-in program. Jack Curtis, a retired school principal from Mendham Township, has routinely enlisted the help of “Ask Governor Murphy” to close a tax loophole that allows wealthy homeowners to avoid large expenditures on property taxes by designating their properties as agricultural land. Murphy took the rare step of meeting with Curtis, saying Tuesday that he would support changing the tax rules.
“[Curtis] has drawn our attention to a flaw in New Jersey’s farmland tax system that allows the wealthiest among us to avoid paying our fair share,” Murphy said. “That’s wrong.”
Some of Murphy’s initiatives may face resistance from state lawmakers. Murphy reiterated his call for legislation to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in school board elections — another policy he called for during last year’s State of the State address, but which has also stalled as Senate President Nick Scutari was reluctant to support this.
The governor also called for same-day voter registration — which Murphy campaigned on during his 2021 reelection campaign but has also stalled under pressure from Scutari and state lawmakers.
Expanding the number of eligible voters on school boards wasn’t Murphy’s only education action. The governor said he wants to achieve his goal of expanding pre-K in the state and universal full-day kindergarten, plus “establishing phone-free schools.” Banning or restricting cellphones in schools has become a bipartisan initiative in states across the country, with policymakers divided over how to enforce the restrictions.
“Is it honestly any surprise that the rise in smartphone use has coincided with a growing mental health crisis among young people?” said Murphy. “Of course not. And I’m not going to sit back and watch our children suffer.”
The Senate unanimously passed a bill Tuesday that would create a uniform policy on phones in schools.
Some of the initiatives Murphy outlined can be implemented through the executive branch. The governor said he wanted to implement 12 weeks of paid parental leave for all state employees at their regular salary, which is currently limited to a percentage of their salary up to about $1,000 per week. Murphy said it was because of a push from first lady Tammy Murphy.
“You don’t get nearly the credit you deserve,” Murphy said of the first lady, who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate last year. The governor said he wanted to eventually expand paid parental leave benefits to all workers.
While the Murphy era in Trenton may be coming to an end — and interest is quickly shifting to who his successor will be — Murphy promised a productive final year.
“I am well aware that I have – to be precise – 371 days left before I leave office and a new governor takes over. That might be welcome news to some,” Murphy said, chuckling from the audience. “But to all of us who have the privilege of calling the Garden State home, I say this: I will spend every minute we have left working for you.”
