New Jersey
NJ legislature considering $56.6 billion budget; vote expected Friday
3-minute read
Historic savings for taxpayers as NJ debt is being paid down
Historic savings on the way for taxpayers as New Jersey debt is being paid down, Gov. Phil Murphy said during his 2025 state budget address.
With less than a week before the end of the fiscal year, legislative committees were in Trenton on Wednesday to advance a budget bill.
The Assembly Budget Committee was scheduled to start at 2 p.m. – though it was later updated to 4:30 p.m. − and the Senate at 4 p.m., both were hours late to start as they considered the state’s spending plan for fiscal year 2025 – which runs from July 1 through June 30, 2025.
The bill language was not posted online but documents were obtained by reporters around 8 p.m. The bill was introduced as a $56.6 billion budget, an increase of about $728 million over the governor’s proposal and $2.3 billion more than the fiscal year 2024 budget.
Revenue projects indicate that the state will earn about $54.5 billion in the new fiscal year, meaning the budget functions at a deficit of $2.1 billion. Projects show a surplus of about $6.1 billion.
Not everyone was on board with the plan and the business lobbyists was among the most vocal.
Chris Emigholz of the New Jersey Business and Industry Associate called it a “bad budget,” pointing to the structural deficit in the bill.
“It’s bad for our taxpayers. It’s bad for our job creators. It’s bad for our fiscal responsibility,” he said.
Tom Bracken of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce said that the “business community has run out of patience.”
But advocates like Peter Chen of the New Jersey Policy Perspective spoke in support of the bill.
“This is a budget that leads us on a path towards a better New Jersey, towards a New Jersey where the mighty and powerful are forced to pay what they owe to support the investments that help everyday New Jerseyans,” he said.
State Sen. Declan O’Scanlan, the Republican budget officer, said the “already bloated” budget is worse than it had been with the addition of discretionary spending items.
“The fact that we are massively increasing spending at a time when we have already done so over the last six years of this administration, is in many ways a runaway freight train,” he said. “In just the last week, we’ve added almost $700 million.”
State Sen. Paul Sarlo, the committee chair said that “no budget is ever perfect this is not either quite frankly” but that the process of creating a budget with two branches of government and two houses of the Legislature requires a lot of give and take.
He said there is supplemental spending but that many are “spending priorities” and “one time infrastructure” items and that they are a “very, very small components to this budget.”
Sarlo also candidly announced that he wished the corporate transit fee wasn’t included but he understands the “transit issue is looming and in order to stay competitive and get people to work you need a vibrant transit system.”
“No transit agency across this entire country is solely dependent on ridership,” he said. “Can we do better? We have to do better with transit.”
The bill was ultimately cleared in the Senate along party lines.
Gov. Phil Murphy proposed a $55.9 billion spending plan in February and then handed it off to the Legislature to figure out the details and after months of testimony and negotiations the budget appeared before committee.
Among the other bills to clear committee was a 2.5% corporate transit fee for businesses in the state earning more than $10 million. Details on that bill, sponsored by Senate President Nick Scutari, were scarce as well but the idea was first proposed by Murphy in his budget address in February.
Another bill geared toward providing medical debt relief also cleared committee despite testimony against it. Sarlo said that the bill would pass because it was a non-negotiable priority for the administration.
After clearing both committees, the budget is set to be voted on in full chambers on Friday. The governor has until midnight Sunday to sign the bill.
New Jersey
Dan Levy’s new Netflix comedy ‘Big Mistakes’ was filmed at these New Jersey locations
Filming Big Mistakes in New Jersey was no mistake at all.
The Netflix comedy series, which debuted earlier this month, has already hit the streaming service’s Global Top 10 English TV List, making it one of the most-watched shows out right now.
As per Netflix, the comedy series co-created, executive produced, written and starring Emmy winner Dan Levy, follows Nicky (Levy) and Morgan (Taylor Ortega), two deeply incapable siblings who are in over their heads when a misguided theft for their dying grandmother accidentally pulls them into the world of organized crime. Blackmailed into increasingly dangerous assignments, they clumsily fail upwards, sinking deeper into chaos they’re ill-equipped to handle. The dark comedy, which has only eight episodes, has a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes so far.
RECOMMENDED: Where was ‘Beef’ season 2 filmed? Behind the locations of the dark Netflix comedy
Set in the fictional New Jersey suburb of Glenview, the series was fittingly filmed primarily in numerous towns and cities in New Jersey, including Caldwell, Cranford, Franklin Lakes, Irvington, Jersey City, Union, Warren and Weehawken for a total of 40 filming locations. (The cartel storyline in Episode 7 was shot in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where its coastline and architecture doubled as Miami’s waterfront, luxury estates and yacht life.)
“I’ve really enjoyed shooting in New Jersey,” location manager Mia Thompson said. “We have quite a number of recurring locations that have all just been wonderful—not only the home owners, but the business owners, the towns, the local police, the local fire departments, the town clerks. It’s been a really great experience.”
More than 300 cast and crew and 500 vendors took part in the production. Ortega, who plays Morgan, is actually a New Jersey native and was surprised to film in her backyard.
“It was surreal getting to film in my home state,” she said. “I grew up in New Jersey and was obsessed with film and television and never thought I’d be returning home for such a major project and moment in my life.”
The show filmed the scenes at Morelli’s Hardware, run by Nicky and Morgan’s mom (Laurie Metcalf), at Edison Millwork & Hardware, a more than 50-year-old, family-owned hardware store in Edison.
“It’s one of the few mom and pop hardware stores that are left anywhere, really, so it was really great to find this location that fits very perfectly with our story,” Thompson said.
The show was also filmed at Wyoming Presbyterian Church in Millburn—the backdrop for Nicky’s day job as a pastor and his living space.
“We’ve utilized every inch of space of that church inside and out,” said Thompson. “They’ve enjoyed the experience just as much as we have.”
Other spots they filmed at include Deerfield School, Essex County Airport, Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, Hatfield Swamp, Springfield Municipal Building and the Crystal Inn in Eatontown.
“One thing about New Jersey is that it’s so diverse. The various neighborhoods offer different kinds of looks and aesthetics,” said Thompson. “You have everything that you could ask for.”
See Jersey in all eight episodes, streaming now on Netflix.
New Jersey
ACLU featured at Bruce Springsteen No Kings show in New Jersey
Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band tour rehearsal in Ocean Grove
Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band March 26, 2026 Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour rehearsal at the Ocean Grove Youth Center in Ocean Grove.
There will be No Kings at the Monday, April 20 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band show at the Prudential Center in Newark but the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey will be there.
The group will be the “featured organization” for the New Jersey stop of the band’s Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour.
“We’re honored to have the opportunity to work with New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen to advocate for the rights and freedoms that all people deserve,” said ACLU-NJ Executive Director Amol Sinha in statement. “This moment requires all of us, and we are grateful to Bruce, who is using his platform to fight against authoritarianism and for our rights. We share a love for New Jersey and a desire to make the Garden State safer and freer for everyone who calls it home. Our team is thrilled to connect with everyone who shares our mission to protect and defend civil liberties, and who knows the power that art and music have to change the world.”
Springsteen said the American Dream is under attack by “our wannabe king and his rogue government” when he announced the tour on Feb. 17. Promotional posters for the tour features the phrase “No Kings,” a reflection of the national anti-President Donald Trump protests that have taken place in the last year.
The tour kickoff was March 31 at the Target Center in Minneapolis and it included 27 songs over three hours. The show also featured some direct talk from Springsteen on the state of the country. The setlist included the newly composed “Streets of Minneapolis,” written after the fatal shooting by federal agents of Renee Good and Alex Pretti of Minneapolis in January.
ACLU-NJ representatives will be at the Prudential Center to talk to concertgoers about its work. The American Civil Liberties Union previously released an ad with the Springsteen classic “Born in the U.S.A.” featured on the eve of the Supreme Court case where the ACLU is challenging the President Trump’s executive order attempting to overturn the current interpretation of 14th Amendment, which grants automatic citizenship to those born in the U.S. regardless of their parents’ legal status.
Visit www.aclu-nj.org for more info on the ACLU-NJ.
Subscribe to app.com for the latest on the New Jersey music scene.
Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at cjordan@app.com
New Jersey
NJ Lottery Pick-3, Pick-4, Cash 5, Millionaire for Life winning numbers for Sunday, April 19
The New Jersey Lottery offers multiple draw games for people looking to strike it rich.
Here’s a look at April 19, 2026, results for each game:
Pick-3
Midday: 8-7-3, Fireball: 9
Evening: 5-0-8, Fireball: 0
Check Pick-3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick-4
Midday: 4-7-7-9, Fireball: 9
Evening: 5-9-7-8, Fireball: 0
Check Pick-4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Jersey Cash 5
20-25-35-38-45, Xtra: 35
Check Jersey Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Millionaire for Life
32-42-52-53-55, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Quick Draw
Drawings are held every four minutes. Check winning numbers here.
Cash Pop
Drawings are held every four minutes. Check winning numbers here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the New Jersey Lottery drawings held?
- Pick-3: 12:59 p.m. and 10:57 p.m. daily.
- Pick-4: 12:59 p.m. and 10:57 p.m. daily.
- Jersey Cash 5: 10:57 p.m. daily.
- Pick-6: 10:57 p.m. Monday and Thursday.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a New Jersey Sr Breaking News Editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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