Latest news with #PhilMurphy
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Newark Runway to Reopen Early After Construction Slowed Trips
A runway at Newark Liberty International Airport that's been under construction and is partially responsible for some of the disruptions there will reopen Monday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced Friday. The project, which was originally slated to be completed by June 15, is 13 days ahead of schedule. The port authority was able to speed up the construction by 'bringing in additional crews, expanding shifts, and enabling construction to take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week,' according to a statement from New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and the port authority. US Transportation Department Secretary Sean Duffy also announced the news in a post to X.
CBS News
2 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Newark Airport runway set to reopen ahead of schedule, Gov. Phil Murphy says
A Newark Liberty International Airport runway that has been closed for construction, adding to widespread delays and cancellations, will reopen nearly two weeks ahead of schedule. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced the updated timeline Friday, saying the runway will reopen 13 days early, allowing normal runway operations to resume on Monday, June 2. "Thank you to the Port Authority for their partnership and hard work in getting Newark's runway rebuilt ahead of schedule. Great job!" U.S Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a statement. "As we approach the busy summer travel season, this key milestone puts us on a path to further reducing congestion, enhancing safety, and ensuring a seamless travel experience. With the runway completed, we'll continue our work to harden the telecoms infrastructure and improving the staffing pipeline for the airspace." "I commend the crews who have worked tirelessly to get this critical project done ahead of schedule," Murphy added. "I'm grateful for New Jersey's partnership with the Port Authority and the FAA as we work to return to full capacity at Newark Airport. New Jersey will do all we can to support plans from the USDOT to invest in modernizing our air traffic control system and fully staffing our air traffic controllers." FAA expected to increase Newark Airport capacity after runway construction The runway construction has been partly to blame for the issues plaguing Newark Airport this month, along with air traffic controller staffing and equipment issues. The Federal Aviation Administration has slowed the number of flights at the airport, but said it plans to add more capacity once the construction is complete. Officials say the $121 million construction project started in early March with runway closures on nights and weekends. The full 24/7 shutdown began on April 15 and was originally scheduled to finish on June 15. Runway 4L-22R was last rehabilitated in 2014 and was showing significant signs of wear, officials say. The construction project involves milling and paving the runway surface, improving lighting, signage and draining, and installing electrical infrastructure underground. Officials say the construction will continue on nights and weekends from September through December. The other two runways, 4R-22L and 11-29, will still be available during those periods. Duffy said earlier this week he also expects the FAA to activate a new fiber line to improve air traffic controller communication by the start of July.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
N.J. lawmakers consider shortening timeline to fill House vacancies
The bill comes after two sitting House members died last year, leaving their seats vacant for five months. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom) New Jersey lawmakers are considering changes to the state's special election rules after two sitting members of New Jersey's House delegation died in office last year, deaths that led each of those seats to remain vacant for five months. The legislation, which would shorten timelines for special elections to fill House vacancies, comes as another New Jersey member of Congress could step down by next January. Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill are among six Democrats competing in June 10's gubernatorial primary, and if either is victorious in the primary and then in November, they would have to vacate their House seat. Bill sponsor Sen. Andrew Zwicker (D-Middlesex) said the state's current rules on filling House vacancies need to be changed. 'I thought it was pretty important that we get rid of this so that the people of New Jersey have representation, and if they don't have it, make sure that gets filled as quickly as possible,' he told the New Jersey Monitor. He added: 'We've got two members of Congress … running for governor, so there's a reasonable likelihood there will be another vacancy starting in January, whenever the transition occurs.' Sherrill's and Gottheimer's Democratic rivals have criticized both of them for putting their seats in jeopardy of being vacant if they win the primary. Republicans have just a two-seat majority in the House. The Senate's state government committee on Thursday briefly discussed the New Jersey bill, but it did not vote on it. Though New Jersey law and the U.S. Constitution allow New Jersey governors to make interim appointments to fill empty Senate seats — as when Gov. Phil Murphy appointed his former chief of staff George Helmy to fill a Senate vacancy after Bob Menendez resigned — the Constitution requires House vacancies to be filled by elections, if they are filled at all. Presently, New Jersey has three separate structures for filling House vacancies, and timing determines which is used. If a seat becomes empty at least 70 days before a June primary for any office, the governor is required to order them filled at the next general election, with nominees decided during that primary. If the seat becomes vacant within the 70 days preceding a primary but more than 70 days from the general election in an odd-numbered year, the governor may — but is not required to — call for the seat to be filled at the state's next general election. In such cases, a district's county committee members choose their party's nominee. State law also allows the governor to call for special elections — with both primaries and generals — to fill House vacancies. Gov. Phil Murphy called for a special election last year after Rep. Donald Payne Jr.'s April death. Then-Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver won the special primary in July to be the Democratic Party's nominee and won the special election in September to serve the remainder of Payne's term (she won election to a full term in November). Murphy did not call for an election in August when Rep. Bill Pascrell died. Democratic officials picked then-state Sen. Nellie Pou (D-Passaic) to replace him on the November ballot, and she was elected to a full term. Under current law, when the governor is required to call for a special election, there is no required timeline for them to do so. 'They can keep that seat vacant until the next general election, and they frankly might do that for politics if there's a razor-thin margin and it's a Democratic seat, or vice-versa,' bill sponsor state Sen. John McKeon (D-Essex) said Thursday. The bill would require the governor to call for a special election within 10 days of a seat becoming vacant unless there are fewer than 100 days remaining in the unexpired term. First introduced following Payne's death, the bill would require special elections — including primaries — to be held between 74 and 80 days after a seat becomes vacant when there are more than 180 days left before the end of the current Congress. Vacancies incurred with between 100 and 180 days left in the term would be filled by special elections held between 80 and 86 days after the seat becomes vacant. In that case, there would be no special primary, and district county committee members would select parties' nominees. If a House seat becomes vacant within 100 days of the end of the congressional term, it would be filled at the next regular election. County committees would select replacements for candidates who die after they've been placed on the ballot, as they do under current law. That timeline especially is condensed by the bill. Under current law, House vacancy races with special primaries can sit empty for more than five months. 'This is now practical as opposed to theoretical. We went through it with the death of Congressman Payne and then the death of Congressman Pascrell,' McKeon said. 'We figured out what a nuisance it is, quite frankly, and a nightmare to fill those congressional seats.' Zwicker said he hoped to have the bill passed before the end of Murphy's term in early January. Fears about another vacancy redoubled after Rep. Donald Norcross (D-01) was hospitalized for an infection that turned septic in early April. Norcross was discharged from the hospital after roughly a month following the life-threatening episode. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Republicans running to become New Jersey governor want tax cuts
Republicans seeking New Jersey's governorship are united in wanting to cut taxes, though their favored methods differ. (Illustration by Alex Cochran for New Jersey Monitor) Republicans hoping to reclaim New Jersey's governorship are largely united on how to make New Jersey more affordable. They want to cut taxes. Though virtually all five of the GOP candidates to succeed Gov. Phil Murphy support some form of tax cut — whether through rate changes or awards to offset locally set property taxes — they differ some on the details. The primary is June 10. State Sen. Jon Bramnick lauded a longstanding Republican proposal to adjust New Jersey's income tax brackets for inflation to combat a phenomenon called bracket creep. GOP legislators have argued that because the state's income tax brackets are not indexed for inflation, residents' tax rates increase over time with their incomes, cutting into any gains in purchasing power. Bramnick also suggested simplifying New Jersey's tax brackets, though he did not detail those proposed changes. He said the combined changes would produce $1,600 in annual savings for joint filers, or $1,000 for single filers. He also proposed requiring school districts to return excess state aid to their property taxpayers, saying it would lower average residents' property tax bills by $800. State school aid, pegged for just over $12 billion in the fiscal year that begins July 1, is funded with income tax revenue. Former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli likewise said he would condense New Jersey's income tax brackets, adding he would 'reduce income taxes for all taxpayers' and introduce exemptions and deductions for home improvements and student loan interest. His platform provides no specifics about either plan. Ciattarelli, who sought the governor's seat unsuccessfully in 2017 and 2021, pledged to reduce New Jersey's corporate business tax rates by five points over as many years. Currently, New Jersey taxes its businesses on non-marginal rates ranging between 6.5% and 9%, depending on net income. Businesses with more than $10 million in income face an additional 2.5% non-marginal surcharge for what's called the corporate transit fee (which is intended to fund NJ Transit). Counting the surcharge, New Jersey has the highest state business tax rates in the nation. Without it, the Garden State's rates are the nation's fourth highest. Ciattarelli said he would cap property tax rates to a percentage of a home's valuation. Statewide, locally set property tax rates in 2024 averaged just over 2.6%, according to Department of Community Affairs data. Ciattarelli also seeks to reduce state spending by 30%, though it's not clear what programs he would slash to produce more than $17.4 billion in savings. Gov. Phil Murphy's budget plan for the next fiscal year calls for about $58.4 billion in spending. Longtime radio talk show host Bill Spadea's affordability plan offers few details. It proposes unspecified cuts to individual and business taxes and cites the large growth in spending under Murphy. Gov. Chris Christie's final budget called for $35.5 billion in spending for the 2018 fiscal year, 40% smaller than the final budget proposal of Murphy's second term. Much of those increases can be attributed to full funding of pension payments and school aid, which together rose by $7.6 billion between Christie's and Murphy's final budget proposals. The roughly 31% in inflation between the two budgets accounts for much of the remainder, though some budget items are not directly tied to rising prices. Former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac's tax plan focuses mainly on property taxes. He said he would seek to cut property taxes, which are locally set, by 2% in each year of his term. The average property New Jersey tax bill was $10,095 in 2024, according to Department of Community Affairs data. He also said he would seek to cut regulations and business taxes to encourage small business growth but did not provide specifics about either proposal. Burlington County contractor Justin Barbera has said he would seek to lower taxes for New Jerseyans without children and lower or remove them for seniors, veterans, and those with disabilities. The details of those proposals are unclear. Here's how the Democrats running to be governor say they'll make New Jersey more affordable
CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
New Port Authority Bus Terminal construction begins. Here's what to expect over the next several years.
Ground broken on construction of first phase of new Port Authority Bus Terminal Ground broken on construction of first phase of new Port Authority Bus Terminal Ground broken on construction of first phase of new Port Authority Bus Terminal Construction on the first phase of the new Port Authority Bus Terminal broke ground on Thursday. The multi-billion-dollar project is expected to completely overhaul the old terminal while revamping the area. The plan has drawn mixed reactions from commuters and residents. "Today, the future has arrived" Shovels in the ground marked a new era in bus transportation. New York and New Jersey elected leaders were on hand for what will eventually be the new Midtown bus terminal. It will replace the current bus terminal built 75 years ago, transforming it from an eyesore to eye-popping. "You've deserved this one for a long time and today, the future has arrived. Congratulations, everyone," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said. "This new facility will also offer you a far more pleasant and enjoyable experience," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said. Details on the new Port Authority Bus Terminal The 2.1 million square-foot facility will replace the Truman era terminal with a modern, efficient, and sustainable one. Work on the projected $10 billion project will be done in phases, with Phase 1 concentrating on building the Dyer Avenue deck-overs, something the Port Authority says will provide space for buses while the rest of the terminal is rebuilt. Once completed, capacity will increase from 600 buses per hour to more than 1,000. In addition, the new terminal will be able to handle NJ Transit's new electric bus fleet. The project is expected to be completed around 2032. "It's probably going to be hugely inconvenient" The current facility is in a state of disrepair. Commuters described it as unwelcoming, outdated, and frustrating to navigate. "Confusion at its finest. Even for me, I get lost sometimes and I'm like, wait, where am I going?" Mella Brown said. "There's a lot of homeless people here. The bathrooms are nasty sometimes," Kelvin Pena added. The redevelopment project is also sparking a bit of unease for some nearby residents, who fear what the massive construction site will do to an already bustling part of Midtown. "It's probably going to be hugely inconvenient. A lot of things in New York get torn down to the ground," Hell's Kitchen resident Bill McGowan said.
