by Governor Philip Murphy March 5, 2019 - Lieutenant Governor Oliver. Senate President Sweeney, Speaker Coughlin, Majority Leaders Weinberg and Greenwald, Minority Leaders Kean and Bramnick, and members of the 218th Legislature. Former Governors. Chief Justice Rabner. Judge Grant. Members of the Cabinet. Faith leaders. Honored guests. Friends and fellow New Jerseyans. Our license plates say, “New Jersey, the Garden State.” But even more than that, New Jersey is the middle-class state. We are all in this together. And, coming together is how we succeed. So, today I am presenting a budget t...

by Michael Hill, NJTV News Correspondent February 25, 2019 - New Jersey is the only state with county freeholders — in other states they’re county commissioners. In New Jersey, all 21 counties have boards of freeholders. It’s a centuries-old English term for someone who owned land without debt. In the American colonies, only freeholders could hold public office. “The number one question we get asked is ‘what is a freeholder?’ And I always say a freehold is — as a municipality has a town council, a county has a county council, and that’s what the board of freeholders are,” said Amy Gatto,...

On Friday, January 25, 2019 the New Jersey Association of Counties (NJAC) held its Annual Board of Directors Reorganization Meeting in the Senate Chambers of the New Jersey State House, where Essex County Freeholder President Brendan W. Gill was sworn in as the 2019 NJAC President by Governor Phil Murphy. The 2019 Board of Directors were also sworn in along with the following executive members: Mary H. Melfi, Hunterdon County Clerk as the 2018 NJAC President E. Marie Hayes, Cape May County Freeholder as the 2019 NJAC 1st VP John Cimino, Mercer County Freeholder Chair as th...

          February SNAP Benefits Paid Early Amid Continued Federal Shutdown State Continues to Urge End to Federal Shutdown Jan. 18, 2019 (TRENTON) – The New Jersey Department of Human Services announced today that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for February have successfully been paid early amid the continued federal government shutdown. Recipients who received a SNAP benefit in January and who were approved for continued assistance received their February benefits Thursday on their Families First Card. New Jersey...

January 15, 2019 Lieutenant Governor Oliver, Senate President Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Coughlin, Majority Leaders Weinberg and Greenwald, Minority Leaders Kean and Bramnick, members of the Legislature, Chief Justice Rabner and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court, former governors Florio, McGreevey, and Codey, distinguished faith leaders, honored guests, and fellow New Jerseyans.I had planned to give a very different speech today but, after reading the audit of New Jersey’s corporate tax incentives released last week, this is not a time for business as usual.One year ago,...

by Governor Philip Murphy March 13, 2018 (Remarks prepared for delivery)     Lieutenant Governor Oliver. Senate President Sweeney, Speaker Coughlin, Majority Leaders Weinberg and Greenwald, Minority Leaders Kean and Bramnick, and members of the 218th Legislature. Former Governors. Members of the Supreme Court. Members of the Cabinet. Reverend clergy. Honored guests. My fellow New Jerseyans. I must begin by acknowledging the continued perseverance of the hundreds of thousands of residents impacted by the recent storms. Rest assured, we will not stop un...

The New Jersey Association of Counties (NJAC) hosted an educational and informative Summit on December 8, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Trenton Country Club located at 201 Sullivan Way in West Trenton.  Over 250 government officials, with representatives from all 21 counties, and business leaders turned out for this event.  There were two panel discussions which were moderated by Eric Scott of Townsquare Media & NJ 101.5.  The first set of panelists examined the State's alarming opioid epidemic and presented viable strategies for combating this public health crisis. Additionally, th...

During last week's 67th NJAC Annual Conference held at Caesar's Resort and Hotel in Atlantic City, the New Jersey Association of Counties recognized and awarded Somerset County Freeholder Director Peter S. Palmer for his tireless dedication and commitment to the organization and county government on May 12, 2017. Honorable Peter S. Palmer has 55 years of public service which began in 1962 where he served on the Bernardsville Board of Education.  His career as a Somerset County Freeholder started in 1997 after serving on the Bernardsville Borough Council for 17 years and then 10 years as the t...