Planned Parenthood funding, wage hike atop Murphy agenda
TRENTON » A host of bills that Chris Christie scrapped, from Planned Parenthood funding to a higher minimum wage, appear to be on the runway to Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk, though details have yet to be worked out.
Murphy, a former business executive who has never held office before, hasn’t been in the job for a week yet, but he’s already promised he’ll sign legislation that Christie vetoed.
Among the changes he wants to oversee are funding for Planned Parenthood, which Democrats added and Christie stripped annually in the budget, a hike in the minimum wage to $15 an hour from $8.60, a requirement that employers pay workers sick leave and voting-rights legislation to make it easier for residents to cast ballots.
It’s a Democratic wish list that previously passed the Legislature, though on some of the issues Democrats disagree. Possible stumbling blocks include how quickly to reach the $15 wage and whether to exempt some sectors of the economy, like agricultural workers.
Murphy seemed to acknowledge the potential difficulties. In his second event since his election to rally for a $15 an hour minimum wage, he said there’s no firm timeline for enacting the bill and that he’s only just beginning to talk to lawmakers.
“You can’t get there overnight,” he said recently.
He’s not likely to get much help from Republicans, particularly on measures that could result in higher taxes, like his calls for raising the income tax on millionaires.
“We will differ on how to protect taxpayers,” said Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick.
That shouldn’t be a problem since Democrats control both chambers of the Legislature and, at least on the surface, agree with Murphy’s agenda. In fact there’s so much enthusiasm among Democrats about returning to power in the statehouse that they seemed almost to exhale.
Just hours after Christie left office at Murphy’s first official action as governor, the signing of an executive order aimed at promoting gender pay equity, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg stepped to the lectern and smiled.
“What a difference three hours makes,” she said.
Still, Democrats have clashed before. The last government shutdown, before last year’s that included the aerial beach photos of Christie, happened under Democrats.
Murphy’s campaign pledges of raising the income tax on millionaires in order to finance pensions and education as well as legalizing marijuana face some skepticism from fellow Democrats.
Senate President Steve Sweeney has cautioned that the millionaires’ tax hike, which lawmakers passed and Christie vetoed previously, could need reconsideration in light of the federal tax overhaul. And Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin has said he still needs to hear from his members before going forward with marijuana legalization. Other lawmakers, like Democratic state Sen. Ron Rice, have called for statewide hearings to consider the potential impact of legalization.