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NJ Spotlight--Explainer: Making Sense of the Last-Minute Madness That Can Be the Lame Duck
Bills that are pending and in the works are just one part of the puzzle. Here’s a day-by-day guide to the Legislature’s and the governor’s final days
Like students cramming for finals, New Jersey lawmakers adopt a frenzied pace toward the end of each two-year session as they make last-ditch attempts at getting bills enacted into laws.
Because the current lame duck session of the Legislature coincides with the seating of a new governor for the first time in eight years, this year’s pre-holiday action is probably the busiest the state has seen in that period. Fifteen legislative seats are turning over due to the election and two-term Gov. Chris Christie has less than a month left in office, so there are many in the State House looking at their last chance to accomplish a goal. And legislative leaders who will be returning have their own agendas they would like to complete during this time.
Colleen O'Dea | December 20, 2017
NJ Spotlight--Murphy Taps Assemblywoman to Steer Banking Department
Marlene Caride gets job of overseeing banking, insurance, real estate in New Jersey — and the governor-elect’s proposed new state-run public bank
The commissioner of the state Department of Banking and Insurance is not typically a high-profile role in a gubernatorial administration in New Jersey. But Gov.-elect Phil Murphy has pledged to create a state-run public bank, making the position one of new importance in the still-forming Murphy cabinet.
http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/17/12/19/murphy-taps-assemblywoman-to-steer-banking-department/
John Reitmeyer | December 20, 2017
Star Ledger--Murphy 'disgusted' by teacher sexual misconduct cases, open to new law
Murphy says he was "disgusted" after reading NJ Advance Media's "passing the trash" story
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Gov.-elect Phil Murphy said he was "disgusted" after reading an NJ Advance Media investigation exposing how teachers in New Jersey accused of sexual misconduct find new teaching jobs -- and he is considering supporting proposed legislation to combat the problem.
"If it's smart legislation that prevents that from happening, count me in," Murphy said during an unrelated news conference in Trenton on Tuesday.
Adam Clark and Jessica Remo| Updated Dec 19, 5:47 PM; Posted Dec 19, 1:56 PM
NY Times--The 8 Most Confusing Things About Fafsa
The high cost of college makes financial aid unavoidable for most students. And this means undertaking the lengthy and often complicated process of filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as Fafsa.
The form can be confusing — so much so that each year about 25 percent of Fafsa forms are abandoned mid-process, leaving billions in federal aid unclaimed. And aside from going digital in 1997, it hasn’t changed much since it was first made available in the 1970s. The form is written in a slightly counterintuitive way, to be filled out by the student rather than a parent or guardian. And there are many moving parts.
Charlie Javice| ON CAMPUS DEC. 19, 2017
