Where is NJs revenue windfall coming from?
Between unanticipated windfall tax revenues and federal aid, the Legislature is looking at somewhere close to $6 billion in unanticipated funds (Oregon legislative budget writers zero in on mega budget, June 9). House Speaker Tina Kotek suggests $650 billion on affordable housing, rental assistance and homelessness. Seems like weve been there a lot lately. Rep. Rob Nosse, to his credit, suggests over-the-moon spending for addiction recovery and mental health, which also speaks to the homeless in a manner currently absent. Water infrastructure, wildfire recovery and additional school funding are other worthy suggestions. Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward specifically mentions pay for a bunch of stuff weve been putting off. Others suggest stimulus payments to front-line workers, but the quandary is whether that should include front-line workers who could work from home. So confusing. Of course, there is a suggestion for pay and compensation increases for state employees.