ROUNDUP: Gov. Sherrill Unveils Affordability Budget for New Jersey Working Families

ROUNDUP: Gov. Sherrill Unveils Affordability Budget for New Jersey Working Families

NJBIZ: "Sherrill has said her budget will avoid tax increases and instead focus on savings and improved government efficiency."

Yesterday, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill unveiled her first state budget, following through on her campaign promise to make life more affordable for hardworking families while also reining in wasteful spending and cutting the state's projected deficit. Her budget proposal improves health care and transportation, addresses utility and housing costs, invests in education for New Jersey students, and creates new protections to keep kids safe online.

Read more about Gov. Sherrill's landmark budget proposal:

NBC: Mikie Sherrill budget plan targets $3B deficit and tax relief

• New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill presented her first state budget proposal for the fiscal year 2027, outlining a fiscal plan aimed at closing the state's multibillion-dollar deficit while lowering costs for residents and avoiding tax increases.

The New York Times: New Jersey Governor Unveils Plan to Repair 'Broken Budget'

• The governor used her first major policy speech to highlight several priorities she identified while campaigning for governor, including her goal of making government decision-making more transparent and addressing the state's soaring energy costs.

• Ms. Sherrill has said her administration will unveil an online tool next month that will allow residents to view the draft budget and follow along as changes are made. It is part of a campaign promise she made to increase government transparency.

Politico: Mikie Sherrill puts fiscal restraint at center of her first budget for New Jersey

• The high-profile speech also previewed the legislative agenda for the new governor. She promised to address rent-setting algorithms and a will usher through a "historic" reform bill on pharmaceutical middlemen known as pharmacy benefits managers (former Gov. Phil Murphy also made PBM reform a focus during his second term in office).

New Jersey Globe: Sherrill proposes Stay NJ cuts, calls for end to last-minute 'giveaways' in first budget address

• Sherrill says her $60.7 billion budget achieves several of her top goals: the proposal slashes the state's structural deficit, fully funds the state pension system, and increases allocations to the state preschool and K-12 aid formulas. Legislators expect the budget - which Sherrill called "the most fiscally responsible budget that our state has seen in years" - to be the subject of tough negotiations between a cautious Sherrill administration and lawmakers who helped spending grow by tens of billions of dollars under Sherrill's predecessor.

Insider NJ: Governor Sherrill Gets Tough in Trenton

• The budget, the Governor said, includes a proposed surplus of $5.4 billion, while redirecting over 74 percent of the total budget back into our communities in the form of grants-in-aid for property tax relief, social services, and higher education, as well as state aid to schools, municipalities, and counties. The budget takes crucial steps to rein in costs by nearly $2 billion, she maintained. While the last 8 budgets increased almost 7 percent annually on average, this budget is 1.6 percent above the FY 2026 adjusted appropriation.

NJ Advance Media: N.J. gov wants to ban creepy 'surveillance pricing' that stores use to charge you more

• "The governor has had a commitment to ensuring fair pricing for all New Jerseyans since taking office, and she continues to follow through to make sure technology does not defeat fairness at the cash register," Sen. Joe Cryan, D-Union, the bill's sponsor, told NJ.com.

WATCH: Bergen Record: Mikie Sherrill's new NJ budget aims to cut unaccountable spending

"The common sense changes outlined in my budget will reduce our structural deficit by $1.2 billion from its level last month. Those savings will plug the gap left by expired COVID funding. They'll help protect the fundamental opportunities that Trump is trying to gut. They'll free us to invest in the future that New Jerseyans have asked us to build, and they'll help create a government that delivers for the people it is meant to serve."

WATCH: Bergen Record: Mikie Sherrill wants a NJ that is more affordable and accountable

"Today, I'm submitting to this legislature the most fiscally responsible budget that our state has seen in years. It fully funds the pension. It does not raise taxes on individual New Jerseyans. And it does include $2.6 billion in budget solutions, nearly $2 billion in tough necessary cuts, and over $700 million in new revenue from closing corporate loopholes. Together, it will put us on the path to balancing our budget structurally in 2028 and beyond, and it rewards our tough choices with savings. Savings we'll invest back into lowering costs for New Jerseyans, providing a better future for our kids, building a government that's accountable."

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