A scheduled vote to extend many of Gov. Phil Murphy's pandemic orders was canceled after he said he'll continue a school mask mandate that's not in the bill.
Plans for the lame-duck session are still being developed, let alone the next two years. Democrats will assess what comes next after Republicans gained seats.
New Jersey's bonded debt is approaching $50 billion, including the $3.7 billion the state borrowed in November when it thought COVID would wreck its revenues.
The state already plans to pay rebates of up to $500 to families this summer. Republicans suggest some of the $10 billion surplus should be used similarly.
The state government is awash in cash and now anticipates a $10 billion surplus at the end of the month. It no longer will tap its rainy day fund for 2022.
Republicans launched an online petition to persuade Gov. Phil Murphy to end his mandate requiring children under 12 to wear masks at school and summer camps.
Lakes in the Highlands and Pinelands would get priority. One skeptic says it's "a drop in the bucket" and that future aid should be tied to local action.
Kevin Corbett said he's heard gloomy predictions about NJ Transit traffic after events such as 9/11 but that it always recovers. It could take years, though.
Though the state approaches its new budget with a huge surplus, analysts are cautioning a fiscal cliff could await a year later. Federal funds might delay it.