N.J. Assembly passes coronavirus bills to help workers who will lose wages, school kids

Craig Coughlin

State Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D0Middlesex, pushed through more than two dozen bills Monday to address the coronavirus crisis. AP

The New Jersey Assembly passed a wide-ranging package of bipartisan bills Monday in response to the growing coronavirus outbreak to assist the people, schools, businesses and local governments in the state grappling with the medical and financial impacts of the public health crisis.

The more than two dozen measures, which quickly went through two committees Monday before votes in the full Assembly, target people losing wages as more and more businesses close temporarily and social distancing wipes out commerce, and the closed schools attempting to meet new nutritional and educational demands.

“The coronavirus is a concern globally, and in New Jersey we are committed to making sure residents and businesses are prepared and equipped to continue to live and work as we continue through this pandemic,” Assemblywoman Angela McKnight, D-Hudson, chairwoman of the Homeland Security committee, said at the measures passed at the Statehouse in Trenton.

“Some of the bills before the committee today are measures to help children continue to receive lessons outside the classroom and ensure those who may not be able to eat at home continue to receive the meals they would be given at schools, require insurance carriers to cover coronavirus testing and treatment, and ensuring no employee is fired due to having to be quarantined," McKnight added.

At least 178 New Jerseyans have tested positive for the coronavirus and two have died. Gov. Phil Murphy announced “draconian steps” Monday to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, including closing schools and some businesses.

The governor ordered many businesses, including gyms, movie theaters and casinos to close, while limiting restaurants and bars to takeout and delivery services. These steps and the chilling effects of social distancing and fear of the virus have generated a lot of financial anxiety from tipped and hourly workers.

A bill passed by the Assembly, 65-0, on Monday would create a temporary “lost wage” unemployment program for workers who’ve lost wages because they were tested positive for coronavirus, needed to care for a sick relative or a child whose school or daycare closed because of the outbreak. Unemployment compensation under this program would be equal to a worker’s normal wages, according to the sponsors.

Another bill would free up cash assistance for some low-wages workers enrolled in New Jersey Work First, while yet another would put a moratorium on evictions, whether by a landlord or bank.

“Losing income because you are recovering from this illness or staying home because your child’s school is closed should not cost you your home," Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi, R-Bergen, said in a statement.

Others legislation would donate $15 million to food banks across the state and require school districts to provide meals or vouchers while they’re closed to students eligible for free-or reduced-cost lunches. Murphy ordered all public and private schools to close by Wednesday.

Lawmakers say they plan to help school districts with a bill setting aside $20 million to defray the cost of building cleaning and a grant program to shrink the so-called digital divide between districts that have a device for every student and those that do not.

The Assembly also passed bills that would grant a one month extension for filing state taxes if the federal government extends its deadline and offer grants for small businesses.

“We have to think about the small business community, who rely on their customers to frequent their stores. These businesses will be adversely affected by the need for many to stay indoors and potential quarantines,” the bill sponsors said in a statement.

Lawmakers also voted to allow the Assembly to conduct business by electronic means during an emergency, to give local governments more time to pass their annual operating budgets. They also acted to give notaries the ability to perform their business remotely and corporate shareholders to meet remotely during an emergency.

The state Senate would need to pass the bills and the governor would have to sign them before they became law.

Murphy over the weekend declined to weigh in on the legislation.

“We take each one seriously," he told reporters. “Conceptually, some of them are completely consistent with what we’re talking about and doing 24 hours a day."

None of the bills were available publicly by the time the full Assembly voted Monday afternoon. Lawmakers used an emergency provision that allowed them to suspend normal legislative rules and vote the bills through in one day.

The Assembly canceled most of its committee hearings scheduled for Monday, with Speaker Craig Coughlin saying it would address only the most pressing bills. Coughlin, D-Middlesex, said he planned to allow 100 members of the public to attend to comply with a recommendation from the governor to keep public gatherings to no more than 250 people.

The state Senate canceled all of its Monday hearings. On Saturday, Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, called for more than a dozen initiatives to mitigate the financial toll of the outbreak, including extending unemployment benefits and suspending payrolls and sales tax collections.

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Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus.

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