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Sherrill Unveils $60.7 Billion New Jersey Budget, Tightens Senior Tax Relief and Boosts School Funding

Lawmakers now begin hearings ahead of the June 30 deadline.

Overview

  • The plan holds spending growth to 1.6% and trims the structural gap from $3 billion to about $1.6 billion, using nearly $2 billion from the surplus to balance the books.
  • Stay NJ would lower the income cap to $250,000 and the maximum rebate to $4,000, cut program funding to roughly $700 million, and end ANCHOR’s $250 bonus for senior homeowners, setting up tough negotiations over property‑tax relief.
  • Education aid would reach a record $12.4 billion for K‑12 and $1.4 billion for preschool, with $15 million for high‑impact tutoring, more child‑care assistance, and an effort to revisit the school funding formula.
  • Youth mental health initiatives include $33 million for services in schools, a $500,000 social‑media research center, and $125,000 for a new Office of Youth Online Mental Health Safety and Awareness.
  • Economic and revenue measures include $13.3 million to modernize permitting through the New Jersey Innovation Authority, lower business registration fees, caps on certain corporate tax deductions, and a proposed fee for large employers with NJ FamilyCare enrollees, alongside $11 million to address veteran homelessness and $25 million for broader homelessness programs.