Of the hundreds of groups that descended on Trenton in 2018, the three most active were the New Jersey Education Association, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association and the New Jersey State League of Municipalities.

The heads of two of the largest statewide chambers of commerce have come out in support of Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed economic incentive plan that would be part of what replaces the state’s outgoing corporate tax break program, set to expire on July 1.

Under the evergreen fund proposal, which the governor first unveiled in October, the state and private venture capital firms would finance startups and split the investments 50/50.

The updated legislation would end the program after seven months instead, but the governor's office said it still wants to let the Grow New Jersey and Economic Redevelopment and Growth gap financing programs expire in July.

At a board meeting on Tuesday, the Economic Development Authority approved incentives for four companies under the controversial Grow New Jersey program, which is set to sunset on July 1 without any replacement in place.

“After two years of feigned concern from state leadership and legislators about unfair arrests and convictions for people with small amount offenses – mostly black and brown, mostly poor New Jerseyans – I refuse to excuse the charade,” Sen. Ronald Rice, chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Under the IRS’ new rules, if a taxpayer received a benefit from their local government for state or local taxes, they’d have to reduce the amount claimed for charitable deductions on their tax returns.

The Independent senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders, showed his support on Twitter, re-posting a tweet by the Communications Workers of America ahead of the organization's planned rally at the statehouse on Thursday to promote its priorities for the state's fiscal year 2020 budget.

Signed into law last summer, the program covers up to 30 percent of expenses for film productions between 2019 and 2023, or 35 percent if they film in South Jersey.

The move comes after Speaker Craig Coughlin cancelled a vote in the state Assembly earlier this week on a measure to expand the state's medicinal cannabis program.

In a meeting with NJBIZ editors and writers, the Senate president also criticized the testimony of Murphy administration staff members before a legislative committee investigating how the governor's office handled rape allegations leveled by a former campaign aide.

“Well then that’s what’ll happen, you saw with the dark money bill ... We were going to override the governor yesterday," Senate President Stephen Sweeney said in an hour-long meeting with NJBIZ on Tuesday, "and there wasn’t a question we had the votes to do it."