You can apply to receive part of a $16 billion pot of money meant to help theaters, museums, venues and other live event spaces hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic beginning at noon on April 26.

The first awards under the state’s new corporate incentive program have yet to be handed out, but lawmakers are already considering how to clean up the $14.5 billion package. And Gov. Phil Murphy is apparently on board.

As the state begins to recover from the COVID-19 economic downturn, the industries hit hardest by the pandemic a year ago seem to be rebounding most quickly. Sectors such leisure and hospitality, and construction have boomed in recent months, posting some of the largest job gains this spring.

With the state's jobless rate below 8%, a federal program will continue to provide funds at least through Sept. 4

The legislation comes in response to complaints from residents around the state that the industrial depots have choked local traffic, such as an Amazon mega-warehouse in Robbinsville.

The notion of such a requirement has become politically and culturally polarizing, with GOP-led states like Texas and Florida moving to ban them outright. Several Republican-led efforts in New Jersey would do the same.

“We also owe people our best guess as to what it’s going to look like for graduations, summer, beaches,” the governor said during an April 21 COVID-19 press briefing.

NJ Emerge has a yearly budget of $1.1 billion and is run by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, which is in the rulemaking process and hopes to approve the first awards in May under an interim set of guidelines.

Since 2020, over 9.87 million PPP loans have been doled out to small businesses nationwide to help ease the economic challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Someone who sells, offers or provides counterfeit  documents could be punished with fines of up to $150,000 and a jail sentence of between five and 10 years, while use of the fraudulent paperwork would also bring repercussions.

“I think without question we’ll be able to open up further ... But I think we’ll do it step by step,” the governor said, although he did not indicate which restrictions would loosen next.

Spouses of “essential workers” who contracted and died from the virus will be entitled to expanded assistance under a measure Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law.