The legislation comes as productions stream into New Jersey following the COVID-19 pandemic, and as players such as Netflix eye the former Fort Monmouth Army base, and NBC Universal uses the former Meadowlands Arena, for its productions.

Proponents argue the move is vital to help the gaming palaces recover from the pandemic. Opponents, though, warn that the bill would hurt residents of what is already one of the state’s poorest communities.

The measure would earmark $5 million for use by state-recognized Destination Marketing Organizations to work with New Jersey's overall marketing campaign and $20 million to promote the industry in unspecified ways.

The cascade of legislative and executive moves comes with just weeks remaining before the Democrats' control over the Legislature weakens.

The measure scraps legislation from 1938 that required retirement at the age of 70 for public employees, and prohibits universities and colleges from forcing tenured employees to retire at that age.

Public and independent colleges and universities in the state must now provide a financial aid “shopping sheet” each year to every enrolled student itemizing information on costs, loan options and estimated debt.

One sets aside $180 million of American Rescue Plan aid for schools and small businesses to upgrade their ventilation and water systems. Another makes New Jersey the 27th state to offer C-PACE financing, according to Environment New Jersey head Doug O'Malley, "the most popular energy efficiency program you haven't heard of,” to commercial property owners.

Under an expansion and revival of the Urban Enterprise Zone program, first established in 1983, the state will set aside $42.5 million through the end of June 2022 for grants, tax breaks, revolving loans and other support for businesses that open in some of the state’s most impoverished communities.

Two South Jersey Democratic state senators are signing on to a mostly Republican-led effort to use American Rescue Plan money to prevent an increase in N.J. employers' unemployment levy.

After a year of economic turbulence throughout New Jersey, the state is stepping away from its normally rational approach to paid leave policy. State lawmakers are considering a new paid sick leave bill that would create redundant benefits to which employees already have access while placing the unfunded costs of this unnecessary mandate directly on New Jersey businesses. By Aliya Robinson, senior vice president of retirement and compensation policy at The ERISA Industry Committee.

Every community water system throughout New Jersey would have six months to take stock of its lead service lines and replace them within 10 years--the same pipes found in communities like Newark, where hundreds of thousands of students were affected by high levels of the element found in drinking water at the city’s schools.

“For decades, our federal government has waged a 'War on Drugs' that has unfairly impacted low-income communities and communities of color,” said Sen. Cory Booker.