New Jersey State Policy Lab

06/02/2026

🚗 Happening now 🚘 Researchers Bob Noland and Hannah Younes with the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center are presenting on their work examining automobile crash data availablility at the NJ State House in a new seminar hosting by the New Jersey State Policy Lab and Rutgers Government Relations.

The seminar kicked off with opening remarks from Executive Director Elizabeth Cooner, Ed.D. and Dean Stuart Shapiro.

06/02/2026

🏘️ The NJ Assembly introduced a bill to restrict the sale of single-family homes to corporate investors; 🩺 the Senate advanced a bill to enshrine reproductive health care protections for patients and medical professionals; 🚉 the Senate also introduced a bill that would require NJ Transit to publish all data related to train cancellations, delays, and on-time performance on their website. Read more and subscribe to our today:

Transportation Bill Introduced to Publish Monthly NJ Transit Performance Data - On May 28th Senator Kristin Corrado (R-40) introduced Bill S4344 that would require NJ Transit to make publicly available information on its website information pertaining to delays, cancellations, and on-time performanc...

06/01/2026

⚡🔋⚡When new electricity generation methods are proposed—such as Gov. Sherrill's recent executive order to pursue new power plants—extensive studies are required to ensure the project does not disrupt grid reliability. To help address this challenge, researchers at the Rowan University Energy Collaborative (ROWEC), with funding support from the New Jersey State Policy Lab, developed a screening approach to identify promising locations for new nuclear plants. This work will focus on identifying sites that connect to existing infrastructure, particularly substations, to reduce both development timelines and the need for costly upgrades.

Read more here:

The North American electric grid is often described as the largest machine ever built. It requires constantly balancing electricity supply with demand while maintaining strict reliability standards to keep outages rare. Because of this, new power plants cannot simply be “plugged in” to the grid....

05/28/2026

🤰🤰 In 2020, New Jersey enacted an expansion of its existing paid family leave program, increasing the maximum leave from 6 to 12 weeks and the wage replacement rate from 66% to 85% of weekly earnings. Using data from birth certificates, which includes mental health measures for new mothers, researchers Slawa Rokicki with Rutgers School of Public Health and Andrea Hall with Grinnell College have been in the process of examining if any changes occurred before and after the new policy took effect.

This initial analysis indicates there is some evidence that the paid family leave expansion has led to improved rates of maternal mental health; however, longer-term data and analysis will be needed to strengthen causal inference and determine if these trends hold.

Read more here: https://policylab.rutgers.edu/publication/preliminary-evidence-of-the-impact-of-njs-paid-family-leave-expansion-on-maternal-mental-health/

Rutgers School of Public Health Grinnell College

New Jersey enacted an expansion of its paid family leave program in July 2020, increasing the maximum duration of leave from 6 to 12 weeks and the wage replacement rate from 66% to 85% of weekly earnings. We examined changes in maternal mental health among new mothers in New Jersey before and after....

05/26/2026

🌾Gov. Sherrill signed a new executive order addressing potential crop losses after a series of extreme temperature swings in April; 📱 the state Assembly has introduced a bill to require an label for all LLM-generated content. Read these stories and more here:

Digital/Tech AI Image Disclosure Bill Introduced to Add Labels to Online AI Generated Content - On May 14th, Assemblyman Andrew Macurdy (D-21) introduced Bill A5089, which requires makers of publicly accessible GenAI software within New Jersey to include a label on AI-generated content. Under the bi...

05/25/2026

On this Memorial Day, we honor and remember all those who served and sacrificed for our freedom. 🇺🇸🗽

05/21/2026

🩺💵 Governor Sherrill's first budget proposal provides an early look into the administration's healthcare affordability agenda, which has become a pressing concern as New Jersey spends more per resident on healthcare than all but nine other states and D.C. Without state action, rising prices from hospitals and elsewhere will continue to drive costs exponentially. Researchers Joel Cantor and Derek DeLia, Ph.D. have recommended and outlined two main tasks for Governor Sherrill's administration to consider to further strengthen their approach to healthcare affordability.

Read more here:

Governor Sherrill’s first budget proposal provides an early look into the administration’s healthcare affordability agenda. In her budget address, the Governor called healthcare “one of the biggest crises of our time.” The administration's Affordable Healthcare Action Team has plainly stated...

05/20/2026

👩‍🎓🎓🧑‍🎓The New Jersey State Policy Lab was honored to have some of the students who participated in this year's Policy Collaboratory with SPIA in NJ share the presentations they prepared on improving higher education access to the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education. These students came from institutions including Rutgers University, Montclair State University, Princeton University, and Seton Hall University and worked together to address problems such as affordability, transfer pathways, and more.

05/19/2026

🏫 The state Assembly introduced a bill to address transparency in construction bids and lease agreements; 🚗 the Senate committee advanced a bill to establish a three-year driverless car pilot program and protocols; 🏳️‍⚧️ the Assembly Committee advanced a bill aimed at shielding patients and providers from civil and criminal penalties related to gender dysphoria treatment. Read these stories and more today:

Economics Assembly Lawmakers Advance Bill Allowing Alcohol Sales at Movie Theaters - On May 14th, the Assembly Oversight, Reform, and Federal Relations Committee advanced Bill A4666 that would allow qualifying for-profit movie theaters in New Jersey to obtain special liquor licenses and sell alcohol...

05/18/2026

The New Jersey State Policy Lab Lab Celebrates its 5th Anniversary with Annual Report today:

https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/new-jersey-state-policy-lab-celebrates-5th-anniversary-with-annual-report/

Executive Director Elizabeth Cooner stated, "We are prepared to continue this important work into the future, building connections between research and policy, investing in the next generation of leaders, and centering the needs of communities across New Jersey."