Herb Conaway

In addition to a ban on menthol cigarette sales in New Jersey, state lawmakers are considering whether to entirely eliminate tobacco sales at pharmacies.

Sue Fulton, the chair and chief administrator of the MVC, said 35% to 40% of employees remain absent from work on any given day – better than the 55% at the height of COVID, but still much higher than the 20% before the pandemic.

Senate and Assembly committees Thursday endorsed a 45-day extension of emergency powers exercised by Gov. Phil Murphy since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.

Schools wouldn’t need permission from parents to conduct anonymous student surveys about health topics such as alcohol, tobacco, drugs, vaping and sexual behavior, under a bill now one vote from Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk.

Four state programs would begin helping cover the cost of medical marijuana for beneficiaries, under a bill that took a first step through the Legislature Wednesday.

A bill ending many of the executive orders Gov. Phil Murphy has issued during the public health emergency this summer is scheduled for approval in the full Assembly Thursday.

Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds Jackson, D-Mercer, said police could respond to calls for help or even do a walk-through, just not be sitting inside polling locations the whole day.

The fix to the fix to the marijuana legalization law was endorsed Wednesday by two Assembly committees, potentially putting it on track to reach Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk in a week.

Lawmakers look to expand access points to the COVID-19 vaccine. Skeptics worry about doses being wasted at individual offices as opposed to mega-sites.

In the spring, Gov. Phil Murphy declined to take a regional approach to imposing pandemic-driven shutdowns. A bill would require it and based it on local data.