state budget

On Gov. Phil Murphy's third day of asking "Whose side are you on?" Senate President Steve Sweeney says governor has no agenda and is beholden to unions.

New Jersey and Illinois are the two states whose budgets are in the weakest position should a recession materialize, according to Moody's Investors Service.

The state is counting on a robust but not unprecedented $3 billion in income taxes this month, exceeding what the tax generated in a whole year before 1991.

Gasoline sales continue to decline in New Jersey, raising the possibility of another gas-tax hike this fall. The Murphy administration thinks it can be avoided.

Homestead benefits once accounted for $1 of every $15 the state spent. They're now $1 of every $135. Inflation pushes out tens of thousands of homes each year.

State is being pressed to increase Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements along with the $15 minimum wage, or patients will pay more or providers could close.

Halfway through fiscal 2019, tax collections are 2.1 percent ahead of their pace from one year earlier. New Jersey's budget counts on 7.5 percent growth.