TRENTON – In yet another empty theater speech, New Jersey’s chief executive gave the legally required status check per the state constitution, but not before taking a critical action.
In the annual NJ State Address, Gov. Phil Murphy (D-Rumson) gave an overview of where the Garden State is, and where he seeks to take it going forward. The main focus was fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and making the state greener and more affordable. In his quest, he will be working with new leadership, as Nicholas Scutari has replaced Steve Sweeney as Senate President, and Essex County’s own Teresa Ruiz takes over as Senate Majority Leader, the first Latina to ever serve in that capacity.
While the address is newsworthy in and of itself, one item that took place was a last ditch flex of power, as Murphy reinstated a public health emergency order on the state. This was needed as the state chose not to extend the emergency powers he enjoyed throughout the pandemic. Among the items that will be in effect for at least the next 30 days is that face coverings for students will remain mandatory.
Here now are excerpts from the address:
“My fellow New Jerseyans. Our state Constitution deems today the day on which I come to report to you on the state of our state. That accounting is clear. The state of our state is resilient and ready to keep moving forward. Because this is who we are as New Jerseyans. We believe in ourselves and we believe in each other. And we know nothing is beyond our reach because nothing is beyond our willingness to work hard.
“Under our state Constitution, I will also have the privilege of returning here in one week’s time to reaffirm my oath, and to begin a second term as governor. I am extraordinarily honored and humbled by the responsibility you have given me. And I am excited by the possibilities that lay ahead for our state. And, if that’s not enough, I will be back six weeks after that to propose my budget for the upcoming fiscal year. So, over the next two months, and, indeed, the next four years, we’re going to see a lot of each other. I will do my best to not wear out my welcome.
“We begin 2022 just as we did 2021. I’m once again addressing you from an empty theater. And our state remains on a war footing against a virus that has now taken on a form that is overwhelming our collective psyche as it tests our state.
“We’re all frustrated by this pandemic. We’re all tired of it getting in the way of everything we do. We’re all ready to get on with our lives. And I am committed to seeing us get there … To schools where our kids’ smiles once again light up hallways and classrooms … To Main Street stores and restaurants where communities can once again come alive … To sports arenas where cheers are once again heard loudly and clearly … To living rooms where we can once again freely gather with family and friends, whether for a holiday, a birthday, or just on the spur of the moment … And to workplaces that are again fully safe and humming with the promise of a prosperous future.
“It has, indeed, been an extraordinarily long two years. Yet, as inconvenient as life is for so many of us, it pales in comparison to what some have been through. We will never forget the loss that has hit so many of our neighbors. And we will forever honor the tremendous hard work and dedication of all of the women and men working on the front lines – especially the doctors, nurses, and staff across our entire health-care system.
“Hard work, even in the face of great challenge, does not deter us as New Jerseyans. Hard work, especially in the face of great challenge, defines us.
“Just as we thought we had finally gotten ahead of COVID, the Omicron variant came along. Omicron is doing its best to stop us in our tracks and push us back. We will not let it.
“We are seeing new case counts that dwarf anything we’d seen to this point – upwards of four times as many New Jerseyans have COVID today than did one year ago. Thirty thousand new cases a day. More new cases day-to-day than even at the pandemic’s start.
“Even the knowledge that illness from Omicron can be less severe is of little solace, as these tremendous numbers of cases – even with the lower percentage chance of hospitalization that comes with them – mean that we have more people in our hospitals today than at any point since the spring of 2020. And it means that more of our fellow New Jerseyans are leaving us all too soon.
“In consultation with my partners in the Legislature, I have taken the necessary step of re-declaring a Public Health Emergency to ensure we keep moving forward – guided by facts and science – and that we keep doing everything we can to beat back Omicron and put COVID behind us.
“In your day-to-day lives, this step won’t bring any changes. But it is vital to ensuring our continued and coordinated response so we can move forward and put COVID behind us…
“…We are all in this together. And we must keep moving forward together. But try as it may to knock us back and further divide us, one thing is certain. Omicron has not knocked us down. In fact, despite all the challenges, we continue to move New Jersey forward.
“Across New Jersey, nearly 90 percent of all eligible residents have received at least a first vaccine dose. Let me say that again – nine out of every ten eligible residents have now raised up their sleeve at least once. And 75 percent of you have completed your primary vaccination course…
“…We must continue to prove that the promise of a stronger and fairer New Jersey is real and open to every resident, every family, and every community. Opportunity, affordability, and fairness must be linked. One without the others is hollow. But all of them together are an unstoppable force for a brighter future and proof that the American Dream lives in New Jersey. And no state represents both the glorious history and awesome future of the American Dream more than ours.
“So, this is our shared task for the year ahead … A stronger New Jersey where we create opportunity and increase affordability because you want New Jersey to be more affordable …
“A fairer New Jersey where we work for tax fairness, and economic and social justice because you want a fair shot at a more prosperous future and at your American Dream. And a New Jersey where we continue down the path of recovery from the pandemic together. This is what you expect. Moreover, this is what you deserve.
“Let’s work together in good faith and with common purpose. This doesn’t mean we won’t or even can’t disagree. But it should mean that ‘compromise’ and ‘common sense’ are not dirty words.
“The response to an idea with which we disagree shouldn’t be ‘no, period,’ but rather, ‘“no, but,’ meaning an openness to cooperation and negotiation … to a give-and-take, not a take-it-or-leave-it.
“Let’s also be mindful of the words of the late John Lewis, “We’re one people, we’re one family. We all live in the same house.”
“With everything going on across our nation, and as we work to bring our state out from under the cloud of COVID, these words ring true in New Jersey. Let’s pledge to put the needs of every New Jerseyan before the wants of our party or any single person in it.
“Let’s stop shouting down each other and get back to talking with each other. Let’s prove that our words have actual value and meaning. And let’s prove that our best days aren’t in our rear-view mirror.
“Let’s grab that more affordable New Jersey, a New Jersey rich with opportunity for all willing to work hard, which is just ahead of us.
“Thank you, all. May God bless you and your families with a healthy and prosperous new year. May God continue to bless the Great State of New Jersey and the United States of America.”
