New Jersey

To: Interested Parties
Fr: White House Communications
Da: April 22, 2009
Re: The Obama-Biden economic plan: creating jobs, strengthening the economy for New Jersey families

Facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, President Obama started his Presidency with decisive action -- proposing and quickly passing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Since the bill went into effect, the ARRA has already helped put money back in the pockets of 95 percent of working Americans, created and saved jobs across the country and made key investments in our community to help kickstart the economy. To ensure that the funds are spent efficiently and effectively, President Obama tasked Vice President Biden with overseeing the implementation of ARRA, and projects have already begun to come in under budget across the country. As the President prepares to introduce the details of his budget and further plans to revitalize the economy, here’s a look at how his policies have impacted New Jersey in the first three months of his administration.

IMPACT OF PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ECONOMIC POLICIES ON NEW JERSEY

Working Families:

  • Making Work Pay: The President’s tax-cut – which covers more Americans than any in history – is putting more than $1.7 billion back in the pockets of more than 3.2 million hard-working New Jersey families.
  • $34,106,014 to support child care for working families.

Energy:

  • $75,468,200 in block grants to foster energy efficiency in building, transportation, and a wide range of other improvements.
  • $118,821,296 to support the weatherization of homes, including adding more insulation, sealing leaks and modernizing heating and air conditioning equipment.
  • $73,643,000 to the State Energy Program, available for rebates to consumers for energy saving improvements; development of renewable energy projects; promotion of Energy Star products; efficiency upgrades for state and local government buildings; and other innovative state efforts to help save families money on their energy bills.

Education:

  • $1,981,608,672 potentially available to New Jersey to lay the foundation for a generation of education reform and help save thousands of teaching jobs at risk due to state and local budget cuts.

Health Care:

  • $2,600,000 to fund 2 new Community Health Centers, which will serve an estimated 24,050 patients and create a projected 180 jobs.
  • $6,820,825 to expand services at 20 existing Community Health Centers, which will expand service to an additional 57,189 patients and create or save a projected 172 jobs.
  • $2,771,348 to provide meals to low-income seniors.
  • $362,234,506 made available in Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) to protect health care for the families hit hard by the economic crisis and some of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens.
  • $5,936,031 in vaccines and grants to ensure more underserved Americans receive the vaccines they need.

Transportation:

  • $651,774,480 in highway funds to help build and repair roads and bridges.
  • $524,231,441 to repair and build public transportation infrastructure.
  • $10.6 million to address airport safety and security, infrastructure, runway safety, increased capacity, and mitigation of environmental impacts.

Law Enforcement:

  • More than $47.7 million for state and local law enforcement assistance available through the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. The JAG Program supports a variety of efforts such as hiring and support for law enforcement officers; multijurisdictional drug and gang task forces; crime prevention and domestic violence programs; and courts, corrections, treatment, and justice information sharing initiatives.

REAL RESULTS IN NEW JERSEY

Thanks to the Obama Administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, real impact is already being felt across the state.

New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Approved Infrastructure Projects Expected to Create 1,300 Jobs. "The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities yesterday green-lighted a broad range of infrastructure projects designed to add jobs to the state's economy, but the approval comes with a $12 increase in yearly electric and gas bills for customers serviced by customers of PSE&G and four other utility companies. The projects, which total $956 million, are expected to add 1,300 jobs, according to estimates. It will also repair electric lines and replace many of the state's 2,500 miles of aging gas pipes…David Mager, 34, a recently hired PSE&G employee with a wife and 16-month-old son, said he welcomed the end of his four-month unemployment. ‘It couldn't have come at a better time,’ he said." [Star-Ledger (NJ), 4/17/09]

Jersey City Housing Authority Director Said She Was "Very Excited" About Stimulus Funding And That "Certainly One Of The Priorities Is To Avoid Layoffs.""The first set of money from President Barack Obama's stimulus package is about to trickle into New Jersey, including $7.8 million for Jersey City's Housing Authority, state officials disclosed Friday. ‘We are very excited about it,’ Jersey City Housing Authority Executive Director Maria Maio said about the money. ‘Certainly one of the priorities is to avoid layoffs.’ The money can only be used for modernization or development; it cannot be used for ongoing operations, Maio explained. To receive the money, the housing authority has to have its paperwork at the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development within the next 20 to 30 days, she said. All the money has to be earmarked within a year, she said. Sixty percent of the funding has to be spent within two years and 100 percent within three years, Maio said. Jersey City is also slated to get about $2.7 million for homelessness prevention and $1.7 million for community development, state officials said. The Jersey City Housing Authority has roughly 250 employees and manages about 2,300 housing units…Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, one of the president's earliest backers in the state, said: ‘I am pleased that President Obama, a longtime resident of Chicago, understands the needs of urban areas.’" [Jersey Journal, 3/2/09]

New Jersey Will Receive $47 Million In Stimulus Funds For A Bridge Upgrade Likely To Create 500 Jobs. "With the promise of 500 jobs, Gov. Jon Corzine yesterday said more than $47 million from the federal economic stimulus package will jump-start a long-overdue bridge upgrade on Route 46 in Bergen County. The $67 million project, funded with $47.6 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will raise two bridges on the highway in Lodi and improve drainage on the part of the borough's flood-prone Main Street that runs beneath the bridges, said Erin Phalon, state Department of Transportation spokeswoman. ..’This is about putting America to work," Corzine said. "This is about correcting problems that are long-standing.’" [Star-Ledger, 4/6/09]

$25 Million in Stimulus Funding Will Be Used on a Project Aimed at Reducing Delays on the NJ Transit System. "NJ Transit will use $25 million in federal stimulus funding on a project aimed at reducing delays on the Morris & Essex train line between Denville and Summit, the agency announced Wednesday. The project, part of $342 million federally backed mass transit package for northern and central New Jersey, would provide bi-directional train operation on each of the two tracks along the Morristown Line. Dan Stessel, an NJ Transit spokesman, said that with the upgrade, an westbound train would be able to quickly switch to the eastbound side, assuming the eastbound side was clear, to get around a track problem, according to Stessel." [Daily Record, 3/12/09]

Delaware River Port Authority CEO Said Stimulus Money Approved For PATCO "Will Give Us The Opportunity To Do Exactly What The President Wants By Putting People To Work On Much Needed Infrastructure Projects." "Delaware River Port Authority CEO John Matheussen said his office is pleased that the Congress and the President approved federal money to fund PATCO projects. Plans call for using the appropriated funds to help pay for a power and signal cable replacement project along existing PATCO rail tracks. The effort will replace wooden poles with fiberglass ones. It will also incorporate an underground manhole system as well as replacing power cables. Communications and fiber optic cables will also be overhauled. Federal money accounts for a third of the project's $36 million price tag. ‘The $12 million approved (for PATCO) under the stimulus plan will give us the opportunity to do exactly what the president wants by putting people to work on much needed infrastructure projects,’ Matheussen said." [Gloucester County Times, 3/2/09]

New Jersey Will Receive $75 Million For Energy Saving Projects. "New Jersey will receive $75.5 million in federal stimulus funding for energy-saving projects at the county and city level. U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg says the money will create jobs and reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil by paying for energy efficiency efforts. Bergen County is the largest recipient at the county level with $7.4 million. Newark, the state's largest city, is slated to receive $2.8 million. Counties and cities may still apply for project support to the state energy office." [AP, 4/6/09]

South Jersey gets $250M in transportation stimulus funds. Federal stimulus funds will underwrite more than $250 million in transportation improvements for South Jersey, including a $40 million train transfer station in Pennsauken, Gov. Jon S. Corzine said Thursday. The stimulus money, part of a statewide package worth $894 million, also includes $86 million to upgrade Interstate 295 in Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties. It provides $24 million to upgrade signals along the Camden-Trenton RiverLINE and $13 million for flood-control work on the Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Camden and Pennsauken. The money "will enable New Jersey to accelerate long-needed infrastructure projects, providing jobs for thousands of residents and improving commerce, safety and quality of life," Corzine said. LINK

New Jersey to get $524M for mass transit from federal stimulus spending. New Jersey will receive $524 million for mass transit projects from the federal stimulus package passed by Congress last month, the Obama administration announced this afternoon. The state's share is part of $8.4 billion in funding made available across the country. New Jersey officials are free to spend most of the cash on high-priority projects of their choosing. Full lists of projects planned by NJ Transit and the state Department of Transportation are below. LINK

Corzine outlines $900M in transportation projects. Aging buses and rail cars will be rehabilitated. Pocked roads will be resurfaced. Bridges will be built, and others will be painted to extend their lives. Three weeks after President Obama signed the $787 billion stimulus package -- billed as an economic lifeline and job-creation engine for the states -- the Corzine administration outlined yesterday how it will spend nearly $900 million of New Jersey's share on scores of transportation projects.LINK

 

The DOT Selected Several Infrastructure Projects to Fund with Stimulus Money, Including Construction of a New Train Transfer Station and Upgrading a Bridge, That It Plans to Complete Within a Year. "Federal stimulus funds will underwrite more than $250 million in transportation improvements for South Jersey, including a $40 million train transfer station in Pennsauken, Gov. John S. Corzine said Thursday. The stimulus money, part of a statewide package worth $894 million, also includes $86 million to upgrade Interstate 295 in Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties. It provides $24 million to upgrade signals along the Camden-Trenton RiverLINE and $13 million for flood-control work on the Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Camden and Pennsauken. The money ‘will enable New Jersey to accelerate long-needed infrastructure projects, provided jobs for thousands of residents and improving commerce, safety and quality of life,’ Corzine said… Other funding amounts include: $7 million to speed right-of-way purchases for a project to connect three highways… $2.25 million for new jitney buses in Atlantic City. $1.9 million to upgrade a bridge on County Route 573 in Mansfield, Burlington County… [The State Department of Transportation] expects to complete its projects within a year." [CourierPostOnline.com, 3/6/09]