[applause] [applause] [applause] what a treat to be back. Before we kick things off this afternoon, i want to mention a little Public Service announcement here that yesterday we declared a state of emergency which will take place later today at 5 00. We made this call based on the Severe Weather that is headed our way which will require a tremendous degree of coordination on the part of our office of Emergency Management and as always, we thank them for their heroic work. We are particularly concerned about the potential impact the storm may have on the area surrounding the rivers as there may be moderate or even major flooding. Across the state we expect anywhere from one to 4 inches of rain and of the most significant rainfall to occur between early evening and about 2 a. M. Tomorrow morning. We also expect high wind with a potential to cause Power Outages tonight through tomorrow. Alina workers, forest crews and hazard workers are monitoring the situation literally minute by minute and of the board of Public Utilities are taking every step they can to ensure the providers are ready for whatever may come our way and we thank them for their heroic work as well. To everybody watching let me say tonight is a good night to stay home. Please avoid driving if at all possible, and if you have to drive, go slow, use caution and planning for extra travel time. If you are experiencing an outage please report it immediately if you come across any downed wires, stay away and call them in. The state Emergency Operations center is activated at level number two and we will keep you updated as we learn the latest in coordination with the National Weather service to the county partners and stakeholders you could keep track of updates and ready. Gov through the states official Media Channels including on the platform formerly known as twitter Lieutenant Governor, Senate President. [applause] assembly speaker. [applause] who is now officially the longest serving speaker in the history of the state of new jersey. Minority leaders and members of the 221st legislature with special thanks to the rocking committee that walked me into this chamber. Chief justice, associate justices patterson, solomon. Members of the cabinet, senior staff, former governors cody and let me say to the governor and his first lady who is with him, congratulations on claiming your title is the longestserving lawmaker in new jerseys history. [applause] you dont get that every day. Former Lieutenant Governor is with us. Thank you for being here. The first lady of the great state of new jersey is in the house. [cheering] and josh, charlie and sam murphy. [applause] our brothers and sisters in organized labor. [applause] special guests, friends and my fellow new jerseyans as we begin our seventh year of partnership, new jersey stands strong, resilient and brimming with ambition. Today we have lived up to the promise to build a state that is not just stronger or fairer. Fair. We are building a state that is stronger and more fair. Since the day that i first put my hand on the bible, weve been driven by one idea and of that idea is big, inclusive and unmatched. An idea that we are working toward every single day to make new jersey the best place it can be anywhere to raise a family. A state with greater reform and affordability, lower taxes for working families and the best possible quality of life. A state where new industries are blooming and Small Businesses are booming. A state with savor communities and the best schools in the entire country. And the state in which our fundamental rights from Voting Rights to reproductive rights and every right in between our secure without question. We know these are not a simple times as many of our neighbors tell us. This is an area of unease and uncertainty. We live in a world walked by two borders, a surgeon hate crimes, inflation, high interest rates, the aftermath of a pandemic and the tail end of supply chain disruptions and in the face of the challenges, building a stronger, fairer, more resilient and inclusive new jersey has never been more necessary. So here is our task today, to meet these hard times by working even harder. Where its valued every step of the way by working together. Before i go any further, i want to acknowledge two of the brilliant beloved colleagues who are sadly not here with us today. The former president of the board of Public Utilities and my former partner and government Lieutenant Governor oliver. They were both giants and ims them every second of every day. Both joes wife maryland and charles senior is with us today and i want to thank them both for joining us. [applause] this is the first time ive interest this without sheila by my side. Its not the same without her and not just because she stole the show with her style and plays but because she brought out the best of us. She was the best of us and its her honor as well as joe i ask that we observe a moment of silence. As we strive to live up to their legacies today, as i look around the room im filled with hope as we welcome many new faces who just months ago took their oath of office. Each of you let me say congratulations and especially to those who some predict would not be sitting here today. I guess being in the picture with me wasnt so bad after all. Just wanted to get that off my chest. In all seriousness, i want to welcome to new colleagues in particular. The first female member of the Lgbt Community ever to serve in the legislature. [applause] and the very own assembly man the first ever south asia republican to join the ranks. Congratulations. [applause] the historic presence in the building speaks to the fact that we are bound by something far bigger than politics because the disagreements or political views we are members of the same new jersey family, and we are all incredibly proud to be americans and as leaders we owe it to our children to hand them a state that can overcome any challenge and cease any opportunity. Let us unite to the biggest challenge facing the families. The fact that for too many, the cost of living is too high. But we can turn things around for our families. I know that because we have done it before in the face of the strong headwinds we unleashed historic economic progress for new jersey. Since the last administration we doubled the growth rate of the states economy and at the same time weve created nearly 200,000 jobs, jobs that pay well and support a family. They give people the confidence that they can make their future right here in the garden state and that is how we make new jersey the best place to raise a family. And as we look ahead, our view is to make sure that every family benefits from our economic momentum. Weve connected 20 separate new tax cuts for middleclass families and seniors. Weve created the most ambitious Property Tax Relief program in the States History, the anchor program for the second year in a row that program has put nearly 2 billion back into the pockets of a million and a half seniors and middleclass families. What does that mean for each household . That means up to 1,750 of direct relief. And that means more money in the pockets of people and veterans like Eddie Freeman who is with us today. [applause] eddie is a former sergeant in the army who owns his home that will be easier for him to remain. God bless you and thank you for the service to the nation. [applause] we are not stopping there. In partnership with the speaker, we are going to provide even more relief with programs so more grandparents can stay close to their kids and their grandkids. Additionally with the help of a speaker the Senate President s and all of the legislative partners with the start of 2024, we have hit another milestone in our mission to uplift families and as of this month, the minimum wave wage has nearly 1,500 an hour 15 an hour. That is a promise kept and it will adjust for inflation so even when the costs rise, working people will not fall behind. In fact, by the time i leave office which by the way isnt for another couple of years, our minimum wage could be nearly double what it was when i was elected to this office in. But we need to keep moving forward because making life more affordable for more families is our highest priority. We need to recognize the Financial Security is a challenge and in every facet of life. Working parents walk through the Grocery Store or shop for School Supplies and it certainly doesnt feel like things are working in their favor. People are worried on a very fundamental level about the financial stability. When i talk to families across the state, they tell me its harder to make ends meet, harder to cover the cost of everyday necessities. And they live with the fear that they are one bad diagnosis or one paycheck away from financial ruin or that they will never be able to own a home or send their kids to college. I hear these voices and understand the fears because long before i was governor, i was a kid in a family that was middleclass on a good day and those struggles inform who i am today and that is why i fight the fight that i do, because i have your back. I always have and i always will, and i will always fight to make sure every family has a fair shot at new jersey. I know im called an optimist among other names, just making sure youre paying attention out there, i am an optimist because all those years ago, our government was there for us to provide a stepping stone so my siblings and i could climb the ladder of opportunity. For us a little help meant a fair shot. Today i believe we can and must put the American Dream back at reach for anyone willing to work for it and that we could provide every family the same opportunities that my family had and that is exactly what we will do by addressing the drivers of high cost starting with healthcare. In the wealthiest nation in the world, nobody should have to worry about being able to afford Critical Healthcare services or a lifesaving medical procedure. [applause] but sadly that is the reality for too many. Right now in new jersey more than one in ten of our neighbors has medical debt in collections. At that number is even higher in communities of color and we know when someone is saddled with medical debt they are less likely to seek medical care, because they worry about being harassed by predatory debt collectors who will garnish their wages or even cease their property. If they see warning signs of other health that is dangerous and it is wrong, so we are taking action. In last years budget we invested 10 million into an innovative medical debt program. For every dollar invested, we could retire up to 100 or even more. With us today is Andrew Gregory the husband of Casey Mcintyre who tragically passed away from Ovarian Cancer just two months ago. But before caseys passing, she and andrew did something incredibly heroic. They agreed the last message to the world would be launching a Fundraising Campaign to pay off the medical debt of families struggling to get by. Please, presumably you all have never met before. In a matter of days they raised nearly 220,000. [applause] andrew told me a while ago that number is now up to 1. 1 million. God bless you. [applause] again in a matter of days 220,000 as we sit here today, 1. 1 million, and we thank you and pray for your blessed wifes memory. Your efforts are a lesson in empathy and a lesson those of us in power must take to heart so let us Work Together to ensure that our neighbors dont have to start a go fund me Campaign Just to afford potentially lifesaving healthcare. Pulling people out from under crushing medical debt is vital. But so is protecting them from falling down that hole in the first place. And in that spirit today with great respect, im calling on the legislature to enact a new package that will help families avoid being caught in a medical debt trap and at the same time require every single medical bill to be clear and transparent. And im asking for the first part of the package to be named in honor of a brilliant Public Servant who was taken from us far too soon, the debt relief act. A member of our office of healthcare affordability and transparency, and a major force behind this legislative package. Tragically we lost her in a car accident on new years day. She was only 25yearsold. She was talented, thoughtful and dedicated every day as a member of the team to make the Healthcare System more accessible and affordable for more people, so with this legislative package we can carry her Mission Forward and helped thousands of our neighbors avoid falling into medical debt. I want to call a timeout and say her mom, dad, brother and partner are watching on a streaming service from their hometown of chicago. God bless you all and her memory and in our prayers forever. [applause] as we strive to help our families feel more financially secure when it comes to their medical bills, we are also making them feel more secure in their homes. Under our administration, new jersey has emerged as a National Leader in expanding Affordable Housing. However, we have a new challenge on our hands. New jersey is popular. People see our quality of life, best in the nation public schools. The top ranking Public Safety and they say sign me up. In fact between 2021 and 22, thousands of new yorkers make the move across and set roots in new jersey. It was the thirdlargest movement from one state to another in the entire country. Suffered a medical crisis was forced to back or forced to move back home. But they were able to keep a roof over their heads thanks to recently built Supportive Housing project in patterson. Today, to help many mortgagors students like the toady family we are committing to eliminating our states shortage of hundreds of thousands of Affordable Housing units. Christina could you stand up and take a bow forest, great to have you. Patterson is in the house. We will aim to build new Housing Options where theyre needed most. Not just anywhere. In locations that are close to jobs, transit hubs and mainstream businesses. To help accomplish this goal i d look forward to setting legislation led by these two gentlemen the Senate President and speaker as well as by senator Troy Singleton assemblywoman ivanka lopez to make it a whole lot easier to build more Affordable Housing efficiently and equitably. Our shared vision is simple, ensuring everyone raising a family in new jersey as a safe affordable place to call home. And, in the spirit of lifting the Financial Burdens weighing on our families let us redouble our commitment to bringing universal prek to all of new jersey. [applause] to ensure every family regardless of their economic status can afford to send their child to a safe, enriching environment during the day. So far collectively we have helped more than 14000 of our states children enrolled in the prek program and we are just Getting Started. Because making new jersey the best place to raise a family means ensuring every child has the support they need to reach the full potential and every parent has the freedom to go to work, go to school, or take care of other family members. Once again, this is how you build the state that is stronger and fairer and more affordable by preventing families from falling into a financial hole because they had a medical procedure. Or by enrolling kids in the prek program free of charge. Or by helping our neighbors particularly in communities of color and young families generate longterm wealth. And by cutting taxes and raising wages and putting more money back into peoples pockets. Each one of these instills confidence that you could not only live comfortably in new jersey but that you could not imagine living anywhere else. And, to go even further let us continue rebuilding the pathways to prosperity in the form of good paying family supporting jobs. In new jersey we have always been the organized labor states. More than anything we are prounion because we are pro middleclass. When workers are strong, middleclass families are strong. That is why it during our time in office as union jobs have declined on a National Level here in new jersey we have increased meaningfully our unionized workforce. [applause] [applause] [cheering] amen. Amen. Moreover we are also taking it lead to helping our workers develop new skills so they can be more competitive in the labor market and ultimately earn higher wages. We have doubled the number of apprenticeship programs in new jersey it feels like the Life SciencesHome Healthcare and Renewable Energy to pick just a few fields. These programs are equipping our workers with the tools they need to outcompete anyone they are helping everyone from displaced workers to recent graduates find their ticket to a good paying career. Perhaps most importantly they are crating opportunities for veterans in our state who deserve every possible form of support and care that we could provide. God bless our veterans. [applause] amen. Crucially these programs are also helping address our lingering shortage of critical worke