TOP NEWS
Queer couples in N.J. can sign up to get married at Garden State Equality’s free wedding ceremony on Jan. 19 in Asbury Park. There will be officiants, cake, and music. The ceremony is from 2-6 p.m. at Garden State Equality Headquarters, 308 Main St. Registration is required. Add to 📅.
Garden State Equality
Prospective N.J. teachers are no longer required to complete a basic literacy exam, Praxis 1, under new state law aimed to remove costly and duplicative barriers for educators, lawmakers said. N.J. teachers must complete Praxis 2, a subject-specific skills test, in addition to graduating from an accredited teacher preparation program and completing several months of classroom teaching.
New Jersey Digest
Some N.J. residents may be eligible for a discount or exemption from New York City’s congestion pricing, a $9 toll billed to drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street. Eligible individuals can apply for the Low-Income Discount Plan, a 50% discount that begins after the first 10 trips each month, or the Individual Disability Exemption Plan, designed for people who have disabilities or heart conditions preventing them from using transit.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Nonprofits with a focus on N.J. history can join a webinar to learn about a state grant to receive diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion training on Jan. 23. Webinar begins at 10 a.m. and will discuss the application process. The program pairs nonprofits with consultants to create a DEAI plan and analyze current practices. Applications due Mar. 14. Add to 📅.
New Jersey Historical Commission
Statewide resource fair for N.J. Dreamers and immigrant communities planned by Latino Action Network Foundation on Jan. 18 in Union. It is from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Kean University’s NAAB Auditorium. There will be information about legal aid, healthcare options, and financial aid and tuition, among other information. Registration is required. Add to 📅.
Latino Action Network Foundation
Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill to create a 13-member commission to bring N.J. traffic deaths to zero by 2040. Pedestrian deaths in N.J. increased 30% between 2023 and 2024, from 171 to 223, state police data shows. The Target Zero Commission will adopt strategies to improve roadway and sidewalk safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Commission members will be staffed by heads of highway traffic safety, N.J. State Police, Motor Vehicle Commission, and state departments of transportation, health, and community affairs, among others. It must meet at least twice every year with the first meeting required within 60 days of the bill’s signing, Mar. 14.
New Jersey Monitor
More than 100 immigrants’ rights organizations sent a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy calling for the immediate passage of the Immigrant Trust Act, a bill that would allow N.J.’s 2.25 million immigrant population to seek public services without fear of deportation, regardless of immigration status. The letter came one day before Murphy’s penultimate state address on Jan. 14, where he outlined goals for N.J. in his upcoming, final year in office. Priorities include expanded abortion access, a proposed cell phone ban in classrooms, and changes to zoning laws. N.J. Alliance for Immigrant Justice, a coalition of advocacy groups, raised concerns about a lack of immigrant focus in Murphy’s speech as Congress is set to pass a federal detention and deportation bill, the Laken Riley Act, just days before the new administration takes office on Jan. 20.
New Jersey Patch
