What’s Important to Know About NJ This Week –07/22/2024

Jul 22, 2024

Fight Over Affordable Housing Continues, Suppliers Not responsible for Contaminated Water, More NJ Workers Eligible for Overtime, Narcan is Saving Lives, Some NJ Presidential History

Montvale Continues to Push Forward on Affordable Housing Suit
NJ SPotlight News

NJ Spotlight News interviewed Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali, who sent a letter to about 100 towns seeking support to legally challenge the current housing law. Ghassali said he plans to file a lawsuit. Read More

Public Water Suppliers Not Liable for Contaminated Water
NJ Monitor

New Jersey residents cannot sue public water suppliers for breach of contract when the utilities supply contaminated water, a panel of appellate judges ruled Friday.

The three-judge panel’s decision unifies decades of divergent case law that, at first, considered municipal and county water suppliers as parties to a contract with their residents but later found water distribution is a government service that is shielded from some civil liabilities.

“Considering both the developing caselaw and the current pertinent statutes, we conclude that running water is not a commercial product but rather a public resource held in trust for residents,” the ruling says. Read More

More NJ Workers May Be Eligible for Overtime Pay
Patch

The U.S. Department of Labor recently unveiled a significant update to overtime pay regulations under the FLSA, which took effect on July 1.

Previously, salaried workers who earned more than $35,568 per year (about $684 per week) were exempt from federal overtime rules. But under the new rules, salaried workers will be eligible for overtime pay if they make less than $43,888 per year (about $844 per week).

The threshold will be lowered again on Jan. 1, 2025, when salaried workers earning less than $58,656 per year ($1,128 per week) will be eligible for overtime. Read More

Narcan Is Saving Lives
NJ Monitor

The office reported 1,007 suspected drug deaths in the first six months of 2024, down 26% from the 1,366 suspected deaths reported during the same time period in 2023.

The drop follows recent moves to expand the availability of naloxone, an opioid overdose antidote often referred to by its brand name, Narcan.

“While we continue to see too many deaths overall and especially in our communities of color, year over year reductions in suspected and confirmed overdose deaths reflect the collective impact of the Administration’s whole-of-government approach,” said Nancy Kearny, a Department of Health spokesperson. Read More

What Did Jersey Do When LBI Dropped Out?
NJ Globe

When President Lyndon B. Johnson unexpectedly announced that he would neither seek nor accept the Democratic nomination for President on March 31, 1968, the filing deadline for the June 4 New Jersey Democratic primary was on April 25.

With anti-Vietnam War protestors heckling him from outside the White House, Johnson’s announcement came nineteen days after he won a closer-than-expected 50%-42% victory in the New Hampshire primary against Eugene McCarthy. Robert F. Kennedy entered the race on March 16.

In those days, presidential primaries were beauty contests and delegates were not obligated to vote for a particular candidate at the national convention. Read More

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