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Governor Murphy presented his proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Budget to a joint session of the New Jersey Legislature on March 5, 2019. His spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year totals $38.6 billion, which is a $1.3 billion increase from last year’s appropriations bill. The Governor’s budget message continued his theme of a “fairer and stronger economy” to make the middle class more secure. He highlighted the recent enactment of a $15 minimum wage, expansion of paid family leave, and the implementation of the state’s paid sick leave law. The Governor also continued his call for greater K-12 education funding and making community college tuition free. The Governor’s proposal for FY 2020, which he described as a “blueprint for the middle class,” is built upon four pillars: Realizing sustainable savings; Stabilizing revenues and increasing creditworthiness; Maintaining and growing investment in education, infrastructure, and innovation; and Addressing affordability. To accomplish these goals, the Governor proposed: Achieving $1.1 billion in savings from public employee health benefit reforms and other departmental savings identified by the Treasury; Increasing the State’s surplus to $1.2 billion; Funding the State’s pension system at $3.8 billion; Reducing the diversion of funds from dedicated sources like the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and the Clean Energy Program; Increasing funding for K-12 education, increasing the...