Congratulations Bill on being one of ROI Influencers: Government & Public Affairs 2022!
Power List 2022: Government & Public Affairs
William Maer, Senior partner. Public Strategies Impact
Senior Democrat strategist at one of Trenton’s top firms is way overdue for a spot on this list.
Congratulations Tracie on being one of ROI Influencers: Women in Business!
ROI Influencers: Women in Business 2022
Tracie DeSarno, Partner, Public Strategies Impact
Veteran lobbyist has more than 30 years’ experience representing major corporations, institutions and associations, and municipal, county and state government in Trenton and Washington, D.C.. Is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Douglass College at Rutgers.
DESARNO NAMED PSI SENIOR PARTNER
TRENTON, N.J. (November 15, 2021) – Roger Bodman, Managing Partner of Public Strategies Impact (PSI), announced that Tracie DeSarno has been promoted to Senior Partner. DeSarno joins, Bill Maer and Joe Simonetta as Senior Partners.
“Tracie is a talented hardworking member of the PSI family and has dedicated herself to the firm for three decades”, said Bodman. “Her ability to achieve results on behalf of clients is second to none.”
DeSarno joined the firm in 1989, and had previously worked at New Jersey Institute of Technology, where she worked on special projects in the President’s office. Previously, she served nearly 10 years as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for Essex County, gaining invaluable experience in government operations from the municipal to federal affairs levels.
“Tracie’s dedication to PSI is a major force in the success of our firm and her intellectual experience and knowledge is invaluable. We are thrilled she has accepted the role of Senior Partner and look forward to our continued work together advocating for our clients”, said Managing Partner Roger Bodman.
Ms. DeSarno is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Douglass College, Rutgers University, and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology. She has served as an elected member of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, and as a member of the Union County College Board of Governors. She also served for years as a PTA president and executive board member in Union Township.
In 2008, the New Jersey Hemophilia Association recognized Ms. DeSarno as the recipient of its Congressman Dean A. Gallo Memorial Award for Distinguished Legislative Leadership.
“I am thrilled to become a Senior Partner at PSI and look forward to continuing the work of the firm with my colleagues and for our clients”, said DeSarno. “It has been an honor to work with my clients and colleagues over the last three decades at the firm.”
Public Strategies Impact is a 35-year-old Trenton New Jersey based bipartisan lobbying and public affairs firm.
SENATE SCHEDULE: NOVEMBER 2021 THROUGH JANUARY 2022:
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2021: 12:00 PM – Quorum
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2021: 10:00 AM – Group 1 Committees /12:00 PM – Quorum Call / 1:00 PM – Group 2 Committees
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2021: 10:00 AM – Group 3 Committees/ 12:00 PM – Quorum Call / 1:00 PM – Group 4 Committees
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2021: 2:00 PM – Voting Session
MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2021: 10:00 AM – Group 1 Committees / 12:00 PM – Quorum Call / 1:00 PM – Group 2 Committees
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2021: 10:00 AM – Group 3 Committees / 12:00 PM – Quorum Call / 1:00 PM – Group 4 Committees
MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2021: 10:00 AM – Committees at the Call of the Senate President / 12:00 PM – Quorum Call
MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2021: 2:00 PM – Voting Session
THURSDAY, JANUARY 6, 2022: 10:00 AM – Committees at the Call of the Senate President / 12:00 PM – Quorum Call
MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022: 2:00 PM – Voting Session
TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022: 12:00 PM – Reorganization / (Time TBD) State of the State Address (General Assembly Chamber)
ASSEMBLY SCHEDULE FOR NOVEMBER 2021 THROUGH JANUARY 2022:
November 8 – Committees at the Call of the Speaker/Quorum
November 15 – Committees at the Call of the Speaker/Quorum
December 2 – Voting Session
December 6 Committees: Group A 10:00 a.m./Quorum/Group B 2:00 p.m.
December 9 Committees: Group C 10:00 a.m./Quorum/Group D 2:00 p.m.
December 13 – Committees at the Call of the Speaker/Quorum
December 16 – Voting Session
January 3 – Committees at the Call of the Speaker/Quorum
January 6 – Committees at the Call of the Speaker/Quorum
January 10 – Voting Session
January 11 – Reorganization of the 220th Legislative Session/State of the State Address
Welcome to InsiderNJ’s 4th Annual OUT 100 Power List, a tribute to politically influential LGBTQs in NJ Politics. [Read More]
Congratulations to #53 – Senior Partner Joe Simonetta!
SENATE SCHEDULE FOR MARCH 2021:
THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021:
10:00 a.m. – Committees at the Call of the Senate President
12:00 p.m. – Quorum Call
MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021:
10:00 a.m. – Committees at the Call of the Senate President
12:00 p.m. – Quorum Call
THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021:
*1:00 p.m. – Voting Session
GENERAL ASSEMBLY SCHEDULE FOR MAY 2021 THROUGH JUNE 2021:
May 5 – Committees: Group A / Quorum / Group B
May 12 – Committees: Group C / Quorum / Group D
May 17 – Committees at the Call of the Speaker / Quorum
May 20 – Voting Session
June 2 – Committees: Group A / Quorum / Group B
June 9 – Committees: Group C / Quorum / Group D
June 14 – Committees at the Call of the Speaker / Quorum
June 16 – Committees at the Call of the Speaker / Quorum
June 21 – Voting Session
June 24 – Voting Session
June 28 – Voting Session
June 29 – Voting Session
June 30 – Voting Session
On February 22, 2021, Governor Murphy presented his budget for Fiscal Year 2022 to the Legislature. The Governor proposed a $44.8 billion dollar budget with no increase in taxes. The spending proposal assumes 2.4 percent growth in total revenue and includes a surplus of $2.19 billion, just under five percent of budgeted appropriations. It calls for a $6.4 billion payment to the public employee pension fund, the first full payment into the fund since 1996.The Legislature will begin its review of the Governor’s proposed budget in March. Both houses must pass the budget and the Governor must sign it by July 1, 2021.
DIRECT RELIEF
The proposed FY2022 budget includes $319 million in direct tax relief for middle-class families, which will provide up to a $500 rebate to over 760,000 couples and individuals with qualified dependents. The budget also includes $1.25 billion in funding to support various property tax relief programs. Additionally, it includes funding to expand the Veterans’ Property Tax Deduction to those who served in peacetime; to make the Child and Dependent Care Credit refundable and expand eligibility to families making up to $150,000 and expands eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit to roughly 70,000 senior citizens without dependents.
HEALTHCARE
The proposed budget contains several healthcare related initiatives including an additional $25 million in NJ Health Plan Savings subsidies; launching the “Cover All Kids” initiative with the ultimate goal of ensuring affordable, accessible health coverage is available to nearly 88,000 children without coverage; raising the income threshold by $10,000 for the Pharmaceutical Assistance for the Aged and Disabled and Senior Gold programs; $19 million to support the new Reproductive Health Care Fund, which will cover costs for contraceptive, prenatal, labor, and delivery care for those without access to medical assistance; $19.5 million for Family Planning Services, $8.5 million to expand Medicaid coverage for 365 days postpartum and $2 million to create a new pilot program to support rental assistance for expecting mothers.
EDUCATION
The proposed budget includes an increase of over $700 in education aid for New Jersey’s school districts, including an increase in funding for Pre-K programs. It allocates $50 million to fund The Garden State Guarantee, which provides two years of free tuition at four-year institutions for students with household incomes of less than $65,000, invests $27 million in the Community College Opportunity Grant program, which provides tuition-free community college for eligible students, an increase in funding for the Educational Opportunity Fund of $2.8 million and an increase in aid to community colleges of $5 million.
GROWING THE ECONOMY
The proposed budget also includes a new multi-departmental economic growth initiative, a roughly $200 million investment, that will boost economic recovery in New Jersey communities, provide access to capital for minority-owned businesses, and help government support sustainable economic growth.
It includes $20 million for the Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency’s Down Payment Assistance program, providing nearly 2,000 mortgages for first time homebuyers.
The legislative branch in New Jersey consists of two houses: the Senate and the General Assembly. It is the job of these legislators to enact laws by passing bills through both houses and obtaining approval by the governor. The legislature may also propose amendments to the New Jersey Constitution to be voted on by each house and appear on the ballot in November for public vote. The legislature typically meets every Monday and Thursday. During these sessions, bills are introduced and the president of the Senate or the speaker of the General Assembly refers the bill to a committee for review. Throughout the rest of the week, committee meetings and public hearings are held to consider the bill or report the bill with amendments. The bill is eventually read a second and third time before going through both house votes and governor approval before becoming law.
In the upcoming legislative sessions, there are designated days for voting sessions (see below). These voting sessions and any committee meetings are open to the public with no advance arrangements necessary to gain admission. If you are passionate about an issue, plan your visit to a voting session. Every house committee has a schedule for when their bills will be up for vote. Find the committee schedules here. While a member of the public is unable to contribute their opinion at this time, it’s still a great opportunity to see New Jersey legislation in action and stay up-to-date on the issues you’re passionate about.
Monday, February 22, 2021
Assembly Group C and D Committees; Quorum
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
Senate Voting Session
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Assembly, Committees at Call of the Speaker; Quorum
Monday, March 1, 2021
Assembly, Voting Session
Thursday, March 4, 2021
Senate Committees at Call of Senate President; Quorum
Monday, March 8, 2021
Assembly Group A and B Committees; Quorum
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Senate Committees at Call of Senate President; Quorum
Thursday, March 11, 2021
Senate Committees at Call of Senate President; Quorum
Monday, March 15, 2021
Assembly Group C and D Committees; Quorum
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Assembly, Committees at Call of the Speaker; Quorum
Thursday, March 18, 2021
Senate Voting Session
Thursday, March 25, 2021
Assembly Voting Session
PSI Partner Matt Halpin was named Outstanding Executive Director-Organizational Development of the NJ Academy of Ophthalmology by the National Academy of Ophthalmology. Congratulations Matt!
New Jersey’s largest teacher union, an issue advocacy group, and a health insurance firm has helped break the record of lobbyist spending above $100 million in 2019. According to the annual report filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC), overall lobbying expenditures grew $8.4 million from the previous year (a 9.1 percent jump). The top three spending groups consisted of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), New Direction NJ Corporation, and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey – combined these three spent $10.2 million more in 2019 than the previous year.
NJEA represents about 200,000 teachers and other school works and it increased it’s spending in 2019 by 1,187 percent. In 2018, they spent $484,740 and in 2019, they spend $6.2 million. During the last legislative session, they showed an interest in 350 different bills, which included school funding, pension and health benefits, arbitration, school meals, sick leave, and programs to help deaf students.
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey spent $1.4 million in 2019, a 234 percent jump from the previous year. Part of these funds supported Move Health Care Forward NJ Inc.’s campaign seeking support for legislation that would let the state’s largest health insurer modernize its corporate structure.
Another player among the top spenders was the marijuana industry. 2019 was a big year for cannabis legislation in New Jersey. Several marijuana issues were pending before the Legislature last year, resulting in lobbying expenses shooting up 32 percent from $1.4 million to $1.9 million. Since marijuana interests have come to fruition in New Jersey over the past few years, about $3.8 million has been spent on issues including medical marijuana expansion, decriminalization of marijuana use, and legalization of recreational marijuana use. Jeff Brindle, ELEC’s Executive Director, predicts even higher spending this year due to the referendum – lawmaker’s decision to allow voters to decide on the issue of recreational marijuana legalization this fall. Brindle projects upwards of $10 million in spending.
A big reason why overall expenditures grew so much in 2019 was due to $13.6 million spent on communications – the third biggest total ever for this category. Lobbyists today are allotting more resources on the airwaves and the Internet to spread their message and mobilize grassroots support.
Find out how New Jersey lobbyists can benefit your organization. See what Public Strategies Impact in Trenton, New Jersey has to offer.