Category: Uncategorized

Criminal Justice Reform

Youth Alcohol Bill Conditionally Vetoed, Passed with Governor’s Recommendations

by Emily Parker Leave a comment

The youth alcohol bill (A5610/S3954) was signed into law with amendments following Governor Murphy’s conditional veto on January 8th.

UU FaithAction NJ joined ACLU-NJ and coalition partners in opposing this legislation, which sought to reinstate fines and criminal consequences for youth alcohol possession.  The bill also sought to make it more difficult to charge a police officer with deprivation of civil rights when police detain or search a young person suspected of cannabis or alcohol possession.  UUs across the state responded to our Action Alert to contact to their senators on December 20th and flooded the Governor’s Office with phone calls during our January Action Hour.

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Duckling

by Emily Parker Leave a comment

The brief window between November elections and the convening of the new legislature in January—known as the “lame duck”—is a critical time in New Jersey politics.  Heading into this lame duck season, we entered arm-in-arm with a broad coalition of our partners, calling with one voice for The People’s Lame Duck Agenda.

The current legislature adjourns on January 8th, 2024.  Here’s a look at how we did.

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Environmental Justice supports Permanent Community Solar

by Emily Parker 1 Comment

This month, our Environmental Justice Task Force submitted comments to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on the permanent Community Solar Program.

“New Jersey’s Community Solar Energy Program allows those who rent, lack control of their roof, live in a multi-family building, do not have property suitable for solar, or cannot afford the cost of a solar installation to benefit from the cost savings and access to clean energy through solar power,” according to the NJ Board of Public Utilities.  The permanent Community Solar Program was established this August, following a successful two-year pilot program.  We vocally support this program first and foremost for its ability to create access to solar energy for renters and low-income households.

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Delivering The People’s Lame Duck Agenda

by Emily Parker 1 Comment

Today, UU FaithAction NJ joined with a powerful coalition of justice-seeking community organizations to hand-deliver The People’s Lame Duck Agenda to legislators across the state!  We are urging our legislators to pass critical racial and social justice legislation to move our democracy forward.

Rev. Charles Loflin visited the office of Senator Nia H. Gill, along with Micauri Vargas of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and Eric Benson of New Jersey Policy Perspective.  Nancy Griffeth, Board Trustee, also visited the offices of Senator Jon Bramnick, Assemblywoman Nancy Muñoz, and Assemblywoman Michelle Matsokoudis, along with Bill Griffeth and Rosella Clyde of the League of Women Voters of New Jersey.

All together, our coalition visited every state senator and assemblyperson’s office in New Jersey.

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*First* First Friday Action Hour November 3rd!

by Emily Parker Leave a comment

This Friday, November 3rd, is our first-ever “First Friday” Action Hour!

Join us at 12 noon, on Zoom, to TAKE ACTION together!

At our 2023 Fall Issues Conference, we officially announced the launch of a new initiative for UU FaithAction NJ—First Fridays Action Hour!  Our Action Hour is inspired by and modeled after the successful program of our sibling state action network, UU Justice North Carolina.

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NJAIJ Organizes and Prevails

by Emily Parker Leave a comment

By Ted Fetter, Immigration Justice Task Force Chair

On Tuesday, October 3, there was an urgent call from the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ).  The emails and texts, starting around noon, called for immediate action.  The Atlantic County Board of Commissioners would vote that very afternoon at 4:00 on a resolution calling for the State Legislature to rescind New Jersey’s Sanctuary State status.  Supporters of immigrants had to mobilize quickly to oppose that resolution.

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Keeping up with BOE’s

by Emily Parker Leave a comment

At our Fall Issues Conference on October 21st, 2023, Rev. Rosemarie Newberry delivered an urgent report on the quiet, insidious attack on New Jersey Dept. of Education guidance policy 5756 happening in local Board of Education meetings across our state.

Under the guise of “Parents’ Rights” or “Parental Rights,” this movement really represents a chipping away at trans children’s rights.

Watch Rev. Rosemarie Newberry’s “Keeping up with BOE’s” report at our Issues Conference, and view the text of her slideshow, below.  Rev. Rosemarie’s segment begins at minute 57.

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