News
NJSPL: New Jersey’s New E-Bike Laws – What Comes Next?
On January 19, 2026, former Governor Phil Murphy signed S4834/A6235 into law, establishing a new regulatory framework for electric bicycles in the Garden State. This blog by Leigh Ann Von Hagen and Gabrielle Cain explains the next steps.
The State of Jersey Politics
Rutgers University professor Julia Sass Rubin said the county line’s demise has led to more candidates, an uptick in voter turnout, and 11% of the 57 Democrats in the Assembly winning their seats despite not getting a county party endorsement. “This feels like small steps, but they’re not. … Ending the county line opens up the possibility for real reform in our state,” Rubin said.
How Iran war and new jobs data paint a sour picture for NJ economy
New Jersey’s sluggish job growth in 2025 continued a downward trend over several years. The state added nearly 64,200 jobs in 2023, but only 39,800 in 2024, according to data compiled by the New Jersey Department of Labor.
“Things are definitely cooling,” Will Irving, a professor at the New Jersey State Policy Lab at Rutgers University, told NorthJersey.com in January.
Heldrich: Aligning NJ’s AI Policy with Small Business Needs
Researchers at the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, with funding from the New Jersey State Policy Lab, are currently engaged in a project to examine how New Jersey’s public Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiatives can better align with the evolving needs of small businesses in the state. Research Project Assistant Lily McFarland outlines early findings from the project in a new blog post.
New Jersey faces a multibillion-dollar deficit. Leaders say the state can become more affordable by taking specific steps
“There is no magical, painless way of making the state more affordable,” he said. “It took us decades and decades to get us into the position we’re in, and it’s going to take a long time to change things.”
Students’ At Rutgers- Newark Hosted Symposium Discussing Racial & Social Inequities in Black Hairstyles #RCROWNS
“They were trying really hard to be like the Beyoncés of the world, the Shakiras of the world,” she said. “They were willing to put in clip-ins and to the level where it damaged their scalp,” said Professor O’Brien-Richardson.
EJB Talks: Planning, Policy, Politics, and the Path to Office
This week on EJB talks, Dean Stuart Shapiro talks to Bloustein alumnus Katie Brennan MCRP ’12, now an Assemblywoman in New Jersey’s 32nd District. Katie reflects on how her early exposure to housing instability, volunteer work, and her undergraduate policy studies shaped her belief that “everything is a housing issue.”
Register Today for Bloustein Research Day 2026
It’s time to catch up on the wonderful research our faculty, staff, and student colleagues have performed over the past year. Bloustein School faculty and staff will present lightning talks followed by a poster session by graduate and undergraduate students.
Kopp Opinion: Trump Is Attacking Climate Science. Scientists Are Fighting Back.
Over the decades, NASA and NOAA have produced crucial records of changes in atmosphere, sea level, greenhouse gas emissions, and more. Among many other benefits, U.S. investments in climate research have helped cities design flood protection, farmers make cropping decisions, and communities prepare for hurricanes. Then came the second Trump administration.
Report Release: R/ECON Forecast Winter 2026
Like the broader U.S., New Jersey is likely to finish the year with notably stronger GDP growth than forecast earlier, though growth is projected to decline to 0.8% in 2026, before rebounding modestly to 1% the following year.
Report from Gov. Sherrill Transition Team Highlights Jobs, Economic Opportunity
The Office of New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has released the report of the Jobs, Opportunity, and Prosperity for All action team, which was tasked with developing job and economic growth strategies for the state. The task force was co-chaired by Carl Van Horn,...
New CUPR Report Examines Feasibility of Geothermal Heat Pump Systems for NJ
The Center for Urban Policy Research (CUPR) undertook this study on behalf of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) in alignment with legislation directing the NJBPU to conduct a study on the feasibility, marketability, benefits, and costs of implementing large-scale geothermal heat pump systems in the state (P.L. 2023, c.328).