New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy wants to give struggling tenants 30 months to repay rent that has piled up during the pandemic.
The governor asked state legislators to pass such a law in his state of the state address that was prerecorded and released Tuesday, according to the Wall Street Journal. He also said he wanted to expand affordable housing programs.
New Jersey reported a boost in homebuying following pandemic lockdowns last year as some New Yorkers crossed the Hudson in search of suburban homes and cheaper alternatives.
But overall, the Garden State, like states across the nation, has been devastated. More than 18,000 New Jerseyans have died of the virus, 543,000 have been infected, with thousands having lost their jobs, state statistics show.
At his state of the state speech, Murphy also said he would work with the incoming Biden administration to expand rail infrastructure under the Hudson River, a project for which federal funding was blocked by the Trump administration. [WSJ] — Dennis Lynch