TRENTON, NJ – Governor Phil Murphy today announced more steps in his plan to reopen New Jersey, including offering daycare services for first responders, youth sports and summer camps, but he completely ignored the plight of tens of thousands of small businesses ready to go underwater. Last night, Murphy vetoed a bill in the Senate that would have provided small businesses with rent relief from landlords as businesses are now faced with their third rental payment in as many months as being shut down.
Now, for three months, those businesses are paying landlords thousands of dollars for space they can’t use with money they haven’t made. While many industries have clear plans for progressing and reopening, campgrounds, daycare, sports, horse racing and others, the average brick and mortar small business has yet to receive any guidance from the governor’s office or any plan. Nearly one thousand business owners in a coalition have threatened to reopen on Monday, June 1st if the Governor did not offer any plan to reopen before then.