New Jersey Democrats: Under Obama, Poverty has Increased 40% in the Garden State

Posted by
1 min read
February 9, 2016

TRENTON-In a release issued today by the New Jersey Assembly Democrat, more New Jersey residents are in poverty than have been since 2008, when President Obama was elected. In fact, poverty in the Garden State has risen by 40% since Obama’s inauguration, according to the release.  New Jersey Democrats have maintained a voting majority in both the New Jersey state senate and assembly during this period.

“According to a recent report by Legal Services of New Jersey, more New Jersey residents are in poverty now than in the past five decades. The agency estimates about 2.8 million adults and 800,000 children lived poverty in New Jersey 2014. That’s 40 percent higher than it was before the 2008 Great Recession,” Assembly Democrats said in a release today.  “The current take home pay for a full time minimum wage worker in New Jersey is $17,430.40 a year.”

Democrats used those figures to introduce legislation to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour.

Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson), Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee Chairman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), Assembly Budget Committee Chairman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) and Senate Economic Growth Committee Chairman Senator Raymond J. Lesniak (D-Union) join New Jersey Working Families Alliance and a coalition of other groups at a news conference in which they call for increasing New Jersey’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.

“The legislation to increase the state minimum wage to $15 is part of the Speaker’s ongoing effort to have the General Assembly focus on ways to lift New Jersey residents out of poverty, rebuild the middle-class and make New Jersey more affordable,” they said.

They also admitted that the measure would fail help those earning $15 per hour achieve basic financial stability by $4.73 per hour.

“According to a United Way report on financial need in New Jersey, a single New Jerseyan with no children would need to earn $13.78 just to afford essential needs like food and shelter, and $19.73 to achieve basic economic stability,” they said.

 

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.

Don't Miss

Exit mobile version