| 218th New Jersey Legislature | |
| Body: | New Jersey Legislature |
| Country: | United States |
| State: | New Jersey |
| Term Start: | January 9, 2018 |
| Term End: | January 14, 2020 |
| Before: | 217th Legislature |
| After: | 219th Legislature |
| Chamber1: | New Jersey Senate |
| Membership1: | 40 |
| Control1: | Democratic Party |
| Chamber1 Leader1 Type: | President |
| Chamber1 Leader1: | Stephen M. Sweeney |
| Chamber1 Leader2 Type: | Minority Leader |
| Chamber1 Leader2: | Thomas Kean Jr. |
| Chamber2: | New Jersey General Assembly |
| Membership2: | 80 |
| Control2: | Democratic Party |
| Chamber2 Leader1 Type: | Speaker |
| Chamber2 Leader1: | Craig Coughlin |
| Chamber2 Leader2 Type: | Minority Leader |
| Chamber2 Leader2: | Jon Bramnick |
The 218th New Jersey Legislature began on January 9, 2018 following the 2017 Elections. The session started in the end of Chris Christie's governorship and continued in the first two years of Phil Murphy's governorship.
The elections were held on November 7, 2017 alongside the 2017 New Jersey gubernatorial election. Phil Murphy and Sheila Oliver were elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor. In the elections for Senate republicans lost a net gain of one seat[1] while in the Assembly elections republicans lost a net gain of two.[2] In the only state senate election of 2019 incumbent Democratic Senator Bob Andrzejczak lost re-election to Republican Mike Testa.[3]
| Affiliation | Members | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 54 | ||
| Republican Party | 26 | ||
| Total | 80 | ||
| Affiliation | Members | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 25 | ||
| Republican Party | 15 | ||
| Total | 40 | ||
| Position | Name | District | |
|---|---|---|---|
| President of the Senate | Stephen M. Sweeney | District 3 | |
| Majority Leader | Loretta Weinberg | District 37 | |
| President pro tempore | Teresa Ruiz | District 29 | |
| Deputy Majority Leaders | Sandra Bolden Cunningham Paul Sarlo | District 31 District 36 | |
| Assistant Majority Leaders | James Beach Linda R. Greenstein | District 6 District 14 | |
| Majority Conference Leader | Robert M. Gordon | District 38 | |
| Majority Whip | |||
| Minority Leader | Thomas Kean Jr. | District 21 | |
| Deputy Minority Leader | Robert Singer | District 30 | |
| Minority Conference Leader | Steve Oroho | District 24 | |
| Deputy Minority Conference Leader | Chris A. Brown | District 2 | |
| Minority Whip | Joseph Pennacchio | District 26 | |
| Deputy Minority Whip | Kristin Corrado | District 40 | |
| Republican Budget Officer | Anthony Bucco | District 25 |
Senators for the 2018-19 legislative session are:[4] [5] [6]
| District | Name | Party | Residence | First served | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rep | 2019‡ | |||||
| Rep | 2018 | |||||
| Dem | 2002 | |||||
| Dem | 2004 | |||||
| Dem | 2014† | |||||
| Dem | 2009† | |||||
| Dem | 2018 | |||||
| Dem1 | 2010† | |||||
| Rep | 2008 | |||||
| Rep | 2012 | |||||
| Dem | 2018 | |||||
| Rep | 2012 | |||||
| Rep | 2018 | |||||
| Dem | 2010‡ | |||||
| Dem | 1998 | |||||
| Rep | 2008 | |||||
| Dem | 2002 | |||||
| Dem | 2016† | |||||
| Dem | 1998 | |||||
| Dem | 2018 | |||||
| Rep | 2003† | |||||
| Dem | 2004 | |||||
| Rep | 2009‡ | |||||
| Rep | 2008 | |||||
| Rep | 2019† | |||||
| Rep | 2008 | |||||
| Dem | 1982 | |||||
| Dem | 1986‡ | |||||
| Dem | Newark | 2008 | ||||
| Rep | 1993† | |||||
| Dem | 2007† | |||||
| Dem | 1994 | |||||
| Dem | 2008 | |||||
| Dem | 2002 | |||||
| Dem | 2012 | |||||
| Dem | 2003† | |||||
| Dem | 2005† | |||||
| Dem | 2018† | |||||
| Rep | 1982 | |||||
| Rep | 2017† |
† First appointed to the seat
‡ Elected in a special election
1 Addiego had served as a Republican prior to 2019
| District | Name | Party | Residence | First served | Left office | Cause | Replaced by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | Robert M. Gordon | Dem | Fair Lawn | 2008 | April 4, 2018 | Appointed to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities[7] [8] | Joseph Lagana | |
| 1 | Jeff Van Drew | Dennis Township | January 2, 2019 | Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives[9] [10] | Bob Andrzejczak | |||
| 25 | Anthony Bucco | Rep | Boonton | 1998 | September 16, 2019 | Death (heart attack)[11] | Tony Bucco | |
| 1 | Bob Andrzejczak | Dem | Middle Township | 2019† | December 5, 2019 | Appointee defeated in special election for completion of unexpired term[12] | Mike Testa | |
Committee chairs are: (All are Democrats)[13]
| Committee | Name of Committee Chair | |
|---|---|---|
| Budget and Appropriations | Paul Sarlo | |
| Commerce | Nellie Pou | |
| Community and Urban Affairs | Troy Singleton | |
| Economic Growth | Nilsa Cruz-Perez | |
| Education | Teresa Ruiz | |
| Environment and Energy | Bob Smith | |
| Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens | Joe Vitale | |
| Higher Education | Sandra Bolden Cunningham | |
| Judiciary | Nicholas Scutari | |
| Labor | Fred H. Madden | |
| Law and Public Safety | Linda R. Greenstein | |
| Legislative Oversight | Brian P. Stack | |
| Military and Veterans' Affairs | Vin Gopal | |
| Select Committee on Economic Growth Strategies | Bob Smith | |
| Select Committee on NJ Transit | Steve Sweeney | |
| State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation | James Beach | |
| Transportation | Patrick J. Diegnan |
The Assembly has 80 members, two for each district.Membership of the General Assembly is as follows:[14] [15]
| District | Name | Party | Residence | First served | Left office | Cause | Replaced by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dem | East Orange | 2004 | January 9, 2018 | Took office as Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey[20] [21] | Britnee Timberlake | ||||
| Pennington | 2015 | January 15, 2018 | Appointed State Treasurer of New Jersey[22] [23] | Verlina Reynolds-Jackson | |||||
| Ridgefield | 2012 | January 16, 2018 | Appointed Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance[24] [25] | Clinton Calabrese | |||||
| Secaucus | 2004 | February 26, 2018 | Resigned to become President and CEO of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority[26] | Pedro Mejia | |||||
| Paramus | 2014 | April 12, 2018 | Appointed to the District's Senate seat[27] | Lisa Swain Chris Tully | |||||
| Maywood | 2012 | April 13, 2018 | Resigned to become Deputy Director of the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission[28] | ||||||
| Plainfield | 1992 | April 18, 2018 | Death (long illness)[29] [30] | Linda Carter | |||||
| Camden | 2016 | June 18, 2018 | Resigned following arrest for simple assault[31] | William Spearman | |||||
| Trenton | 1996 | June 30, 2018 | Elected Mayor of Trenton[32] [33] | Anthony Verrelli | |||||
| Middle Township | 2013 | January 14, 2019 | Appointed to the District's Senate seat[34] | Matthew W. Milam | |||||
| Rep | Boonton Township | 2010 | October 24, 2019 | Appointed to the District's Senate seat[35] | Aura K. Dunn |
Committee chairs are: (All are Democrats)[36]
| Committee | Name of Committee Chair | |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture and Natural Resources | Eric Houghtaling | |
| Appropriations | John Burzichelli | |
| Budget | Eliana Pintor Marin | |
| Commerce and Economic Development | Gordon M. Johnson | |
| Consumer Affairs | Paul D. Moriarty | |
| Education | Pamela R. Lampitt | |
| Environment and Solid Waste | Nancy Pinkin | |
| Financial Institutions and Insurance | John F. McKeon | |
| Health and Senior Services | Herb Conaway | |
| Higher Education | Mila Jasey | |
| Homeland Security and State Preparedness | Valerie Vainieri Huttle | |
| Housing and Community Development | Benjie Wimberly | |
| Human Services | Joann Downey | |
| Judiciary | Annette Quijano | |
| Labor | Joseph V. Egan | |
| Law and Public Safety | Adam Taliaferro | |
| Military and Veterans' Affairs | Cleopatra Tucker | |
| Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations | Joseph Danielsen | |
| Regulated Professions | Thomas Giblin | |
| Science, Innovation and Technology | Andrew Zwicker | |
| State and Local Government | Vincent Mazzeo | |
| Telecommunications and Utilities | Wayne DeAngelo | |
| Tourism, Gaming and the Arts | Ralph Caputo | |
| Transportation and Independent Authorities | Daniel R. Benson | |
| Women and Children | Gabriela Mosquera |
| District | Original | Party | Period of vacancy | Appointee | Party of Appointee | Winner of Special Election | Winner's Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38th | Robert M. Gordon | Democratic Party | April 4, 2018 – April 12, 2018 | Joseph Lagana | Democratic Party | Joseph Lagana[37] | Democratic Party |
| 1st | Jeff Van Drew | Democratic Party | December 31, 2018 – January 15, 2019 | Bob Andrzejczak[38] | Democratic Party | Mike Testa | Republican Party |
| 25th | Anthony Bucco | Republican Party | September 16, 2019 - October 25, 2019 | Tony Bucco | Republican Party | TBD | TBD |
Outgoing Governor Chris Christie delivered is last State of the State on January 9, 2018. He touted his legacy as Governor, such as his response to Hurricane Sandy, among other things.[39] On January 15, 2019 Governor Phil Murphy gave his first State of the State Address. In his address he called on the legislature to raise the minimum wage from $8 to $15, legalize recreational marijuana, and to act on tax reform. He also touted his achievements in his first year such as raising income taxes on people making more than $5 million a year, beginning to make community college tuition free, increasing funding to Planned Parenthood, and tighter gun laws.[40] Again on March 5, 2019 Murphy addressed the Legislature to deliver his budget address. In the address he called for universal pre-k, eliminating tuition for community college, a millionaires tax, and increased spending. Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin said they are opposed to Murphy's proposed tax increases.[41] On June 20, 2019 the Assembly and Senate passed a budget without Murphy's millionaires tax. In the Senate, seven republicans, Declan O'Scanlon, Kip Bateman, Tom Kean, Kristin Corrado, Bob Singer, and Sam Thompson, voted for the budget.[42] Murphy line-item vetoed the budget.