TRENTON (Jan. 10, 2023) – Today, Governor Phil Murphy delivered his State of the State address in the Capitol. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), New Jersey and the nation’s leading small business advocacy association with thousands of members in the state, reacted to the speech. The following comments may be attributed to NFIB State Director Eileen Kean:

“Governor Murphy said during his State of the State message today that New Jersey now has a more reasonable and responsible government that is a model for the nation. He mentioned that one billion dollars in grants and loans were provided to help small businesses since the onset of the pandemic. While NFIB is grateful, Main Street businesses continue to struggle, operating in the most expensive, overtaxed state in the country.  

“The Governor failed to address the reality that businesses are being forced to contribute over one billion dollars to the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund, which was depleted by the pandemic, unlike in the majority of other states that dedicated federal COVID relief money to their unemployment shortfall.

“His announced plan to entirely revamp all aspects of New Jersey’s liquor licensing laws, while well intentioned, will create another layer of expensive fees and regulations, pitting unlicensed and currently licensed Main Street restaurants against each other. He could have used a scalpel to remove the current bad brewery rules, but instead he is using a meat cleaver, and it will be ugly.”

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For nearly 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses, and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.