Gov. Phil Murphy signs nearly $8 billion stopgap budget, described as ‘bare bones’

Gov. Phil Murphy has signed a nearly $8 billion stopgap budget, whose deadline was extended to Sept. 30 because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

News 12 Staff

•

Jul 1, 2020, 10:23 AM

•

Updated 1,569 days ago

Gov. Phil Murphy has signed a nearly $8 billion stopgap budget, whose deadline was extended to Sept. 30 because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

PHOTOS: COVID-19 Impacts the World

undefined

Gov. Murphy described the budget Tuesday as “bare bones” during a news conference in Trenton.

VIRUS TRACKER: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut coronavirus cases and deaths
MORE: LIVE BLOG - Coronavirus updates from the tri-state area and beyond
MORE: New Jersey Coronavirus Dashboard
FULL COVERAGE: Coronavirus Pandemic

"The fiscal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are as unprecedented as this public health emergency itself,” says Gov. Murphy. “As we move forward toward the nine-month fiscal 2021 budget, our choices will have an even bigger impact."

MORE: 10 ways to stay safe when dining at restaurants
MORE: 15 questions to ask yourself before venturing out during COVID-19
MORE: 10 ways to stay safe when returning to the gym/fitness center
MORE: 7 things to remember when going to a nail salon

The three-month spending plan runs from Tuesday through Sept. 30, the new deadline Gov. Murphy and the Legislature enacted because of falling state revenues stemming from the outbreak.

The governor says the spending plan amounts to a 5% across-the-board cut for non-salary operating costs, and a 10% cut in discretionary grants.

AP wire services helped contribute to this report.