Who We Are
As the state's largest citizen watchdog coalition, New Jersey Citizen Action works to protect and expand the rights of individuals and families and to ensure that government officials respond to the needs of people rather than the interests of those with money and power.
Through organizing campaigns that promote economic, social, racial and political justice, NJCA encourages the active involvement of New Jersey residents in challenging the public and private institutions and agencies that impact our lives.
Urgent!! Take Action NOW!
NO Funding for the Iraq War! — YES for Investing in America's Future!
Congress will soon vote on two measures, one to give the president a blank check for the Iraq War and the other to invest in programs that will help strengthen the economy.
Call your Representative Right Now (Toll Free)!
Capitol Switchboard: (888) 460-0813
Ask the Capitol Switchboard operator to connect you to your member of Congress' office. If you don't know your Representative's name, click here!
YOU can make the difference! Here's a suggested script:
I am calling to urge Rep ____ to vote YES for recession relief for low and moderate income people and NO to another blank check for the Iraq War. To really boost the economy, we need to stop throwing away money on an endless war and start investing in America's future. End the recession by helping the unemployed, including youth; providing Food Stamps and other nutrition and home energy aid; and preventing cuts in Medicaid, Head Start, child support, and schools.
After your call, please forward this message to three members of your friends and family. Together we can end the Iraq War and ensure Congress passes a package that provides for a shared recovery.
Background:
America is now in a recession. The economy has lost 296,000 private sector jobs in the past quarter. Unemployment claims have surged upwards to a four-week average of 376,000 and many Americans are still in jobs, but with reduced hours. We can allow things to continue to get worse, or we can take action!
The Bush Administration wants $70 billion for fiscal year 2009 to fund the war in Iraq. At a time when money is urgently needed in our communities, the new bill would bring the total for the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan to an unimaginable $874 billion. Please urge your representative to vote no on funding this bill, and yes to investing in America's priorities.
Congress is currently discussing a growth package that stimulates the economy, provides relief for low- to moderate income people, and prevents cuts necessary for state funding of needed social programs. It is up to us to make sure their proposals succeed in reversing the impact of the recession for ordinary Americans. Urge your representatives to support this economic growth and recovery package and vote NO to another blank check for this endless war!
Take Action Right Now! Time is of the essence! The House and Senate leaders are discussing what should be included in an economic recovery package that can invest in the people who are most impacted by the recession – and they may vote on supplemental funding for the Iraq War as soon as Thursday, May 8, 2008. You can learn more about the Invest in America's Future Campaign below on this page.
Thanks for calling right now.
In Solidarity,
Phyllis Salowe-Kaye
Executive Director
Take Action!
Stop Verizon and Embarq From Gouging NJ Ratepayers
The Board of Public Utilities is deliberating a request from phone giants Verizon and Embark to deregulate basic local phone services in New Jersey. If approved, deregulation will certainly lead to higher rates for NJ consumers.
Take Action! Click here to Send an Email to Governor Corzine and BPU President Fox.
Or Call Now!
- NJ BPU President Fox at 973-648-2013
- Governor Corzine at 609-292-6000
Tell them:
- Reject Verizon and Embarq's request to deregulate local phone service.
- Lack of competition will lead to unaffordable prices.
- Put the interest of NJ's ratepayers and most vulnerable populations above the interest of Verizon and Embarq's shareholders.
Background:
Read NJCA's newly-released report: No Dial Tone: Will the NJ Board of Public Utilities Cut the Last Line of Affordable Basic Local Telephone Service in New Jersey? Click here for the report.
This report shows that there is no competition in New Jersey's basic local phone service market and calls on the BPU to reject Verizon and Embarq's petition to deregulate the industry.
In what could amount to over a half billion dollar a year increase for ratepayers, Verizon-NJ and Embarq have petitioned the NJ Board of Public Utilities to deregulate all local telephone services in New Jersey.
If deregulated, lack of competition in the local wire-line telephone market will cause the estimated 1.3 million NJ residents who still rely on basic local service to see steep increases in their telephone bills; making these services unaffordable to many low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities.
The NJ Board of Public Utilities must stop this ratepayer rip-off by rejecting Verizon-NJ and Embarq's petition to deregulate phone services in its entirety!
For more information contact Atif Malik at atif@njcitizenaction.org or 973-643-8800.
More resources:
- Download the campaign fact sheet.
- Read the Statement of Evelyn Liebman, Director of Organizing and Advocacy – In the Matter of the Board Investigation Regarding the Reclassification of Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC) Services as Competitive.
- Download the campaign flyer to distribute.
- Sign-on Form: To sign your organization on to our campaign to stop Verizon-NJ's deregulation attempt, fill out the campaign sign-on form and return it to Atif Malik by fax at 973-643-8100.
- Learn more about NJCA's Telecommunications and Consumer Rights Campaign.
Victory!
Governor Corzine Signs Family Leave Insurance into Law!
WE DID IT!
On Friday, May 2, 2008, after twelve years of advocacy, Citizen Action and the NJ Time to Care Coalition realized a great victory when Governor Jon Corzine signed Family Leave Insurance legislations, A-873, into law and made New Jersey only the third state in the nation to enact one of the most far-reaching and progressive workplace reforms in many, many decades. Given that at least one million NJ workers (and probably more) don't have a single paid day off from their job and 40% of all low-wage workers don't have a single sick day, this legislation will make a significant and real difference in the lives of NJ's working families and their loved ones.
Family Leave Insurance will be 100% worker-funded through a small paycheck contribution (no more than 64 cents/wk) starting January 1, 2009. All NJ workers who contribute to the program will have the opportunity to receive 2/3 of their normal paycheck (capped at $524/wk in 2008) for up to six weeks starting July 1, 2009.
NJCA and the NJ Time to Care Coalition would like to thank the thousands of supporters who helped make this victory happen by sending over 100,000 letters to our elected officials over the last year and a half urging them to create a NJ Family Leave Insurance program.
We would also like to thank Governor Corzine for his continued support, the Senate and Assembly sponsors and all the legislators who stood firmly behind New Jersey's working families and voted Yes on Family Leave Insurance (A873/S786)! Learn more about the Family Leave Insurance Campaign — and why it is so necessary for New Jersey's workers, seniors, families and businesses.
Join the New Jersey for Health Care Campaign!
The New Jersey for Health Care Campaign is a broad-based alliance of health care, consumer, senior, student, disability, women's, labor, faith-based, civil rights and social justice organizations working to make guaranteed, high quality, affordable health care a reality for all New Jerseyans.
TAKE ACTION! Join the New Jersey for Health Care Campaign. Download the 2008 Endorsement Form and become an active coalition member now! Sign the Health Care Voter Card to pledge your support for quality, affordable health care for all, without gaps in coverage or access.
For more information, contact Eve Weissman at 856-966-3091 ext. 205 or eve@njcitizenaciton.org. Learn more about the Quality Health Care for All Campaign.
Foreclosures Soar in New Jersey
In 2008, between 13,500 and 16,500 New Jersey homeowners are likely to face foreclosure as a result of high-cost, subprime loans.
New Jersey's homeowners and neighborhoods are at risk. Camden, Newark and Edison were already among the 50 United States metropolitan areas with the highest foreclosure rates in 2006, and conditions are worsening throughout the state. There are 179,873 estimated outstanding subprime mortgages in New Jersey, and 35,117 subprime foreclosures are expected to occur here between the third quarter of 2007 and the end of 2009 – nearly 1 out of every 5 subprime loans. For full details, download the NJ Foreclosure Fact Sheet.
New Jersey has a compelling interest in protecting existing homeowners and their communities from the effects of the current subprime lending crisis to the extent feasible, and in ensuring that going forward, home owners and home buyers – particularly those of lower income – are not victimized by loan practices that place the affordability of their homes at risk.
NEW! "We've Got Issues" Cable News Show on Foreclosure Crisis – Panel Includes Phyllis Salowe-Kaye
The "We've Got Issues" Cable news show recently featured an hour-long panel discussion on the growing mortgage foreclosure crisis and the impacts on local communities. The program is televised statewide on cable systems and reaches out to all our residents and explains how foreclosures can impact them, even if they are not going through foreclosure.
The NJ Cable Telecommunications Association (NJCTA) have partnered with the NJ State League of Municipalities to produce this show in an effort to highlight the mortgage foreclosure crisis.
The panel, moderated by Laura Jones, includes Phyllis Salowe-Kaye, the Executive Director of NJCA; Adam Greenberg, Esq. of the Tax Collectors and Treasurers Assoc.; James Hughes, Dean of The Rutgers Bloustein Center for Planning and Public Policy; Robert Levy, Executive Director & Counsel for the Mortgage Bankers Association of NJ, and Steven M. Goldman, NJ Commissioner of Banking and Insurance.
In addition to Cablevision and Comcast channels, the Mortgage Foreclosure show is available on the Time Warner Cable and Service Electric Cable TV of NJ channels. The link below is updated with the complete schedule of when the show will be airing on your local channels:
http://www.cablenj.org/News/archive/108.asp
You can watch the program any time, any day for free on...
- Time Warner Cable
- Channel 1111 – New Jersey On Demand channel
- Go to the "News and Government" category
- Select the title "We've Got Issues"
Yuo can also watch the program during May on...
- Service Electric Cable TV of NJ
- Channel 10
- Available May 1 through May 31, 2008
- 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Don't miss this very special "We've Got Issues" investigation into the mortgage foreclosure crisis in New Jersey. You can also read about the program in "Show Puts Foreclosure In Spotlight" (Herald News – April 25, 2008).
Support the Foreclosure Prevention Act
Sign on to support the Foreclosure Prevention Act and help protect NJ residents and communities. The proposed Foreclosure Prevention Act will allow NJ to take positive action as our friends and neighbors face the devastating impact of foreclosure. Rather than stay the course as the federal government continues to ignore the needs of the people; it is time for NJ to provide relief and a viable solution to those who are suffering now. Support the Foreclosure Prevention Act and help move NJ one step closer to solving the foreclosure crisis. Download the Support Statement, then please return the completed form by fax: 973-643-8100 or email: crystals@njcitizenaction.org.
NJCA Joins with Allies and NJ Lawmakers to Help Families Worrying About Home Foreclosure
On March 11, New Jersey Citizen Action, the Housing and Community Development Network and the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, announced the introduction of legislation sponsored by State Senator Ronald Rice (D-28) and Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-15) to address New Jersey's growing foreclosure crisis. The bill, which is also sponsored by Assembly Housing and Local Government Chairman Jerry Green, (D-22), can be viewed here.
The legislation provides for a six-month moratorium on certain defaulted loans to allow the borrower time to work towards a more favorable solution. It also creates a fund to provide foreclosure prevention counseling and "catch-up" loans to help people stay in their homes. The fund would be built on a $2,000 impact fee charged to lenders who foreclose on subprime loans, and is projected to raise between $27 million and $33 million for the year. The bill allows former homeowners who lose their homes due to foreclosure to remain in the property as tenants until the property is acquired by someone who plans to occupy it. It also provides other protections against future lending abuses.
Learn more about NJCA's Insurance, Banking and Community Reinvestment Campaign, and our Loan Counseling Service.
Clean Elections Campaign
Sign-on to the New Jersey Coalition for Clean Elections, a statewide coalition dedicated to reducing the corrupting influence of money in politics and establishing a permanent, state-wide system of full public campaign financing.
In 2007, New Jersey implemented the NJ Fair and Clean Elections Pilot Program to determine the best way to establish a permanent, statewide system of full public financing. The 2007 Pilot overwhelmingly succeeded in meeting the Legislature's thresholds for expansion. Now is the time to move beyond pilot projects and implement a permanent full public financing program for New Jersey.
Take Action! Download and sign-on to the New Jersey Clean Elections Coalition Principles and Join the Coalition today! Please return the completed form to Ladonna Blount, NJCA Organizer by fax 732-214-8385 or email ladonna@njcitizenaction.org. If you have questions, please call Ladonna at 732-246-4772.
The New Jersey Clean Elections Coalition supports a full public financing program that establishes these Five Principles:
- A Clean Elections program that permanently expands to all 40 legislative districts.
- A Clean Elections program that provides full campaign financing for primary and general elections.
- A Clean Elections program that provides equal funding to all qualified candidates.
- A Clean Elections program that provides adequate resources for program implementation and public education.
- A Clean Elections program that includes proper enforcement to protect public funds.
Learn more about the Fair And Clean Elections Campaign.
URGENT!
Fate of "Enron Loophole" Legislation To Be Decided Soon!
Oil prices are continuing to break records. They are currently at an all time high of $112 per barrel, up over 50% from last year! Only half of the increase is due to supply and demand. The other half is due to speculation and manipulation of the market.
In December 2000, Congress passed the "Enron Loophole." Enron executives were able to successfully lobby the U.S. government to deregulate trading by energy exchanges. The result is a loophole which allows electronic trading with NO federal oversight.
Who can forget the Enron financial scandal of 2001? Enron employed over 22,000 people before it went bankrupt, leaving its employees with nothing — no pension, no retirement fund. The head honchos barely received a slap on the wrist, serving minimal jail time, if any. Despite the demise of Enron, the loophole legacy still exists, allowing a few to get rich off the backs of hard working people. To regain the trust of the public, all energy commodity markets must be regulated so that the prices paid by consumers reflect supply and demand, not speculation or manipulation. To do this, the "Enron Loophole" must be closed.
Legislators are discussing this now! It is essential that they include in the final Farm Bill the "Close the Enron Loophole Act" (CREA Reauth. Act) that was included in the Senate Version by unanimous consent.
Take Action! Visit closetheenronloophole.com to show your support!
New Jersey Citizen Action Oil Group is a project of New Jersey Citizen Action. The Oil Group was formed in 1983 to provide consumers with an alternative to the high cost of heating fuel. The Oil Group uses group purchasing power to negotiate discount prices. For more information, please call 1-800-464-8465, or visit njcaoilgroup.com.
Invest in America's Future
As our country enters an economic downturn and millions of families face foreclosure, the Bush Administration continues to give tax cuts to millionaires and invest in an endless war in Iraq. In order to change these upside down priorities, we must invest in America's future.
Take Action! Please download and sign on to our letter asking NJ's Congressional Delegation to support an Economic Stimulus Package that provides relief for low to moderate income families and invests in our country's infrastructure to create jobs and economic growth.
The time is now for Americans to come together to push for a progressive moral agenda that provides real security for our country. We can see now more than ever, war is not the answer and spending on the war has made families and communities less secure. Security is more than just being safe from terrorism, as the administration would have us believe. Security is being able to earn a living, have a secure retirement, provide food for your family, live in affordable housing and know that if you get sick you can afford to see a doctor.
On April 15, 2008, NJCA launched our Invest in America's Future campaign by hosting simultaneous Tax Day events in Mt. Holly and Westfield. We called on Congress to support increased investments in Medicaid, food stamps and unemployment benefits without holding them hostage to additional tax breaks for the wealthy or further funding for the war in Iraq. Video! See a broadcast of our Tax Day Protest (from the Home News Tribune).
$3 Trillion Shopping Spree!
The occupation of Iraq will cost $3 trillion, America's most expensive conflict since WWII.
Can YOU spend that money better? Watch the video at YouTube, then go on a virtual $3 trillion shopping spree and prove it at 3trillion.org.
Also visit the Americans Against Escalation in Iraq Campaign.
Women's Housing Initiative / Iniciativa Como Obtener Su Propia Casa — June 21
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NJCA: A Home of Her Own: Women's Housing Initiative Saturday, June 21, 2008, |
NJCA: Iniciativa Como Obtener Su Propia Casa Sábado, 21 De Junio Del 2008 De 2:00 – 4:00PM |
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NJCA's Loan Counseling Service
New! On February 17, 2008, The New York Times's coverage of the mortgage crisis featured NJCA's loan counseling program:
Someone to Speak for Borrowers in Trouble
By Kareem Fahim
NEWARK — As she leafed through her client's mortgage papers, the housing loan counselor just shook her head.
The numbers and interest rates and payment schedules formed such a familiar, dispiriting picture. The 32-year-old man who was sitting across the desk from her said he had been persuaded to take out an adjustable rate mortgage called an option ARM when he bought his home, the first he has owned. The terms of the loan put him in danger of joining millions of people dragged under by the mortgage crisis that has washed through towns and cities across the country....
The loan counselor, Judy Brzuskiewicz of New Jersey Citizen Action, a nonprofit advocacy group in Newark, picked up the phone. She called the lender, Countrywide Financial, and told the representative that her client still had good credit and needed the 9 percent interest rate on his mortgage lowered, maybe to 6 percent. Politely but insistently, she said the adjustable rate needed to be frozen.
"I'm counting on you," she told the representative, who told her that he fielded calls like hers all day long.
Day after day, Ms. Brzuskiewicz and counselors like her across the country keep making the same calls, trying to stand between homeowners who took out loans they say that they did not comprehend, or could not afford, and foreclosure.... Read the complete news article.
Learn more about NJCA's Loan Counseling Service, Free Tax Preparation (y en Español), and our Insurance, Banking and Community Reinvestment Campaign.
Americans Against Escalation in Iraq
Americans Against Escalation in Iraq (AAEI) is a coalition of organizations representing workers, students, academics, policy experts and activists who oppose the President's misguided war in Iraq and call for a safe and responsible redeployment of American troops. Like most of our partners, New Jersey Citizen Action has not typically focused on foreign policy in our day-to-day work. But in our efforts to protect New Jersey's highest priorities – including strong public education and quality affordable health care for all – we cannot ignore the very real and financial toll President Bush's morally bankrupt war has taken on our ability to invest in America's future.
The war in Iraq is unpopular, immoral, and unaffordable – both in the immeasurable cost of human lives and in its effect on our ability to craft a budget that invests in the future of all Americans. The proper course in Iraq is not escalation and more bloodshed; it is redeployment and withdrawal. It is time to end the war and bring home our troops! New! Photos from our March 28th Bush Protest in Freehold, NJ. Learn more about the Americans Against Escalation in Iraq Campaign.
NJCA's Free Tax Preparation Service
1-888-TAXES11 or 1-888-829-3711
23 West Park Street, Newark
(across from Military Park off Broad Street)
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10 am till 7 pm
Saturday 10 am till 4 pm
Closed Wednesday and Sunday
Services provided in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole and French
Have you filed your income taxes for 2007? NJCA is providing Free Tax Preparation to individuals and families that earned $40,000 or less.
Get your federal refund in as little as 2 days!! NJCA provides an alternative to high cost RALs (refund anticipation loans). Qualified tax filers are reimbursed for all fees.
Starting in May 2008, millions of households will be receiving checks or bank account deposits of $300, $600, $1,200 or more, as part of the Economic Stimulus program. You must file a 2007 tax return to receive your payment. Call us or stop by our office to file your tax return.
Participate in our "Refer A Friend" program. Refer 3 clients for free tax preparation and receive 2 AMC Gold Experience Movie Tickets. For each additional referral, your name is entered into a drawing for a FREE IPOD! Refer more friends for more chances to win.
Learn more about NJCA's Free Tax Preparation Service.
VICTORY!
Law Passed to Expand Lead Inspection Requirements to All NJ Rental Properties
On Friday, January 4, 2008, Governor Corzine signed S2622 — a law that will significantly help protect New Jersey's young children from lead poisoning, a fully preventable but extremely dangerous disease.
The law amends the current Hotel and Multiple Dwellings Code and requires the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to inspect every single-family and two-family rental dwelling for lead-based paint hazards at least once every 5 years. Until now, one and two unit dwellings had been exempt from lead hazard inspections, as the previous Code applied only to rental units in multiple dwellings and left a great number of New Jersey's residents more exposed to the dangers of lead hazards.
This is a major victory for NJCA, as we have long been fighting the battle against childhood lead poisoning and do not believe that children should be used as lead detectors! Learn more at our Lead Poisoning Prevention Campaign.
Emergency Campaign for America's Priorities
In the face of yet another austere federal budget proposal, New Jersey Citizen Action has resumed its work as part of the Emergency Campaign for America's Priorities (ECAP), a coalition of state and national partners urging Congress to pass a federal budget that reflects the priorities of America's working families, seniors, children and citizens with disabilities. Download the report First Things First for New Jersey.
President Bush's budget proposal for fiscal year 2008 falls far short of this mark, imposing cuts to valuable programs on which millions of Americans depend, including cuts of $102 billion to Medicaid and Medicare, $500 million to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as cuts to the Community Development Block Grant program, the WIC nutrition program for poor mothers and children, the Community Services Block Grant program, and many others.
This proposal will especially affect New Jersey by cutting $35 million to NJ FamilyCare, the state's health insurance program for low-income children. These cuts will drop coverage for 30,000 New Jersey children. The budget also proposes to cut $7.0 million for New Jersey's HeadStart program, $21 million from Special Education, $24.4 million from the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and $7.7 million from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. At the same time, the budget proposes to extend tax cuts of $92 BILLION for the wealthiest five percent.
Read about ECAP and NJCA in the News. For more information on the federal budge, download these reportst:
- USAction Education Fund Report: "Getting U.S. Back on Track: Congress needs to reverse the upside-down priorities – from Washington to Iraq – that are shortchanging New Jersey families and communities"
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Report: "President's Budget Calls For Deep Cuts In A Wide Range Of Domestic Programs: Cuts Start in 2008 and Grow Deeper Over Time"
- Center for Law and Social Policy Report: "Families Forgotten: Administration's Priorities Put Child Care Low on the List"
- Coalition on Human Needs Report: "The Bush Budget: Less Help for People in Need; Needless Help for Those with High Incomes"
TAKE ACTION! Write or call your Congress member and Senator now to urge them to oppose any budget with upside-down priorities!
More From NJCA
Earned Income Tax Credit
FREE TAX PREPARATION
You Earned It — Now CLAIM IT!
Does the IRS owe you money? The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) provides working people — who earned less than $40,000 in 2007 — up to $4,716 in tax benefits. Keep money in your pocket and claim the EITC on your tax return. NJCA's FREE tax preparation program will provide:- Trained tax specialists to prepare your tax returns
- Direct Deposit
- Timely Refunds with electronic filing
- Onsite Bank representatives to open a savings account
STOP paying high fees and interest to tax preparers when you can get the same benefits for FREE! Call (888) T-A-X-E-S-11 for an appointment with a tax specialist. To use this service, you must file a tax return. Learn more at our Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Initiative.
NJ State Budget — Give a Voice to Critical Human Needs
The Anti-Poverty Network of New Jersey (APN) needs your help to give critical human needs a voice in the state's budget process. State decision-makers have already begun the process of developing the state budget for 2006-2007, but most of the conversation has been about cuts. We need to get the message out that even in tight budget times, the state government must respond to basic human needs. See APN's mostcriticalneeds.org for areas requiring immediate state investment. And see how the Fairness Alliance graded Governor Corzine's Proposed Budget in the Fairness Alliance 2006 Budget Principles list and the Fairness Alliance on the Budget.
TAKE ACTION! Distribute the Most Critical Needs Flier to your members, service recipients, and anyone else who wants to have a voice in expressing the most important areas for state investment in human needs. Learn more about our Fair Tax Campaign and The Fairness Alliance.
VICTORY!
Ratepayers Victorious! — Exelon's PSEG Buy-Out Bid Collapses
Citizen Action scored a huge victory on September 14, 2006 when the Chicago-based Exelon Corporation's friendly takeover bid of PSEG collapsed. The merger would have created a giant super monopoly that could have manipulated energy supplies and prices, costing ratepayers up to $2.3 billion a year in additional rate increases. This merger, which had already received approval of the Bush administration in D.C., is the only utility merger ever to fail to be approved by the NJ BPU and only one of a very few around the country to collapse in the current wave of utility mergers around the country.
"This is a clear victory for ratepayers," said NJCA Executive Director Phyllis Salowe-Kaye. "It shows that citizens can win when we're organized and make our voices heard." Learn more at our Fair Utility Rates and Energy Education Campaign.