Official Site of The State of New Jersey
This Week in NJ - October 17th, 2025
Governor Murphy and Department of Corrections Commissioner Kuhn Break Ground on New and Modern Correctional Facility for Women
Governor Phil Murphy joined Department of Corrections Commissioner Victoria Kuhn, Treasurer Liz Muoio, formerly incarcerated women, state and local government officials, criminal justice reform advocates, community leaders, and faith leaders to break ground on a new women's correctional facility designed with an emphasis on safety, dignity, and rehabilitation. The groundbreaking ceremony represents a major step in New Jersey’s ongoing work to modernize corrections and create an environment that promotes stability, gender-specific treatment, and reentry. The new facility will feature a trauma-informed, normative design with centralized services and expanded program areas to support the success of women in custody and their return to the community.
“Today’s groundbreaking represents a new chapter of criminal justice for New Jersey – one built on safety, dignity, and rehabilitation,” said Governor Murphy. “This new, state-of-the-art facility reflects our dedication to providing a safe, secure, and healthier environment for our state’s incarcerated women as they work toward rebuilding their lives for the better. Together with our partners, our Administration is building a more trustworthy and transparent criminal justice system focused on safety, recovery, and redemption.”
“This moment signifies a major step toward modernizing and establishing best practices for the incarceration of women in New Jersey,” said New Jersey Department of Corrections Commissioner Victoria L. Kuhn, Esq.“By constructing a purpose-built facility, we are creating the normative conditions that are conducive to rehabilitation, successful reentry, and improved conditions for our staff, the women in our custody, and the broader public.”
15 Governors Launch Governors Public Health Alliance to Safeguard Public Health, Strengthen Preparedness, and Coordinate Across Borders
Governors Bob Ferguson (WA), Josh Green (HI), Maura Healey (MA), Kathy Hochul (NY), Tina Kotek (OR), Ned Lamont (CT), Lou Leon Guerrero (GU), Dan McKee (RI), Matt Meyer (DE), Wes Moore (MD), Phil Murphy (NJ), Gavin Newsom (CA), Jared Polis (CO), JB Pritzker (IL), and Josh Stein (NC) announced the launch of the Governors Public Health Alliance, a new coalition of governors designed to protect the health of people across the U.S.
The Governors Public Health Alliance will serve as a nonpartisan coordinating hub for governors and their public health leaders. The Governors Public Health Alliance will support Governors and their states in coordinating and collaborating to protect the public’s health by facilitating data sharing and communication about health threat detection, emergency preparedness and response, public health guidance and policy, and deployment of experts.
The Governors Public Health Alliance supports national coordination on public health at the gubernatorial level – complementing existing mechanisms and interfacing with entities like the Northeast Public Health Collaborative and West Coast Health Alliance. The Governors Public Health Alliance will serve as a unified, cross-state liaison with the global health community and will facilitate cross-state collaboration by bringing together regional and other groups to share best practices and surface common challenges, elevating national considerations for vaccine policy and regulatory solutions to keep science front and center.
“New Jersey’s approach to public health will always be grounded in collaboration and science. I am proud to formalize these partnerships as we navigate uncertain times and build trust in evidence-based practices,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “Through this collaboration, we look forward to working closely with governors across our nation to combat serious public health threats.”
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Murphy Administration Awards $5 Million to Community Organizations to Connect Residents to Health Insurance Coverage Through Get Covered New Jersey
Governor Phil Murphy and New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Justin Zimmerman announced $5 million in Navigator grant awards among 30 community organizations to provide assistance in connecting uninsured residents to health coverage through Get Covered New Jersey, the State’s Official Health Insurance Marketplace, during the Open Enrollment Period and throughout the year. The 2025–2026 Open Enrollment Period starts November 1, 2025, and ends January 31, 2026.
Grant-funded Navigators will provide free, unbiased outreach, education, and enrollment assistance, in more than 10 languages in all 21 counties, to residents shopping for quality, affordable health insurance and will also assist residents in applying for financial help. Since 2019, the Murphy Administration has awarded over $28 million to fund Navigator organizations.
“Throughout my time as Governor, we have made access to quality and affordable health care a fundamental priority for all of our residents,” said Governor Murphy. “Especially with federal changes to health insurance marketplaces for the new plan year, Get Covered New Jersey’s community-based Navigators can provide valuable assistance in guiding residents to understand available options and pricing, and in choosing the best plan for them.”
NJ TRANSIT Launches Pilot Utilizing Technology to Improve Accessibility
NJ TRANSIT continues to improve navigation and accessibility throughout its system by piloting two new apps that will help empower customers with disabilities. Through a collaboration between NJ TRANSIT and the Transit Tech Lab, a program administered by the Partnership Fund for New York City, customers will now have access to GoodMaps at Hoboken Terminal which provides innovative indoor navigation assistance through the facility and Convo at Newark Penn Station Customer Service and Ticket Offices which provides on-demand American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting. A quick QR scan connects them to a live interpreter for seamless communication.
“GoodMaps and Convo are innovative applications that deliver practical solutions that help make our busiest facilities more accessible to all customers,” said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kris Kolluri. “Whether it's navigating a terminal or communicating with staff, these technologies give people more control over their journey and reflect our ongoing commitment to creating a more welcoming transit system.”
“Our collaboration with the Transit Tech Lab shows how innovation and partnership can advance accessibility in public transit” said NJ TRANSIT Head of IT Innovation Luna Katbah. “By combining technology and inclusive design, this pilot empowers visually impaired and hard of hearing customers to travel with greater confidence and independence.”