In an op-ed published on NJ.com, GSI’s president Regina M. Egea, writes about Governor Phil Murphy’s latest tax proposal - an assessment on companies who manufacture pain management medications and how that cost will passed on to patients, while doing nothing to address the state’s opioid crisis:

“No matter how the governor’s office tries to frame his proposal to legislators and the public, let’s call this what it is: a tax increase on patients who use legitimately prescribed medications for managing their diseases and chronic pain.”

“Our state is continuing to follow the positive national trend of adding jobs to the economy,” said Garden State Initiative President Regina M. Egea. “However, the stagnation in our workforce size and significant losses in the Financial Activities sector, which in prior years has led our growth, remain cause for concern going forward.”

ROI-NJ.com’s Tom Bergeron writes on GSI’s 2nd Annual Economic Policy Forum and cites comments from GSI president Regina Egea on growing voter disenchantment:

“There’s an undercurrent of dissatisfaction in the public in New Jersey, and political leaders who ignore that do that at their own peril,” she said. “Benign cocktail chatter is turning into complete dissatisfaction and impatience by the voters and the members of the public.”

NJTV News’ Michael Hill reports from GSI’s 2nd Annual Economic Policy Forum and finds considerable concern about the health of New Jersey’s economy and fiscal health.

An honest assessment of the state of New Jersey’s economy and business climate along with solutions to move the state forward were on the agenda Thursday afternoon as Garden State Initiative (GSI) hosted its 2nd Annual Economic Policy Forum at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick.

GSI's president Regina Egea appeared on this weekend's "On the Record" with Michael Aron on NJTV to discuss our upcoming policy forum, the looming crisis for New Jersey's housing market and the state of our economy.

In a NorthJersey.com op-ed, GSI’s president Regina M. Egea, writes on the ongoing collapse of Connecticut’s high-end real estate market and what that portends for New Jersey:

“When Garden State Initiative launched in 2017, our first research report, “Connecticut’s Fiscal Crisis Is a Cautionary Tale for New Jersey,” detailed how our neighbor up I-95, with its struggling economy, saddled with massive public debt and high taxes, served as a “canary in the coal mine” for what New Jersey will face unless we get our own fiscal house in order.

The storm that is currently hitting Connecticut’s real estate market has clouds gathering in New Jersey.”

Is the crash of Connecticut’s high-end real estate market predictive of what’s about to happen in New Jersey? And if so, what are the ramifications? The trends say yes and it’s bad news for New Jersey’s middle class:

“The storm that is currently hitting Connecticut’s real estate market has clouds gathering in New Jersey.

When the wealthy flee a state and sustain massive losses on their homes in the process, it is unfortunate for the individual but will likely be devastating for those remaining, particularly if this occurs in New Jersey due to our extraordinary reliance on Property Tax revenues to sustain local governments and schools.

The risk now is not just those wealthy fleeing our state. As high end real estate values deflate, as is occurring in Greenwich, the taxes to support our local governments and schools will be redistributed to moderate and lower value property owners.”

“A growing workforce and more private sector jobs are both positives,” said Regina M. Egea, president of the Garden State Initiative, “but the lack of consistent and substantial growth in either of those categories means that New Jersey is struggling to gain traction.”