NJ governor creates jobs and economic opportunity council

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy today signed an executive order creating a jobs and economic opportunity council tasked with giving him advice and recommendations for stimulating job growth and workforce development in the state.

“We must make sure that state residents have access to jobs and opportunities that will allow them to contribute to our economy,” Murphy said. “In order to get the economy right, we need to make informed decisions about the path forward in New Jersey. I look forward to hearing the council’s recommendations and beginning the process of building a stronger and fairer economy in our state.”

The council will formulate recommendations related to national and state economic trends, possible government action to expand employment opportunities, sources for infrastructure funding, priorities for federal and state-funded programs, and the development of software technology to improve services for job seekers.

Members of the Jobs and Economic Opportunity Council will include Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver, the state treasurer, commissioner of education, commissioner of labor, secretary of higher education, CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, commissioner of banking and insurance, and the director of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University. The Governor’s chief of staff, chief counsel, chief policy advisor, and deputy chief of staff for economic growth will also serve on the council.

The order requires department and agency heads state-wide to cooperate with the council. The full text of Executive Order 12:

WHEREAS, my administration is committed to building a stronger and fairer economy that works for every New Jersey family; and

WHEREAS, over the past eight years, New Jersey’s economic performance has consistently lagged behind competitor states in key measures such as median household income, job growth, and GDP growth; and

WHEREAS, successfully addressing these challenges requires both creating good-paying jobs and equipping our workforce with the skills necessary to fill these jobs; and

WHEREAS, State government has the ability to help create good-paying jobs by developing innovative job-creating strategies that attract new business to the State while retaining and growing businesses presently located within the State; and

WHEREAS, State government can also play an active role in workforce development by emphasizing STEM education, alternative pathways to success such as apprenticeship and vocational training, and job retraining efforts; and

WHEREAS, efforts to promote the above goals require coordinated and interdependent efforts among various state departments and offices; and

WHEREAS, as the Chief Executive of the State, the Governor is responsible for effectively harmonizing and coordinating these efforts; and

WHEREAS, the establishment of a Governor’s Jobs and Economic Opportunity Council will provide an effective and efficient mechanism for the Governor to obtain advice on a broad range of economic issues;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, PHILIP D. MURPHY, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:

1. There is hereby established a Governor’s Jobs and Economic Opportunity Council, hereinafter referred to as “the Council.”

2. The Council shall consist of at least 12 members, including the Lieutenant Governor, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, the Chief Counsel to the Governor, the Chief Policy Advisor to the Governor, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Economic Growth, the State Treasurer, the Commissioners of the Departments of Education, Labor, and Banking and Insurance, the Secretary of Higher Education, the Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, and the Director of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University.

3. The Governor may, as determined to be appropriate, appoint additional members to the Council, who shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor.

4. The Governor shall appoint a Chairperson, who need not be one of the above listed members of the Council and shall chair the Council at the pleasure of the Governor.  The Chairperson shall establish such rules of operation as the Council may require.

5. Neither the Chairperson nor any member of the Council shall be compensated in addition to the compensation received, if any, as an employee or officer of the State.

6. The Council shall meet as often as practicable and as requested by the Governor or Chairperson.

7. The objectives of the Council shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

a. Considering both national and state economic trends and developments that can have an impact on State policy;

b. Advising the Governor about and coordinating government actions that are designed to attract, expand, and retain employment opportunities;

c. Developing priorities and identifying funding sources for infrastructure development from federal, state, and bi-state authorities;

d. Advising the Governor on priorities for all federal economic development, education and workforce development funding, and for postsecondary education and state-funded workforce programs;

e. Advising the Governor on maximizing the acquisition of federal and philanthropic spending on infrastructure, community and workforce development, and postsecondary initiatives; and

f. Advising the Governor on effective deployment of state-of-the-art software technology to improve service delivery for employers, students, and jobseekers.

8. The Council shall be purely advisory in nature, and shall periodically report to the Governor, outlining specific recommendations as directed in this Order.

9. Each department, office, division, and agency of this State is hereby required, to the extent not inconsistent with law and consistent with budgetary constraints, to cooperate fully with the Council and to furnish the Council with such assistance on a timely basis as is necessary to accomplish the purposes of this Order.

10. The following Executive Order is hereby superseded and rescinded: Executive Order No. 5
(2010).

11. This Order shall take effect immediately.

 

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