Per Capita State Aid Increased by $1million in New Jersey’s FY22 Budget

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Per Capita State Aid Increased by $1million in New Jersey’s FY22 Budget

Bordentown, NJ, July 22, 2021:  The Executive Board of the New Jersey Library Association is pleased to announce that a $1 million increase in Per Capita State Aid (PCSA), is included in the State of New Jersey’s FY22 Budget, signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy on June 29, 2021. This is the first time that the PCSA has received a positive adjustment in over 10 years!

The Per Capita State Aid and the Library Network Aid Bill (LNAB), are the primary funding bills that are legislatively approved for New Jersey’s public Libraries. In 2009, Governor Chris Christie reduced both the PCSA and LNAB by 47%. Both appropriations were flat funded until now. The PCSA provides direct aid to public libraries through the New Jersey State Library. The LNAB supports resource sharing through the statewide information center, JerseyCat, and statewide delivery services to all types of libraries through LibraryLinkNJ.

“We are immensely grateful for the advocacy work of NJLA’s Public Policy Committee over the years, but especially in the past months, leading up to the just approved budget,” said Dr. Juliet Machie, Executive Director of the New Jersey Library Association. “This $1 million increase is a step in the right direction, however, our work is not complete, until the 2009 funding cuts are fully restored.”

In partnership with Toni's Kitchen, Bloomfield Public Library provides after school snacks and books to kids taking a break from virtual learning. Image taken by the library during NJ SnapShot Day 2021.

Machie extends sincere appreciation to Assemblywoman Eliana Pinto-Marin (LD-29), chair of the Budget Committee, as well as to all the New Jersey law makers that met with the library advocacy team this year. The library team met with over 25 State Senators and Assembly men and women, to sensitize them about NJ libraries and the value of the PCSA and LNAB bills.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to our New Jersey lawmakers for their support of the PCSA bill,” said Kate Jaggers, President of the New Jersey Library Association. Please reach out to your law makers to express our gratitude,” Jaggers said. Further, Jaggers acknowledged the work of NJLA’s advocacy team, the Public Policy Committee and the library directors that accompanied the library legislative visits.

In addition to the $1 million increase in FY22 PCSA, NJLA’s advocacy efforts also secured a library seat at NJ’s Broadband Access Study Commission. Governor Murphy signed A850/S2864 into law on July 7, 2021.

The NJLA FY21 advocacy team comprised: Sarah Lester, Chair of Public Policy; Linda Hoffman, Vice Chair of Public Policy; Juliet Machie, Executive Director; and Peggy Cadigan, Deputy State Librarian for Strategic Initiatives. Elizabeth Beavers at the New Jersey State Library, provided scheduling support for our legislative visits.

For additional information, please contact [email protected]