[INSPRATIONAL MUSIC STING] - We're now joined by State Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, who's the Republican assistant whip, which means she's in leadership in the Lower House in the Assembly.

Assemblywoman, good to have you with us.

- Thank you for having me.

Excited to talk about the budget today.

- Well, we're talking about the budget, that's one thing, but this is a fiscal issue.

Put this in perspective for us.

The state's child tax credit issue, what is the issue with it, first, and why are you looking to expand eligibility?

What is it, first of all?

- Well, it's tax relief, right?

It's helping families.

Right now, in the State of New Jersey, it's under a certain age.

I am looking to expand it to families with older children.

Like I say, big kids, big expenses.

So I really think that is the way to address poverty and the affordability issue that we are struggling with so much here in the State of New Jersey.

- So let me say this.

We're a part of an initiative.

For years, we've been talking about child care for our Reimagine Child Care initiative.

It's expanding significantly.

It's morphing into the First 1,000 Days NJ initiative, dealing with important issues impacting children and families.

This issue, the state's child tax credit issue, affects children and families, particularly in vulnerable communities.

Fair to say?

- Absolutely.

But that's just the start.

I'd love to talk more about child care and what we need to do to stabilize that sector in the state.

Because there is not enough.

We're not doing enough.

The silver lining to COVID was that people finally accepted that this was an economic issue, when women's participation in the workplace went down to the level of the 1980s during COVID.

And we didn't have anyone to care for our children.

It became a real economic reality.

So we did some things, but they were on a temporary basis, and I'm looking to make them permanent so we can truly stabilize this industry, which is led by women and predominantly women of color.

- Go back to the state child tax credit.

Make it clear again how you're looking to expand it.

Right now, and I'm reading from a press release that you and your team put out, your measure would increase the amount of the state's child tax credit and expand eligibility.

Taxpayers with children ages six to 11 who are currently excluded, they're excluded?

- Mm hmm.

- Would receive- - Yes they are.

- They would receive a tax credit, sorry for interrupting, between 1,200 and $2,000.

For children who are under six years of age, the tax credit would be increased from 1,000 to 1,600.

Additionally, the income limit to receive the tax credit would be raised from 80,000 to $100,000.

A quote from you: "More than 40% of children in New Jersey experience financial hardship because of New Jersey's notoriously high expenses."

Please, talk about it.

- So that increase of the household income is very important.

Here in New Jersey, for a family of four to make ends meet, you'd need a minimum of $80,000, which is considered low-income today.

So this child tax credit is not yet reaching even the working class, the middle class families that often, they reach what we call a benefits cliff, right?

Because they're making a certain amount of income, but then are no longer eligible for other assistance.

Also known as ALICE, ALICE households right?

Asset Limited, Income Constrained.

- What happens to those families?

What are they facing?

- So they face the hard choices.

That's what we saw in COVID, where the mom would leave the workplace and, you know, resorts to staying home with the kids.

And we know that was during virtual learning, and it was, a lotta families say, "Please don't bring that up again, Aura.

Please don't remind us of that.

That was such a hard time."

But we're out of that.

- But what's the lesson from it?

- Right?

- People may not be, sorry for interrupting.

People may not want to be reminded of it.

Trust me, I get it too.

But what's the lesson in all that, Assemblywoman?

- Well, the lesson, I think, is that where are our priorities as a state?

And as a member of the Assembly Budget Committee, this will be my third year now, I'm happy to have a seat at the table to discuss what those priorities should be.

Our budgets reflect our priorities, right?

And we prioritize the family, but we're slipping.

We're slipping again with that.

We could see that in the budget that the governor's just proposed for fiscal year 2025.

- Yeah, let's talk budgets.

So you're on the Budget Committee right now, right?

- Yes.

- So you may not know this unless you read the history books, but back in the mid '80s, as a member of the state legislature, I served on the Senate and Lower House Budget Committee.

And I remember, I didn't know what the heck was going on because all the discussions and all the decisions seemed to be made in another room that I wasn't in as a freshman member of the legislature by the so-called leadership.

How, in all these years since then, how much more transparent and open is the process?

Or do you recognize what I just described?

- I absolutely recognize what you described.

(Steve laughing) And I- - I thought it was just me.

- No.

(Steve laughing) And for a minute, I said, "I thought it was just if you were in the minority party."

- No, I was Democrat- - But- - At the time, and the Democrats controlled both houses of the legislature.

- It's actually, there's many words I could use to describe it, but doesn't that sound insane?

And I actually have several measures, several legislative proposals to address the issue- - What's the most important?

- The most important is what I think would really bring a tremendous amount of transparency to the process, which would be making sure that all of the budget resolutions, all the funding asks, are posted and made available to the public 30 days prior to when we as a legislative body have to approve that budget.

How 'bout that?

Imagine that.

- Tell folks what goes on right now.

How last minute are these items?

- Well, you can fight it on the floor.

It's within 20 minutes.

(Steve laughing) We break, 20 minutes later we get called back.

I get handed a stack, 400-page bill, and told, "You've got your up or down vote on it."

And tucked in there was, last year, over $1.5 billion in just special interest projects.

I call them, they're straight-up earmarks.

We can get into semantics of what you wanna call them, but they're not anything that we deliberated over the three months prior in the budget process.

- And they are disproportionately, in all candor, I remember this, because I sponsored some of those so-called earmarks, the party in power is, frankly, the disproportionate number of those projects funded, stuck into the budget, wind up going to members of the majority party and their districts, not the minority party.

Is that a fair assessment?

- That is.

That's right, that's right.

And we saw it, you know, right before an election year, it's really flush with projects that are gonna help some of those districts that might be in a vulnerable spot.

One of my proposals is to actually call for a competitive process.

Take away all earmarks.

Obama did it when he was in office.

- I cannot believe what you just implied, Assemblywoman.

(Steve laughing) Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, Republican assistant minority whip, a leader in the legislature.

Thank you, Assemblywoman, we'll talk again soon.

All the best.

- Thank you.

Have a great day.

- I'm Steve Adubato.

That's Assemblywoman Dunn.

We'll see you next time.

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