Briana: tonight, a battle of he said, she said, they said continues in Colts neck as parents, students and school board members debate new gender policies after delaying a final vote.

>> this seems like political grandstanding and a waste of our time and money.

Briana: and new Janet -- New Jersey transit relocation to a pricey headquarters connected to Governor Murphy's donors is raising eyebrows.

And at the Statehouse, lawmakers seek to crackdown on underage drinking and cannabis use.

A plus, payroll payback.

A faculty union says they have been denied backpay from a university from Monday they were promised during contract negotiations.

NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

>> Funding for NJ Spotlight News provided by the members of the New Jersey Education Association, making public schools great for every child.

RWJBarnabas health, let's be healthy together.

And, Orsted, committed to the creation of a new long-term sustainable clean energy future for New Jersey.

♪ From NJPBS, this is NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi.

Briana: thank you for joining us .

The winds might be shifting over contentious policies involving gender and LGBTQ issues in schools.

Boards of education from two different school districts in the state this week pulled policy votes from their agendas.

Both centered on what has been dubbed parental rights, requiring school officials to notify parents of a student's sexual orientation and identity.

It appears those boards are looking to avoid lawsuits like the one recently filed by New Jersey's Attorney General against a similar rule in a North Jersey school district.

>> you need to be informing parents about what is going on with their children in these schools.

Reporter: Mike and other speakers expected Colts neck school board to vote on a new proposal requiring schools to notify parents of gender identity or sexual orientation changes in kids from pre-k through grade five.

Instead, the board yanked it off the agenda.

That did not stop folks from speaking out.

>> I hope and pray the school board will stand firm and affirm parental rights and policies that are in the best interest of our children.

>> we are being used by those who have political ends.

It has everyone up in arms.

>> I do not want kids to be outed.

This seems like political grandstanding and a waste of time and money.

Reporter: a legal battle rages between Hanover Township and New Jersey's Attorney General over a similarly policy which the state charges illegally discriminates against and endangers LGBTQ and trans kids.

After both sides were asked to find compromise, Hanover adopted a new amended policy that removes references to gender and sexuality but the Attorney General rejected it, noting defendants have not demonstrated that the amended policy has cured the legal defects nor demonstrated that the alleged wrongful conduct will not recur.

Now Pro parental rights activists want other towns to get involved.

>> we are encouraging school districts statewide to sign on to a letter to the judge asking for time to discuss the possibility of joining a motion to intervene in this case.

Reporter: Shawn Highland heads a conservative religious group that is distributing a letter template to school boards in New Jersey.

It states the tremendous public importance of the issue demands that all interested parties affected by a decision be allowed to participate in the Hanover case and asks that the judge -- asks the judge for 60 days to let the board file a brief supporting Hanover.

>> we do not want to see Hanover's case overturned what you did here so I encourage you to sign the letter to tell the judge to give you an school districts time to decide what you want to do.

Reporter: Colts neck board members expressed doubts.

>> why would we vote for something [INAUDIBLE] >> we interpret this as a supporting Hanover's policy and we essentially wrote a policy that was different than hundred overs.

-- then Hanover's.

Reporter: other districts like Marlborough and Hamilton are watching the Hanover litigation.

A group called Jersey conservative is promoting a public petition also aimed at influencing the case by moving it to a different venue.

>> we have boards and residents being manipulated.

They are involved in everything from bands -- book banning to transgender policies.

Reporter: he doubts the court will accept briefs from other boards in the Hanover case.

The parental notification was meant he says is gaining ground.

>> other districts are now submitting modified versions of the Hanover policy where they are removing the LGBTQ lay -- language like how Hanover tried to change stairs.

Reporter: Hanover will be back in court next week.

Briana: starting today Ocean City is banning backpacks from the boardwalk after 8:00 p.m. and teenagers will have to abide by a new 11:00 p.m. curfew -- curfew.

This is the result of rowdy teenagers holding hundreds of parties at the shore over Memorial day weekend.

The issue shines light on controversial recreational marijuana law and a group of legislators wants to crackdown.

Reporter: New Jersey has moved a step closer to imposing $100 fines for underage alcohol or cannabis possession.

The assembly Judiciary committee has advanced a bill that changes how law enforcement deals with these offenses, despite opposition from civil liberties group.

>> rich, largely white children will have parents who paid a fine and children of color and families of Palos -- poverty will not be able to.

>> disproportionately targeting black and brown people.

>> there is no mandate on the minor to submit to identifying themselves for the purpose of initiating the fine.

People are not born with birth certificates on their foreheads.

Cops don't know if people are over or under 21.

Reporter: officers are prohibited from arresting or detaining them.

It was part of the law that legalized cannabis in Trenton two years ago.

Law enforcement groups want changes, fearing that officers could be charged with violating civil rights if they uphold the law.

>> the law, the practical effect it has on our officers has been chilling.

>> the fear we put police officers in a situation where they are trying to do the job to keep communities safe and they are risking their pensions.

>> they are essentially sending a message to underage folks, do whatever you want.

Reporter: proponents of the law say it has led to pop up parties on the Jersey shore and a raucous memorial day weekend in Ocean City that saw nearly 1000 incidents.

Ocean City has resorted to closing pitches that -- beaches at 8:00 p.m. and backpacks will be illegal on the boardwalk after 8:00 and the teenage curfew moves up to 11:00 p.m. >> the goal is not to punish young people, but to deter them from doing these things in the first place.

So now you have municipalities trying to get their heads around it and doing what they can, which is some to criminal -- some draconian limits about who can be on the beach.

Reporter: Senator a scam one has drafted a bill that would make underage possession of cannabis or alcohol in a disorderly offense carrying a $500 fine.

That bill has not gone through committee yet but the bill imposing a $100 fine was approved.

>> Jersey shore is one of our most valuable resources in the state.

It is more rapidly deteriorating.

>> [INAUDIBLE] Reporter: there are exceptions to the fine like if someone has a medical emergency because of alcohol or call 911 to help someone else.

Briana: New Jersey transit is hurtling toward a fiscal cliff considering layoffs and fair hikes as some of the options to make up the budget hole.

The real company decision to move to a new expensive headquarters raise the eyebrows many and the new location is just down the street from the current spot and owned by Governor Murphy's donors.

Colleen Wilson uncovers the deal was made one year before the agency sought bids for the new office space and joins me now.

Great reporting.

You were able to obtain exclusively some emails that led you to this.

Tell me what you found.

Colleen: The public information request I got, emails between the owners of the building company that owns two Gateway and transit officials regarding touring the building, one of the emails said transit was going to be the right spot at two Gateway.

This happened a year before the agency started a real process in terms of looking for a new headquarters and a year before they started telling the public what was going on.

Briana: two Gateway the location they are looking to move.

This is where we are located.

Why was the agency planning to move at all?

Colleen: A good question that deserves a lot more answers.

The agency has said that they cannot stay in their current building.

They explored renovations which would cost $118 million they said.

But that is a far cry from the cost of the lease over 25 years at two Gateway.

The agency has not said how much it would be but the math I have done based on information we have is well over $400 million.

Briana: 400 $1 million compared to $100 million to stay in the building they already own.

Colleen: The emails we have so far from 2021, 1 year before the agency even have the full ownership of the building they are in, which they said was the reason they began to look at how much renovations would cost and what other options would they have.

They did have several other options.

The Panasonic building which is right around the corner from here.

Three Penn Plaza East, right next to transit current headquarters, and it least 80 Park Plaza.

Briana: and yet they were not given the same consideration?

were you able to get any information on that when you asked officials?

Colleen: Transit officials have not talked much about the other options.

My reporting, my sourcing says those options were cheaper and that they narrowed down the options to a short list of Panasonic and two Gateway around November, which is when they told the poor -- the board.

So they had already made a short list before going to the board, which raises eyebrows because the board definitely wants to be involved and they should have had more of an understanding about what was going on.

Briana: you reported this past winter about Senator Fulton stepping down abruptly just before a meeting where they were to discuss this move.

What does that have to do with all of this going on?

because I believe you had written he was really concerned about the lack of transparency.

Colleen: That's right.

That's important to think about in the context of the story because it is what triggered the questions.

Why would a board member so suddenly resigned, the vice chair of the board in a leadership position?

What he told me and what you can see from watching the board meetings as frequently as I do is that he had concerns about transparency, about why the board wasn't told about this sort of thing, did they give adequate information about the options, including renovations and other buildings on the table?

So it seemed to reach a boiling point by February and he left.

Briana: transportation reporter Colleen Wilson, we will be checking back with you.

Thank you.

After sitting vacant for more than two months that campaign-finance watchdog has a new panel of commissioners.

Governor Murphy announced the appointment of four new commissions to the election law enforcement commission.

Two Democrats, Norma Evans and Thomas Prol.

And two Republicans, Ryan peters and John Henry bar.

The appointments come after the former commissioners resigned in protest over the passage of the election transparency act.

The new law strengthens certain reporting requirements and also relaxes pay to play law and puts a two year limit on the enforcement of campaign violence rules.

It allows Governor Murphy to make one time direct appointments to the four open seats without Senate confirmation.

Jeff Grindle today filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of those direct appointments, saying they undermine public confidence.

Contract fights are happening again between Rutgers University faculty members and the administration.

This time it is over missed payments of promised retroactive salary increases.

One after a week long strike in April.

The faculty union says adjunct lecturers were shortchanged, alleging some of the lecturers they represent never got the backpay.

The money was owed by the university when it agreed to include retroactive increases in Paychex sent out tonight.

The union accuses the administration of threatening not to pay them until September at the earliest and not at all if the lecturers do not return to teach this fall.

A Rutgers University spokesperson acknowledged that more than 1600 adjunct lecturers did not get their full raise and retroactive pay last week, saying they are working to process those issues and get them sorted.

It is creating an emergency payment system for any workers experiencing hardships due to the delay.

The union calls the response inadequate.

>> we are getting a lot of information from adjuncts that they are blaming the union strike in April for the fact that they have to cancel classes .

And blaming the strike sounds somewhat retaliatory towards union organizing.

This disrupts their life.

They expected I need this money and deserve this money.

Briana: a big change is coming for struggling renters in Jersey City.

Tenants facing eviction are now guaranteed a right to legal representation and what is being touted as one of the strongest right to Counsel laws in the country.

Jersey city Council members gave final approval to the new rule Wednesday night that ensures eligible low income tenants are matched with free legal help while going through housing court paid for by new fees on development within the city.

Advocates say it is a potential lifeline for the roughly 70% of Jersey City's -- Jersey City residency rent and face possible eviction as the cost of rent sores.

8000 tenants per year are served eviction notices and only a small fraction have attorneys for their cases.

>> we now have a right for tenants across the city to have a level playing field and legal representation when they face eviction or illegal rent increases or failure to maintain heat and habitability of their homes.

That will keep thousands of Jersey City residents in their homes.

Briana: affordable places to live are becoming even more out of reach for millions of low-wage workers and their families.

According to a new national report out today, New Jersey is the seventh most expensive location in the U.S. for renters .

A household would need to earn almost 70,000 dollars a year to afford an average two-bedroom apartment in the state.

Advocates are hammering lawmakers to find a solution to the affordable home shortage.

>> we want elected officials and our governor to do everything to help house New Jersey.

Reporter: a message the president and CEO of housing and community development network of New Jersey is making known during the annual legislative Day event highlighting the highlight -- the housing process.

New Jersey renters need to make more than 33 dollars an hour to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment.

>> a lot of people cannot afford to live here.

That is bad for families and communities because it drains the resources from our communities and also means people are living in unsafe potentially unsanitary conditions where people are tripling up and they are experiencing lead and mold and vermin in apartments and can't do anything about it because there rent is below the very high cost and that is all they can afford so they can afford survey subject themselves on their families to different -- difficult circumstances.

She's Reporter: it's an issue is only getting worse.

>> we find nearly every year that housing costs are out of reach.

Particularly those making minimum wage.

And we find there is no state, county, major metro area where minimum-wage workers can afford to live there working 40 hours a week.

Reporter: New Jersey ranks the seventh most expensive location in the U.S. for renters.

Hudson County tops the list with an average two-bedroom rental at $2088 per month.

Residents making the minimum wage would have to work 95 hours a week or at least two full-time jobs to afford a two bedroom apartment.

>> this crisis has been brewing for years and the pandemic brought the issue to light for many people who were immediately facing housing instability when they lost their jobs or were sent home or had no home to be sent to.

So I think it is more in people's consciousness.

>> housing is a right for each individual.

Reporter: Shanice has been a long time supporter of rental rights.

She says there are efforts in her city to turn properties into affordable housing, but what is considered affordable is not the same for everyone.

>> in the city of new work with an income of $45,000 and if the AMI is 60%, they are still putting most of their salary towards rent so it is still a concern.

>> often those households don't have an emergency savings plan.

One medical bill or broken down car can lead them to not be able to forward rent -- to afford rent and face eviction.

Reporter: and still there is more affordable -- until there is more affordable housing, advocates are urging more affordable relief programs.

Briana: Wall Street is reacting to the latest Fed meeting.

Here are the latest closing numbers.

>> support for the business report provided by Newark Alliant, providing the block party and Halsey fast, an outdoor festival on June 24 in downtown Uruk.

-- downtown Newark.

Briana: and this weekend, we highlight the contributions of veterans in the business world and the barriers they face when trying to launch a business in New Jersey.

That is Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. That is going to do it for us tonight but make sure to tune into Reporters Roundtable with David Cruise tomorrow morning.

He talks with one of the most influential advisors on governor Murphy's team.

And a panel of local reporters break down this week's big political headlines Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. on the YouTube channel or wherever you stream.

A reminder to download the NJ Spotlight News podcast so you can listen any time.

I am Briana Vannozzi.

For the entire team, thank you for being with us, have a great evening, we will see you back here tomorrow.

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