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Anchor: Tonight, in the hot seat.

The Rutgers University president drilled today by state lawmakers on his handling of pro-Palestinian protests and antisemitic incidents.

>> I made my position on development clear, it's consistent with state divestment funds.

I think the movement is wrong, I believe in engagement, not ablation.

Anchor: And overhauling OPRA.

>> The bill remains deeply flawed.

Many records currently available to the public will be cloaked in secrecy.

Anchor: And the states highest court denouncing a proposal over who gets to pick New Jersey's judges.

>> We feel this is really a threat to judicial independence.

Anchor: And the summer forecast is out.

Will Atlantic City businesses heat up or cool down?

>> We see the volume coming and growing and the interest in Atlantic City growing.

Anchor: NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

♪ >> From NJPBS Studios, this is "NJ Spotlight News."

Anchor: Thank you for joining us.

The head of New Jersey's biggest public university taking heat tonight after facing tough questions from state lawmakers in Trenton.

The Rutgers University president today testified before the assembly budget committee about the financial pressures's school is facing and why the University needs more help on the state.

But the conversation weakly shifted to the recent protests on Rikers and other university campuses, and the agreement made to end the encampment.

That outraged many GOP members of the legislation, who are asking for an investigation.

In Congress, they are asking for testimony.

Today some set a letter -- sent a letter to the Rutgers administration, saying they have ignored concerns.

>> Today we come to you asking please let's not undo the benefit you gave us, the opportunity you gave us last year.

Reporter: A group of college and university presidents appealed to the education committee today, laying out financial needs for the next fiscal year.

But as the Rutgers president shared his physical reality, he took the opportunity to make his first public statements about his handling of pro-Palestinian in Cameron's on his campus.

>> They began to set up tents last Monday.

Reporter: Instead of calling police to clear the protesters, which many universities across the country have done, he agreed to have senior staff meet with protest leaders, which has brought criticism from many, including lawmakers in New Jersey.

>> The most significant man's were to divest from companies doing business in Israel and to sever ties with Tel Aviv University.

I've made my opinion on divestment clear, I think the boycott, divest and sections movement is wrong.

Reporter: He did meet eight of the 10 demands, including setting up a meeting with students to discuss divestment and agreeing to form an Arab cultural center on campus.

>> Outside paid advocate or's -- agitators were recruiting and funding a lot of the protesters, including many at Rutgers.

I think our students are being unfairly used by groups outside of here.

Knowing that, why do we negotiate with groups that have no standing?

>> Outside agitators funding things, I know it is true and it is profoundly frustrating and I don't know how to stop it.

We are on the same page with our concern.

We only talked to students.

What was the challenge in that environment is a deteriorating environment.

They were calling people from off-campus.

Not the Rutgers community.

We've got to remove the and Cameron says fast as possible.

Reporter: Democrats and Republicans alike raising concerns about some Jewish students afraid to wear cap is on campus.

A letter was sent to Holloway saying members of Rutgers's Jewish committee have made urgent request of the administration to take several reasonable steps that would ensure safety and welcome this on campus.

As far as we can tell, these have been ignored."

>> I'm receiving a considerable number of calls from parents of Rutgers students wanting to know is it safe to send their children back to school in September.

Not even a question of safety, but why would they want to when they are facing discrimination, when they are facing physical and emotional trauma?

Which does not seem to be addressed.

>> We have the second largest Jewish undergraduate population in the country, mostly based in New Brunswick.

We also have the second largest Palestinian undergraduate population, also mostly based in New Brunswick.

I believe that diversity is one of our greatest strengths.

On the question of safety, I believe it is safe to be a student.

Reporter: He acknowledged that antisemitism has risen on campus and correlation with the national increase since the start of the war.

>> All of those things will come to our campus.

The question is how we respond with the way the police and security is elevated.

Reporter: President Holloway is testifying before Congress on the issue two weeks from today and is likely to face more tough questioning from members, including Representative Norcross, who serves on the House education and workforce committee.

In Trenton, Joanna Gagis.

Anchor: A bill got the green light today from a key legislative committee, approving controversial reforms to New Jersey's open Public records act.

This is the bills a second go round in Trenton after lawmakers fast legislation and were met with opposition.

Members of the Senate budget committee today heard hours of testimony from clerks and mayors arguing the request has become a burden, to wash oxen lawyers, who say -- watchdogs and lawyers who say this will chill trans pansy.

>> This is like taking a bazooka to a fly.

Reporter: Concerns over a highly controversial bill to rework New Jersey's open Public records act.

The fiery hearing saw a clash of priorities as critics charge the measure raises hurdles to citizen access to public information, while towns pleaded for reforms.

>> The bill remains deeply flawed.

Many records currently available to the public will be cloaked in secrecy or otherwise made more difficult to obtain if the bill is and acted.

>> We are not trying to destroy democracy, were trying to protect the people who service democracy.

Reporter: Critics claim the sponsor is rushing the measure through, his second attempt to fast-track the bill.

The first one got yanked after a firestorm of protest.

In his view, OPRA is out of date and has turned into a gravy train for data miners and greedy lawyers.

>> I think you will hear today as part of the testimony, when you hear some of the rates in excess of $500, $600 per hour, it is troubling.

I think you'll hear it's about attorney fees and a cottage industry of folks who are making a lot of money off taxpayers in New Jersey.

I'm not sure how we could resolve that.

We done our best.

Reporter: The amended version requires request include more specific information with names and dates, shifts the cost of attorney's fees so folks who sue after an agency denies the request have to pay lawyers even if they win, unless they can prove agencies acted in bad faith.

, and let's agency sue people if their requests substantially impair government operations.

An overflow crowd -- they brought in extra chairs -- heard mayors, clerks and lobbyists urge lawmakers to vote yes.

>> We have to hire just a process OPRA requests.

Someone at literally cried over OPRA.

There was a developer, it took 12 months with extensions to fulfill the request.

The developer never picked it up.

>> It is a death by 1000 cuts and I think some think has to give and I think this legislation, with respect to how it addresses attorney fees is a good step so we support the bill.

>> This bill does nothing but restrict access to records and place hurdles that make it harder to request them.

Reporter: Progressives, media lawyers and unions noted OPRA is crucial, noting that it broke open the ridge gate case -- bridgegate case.

>> This will be the end of OPRA as we know it.

In the current state of the media there is no money to send after people to provide to attorneys to pursue these cases.

If the judges have ultimate discretion, they do not award fees.

>> A bill modernizing OPRA that would allow for a lot of information posted on lean -- online isn't and we would like to see but this doesn't do that.

Reporter: The Appropriations Committee cleared the bill by a vote of 10-3.

A Democrat voted no as did two Republicans.

>> At some point we are overdue for OPRA reform, for a lot of reasons that we heard today.

I just don't think this bill is here yet.

Reporter: The budget committee will hear testimony tomorrow.

If it is approved it has to a possible vote before the full legislature on Monday with support from Republican leadership in the Senate.

At the Statehouse in Trenton, I am Brenda Flanagan.

Anchor: In what critics are calling another Trenton power grab, state lawmakers are mulling over a bill that would change prospects for appointing state appellate judges.

The proposal being floated by the Senate president would ask voters to amend the state constitution to allow the governor and Senate to choose candidates for those judgeships.

Instead of the Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court.

So far 39 advocacy organizations have come out against the idea, accusing the move as a way to politicize judicial process.

Tim McGovern is president of the New Jersey State Bar Association and ask -- and joins me to ask Lane why.

Thank you for joining me.

Lay out what the bars main concerns are with this.

I will call it a proposal although it hasn't formally been proposed.

Tim: Our concern is this was crated 75 years ago, the unified court system in the 1947 New Jersey Constitution.

That was a convention that took over three months from June 12 two September 10, carefully considering the necessity for a unified court.

Prior to that time in New Jersey, we had a bunch of courts that were different jurisdictions, people could choose what courts to go to, and there was a lot of political manipulation.

We feel this is a threat to judicial independence.

It isn't a problem in New Jersey right now.

The Appellate Division is fully staffed.

If there is a problem that needs to be solved that the Senate could handle, it would be eliminating the policy of Senatorial courtesy on judicial appointments, which is what slows down many appointments and continues to plague vacancies in New Jersey.

We have 39 as of today.

Anchor: If it is not broke, don't fix it is what I am hearing you say.

One of the items I heard from a lawmaker who seems to be favoring the idea is listen, Chief Justice Ratner is a very moderate, pragmatic justice, but if the we get a justice in who is not, extreme on either side, this could become problematic given the divisiveness of politics of the branches of government.

Tim: The judiciary is very pointedly nonpolitical.

Getting to the judiciary is the political point, when you get there and you are past tenure, politics shouldn't come into play, it shouldn't come into play if you are doing your job correctly.

Adding more political components to our judiciary is not gonna be a good thing.

We find in New Jersey that this unified court system, from the Supreme Court to the municipal courts, is important for the Chief Justice to manage the court system in a way where people get to the Appellate Division on their merits.

They have experience in trial courts, will be ruling on matters they have seen personally.

Is not somebody sitting in an ivory tower who is very politically connected and go straight to the Appellate Division.

Anchor: Is there any validity to the argument we have hurt the Senate President make that this would enable a larger pool of applicants or potential judges and also attract more high-quality talent because you could extensively pull people from private practice?

Tim: Would that be something some people would like?

Sure.

Are there qualified people who want to be trial court judges, absolutely.

At least 15 people have gone through the vetting process, the governor and State Bar approval committee that are ready to go.

They are being held up only because of Senatorial courtesy, the failure of the Senate in a timely fashion to put people in front of the Senate for an up or down vote.

The problem is you have people languishing for years.

One justice lingers to 18 years.

We don't want to have that in the appellate division.

It's not something where you can have people learn on the job.

That's what we are also concerned about, having the trial experience is vital to having a quality appellate court.

Anchor: Tim is president of the New Jersey Bar Association.

Thank you.

In our spotlight on business report, the shore tourism season is about to kick into high gear and experts who provide the annual tourism Outlook say things are looking pretty robust for the summer of 2024.

Job growth is picking up and the economy largely withstanding two years of rising interest rates.

As Ted Goldberg report, that optimism comes with plenty of concerns.

Reporter: With just under three weeks until Memorial day, the unofficial start of summer, economic experts split on predictions for the tourism season.

>> What we booked in 23 was the best we've ever done if you look back, whether it was the convention authority.

We see the volume growing and we see the interest in Atlantic City growing.

>> I hate to be doom and gloom but first quarter was not great.

We had a lot of weather problems .

I have concerns about the overall economy.

Reporter: The panel spoke as part of the 16th annual short cast -- shorecast.

Increasing revenue as city casinos was relatively flat from last year, but online betting helped total revenue go up 11%.

Daniel Gallagher works for the city sports commission and says sports themselves are also on the rise.

>> From the sports commission side of it, we came off a banner year.

year.

% About 75,000 in sports alone, which was 250,000 people in destination and 100 million in economic impact.

Reporter: Mark works at RMS capital that owns these businesses on Tennessee Avenue.

He was a dissenting voice.

>> The macroeconomy, things look good but I'm in the real estate business and most of the people I work with, their income has been cut in half or a third from the high watermark of 21, 22.

>> The unappointed rate is a little more than 6% for Atlantic City, higher than the state and nation, but not that far from pre-pandemic.

It has not gone crazy.

Reporter: One possible way to attract more people is for the city to host more concerts, especially around the boardwalk, but experts warn that is not a silver bullet and it may not be feasible.

>> If I'm the management of Aerosmith, I'm the promoter, boardwalk calls the promoter, can you make money on $2 million?

Probably not.

Reporter: Another hurdle is a convention center being built in the Meadowlands, which could swipe groups away.

>> You will see big events that are here, you will lose all of those.

They will go to every other year or break themselves up and do North and South.

That's just as much a concern to me for our business, it's a bigger concern because you lose one third of that.

You will lose one third of the one million people the market generates.

It is one million people per year.

Reporter: On the optimistic side, Gallagher says rising airfare costs could make Atlantic City more attractive as a vacation destination.

>> Looking geographically, I think it supports we will see a great summer because to your point, people are willing to get in the car and drive or get on an airplane and fly, pay those ridiculous fees.

Reporter: AC, a new city looking to bring in more visitors.

Anchor: Will a -- unionized airport workers launching a full-scale campaign in their fight for higher wages, continuing to invite influential political leaders to join them on the job and see what their lives are like working for some of the world's largest airline companies.

This time, First Lady Tammy Murphy joined members at terminal B during a multistate push to improve industry standards and pay.

Raven Santana reports.

Reporter: From airport gates to baggage handling, this person is in charge of making sure anyone in wheelchair gets to where they are going on time.

He walks and picks up luggage eight hours a day five days a week.

He loves his job but not the pay.

>> The expense, everything is going up, food and rent.

Except our Rick wages -- our wages.

Reporter: Which is why he had a special guest shadow him today, the first lady.

>> I think it's really important, particularly in this day and age and we have to understand how other people are living and making ends meet and what challenges they have.

I think it's really easy, especially these days to look past people and not really communicate and put yourself in their shoes.

Reporter: The first lady is in support of increasing wages for workers, and shadowed stone for a behind-the-scenes working tour of his job at the airport.

She began the day at his home and followed him on his commute to work.

At one point she pitched in with luggage handling.

Derrick has worked as a real chill -- wheelchair handler and a member of the union for four years.

The union is demanding wages be raised to $25 an hour by 2030.

Along with the protection of health benefits and paid leave.

The current minimum wage at Port Authority airports that includes Newark, LaPorta and have K, is $19 per hour.

>> I remember fighting with Phil about minimum wage increased to $15 and a lot of people were saying you would put us out of business.

The effect of the matter is you can't hire anybody for under $15, and is not a living wage.

Is not dignified or respectful.

We need to make sure everybody can participate in our economy.

This is not an isolated case.

Reporter: The union says airlines have seen substantial multibillion-dollar profits the past year while workers, wages and benefits are lagging behind.

Stone says his situation is becoming extremely challenging.

He's expressed financial strain when it comes to keeping up with his nearly $2000 rent and $100 per month commute.

>> Sometimes my wife's medication, we could not pay for it and she had to skip days.

It's not a good thing.

>> We can do the math.

If you are paid $19 per hour and work eight hour days five days a week 50 weeks a year, you can calculate what that means.

Reporter: Stone says work is also physically demanding.

>> I wake up at 7:35, I catch the bus at 8:45, I am -- I catch two buses -- I am downtown, I catch that bus at 9:00 and I am here until 6:30.

>> We all complain about costs and delays and everything but it is real people like Derrick and his colleagues during the pandemic kept airport running.

Reporter: The first lady says she plans next to visit hotel workers in Atlantic City.

Anchor: Turning to Wall Street, stocks edged higher today after a reading on unemployment claims showed evidence the labor market is still cooling.

Here is how the markets closed.

>> Support for the business report is provided by Riverview Jazz, presenting the 11th annual jersey city Jazz Festival.

Information is online.

Anchor: That does it for us tonight, but be sure to take -- check out the next episode of our podcast off exit, where Harrison takes you off exit to Brigantine, a small beach town outside Atlantic City and overlooked and relatively unknown serve community that holds a surf jam for all ages but locals only.

I am Briana Vannozzi.

For our entire team, thank you for being with us.

Have a great evening and we will see you tomorrow night.

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♪