Letter to The Honorable Philip D. Murphy Governor of the State of New Jersey - Rep. Payne, Jr. Leads Letter to NJ Governor Murphy to Get More COVID-19 Housing Funds to Tenants

Letter

Dear Governor Murphy:

In an effort to further assist vulnerable tenants and landlords during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden Administration recently directed the U.S. Treasury Department to expand the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program. This directive encourages state and local governments to confirm eligibility for ERA via self-attestation without additional documentation. The Administration also granted states permission to send bulk payments to landlords and utility companies in advance of federal support. This will accelerate the delivery of assistance to households in need and prevent evictions and foreclosures. We understand that your administration has been at the forefront of these types of accommodations, and we are thankful for your compassionate leadership during these difficult times.

We applaud your ongoing efforts to improve access to ERA funds and get money to people as quickly as possible. We respectfully urge you to ensure that your self-attestation process provides the maximum flexibility allowed by these new guidelines. This will allow households on the brink of eviction to qualify for assistance without having to produce extensive documents or undergo a lengthy confirmation process. Families are hurting now, and the sooner these funds are distributed, the sooner families will have the certainty that comes from stable and consistent housing.

We also respectfully request that you expedite the bulk advance payments to landlords and utility companies. By ensuring that these bills will be paid, the bulk payments will immediately take some pressure off landlords and utility companies and help to prevent evictions, foreclosures, and utility shut-offs.

We are thankful for your efforts to protect tenants through New Jersey's statewide eviction moratorium, which ends on December 31, 2021 for the State's most vulnerable residents, particularly in the wake of the Supreme Court's disastrous decision to abruptly end the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) eviction moratorium. We share the same goals to ensure that these funds are distributed as quickly as possible to allow tenants to pay their back rent and outstanding utility bills while they still have some time.

We are grateful for your urgency and compassion as we work to keep families in their homes during an unprecedented public health crisis and were pleased to learn that your administration has put forward additional federal funds through the American Rescue Plan towards rental and public utility assistance. Please do not hesitate to reach out and let us know if there is further federal assistance needed, as we work in a collaborative manner to help New Jerseyans.

Sincerely,

Donald M. Payne, Jr. Bill Pascrell, Jr.

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Andy Kim Donald Norcross

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Bonnie Watson Coleman Frank Pallone, Jr.

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Mikie Sherrill Albio Sires

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Tom Malinowski Josh Gottheimer

Member of Congress Member of Congress

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