TZG FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUDGET ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The budget season stands out as one of the most critical periods during the legislative session. During this process, the Legislature conducts a series of hearings through its budget and appropriations committees to review and analyze the Governor’s proposed budget, making changes as needed.

This year, TZG and our clients met with members of the Senate and Assembly Budget Committees, legislative leaders, and officials from the Governor’s Office. These meetings provided education and insights concerning our clients’ budgetary requirements, emphasizing how funding for their respective programs will contribute to serving the needs of the people of New Jersey.

The budget process involves numerous components, and the TZG team worked diligently to ensure that our clients’ priorities were met within the budget. Here are some of TZG’s notable achievements for the Fiscal Year 2025 budget:

Higher Education: Polytechnic Aid

TZG secured funding to support a state polytechnic school. These specialized institutions focus on science and technology courses and are prevalent across various regions of the country, benefiting from state financial support. With this continued funding for higher education, these polytechnic schools will have the opportunity to enhance the programs they provide to their students, empowering them to become leaders in our ever-evolving and technology-dependent economy.

NJ 211

TZG secured funding for NJ 211, the statewide information and referral service. This invaluable service offers round-the-clock live assistance, completely free, confidential, and available in multiple languages. Individuals can connect with community resource specialists for basic needs like food, housing, healthcare, and other vital services who are well-versed in federal, state, and local support systems.

Public Broadcasting

Throughout the budget process, TZG worked to protect funding for New Jersey’s public media operations. Engaging with members of the budget committees, TZG stressed the importance and value of New Jersey public television. The secured funding will empower them to continually invest in operational enhancements, guaranteeing the provision of high-quality programming across the state and facilitating a seamless transition into the digital age of media broadcasting.

Prison Re-Entry Services

TZG’s close collaboration with lawmakers and a re-entry service provider resulted in secured funding in the budget for a diverse range of contractual services with the state. This funding is specifically intended to assist incarcerated individuals in their reintegration into society, offering essential services such as employment placement, life skills training, counseling, medical care, substance use disorder treatment, and referrals to social service agencies within the community.

United In Care

On behalf of United Way of Northern NJ, TZG worked with the Governor’s Office to secure funding for their program, the “United in Care” initiative. This program is designed to assist the 3.5 million NJ households who are either below the federal poverty line or below the ALICE threshold (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) who struggle to meet basic household needs including access to affordable childcare.

VITA – Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program

Also, on behalf of United Way of Northern NJ, TZG worked to secure funding for VITA, which assists residents with free tax preparation and filing services. This program has helped residents get back more than $30 million in federal tax refunds and saves most individuals $270.00 for a tax preparer. This amount can be the difference between affording rent, food, prescriptions or paying for a costly car repair.

ALICE Recovery Fund

TZG played a pivotal role in securing funding for a new initiative known as the ALICE Recovery Fund.  This program is crucial for assisting ALICE households experiencing an economic emergency. No matter the financial crisis, this program assists individuals with direct, short term financial assistance to weather the storm of a job loss, natural disaster or an illness.

TZG takes immense pride in these accomplishments. The total budget funding secured for our clients stands as evidence of the dedication and collaborative efforts we demonstrated throughout the budget process, addressing a wide range of diverse issues.

As the new fiscal year begins, TZG remains committed to working closely with our clients to ensure the proper implementation of budget allocations throughout the fiscal year budget cycle.

About The Zita Group

The Zita Group is a woman-owned government and public affairs firm, both founded and led by Patrizia “Trish” Zita.  Our bipartisan, experienced team of strategic consultants is widely respected by elected, appointed and government officials of both parties across New Jersey’s political landscape. We provide our clients unique insights into the decision-making process at the highest levels. We bring to bear credible working relationships with executive branch officials, legislators, and staff.  Our team’s effectiveness has been demonstrated again and again by the results we achieve for our clients.