Top NJ political stories you missed over the holidays

The holidays are filled with distractions: lots of family, food, wrapping and unwrapping, but probably not so much time focused on current events. So here's a quick rundown on what happened in New Jersey politics to catch you up as we head into what is certain to be a busy couple weeks to end the era of Republican Gov. Chris Christie and begin a new year led by Democrat Phil Murphy.

Gateway thrown into doubt

This is probably the biggest regional news story of the holidays, but because of the timing, it didn't get as much attention as it otherwise would have. In a letter sent late last Friday, the Trump administration told officials from New Jersey and New York that its plan to pay for the much-needed Gateway tunnel crossing the Hudson River relies on a "non-existent" agreement with the federal government.

The two states had agreed with the Obama administration that they would pay half the cost of Gateway and the federal government would pick up the other half. But that was not assured under President Donald Trump, although Christie and Congressional Democrats lobbied the administration hard about the urgency of the project, pointing to the deteriorating train tubes currently in use.

In mid-December, Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced they had reached a new agreement in which the states would pay half the estimated $13 billion cost of the project. Christie had called it a "pivotal milestone" and one that positioned the project "to immediately compete for federal capital investment grant funds."

But the U.S. Department of Transportation did not see it that way. In a sharply worded letter, deputy administrator K. Jane Williams said the proposal raises "serious concerns." One of those concerns was the 50-50 payment plan under Obama that the Cuomo administration referred to in a letter to the DOT.

"There is no such agreement," Williams wrote. "We consider it unhelpful to reference a non-existent "agreement" rather than directly address the responsibility for funding a local project where 9 out of 10 passengers are local transit riders."

It's unclear what the next step is for the project, but Williams did write that "Congress is poised to begin discussing infrastructure legislation in the coming weeks," suggesting that Gateway could be included in a larger funding package out of Washington, D.C.

GATEWAY PROJECT: Feds cast doubt on Gateway rail tunnel funding plan

TUNNEL: NJ Transit says Hudson River rail tunnel fix will mean 90-cent fare increase to New York

Kim Guadagno exit interview

Kim Guadagno sat down with The Record and NorthJersey.com to reflect on eight years as the state's first lieutenant governor and what's in store for her future. She'll soon be looking for a job, but she isn't ruling out a return to politics. Let the speculation begin.

GUADAGNO: Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno is leaving office, but probably not politics

Lame duck legislation

Besides pushing through a bill designed to help just a handful of the politically connected, the Democratic-led Legislature is also working on a measure to help State Police retirees get free health care.

The bill has quietly moved through the Statehouse and could come up for a final vote before the term ends on Jan. 9. The legislation, S-3614, was originally written to apply to a small subset of retired state troopers who have more than 20 years of service but less than 25 years when they reach the state police’s mandatory retirement age of 55.

But lawmakers later amended the bill to broaden the class of eligible retirees from those with 20 to 25 years of service to those simply with more than 20 years. That small change seems to open the door to no-cost benefits for dozens more current and future state police retirees who would otherwise have to pay a portion of their health care premiums.

BENEFITS: Lame-duck bill could give free health benefits to more state police retirees

PENSIONS: Bill to pad pensions for N.J. politicians advances in flurry of lame-duck activity

Holiday clemency

Christie pardoned 10 people, mostly for drug- and gun-related crimes, but also a campaign donor. That donor, Joseph Longo, pleaded guilty in 2016 to falsifying payroll records related to two public-works projects that his company, Longo Electrical-Mechanical, performed for Montclair township and the Middlesex County Utilities Authority, according to court records. He was fined $300,000 and sentenced to two years of probation.

Longo donated $500 to Christie's campaign for governor in 2009, and his company kicked in another $1,050 for Christie's 2009 campaign and 2010 and 2014 inaugural events, according to state campaign-finance records.

PARDONS: Christie pardons 10 people, including ex-cop convicted of misusing database

GOVERNOR: Christie pardons campaign supporter who pleaded guilty of falsifying payroll records

Tax order

Christie also signed an executive order, in response to the passage of the federal tax code overhaul, directing towns to credit property owners who paid their 2018 property taxes before the end of the year. That move would allow them to deduct the cost from their federal taxes. The new law signed by Trump limits the state and local deduction at $10,000, sending many property owners scrambling to town halls to pay their taxes ahead of time to take advantage of the deduction one last time.

TAXES: Chris Christie signs executive order on property tax payments

Christie did little else in public over the holiday break, but anyone with a television may have noticed he came out with a new ad for his "Reach NJ" opioid marketing campaign, this one cut from a candlelight vigil he led in Trenton a couple weeks ago. It's part of a series of spots on television and social media featuring experts, former addicts and Christie. One of his latest was also tailored for the holidays.

Missing Murphy

Murphy kept a virtually non-existent public schedule over the holidays, which is not unusual. His one action of note was to name Jared Maples his homeland security chief. Maples is currently Christie's acting director. Murphy also attended a few swearing-in ceremonies for local officials on New Year's Day.