Stealth $128 million New Jersey budget bill would fund World Cup marketing, county projects, NJEDA supercomputer infrastructure

New Jersey lawmakers quietly advanced a $128 million supplemental budget bill late Thursday night that would steer tens of millions of dollars to World Cup marketing, county capital projects, and a supercomputer project, with no public notice or discussion before the vote.

The measure, Senate Bill (S5039), was introduced and approved at the very end of a lame-duck hearing of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, after most members of the public and press had already left the Statehouse. The vote came shortly after 7:15 p.m., with no advance publication of the bill text, no mention of the cost or cost breakdown, and no supporting documents.

As of Friday morning, the New Jersey Legislature’s website listed both the Senate and Assembly versions of the bill as having been reported out of committee, but did not include a draft of the legislation or details about how the money would be spent. Details of the bill were posted on the website at some point on Friday afternoon.

An Assembly companion bill, A6319, was also approved Thursday evening by the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The committee agenda included only a brief notation of a “pending intro and referral” supplemental appropriations bill, without dollar figures or line-item descriptions.

A good-government advocate obtained a copy of the line-item expenditures on Thursday night and shared a photo with The Jersey Vindicator.

The largest single allocation — $26 million — would go to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority for “event attraction and marketing,” with up to $20 million earmarked for the New York/New Jersey FIFA World Cup Host Committee to fund promotional events tied to the 2026 World Cup, which will include matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

Another $25 million would be directed to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to support a supercomputer initiative to cover infrastructure costs for an institution of higher education hosting the computer.

Together, those two items account for more than $50 million of the supplemental package.

The bill also includes millions in state aid for various county and local projects:

• $13 million for Camden County to construct the Southern New Jersey Regional Rehabilitation and Reentry Center, a correctional facility authorized by legislation enacted in 2023.
• $12 million for the Bergen County Improvement Authority to modernize Bergen New Bridge Medical Center.
• $10 million in state aid for the Hudson County Schools of Technology for capital improvements.
• $10 million for county-based projects or programs intended to improve efficiency and reduce long-term service costs.
• $9 million for capital improvements in Union County.
• $4 million for a network operations center in Middlesex County.
• $2 million for renovations to the Mercer County Connection Building.
• $2 million for homelessness stabilization programs in Burlington County.
• $1.7 million for emergency management communications upgrades and vehicle purchases in Gloucester County.
• $300,000 for EMS vehicles in Salem County.

Additional appropriations include $5 million for food security research and innovation through the Office of the Food Security Advocate, $5 million for capital improvements at Kean University, $1.5 million for the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, and $1 million for transportation costs associated with a special-needs adult program at the LARC Norcross School.

The bill also directs $750,000 in grants-in-aid to nonprofit organizations, including $500,000 for Family Food Relief of New Jersey, also known as Tomchei Shabbos D’Lakewood, and $250,000 for Bridges Outreach, which provides services to people experiencing homelessness.

In addition to new spending, the legislation amends portions of the existing FY2026 budget. It clarifies that 2.5% of funding for the Working Class Families State Supplement program may be used for “outreach and public awareness efforts” conducted by the Office of the Food Security Advocate.

The bill also expands a previously authorized cap on funding for county-based consolidation and shared-services projects, raising the limit from $20 million to $30 million. The provision allows the Department of Community Affairs to reimburse local governments for non-recurring costs associated with municipal or school district consolidations, subject to approval by the Division of Budget and Accounting.

Despite the size and scope of the package, there was zero discussion of the bill before a vote on it. Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo introduced the legislation and immediately called for a vote, describing it only briefly as a supplemental appropriations bill addressing items requested by the administration and technical “repairs or corrections” related to the budget process.

“This is a supplemental appropriation bill that covers some of the appropriations that have been done in the last few weeks, some supplemental appropriations requested by the administration, and some, let’s call it, repairs or corrections that were made as part of the budget process,” Sarlo said.

Sarlo didn’t let anyone from the public ask questions or speak before the vote.

The measure passed along party lines, with Democrats voting in favor and Republicans voting against it.

One government transparency advocate said the lack of public notice and documentation was troubling, regardless of the merits of individual projects.

“Some of these may be perfectly legitimate needs,” the advocate told The Jersey Vindicator. “But the public has a right to know what’s being funded, why it’s being funded, and how decisions are being made — especially when you’re talking about tens of millions of dollars.”

The advocate pointed to several line items that raised questions, including the $9 million in Union County capital improvements, the $25 million supercomputer infrastructure grant, and the $26 million World Cup marketing allocation.

The Senate version of the bill is sponsored by Senate President Nicholas Scutari, a Democrat who also serves as chair of the Union County Democratic Committee, and Sarlo, a Democrat from Bergen County. The Assembly version is sponsored by Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin.

The bill must still be approved by the full Senate and Assembly before it can be sent to the governor for consideration. Votes are expected on Monday.

Sarlo did not return calls to The JerseyVindicator for comment on the bill on Friday.