New Jersey lawmakers pushed back against the governor’s plan to slash the state research center’s budget, providing stability to the field amid shaky federal support.

The New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center has secured stable funding for another year after lawmakers rejected a $1 million budget cut proposed by Democratic Governor Phil Murphy.

The move comes after The Trace reported that the cut would have wiped out a third of the center’s budget and crippled its operations, including its ability to fund outside researchers and collect national data on gun-related topics.

New Jersey’s Legislature approved a $58.8 billion spending package on June 30. It included $3 million for the center for the next fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30. Murphy signed the measure just hours before the July 1 deadline.

The funding provides some stability to gun violence research at a time when federal support faces uncertainty, and it could restore some hope among researchers that state-funded hubs like New Jersey’s can serve as a fallback in the absence of federal dollars. 

 “We feel a sense of greater responsibility given what’s happening on the federal level with gun violence funding going away — and how hard we had to fight, and our allies had to fight, to restore us to $3 million,” Thurman Barnes, the center’s assistant director, told The Trace “Now I think, how can we put more money in the hands of researchers?”

State Senator Troy Singleton, who chairs the chamber’s Democratic caucus and is a longtime supporter of the center, said that restoring the center’s funding is “a critical investment in data-driven solutions to save lives.”

“By supporting this vital research, we are reaffirming our commitment to public safety, smart policy, and a future where every New Jersey community can thrive free from the threat of gun violence,” he said.

Murphy had cited economic uncertainty and a challenging budget climate as reasons for proposing the cut. But lawmakers, advocates, and researchers argued against the reduction. In a statement to The Trace on July 1, a spokesperson for Murphy said the governor was pleased to continue funding the center. “From day one, our Administration has remained steadfast in our efforts to create a stronger, fairer, and safer New Jersey,” the spokesperson said. “Through the several policies, laws, and initiatives implemented over the past seven and a half years, we have recognized historic lows in gun violence across the state.”

Based at Rutgers University, the New Jersey center has produced nationally relevant research and surveys on topics like the rarity of people using guns in self-defense and the effects of gun violence on rates of depression. It has also worked to help community violence intervention programs, including Newark’s Community Street Team.

“New Jersey remains a model for how other states can take meaningful action to reduce gun violence,” said New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, a Democrat. “This funding reflects our ongoing commitment to public safety and saving lives.”

Original Article