N.J. coronavirus update: Eviction moratorium could end sooner for some renters

A bill moving through the New Jersey Legislature could end the eviction moratorium earlier for higher-income renters.

The city of Camden in New Jersey. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)

The city of Camden in New Jersey. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)

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New Jersey officials reported Wednesday an additional 302 positive COVID-19 cases. Overall, the case count has reached 1,021,822. The current rate of transmission is currently at 0.99

As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, 323 COVID patients are in hospitals across the state; 58 are in intensive care, 30 are on ventilators.

The state has also reported an additional 10 deaths, raising the confirmed number of overall deaths to 23,712. The number of probable deaths has been revised to 2,698.

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Eviction moratorium could end sooner for some renters

The New Jersey Legislature is moving to end the eviction moratorium sooner for renters with higher incomes.

Under the bill, the moratorium would end on Aug. 31 for tenants whose annual household income is above 80% of the median income in their area. Renters who make less would be safe until Dec. 31 when the current moratorium is set to end.

The measure passed both Senate and Assembly budget committees on Tuesday, according to NJ.com. A vote on the measure could happen as soon as Thursday.

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When Gov. Phil Murphy lifted the state emergency earlier this month, it left several economic protections in place including moratoriums on utility shut-offs, wage garnishments, and evictions.

The moratorium on utility shut-offs will formally end on July 1. From that moment, customers with arrearages will have until the end of the year to work out payment arrangements with their providers.

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