>>>> The debt deadline is 10 days away.

President Betty meets -- President Biden meets with Republican leaders but are they too far apart to strike a deal in time?

Plus, exposing gender identities.

>> If other districts are considering similar policies, they should know if they run afoul of our laws, we will be stepping in.

Briana: TheBriana: Attorney General steps into stop school leaders from outing young LGBTQ+ students.

Who was minding the store?

>> On the report came out, no one was surprised.

Briana: A state watchdog uncovers how NJ CU misused and misallocated most of its money for years.

What do the financial struggle mean for its students?

>> I was able to share my story for the first time about how my dad had died, and just be with kids who understood.

Briana: We visit a unique camp that puts smiles on the faces of families who experienced travel -- tragic loss.

NJ Spotlight News starts now.

>> Funding for New Jersey Spotlight News funded by the members of residents and business for over 100 years.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, an independent.

New Jersey realtors, the Roy's for real estate in New Jersey.

Or information it is online at NJ realtor.com.

And By the PSNJ foundation.

♪ >> From NJ and PBS, this is NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi.

Briana: The U.S. economy is edging close to an economic disaster.

Good evening and thanks for joining us this Monday night.

I am Briana Vannozzi.

Time is quickly running down on the June 1 deadline to avert a default on the nation's debt.

President Biden and GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy today resuming talks to temporarily raise the nation's's borrowing one it.

The president cutting short an overseas trip to deal with the looming threat.

Speaker McCarthy earlier today told reporters negotiations are at a sensitive point.

The two sides still appear far apart.

The Republican-led House insisting on current and future spending cuts, in exchange for lifting the debt ceiling.

Democrats argue Congress has already spent the money and America needs to repay debt holders.

The stakes are high, economists predict a default would likely trigger a recession and serious job loss, Social Security checks may not go out.

New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer is cochairman of the house problem solvers caucus.

.

He has been trying to find common ground to help get a deal done and he joins me now.

Congressman Josh Gottheimer, thank you for joining us amid your busy schedule here.

I want to ask if you believe at this point, as we come up against this very punishing deadline, that all options should be on the table?

That includes spending cuts that Democrats would have to consider.

Rep. Gottheimer: I think everything reasonable should be part of the discussion.

Nothing is draconian care that would hurt people.

But what we need to do here is make sure that we do not default on our responsibilities, on our bills.

That is all this is.

The government has a bunch of bills due, it is like a credit card bill is due, and some folks think we should not pay our bills.

That is all the debt ceiling is.

When people say defaulting on our debt, it means not paying the expenses we have incurred.

What happen if we did that, literally the full faith in the credit of the U.S. would be at risk.

People would lose money in their 401(k)s, the markets could crash, our standing in the world would be on the line.

That is not an option for our country.

Now the question is how do we find an agreement where we can pay our bills?

Briana: As a member of the problem solvers caucus, would you push other Democrats to support a deal if it does include some of the spending cuts that the GOP is asking for?

Rep. Gottheimer: I think of course, specifics matter in any agreement.

It depends what the specifics are.

I think the president has proposed certain caps or cuts.

Those would make sense.

Other things that have been proposed are unreasonable.

You are not going to take health care away from people on Medicaid who are hurting.

Your neck went to take food away from those who need it.

Certain things make sense and that certain things don't.

Understand what this negotiation is about.

The other side has basically said, we are going to give you, Democrats, making sure we don't default as a country.

That is their gift.

They won all of these things in return.

The challenging part is finding that middle ground, that agreement.

But I'm talking to everybody, Democrats and the Republican side.

And looking for that sweet spot where we can find an agreement.

And when we do, I think we better get it done and done fast.

We should stand the table 24/seven until we get there.

Briana: There is no other option.

You have the treasury secretary saying the odds of reaching a June 1 deadline, and still being able to pay our bills as a country, are quite low.

What do you say to that?

Rep. Gottheimer: What I worry about is the market starting to panic.

And people's for a one pick -- 401(k)s and pensions.

That is very costly to everything, to how we borrow money, to our reputation in the world.

The only one who would win in that case is the government of China.

They want us to have an egg on our face.

There is a lot on the line.

Everyone has got to be reasonable.

And that is all we are asking for, a reasonable, bipartisan conversation.

To get this done, it will take Democrats and Republicans.

One side cannot solve this problem.

Briana: Will you all meet that June 1 deadline?

Rep. Gottheimer: I am incredibly optimistic we will.

I think it will be bumpy.

And I think everyone understands the stakes and what is on the line.

We can't afford to default and not pay our bills as a country.

Briana: Congressman Josh Gottheimer joining us, thank you so much, representative.

Rep. Gottheimer: Thanks for having me.

Briana: His full district policy involving gender identity is now in the hands of the court.

A judge late Friday temporarily blocked Hanover Township's new policy requiring staff to notify parents of their child's gender identity and sexual orientation.

School leaders argue it is one part of a larger plan to identify issues impacting student's well-being, but the state says it unfairly outs LGBTQ+ children.

Senior correspondent Joanna Gagis reports.

Reporter: a battle over LGBTQ students rights versus parental rights has been taken to the courts in a case brought by the Attorney General against the Hanover school district.

>> The policy singles out sexual preference and orientation as something that educators must relate to parents.

Joanna: The policy was approved by the Hanover school board last Tuesday, requiring educators to alert parents if a student told them their sexual identity or preference.

The Attorney General's office has sued the district for violating the state's antidiscrimination laws and a judge has placed a Embury stay on the measure.

>> That singles out members of the LGBTQ+ community.

They are not saying they will single out a boy and girl holding hands.

They are talking about sexual preference.

What that does is it puts a target on the back of every LGBTQ+ kid who is in that school district.

That violates New Jersey law.

Joanna: The Hanover school district rejects that notion saying, policy 8463 does not unlawfully discriminate against any student on the basis of protected status.

It goes on to say that it requires school staff members to notify parents of facts or circumstances that may have a material impact on a student's physical or mental health or social and emotional well-being listing things like substance use, eating disorders, self-harm, unlawful activity, and sexuality, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression among others.

Senator Joe Penn Ouchi is as the Hanover rule is meant to protect students and defends parents rights.

>> There is inordinate amount of kids that either have transgender issues or sexuality issues.

They try to commit suicide.

They are bullied.

I think parents have a right to know if that is the case.

That way those children if they need help, need counseling, they can get them that.

Joanna: Michael got us men is a founder of an organization that petitioned the government to step in.

>> These things are spreading virally from district to district.

And that is why.

And U.S. government officials have to do something.

You either have to give us the ammo, because we can't wait a year for an ethics complaint to be resolved, or ate 10 months for a petition to the Commissioner of education to get resolved.

In the meantime, 40, 50 more districts will have joined on in this nonsense.

Joanna: Opponents of the bill say it is that risk of suicide that makes this loss of dangerous.

>> Studies have shown 60% plus have thoughts of committing suicide.

And unfortunately in that community, the number of suicides is very, very high above the general student population.

>> TQM youth experience the highest rates of homelessness because they are kicked out of their homes by parents who can't accept how they identified.

They experience the highest rates in bullying in schools.

This is a vulnerable population.

Joanna: Christian is putting it back on the parents to communicate with their kids.

>>>> If parents are concerned with knowing whether their child is LGBTQ or not, they should be actively working to create a safe and comfortable environment at home where the student or the child feels comfortable coming out to the parent.

Joanna: The next school district is voting on a similar measure this week.

>> If other districts are considering similar policies, they should know if they run afoul of our laws, we will step in.

Joanna: Both sides will make their case next week and a court will decide if this is protecting or hurting these kids.

I'm Joanna Gagis.

Briana: National studies are finding LGBTQ individuals are at heightened risk, twice as likely to experience mental health conditions.

Federal lawmakers today said addressing the mental health crisis among all Americans is among their top challenges.

U.S.

Senator Bob Menendez joined Congress members on a Coleman and Andy Kim for a listening session at Rider University about the state's top concerns.

Hearing from Faith leaders, mental health advocates and experts.

A recent report shows 29% of high school students reported having a mental health challenge in the past 30 days.

Menendez and Watson Coleman reintroduced a mental health equity built to address disparities in access to mental health care.

Aimed at increasing providers and doing better outreach to marginalized communities so people can get the help they need.

>> Support for the medical report is provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

Briana: The campus of New Jersey city University is still reeling after a state watchdog report last week blamed the school's leaders for causing its financial crisis.

An investigation by New Jersey's comptroller points to a lack of oversight by the University's governing board, deliberate budgeting missteps, and actions to cover it up as the key reasons behind the school's physical mess.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports.

>> I think when the report came out, no one be surprised.

Brenda: Faculty at New Jersey city University say the state comptroller report nearly -- nearly confirmed what they expected, that their current budget crisis was egregiously self-inflicted.

The professor's saw problems.

>> Everyone here, union members, and even students knew that the previous administration was mismanaging the place.

>>>> People have been concerned about the financial situation of the University for quite some time.

Brenda: Acting state comptroller Kevin Walsh dug into the public university's budget details and his report uncovered -- >> A collective failure of leadership of governance, and a really difficult time.

Brenda: His report found the school had gone on a building and spending spree, but its revenues did not keep pace despite tuition hikes.

In 2021, and JC's administration faced a shortfall and budgeted $14 million in the Federal COVID funds that were not legally eligible to cover it.

Higher Ed expert Dustin Weed explains -- >> Your costs are increasing, those should be red flags if anybody is doing any financial monitoring.

It does not appear anybody was.

>> It is ported to note the $14 million budget cap was not inevitable.

.

It was the result of poor decision-making by leadership and a breakdown in governance.

Brenda: He says NJCU's chief financial officer did warned the administration, which ultimately spent down its reserves instead of misspending federal COVID funds.

By June, it had 25 days of operating cash left.

The Board of Trustees, without required training in fiscal management, let it happen.

President Sue Henderson resigned with a sweet $288,000 deal.

>> The Board allowed the president to resign with a six-figure separation package, about ever looking into the crisis she led the University into.

Brenda: Walsh recommended an independent financial modern -- monitoring for NJCU.

Its new interim President hence the effort to rescue the school, with a cash infusion from state taxpayers.

NJCU said, no funds were misappropriated, senior administrators, whose conduct is discussed in the report, are no longer employed at the University, which has implemented additional reductions to eliminate the deficit over the next two years.

>> Faculties are devoted to it, and new members of the administration are working very hard.

Brenda: The faculties put together a full-court PR press, lobbying Trenton lawmakers for $25 million to help the University recover financially.

But they hope that money comes with more oversight.

>> This reinforces the need for strong, state-level ported nation.

That is everything from program approval and review authority, to financial monitoring.

Brenda: Lead and says this goes beyond NJCU, the comptroller wreck -- comptroller's report recommends reviewing financial oversight of New Jersey's public colleges and universities.

They spend taxpayer dollars, at NJCU, 66% of the students are black and brown and 54% qualify for federal aid.

>> I was here on a scholarship.

I was one of the lucky ones.

Brenda: Jeni a Smith just graduated with a bachelor of science degree in business.

In Jersey City, Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: Investigative reporting by a local journalist is leading to the crackdown of so-called ghost tags in the state.

They are New Jersey used car dealers that illegally sell temporary license plates, thousands of them, to make a buck and help drivers find tolls and crimes.

I spoke with Jesse Colburn, reported forced streets blog N.Y.C., whose work uncovered the rise in the black market temp attack industry.

Thank you for coming in to talk about this.

I'm curious off the bat, why there is such a black market for these tags?

>> People use these tags for a variety of reasons.

Some use them to avoid paying tolls and traffic tickets.

Some use them to avoid paying sales taxes and registration fees.

Briana: Because they are untraceable?

Jesse: Exactly.

They are keeping them off the books.

They are effectively ghost cars.

Briana: I'm curious through your reporting like you found New Jersey in particular was such a hotbed to be able to access these tags?

Jesse: New Jersey is a hotbed basically because the state laws and regulations surrounding temp tags in the used car industry are a lot more permissive than other states.

It's easier to get a used car dealership license in New Jersey.

Once you get the license, it is easy to print vast numbers of fraudulent tags.

The motor vehicle commission runs a web portal through which licensed dealers can print the temp tags.

We found that you can plug totally fake and fraudulent information into that portal, fake fire, car information, and the commissioner will allow you to print the tag.

Briana: This is a robust black-market.

Clearly, there are a lot of people out there with these tags.

Now that you are -- now that your reporting is out there, as their talk about cracking down on this why have the regulations been so lax?

Jesse: It is a good question but hard to answer.

The governor's office, motor vehicle commission and primary trade group representing the used dealerships have declined to talk about the issue publicly.

I think there is a perception within the industry that stiffening regulations could hurt legitimate upstanding dealers as well.

Make it hard for them to do business.

There are other dealers who want to see the regulations stiffen.

They feel this of fraud within their industry is tarnishing their reputation.

Last week, a state assemblyman introduced a bill that would create new criminal penalties for selling, driving with, even possessing fraudulent temp tags.

It would also require the motor vehicle commission to revoke the licenses of dealers, and they would increase the fines the commission could impose on dealers for selling tags.

Briana: You mentioned, there are already thousands of these out there.

Is there talk about clawing those back?

What can be done to that extent?

Jesse: Not very much.

Unfortunately, the tags do expire at a certain point.

If you are driving with a three-month-old or-year-old New Jersey temp tag -- Briana: It is just a matter of time, I suppose, before you are at the end of that limit.

Jesse: Yes.

It seems there is an endless supply of new tags you can find online.

Briana: What spurred the advent of all of these tags being out there?

It was not until, through your reporting, recent years that we saw a spike in these being used.

Jesse: Black-market really exploded during the pandemic.

Motor vehicle commission offices were closed, and it became difficult to register new cars, if you are buying them.

On the private market people in that situation started approaching dealers saying hey, can you sell me a temp to tide me over?

?

Dealers who are struggling with their own pandemic related disruption started obliging.

More unscrupulous actors started entering the market, like people who wanted tags for more of various reasons and dealers who suddenly seemed more interested in selling tags than cars.

Briana: Really interesting reporting.

Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

Jesse: Thanks so much for having me.

♪ Briana: In our spotlight on business report, another battle is brewing over New Jersey's offshore wind plants.

It is a lawsuit filed in Superior Court about the placement of onshore power cables I the energy company Orsted for its ocean wind project.

The company has state approval for the work, despite opposition from local leaders in Ocean City.

Town is appealing the approval to lie power lines for the project, about 50 feet below the ocean bed and beach, under this streets for seven miles up to a shuttered power plant in upper Township.

That lawsuit filed in November is part of the city's overall opposition to a 2021 state law giving approved wind energy projects the authority to take public land needed for any land-based construction.

In response, Orsted is seeking a separate court order so it can start the preliminary engineering work on about an acre of land in the city.

Orsted argues work will not happen during the summer tourist season, and the company says it will foot the bill to resurface affected streets.

On Wall Street, traders continue monitoring those debt ceiling talks.

Here is how stocks ended the day.

>> Support for the business report provided by, the Chamber of Commerce southern New Jersey, working for economic prosperity by uniting business and community leaders for 150 years.

Membership and event information online at chamberS and J.com.

Briana: Bring you the story of a unique and remarkable camp.

Here in New Jersey to comfort zone camp brings together children, parents, and families whose lives have been touched by suicide.

It is a safe place for grieving that makes it possible to heal while being surrounded by others who have shared in a similar life-changing loss.

Melissa Rose Cooper has the story.

>> I miss how funny he was.

And he was so smart.

I just miss the everyday activities with him.

Melissa: If you have the memories Sarah Ash keeps close to her heart whenever she thinks of her father.

She was 13 years old when he passed away after committing suicide.

>> I remember I was not really surprised.

He had been sick for a while.

I guess there was always a fear I had in the Back Of My Mind that something would happen.

But I was still really upset.

I think it took me a wide to process all of the emotions I had.

Melissa: Something she says she was able to do here at comfort zone camp.

The nonprofit organization that helps children and their families learn how to cope after losing a loved one.

>> I was able to share my story for the first time about how my dad had died.

And just be with kids who understood.

Melissa: Since 2015, the camp has been hosting a program for families grappling with suicide loss.

For three days, campers get a chance to share their feelings, taking part in various activities aimed at healing their pain and understanding their grief.

The founders says they decided to implement the program after noticing an increase in suicide loss.

>> Even within the lost types, you see the stigma associated with it.

Sometimes the shame and guilt and that, would have, should have, and could have's.

There are so many unique nuances that without we needed to bring the philosophy together.

Melissa: According to the CDC, suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the country.

Data shows for every 11 minutes, one person will die by suicide, with more than 48,000 taking their lives in 2021.

Roughly 12 million adults have seriously considered it, with another 1.7 million making an attempt.

That is why Sandy Bruneau says having a grief outlet like comfort zone camp is critical in the healing process.

>> We know suicide will add an extra layer to the grief process.

Some of the children will come in saying, what did I do wrong?

What could I have done?

They come -- come in with unanswered questions because of the loss.

We help them to navigate those feelings and express those emotions, and hopefully learn to move through their concerns and emotions.

Melissa: Ash's mom's knows how much of a difference it can make.

>> It was a place he didn't have to worry.

It didn't matter the details of your story, they knew that you had some kind of loss.

Nobody asked you things like, are you still thinking about that?

Is that still a problem?

Really, you were still worried about that?

Melissa: Now both mom and daughter are paying it forward, volunteering at the camp.

>> You are here, you are a family.

With all of the kids, volunteers here for that weekend.

It does not stop after those 48 hours.

When you leave, you are still somewhat in that bubble.

You make those bounds.

And I have made friends that have become my family, who have been to my wedding, I've been to their wedding, we have celebrated Sweet Sixteen's, graduations, all of the major life events, and just random Tuesday afternoons.

I have a community at comfort zone that has changed my life, and it is my family.

Melissa: Life-changing experiences empowering families to simply heal.

I Melissa Rose Cooper.

Briana: Cat is going to do it for us tonight.

A reminder, you can now listen to NJ Spotlight News anytime via podcast wherever you stream.

Make sure you download it and check us out.

I'm Briana Vannozzi, for the entire NJ Spotlight News team, thanks for being with us.

Have a great evening.

We will see you back here tomorrow.

♪ >> The members of the New Jersey education Association, making public schools great for every child.

Rwj Barnabas health.

Let's be healthy together.

And Orsted, committed to the creation of a new long-term, sustainable, clean energy future for New Jersey.

>> And JM insurance group has been part of New Jersey for over a century.

We support our communities through and JM's corporate giving program, supporting arts and culture related and nonprofit organizations, that serve to improve the lives of children, rebuild communities, and helped to create a new generation of safe drivers.

We are proud to be part of New Jersey.

NJM, we have got New Jersey covered.

♪