Latino Action Network Foundation Chairman Frank Argote-Freyre issued the following statement in response to the Fiscal 2023 state budget that was just passed by the New Jersey Legislature:

We are pleased that Governor Murphy and the state Legislature, through the sustained advocacy of Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz, have agreed to historic investments that will expand community services and mental health access in Latino communities across New Jersey.

The state budget recently approved by the Legislature contains $3.75 million to boost funding for Hispanic Women’s Resource Centers, which provide job training and peer mentoring in communities across the state, and to fund new bi-lingual mental health counseling programs.

These investments demonstrate our elected leaders’ commitment to addressing pay and health inequities that continue to plague communities of color across our state. This budget will allow more Latinas, who suffer the greatest pay disparities of any demographic group, access to critical services designed to raise family incomes. At the same time, new bilingual mental health counseling opportunities will provide life-saving help to patients of color amid a national mental health crisis.

We would like to thank Senate President Nick Scutari, Assembly Speaker Craig Caughlin, Senate Majority Leader Ruiz and Senator Nellie Pou, who chairs the Legislative Latino Caucus, for their leadership and work with Governor Murphy in securing these investments.