A plan to hike New Jersey's minimum wage by $1.25 to $8.50 an hour is a step closer to approval after the Senate Labor Committee passed it, 3-1, Thursday. The bill, which would peg the wage rate to inflation, passed an Assembly committee last month. Leaders in both Democratically controlled chambers in Trenton

Gov. Christie told William Brown, 34, a former Navy SEAL and second-year Rutgers-Camden law student on Thursday that his school will definitely merge with Rowan University, sparking a yelling match that led the governor to dismiss him as an “idiot.” Brown, a former candidate for state Assembly who served in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, was removed from the firehouse by Florence police officers. Brown worries that veterans and other non-traditional students won’t get the same kind of educational opportunities once the merger goes through. http://bit.ly/zqMTqk

The Legislature's Democratic leaders unveiled their counterproposals Tuesday to Christie's plan to cut income taxes 10 percent across the board, an idea he included in his budget proposal in February. Sweeney wants to offer taxpayers the equivalent of a 10 percent property-tax cut: Those who earn $250,000 or less a year can take an income-tax credit of up to $1,000 based on their property-tax bill. http://bit.ly/xmEn8u

A bipartisan agreement has been reached to fix the state's anti-bullying law - considered the toughest in the nation - following complaints by school districts that it was financially burdensome. Gov. Christie announced support Tuesday for an amended bill backed by both parties that will be fast-tracked through the Legislature. It will add $1 million to the Bullying Prevention Fund to help districts meet the law's requirements, and will create a task force to assist with implementation of the measure. http://bit.ly/zWVp9e

To reduce traffic congestion and ease commutes from South Jersey to Philadelphia, transit planners want a $46 million "bus rapid transit" system on the heavily traveled corridor that includes Routes 55 and 42, and I-676. The proposed NJ Transit system would allow

The first details are out about Gov. Christie's trumpeted increase in state aid for public schools next year, showing a much more complicated picture that means big increases for some schools and sharp cuts for others. In all, 95 districts would get less, from a cut of 13 percent down to minuscule dips. Jersey City is slated to get a single dollar more. Other districts in for significant cuts include Pemberton Township, Winslow and Washington Township. http://bit.ly/wI5s1S