Governor Sherrill Highlights Progress on Saving You Time & Money Agenda

TRENTON – Governor Mikie Sherrill today visited Advanced Solar Products in Flemington to highlight progress in her Administration’s efforts to deliver a more responsive, efficient, and affordable state government for the people and businesses of New Jersey – aligned with her Save You Time & Money agenda. Joined by New Jersey Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Bracken and NJBIA Chief Government Affairs Officer Chris Emigholz, Governor Sherrill spoke with Lyle Rawlings, the owner of Advanced Solar Products, about challenges faced in securing necessary permits.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and central to job creation, innovation, and strong local communities. Rather than being a source of red tape and bureaucratic roadblocks, state government should work for our business community, helping to build up entrepreneurs by expanding opportunity and lowering costs,” said Governor Sherrill. “My Administration is making it a top priority to provide public servants with the tools they need to improve customer service by modernizing outdated systems and expediting permitting and regulatory processes so businesses can spend more time growing and investing.”

Governor Sherrill outlined several initial steps being taken to save New Jerseyans time and money through streamlined permitting processes:

• All state agencies have been directed to complete a comprehensive catalogue of permits and approvals. This inventory, due April 20, 2026, will help identify outdated or duplicative requirements and inform the reforms required under Executive Order 5. 
• The Governor’s Office has convened working sessions and completed initial permitting reviews with leadership and staff at the New Jersey Department of Transportation, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to examine permit processes in depth and discuss opportunities to improve coordination and reduce delays. 
• In collaboration with the New Jersey Innovation Authority, the Sherrill Administration is developing a real-time permitting dashboard, allowing applicants to track progress, increase transparency, and help identify bottlenecks. The Governor’s Office expects to initially launch a pilot dashboard with a limited set of projects and will expand functionality from there.  

Since taking office, the Sherrill Administration has met with, and will continue to meet with, business organizations, chambers of commerce, and industry leaders from across New Jersey to learn about the barriers they face and explore innovative opportunities for improvement. She has also convened her Cabinet to reinforce the importance of working collaboratively to establish a customer service mindset across all government agencies.

“Today’s visit in Flemington underscores a refreshing shift in how the administration is engaging with the business community. The outreach demonstrated by Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell, as well as Chief Operating Officer Kellie Doucette and others, marks a welcome change from past years and signals the beginning of a true partnership between government and business — one that can help accelerate the economic growth that is sorely needed across New Jersey,” said Tom Bracken, President & CEO, New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. “We also applaud the administration’s focus on cost savings and regulatory reform, priorities that are strongly supported by the business community and essential to making our state more competitive.

On Day One, Governor Sherrill signed executive orders to reduce costs and delays for businesses in New Jersey by bringing greater accountability and transparency to the State’s permitting and regulatory processes. These executive orders – which represent the first step in advancing real change – launched cross-agency efforts to streamline approvals, reduce redundancies, and establish clear, predictable, and enforceable timelines so business owners can better navigate existing processes.

To maintain momentum, Governor Sherrill also highlighted that, in collaboration with Lieutenant Governor Dr. Dale Caldwell and Chief Operating Officer Kellie Doucette, her team will conduct a 21-county tour in the coming months to meet with business leaders and hear directly from New Jerseyans about improving government effectiveness. Additional information on the tour will be available soon.