April 24, 2026
Kevin R. Wexler/Imagn Images
Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed an executive order on her first day in office to create a website that shows how tax dollars are being spent.
New Jersey residents can track how their tax dollars are being spent with a new website that Gov. Mikie Sherrill launched Thursday.
The New Jersey Report Card is a free, interactive dataset that breaks down the state’s budget including how different departments are being funded and the impacts of various programs.
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“This is a restructuring of how state government delivers for the people it serves,” Sherrill said in a statement. “Residents can now easily see how their tax dollars are spent and which programs they are funding.”
The website’s homepage is centered on the Democrat's record-high $60.7 billion budget proposal, which must be signed into law before July 1. For each program, there are spending totals and overviews of services they provide.
A “Looking Back” section charts how government appropriations have changed over the last 10 fiscal years, including the fluctuation of New Jersey’s five major revenue sources.
All of the data was reviewed and confirmed by the respective agencies and the New Jersey Office of Management and Budget before it was published, officials said.
The newly launched New Jersey Report Card breaks down government appropriations to various state departments over the past 10 fiscal years.
Users can also track the efficiency of programs like the Bringing Veterans Home initiative, which aims to direct homeless veterans into permanent housing, and the Child Care Assistance program, which subsidizes childcare services for working families.
Throughout the site, terms like “anticipated revenue” and “Grants-in-Aid” are highlighted, allowing users to click for a definition. A virtual tutorial for how to use the site is also available.
“When people can see where the money goes, which programs their dollars support, and what those programs deliver, it creates the conditions for an honest, fact-based conversation about what a sustainable budget actually looks like,” Nicole Rodriguez, president of nonpartisan think tank NJ Policy Perspective, said in a statement. “Gov. Sherrill's commitment to that kind of transparency is a great start, and we look forward to seeing it built out further and become a permanent part of how the state does business.”
Sherrill signed an executive order on her first day in office to create the website and plans to update it with changes in state revenue and spending and show the differences between proposed and approved budgets. The New Jersey Innovation Authority spearheaded the initiative using a portion of $13.3 million in state funding.
The budget Sherrill proposed last month would be the most expensive in state history, with the largest line items allocating $12.4 billion for K-12 schools, $7.1 billion for Medicaid services and $4.2 billion in property tax relief.
