I want to be very clear about how New Jersey got to this moment, because what we are seeing now is not an accident, nor is it the result of confusion. It’s the result of decisions – some made and some avoided.
In February and March 2020, then-Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order No. 103declaring a public health emergency and state of emergency related to COVID-19. The intention was appropriate and necessary. New Jersey was facing an unprecedented crisis, and EO-103 became the legal foundation for the health care system to survive. Under this authority, advanced practice nurses were allowed to practice independently, clinics remained open, and access to care was preserved while hospitals were overwhelmed.
Then this system worked, and subsequently the state relied on it, providers relied on it, and patients relied on it.
Regardless, emergency authority is not permanent. Under New Jersey law, emergency declarations are structured to expire or be transitional. Executive Order 103 was always temporary. According to the law, it should have been removed before 2026, but this was not the case.
Governor Murphy was aware of this reality. And if it wasn’t, then that failure itself deserves scrutiny. Either the governor knew that EO-103 was past its intended lifespan or he failed to take responsibility that directly affected thousands of health care providers and small businesses. Neither explanation is acceptable.
What East it’s clear: on his last day at the officeGovernor Murphy signed Executive Order No. 415rescinding EO-103 and imposing a firm expiration date of February 16, 2026with a 30 day compliance window. This timing is no coincidence. It was a deliberate act that transferred the consequences of years of inaction onto the next administration – and onto the providers who had been operating legally, transparently and at the behest of the state for almost five years.
The result was immediate chaos.
Small healthcare businesses – lots of them Women-Owned, Minority-Owned, and Nurse-Led– were suddenly told they had to restructure ownership, provide oversight of doctors who were never needed during the emergency, or close their doors altogether. These were not dangerous practices. They weren’t bad actors. These were the same suppliers New Jersey depended on during its most vulnerable moment.
Governor Mikie Sherrill inherited this crisis from day one.
This is important because leadership is often revealed not by the problems someone creates, but by how they respond to the problems they inherit. Executive Order No. 7signed today by Governor Sherrill, is a reassuring and responsible response.
EO-7 places a 90-day pause on proposal, adoption and implementation of new state agency rules and regulations. Its purpose is explicit: to provide time for review, assess economic and workforce impacts, and prevent unintended harm to small businesses and essential services during a transition period.
This language is not generic. It directly responds to the uncertainty now facing AFN-led practices.
EO-7 does not retroactively extend emergency authority. Nobody asks that. What is this do to do – legally and intentionally – is to create space for administrative discretion, enforcement restraint, and scrutiny while permanent legislative solutions are developed. This is exactly what responsible governance looks like.
For practices like IV by the seaa small, women-owned healthcare business founded by an advanced practice nurse with a doctorate, EO-7 represents something deeply important: recognition. Recognition that these companies did not appear overnight. They were built within a framework authorized by the State. They employ people. They support families. They provide care. And they deserve continuity – not punishment – for answering the call when New Jersey needed it most.
The threat they face today does not come from new regulations. This comes from a abrupt return to an obsolete frameworkmade worse by the tight schedule imposed at the very end of the previous administration. EO-7 gives the state a chance to interrupt this harm, not by ignoring the law, but by applying it with judgment, proportionality, and caution.
There are approximately 1,500 nurse-run medical clinics and spas throughout New Jerseyand around 70% are owned by women. They provide primary care, behavioral health services, women’s health, substance abuse treatment and recovery support. If they close, the patients don’t disappear. They wait longer, travel further, or end up in emergency rooms that are already full.
This is not about politics or professional competition. This is a question of equity, reliability and access to care.
New Jersey has already tested extensive APN practice under the most demanding conditions imaginable, but they have thrived. EO-7 indicates that the new administration understands this lesson. This creates a bridge between emergency authority and permanent reform. This gives lawmakers and agencies the opportunity to align the law with reality, rather than allowing silence and delays dictated by missed deadlines to dismantle what has already proven effective.
Governor Murphy left a deadline. Governor Sherrill responded with leadership.
The solution is now clear: apply EO-7 in a way that protects existing APN-led practices, demonstrates restraint during the review period, and advances permanent statutory reform that reflects what New Jersey already knows: Nurses and nurse practitioners are not replaceable pawns. They are the cornerstone of this state’s healthcare system.
There are reasons to hope. Progress has begun. The choice now is whether New Jersey will finish the job or let the damage of the past define its future.
Links:
IVs By The Seas Website
https://www.ivsbytheseas.com/
Executive Order 102:
https://www.nj.gov/infobank/eo/056murphy/pdf/EO-102.pdf
Executive Order 112:
https://www.nj.gov/infobank/eo/056murphy/pdf/EO-112.pdf
Executive Order 292:
https://nj.gov/infobank/eo/056murphy/pdf/EO-292.pdfExecutive Order 415:
https://nj.gov/infobank/eo/056murphy/pdf/EO-415.pdf
Declaration IV By The Seas:
https://www.ivsbytheseas.com/help
Senate Bill S2996:
https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/S2996
Sign the petition:
https://www.change.org/p/make-advanced-practice-nurse-expansions-permanent-in-new-jersey?recruiter=1399726772&recruited_by_id=4 be3afc0-f55a-11f0-977e-c93b6bd8dc9d&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=starter_onboarding_share_personal&utm_medium=copylink
