Bill > S1405

Introduced Session

This bill, designated the "New Jersey Intern Protection Act," provides legal protections and remedies for persons engaged in paid or unpaid internships with employers. It does so by adding interns to the provisions of the "Law Against Discrimination," P.L.1945, c.169 (C.10:5-1 et seq.), the "Conscientious Employee Protection Act," P.L.1986, c.105 (C.34:19-1 et seq.), and P.L.2006, c.53 (C.34:19-9 et seq.), sometimes referred to as the Worker Freedom From Employer Intimidation Act. The bill, for the purposes of all three laws, defines an intern as an individual who performs services for an employer on a temporary basis whose work: (1) Provides or supplements training given in an educational environment to enhance the individual's employability; (2) Provides experience for the benefit of the individual; and (3) Is performed under the supervision of the employer's staff. The term "intern" includes individuals without regard to whether the employer pays them a salary or wage. Interns would have recognized and enforceable legal protections from various forms of employer discrimination, retaliatory acts, and intimidation relative to religious and political matters in the workplace, and the State would also have the authority, under the "Law Against Discrimination" P.L.1945, c.169 (C.10.5-1 et seq.), to bring actions against employers. Nothing in the bill would reduce remedies available to the intern under any applicable federal law, other State law, or the common law.

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Nia Gill (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Labor Committee (on 02/10/2022)

Official Document