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Bill > S215
NJ S215
NJ S215Requires school districts to include environmental sustainability plan in long-range facilities plan.
summary
Introduced
01/09/2024
01/09/2024
In Committee
01/09/2024
01/09/2024
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
01/12/2026
01/12/2026
Introduced Session
2024-2025 Regular Session
Bill Summary
This bill requires school districts to include environmental sustainability plans in the long-range facilities plans submitted to the Commissioner of Education. Every five years, each school district submits a long-range facilities plan to the Commissioner which discusses projected enrollment, building capacities, health and safety conditions, and any anticipated facilities projects in the district. Under this bill, the district would also be required to submit an environmental sustainability plan which would consider the environmental impact of district facilities and operations, and set goals for improving sustainability. The environmental sustainability plan would be required to contain information about improvements to facility energy efficiency, including efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase use of renewable energy, and transition to high-performance sustainable buildings. The sustainability plan would also include a commitment to the acquisition of more sustainable school supplies, electronics, and other materials, and to prioritize contracts with vendors focused on sustainability. The district would also be required to include a plan to optimize transportation to reduce carbon emissions and transition the district's school bus fleet to electric vehicles. This bill would require school districts to publish the environmental sustainability plan or a summary of the goals and initiatives in the plan. The district would be required to establish performance measures to monitor progress toward each goal, and each year the district would be required to publish a summary of the progress toward the district's sustainability goals. School districts would be required to amend existing long-range facilities plans to include the environmental sustainability plan no later than the end of the first full year after this bill is enacted.
AI Summary
This bill mandates that school districts integrate an environmental sustainability plan into their long-range facilities plans, which are submitted to the Commissioner of Education every five years and outline projected enrollment, building capacities, and facility needs. The new sustainability plan will require districts to assess the environmental impact of their facilities and operations, setting goals for improvement. Key components include initiatives to enhance energy efficiency in buildings, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase the use of renewable energy, and transition to sustainable building designs. It also mandates a commitment to purchasing environmentally friendly school supplies and materials, prioritizing vendors with a focus on sustainability, and optimizing transportation to cut carbon emissions, including a transition to electric school buses. Districts will need to make their sustainability plans, or a summary, publicly accessible and establish performance measures to track progress, publishing an annual update on their achievements. Existing long-range facilities plans must be amended to include these sustainability requirements by the end of the first full year after the bill becomes law.
Committee Categories
Education
Sponsors (1)
Last Action
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee (on 01/09/2024)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2024/S215 |
| BillText | https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/S0500/215_I1.HTM |
| BillText | https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2024/S0500/215_I1.HTM |
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