Bill > A1597

Introduced Session

This bill amends the "New Jersey Public Employees' Occupational Safety and Health Act,") to provide that, for purposes of that act, the definition of "employer" includes any interstate authority that utilizes its own police officers or firefighters. The bill also adds a definition of "interstate authority" for the purposes of the "New Jersey Public Employees' Occupational Safety and Health Act." The bill defines "interstate authority" as a public bi-state or multi-state authority, commission, or corporation, created by compact or agreement between the State of New Jersey and another state. Currently, the definition of "employer" in the "New Jersey Public Employees' Occupational Safety and Health Act" specifically excludes any bi-state agency; this bill removes the exclusion of bi-state agencies from the definition and adds any interstate authority utilizing its own police or firefighters to the definition. This bill provides that workers employed by an interstate authority that utilizes its own police officers and firefighters will be subject to the protections afforded under the "New Jersey Public Employees' Occupational Safety and Health Act." The bill also authorizes the Governor to enter into supplemental compacts or agreements, on behalf of the State of New Jersey, with the States of New York, and Delaware, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as necessary, to amend the compacts formed with those states, which govern the interstate authorities which New Jersey and those states compacted to form, to provide that those entities shall be subject to the provisions of the "New Jersey Public Employees' Occupational Safety and Health Act." The authorities include:· Port Authority of New York and New Jersey;· Delaware River Port Authority;· Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission;· Delaware River and Bay Authority; and· Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor. With respect to the interstate authorities, the bill's provisions are inoperative until the passage of concurrent legislation by the other compacting states, and approval of Congress, except that in the absence of concurrent legislation, the authority may confer the application of the bill's provisions to the extent the Governors and commissioners are able to do so. The bill also amends the compact which formed the Palisades Interstate Park Commission to provide that those employees serving the New Jersey portion of the Palisades Interstate Park are subject to the provisions of the "New Jersey Public Employees' Occupational Safety and Health Act."

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Sean Kean (R)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Labor Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document