Legislator
Legislator > Joe Vitale
State Senator
Joe Vitale
(D) - New Jersey
New Jersey Senate District 19
In Office - Started: 01/13/1998
contact info
Woodbridge Office
569 Rahway Ave.
Woodbridge, NJ 07095
Woodbridge, NJ 07095
Phone: 732-855-7441
General Capitol Building Address
P.O. Box 068
State House, 145 W. State St.
Trenton, NJ 08625-0068
State House, 145 W. State St.
Trenton, NJ 08625-0068
Phone: 609-847-3905
| Bill | Bill Name | Summary | Progress |
|---|---|---|---|
| S2167 | Requires public and certain nonpublic schools to comply with breakfast and lunch standards adopted by USDA. | Requires public and certain nonpublic schools to comply with breakfast and lunch standards adopted by USDA. | Passed |
| A3974 | Prohibits use of deceptive marketing practices by substance use disorder treatment providers. | Prohibits use of deceptive marketing practices by substance use disorder treatment providers. | Passed |
| A3973 | Revises law concerning patient referrals to substance use disorder treatment facilities, recovery residences, and clinical laboratories. | Revises law concerning patient referrals to substance use disorder treatment facilities, recovery residences, and clinical laboratories. | Passed |
| A4085 | Allows for natural organic reduction and controlled supervised decomposition of human remains. | Allows for natural organic reduction and controlled supervised decomposition of human remains. | Passed |
| S3007 | Allows for natural organic reduction and controlled supervised decomposition of human remains. | Allows for natural organic reduction and controlled supervised decomposition of human remains. | In Committee |
| S3064 | Modifies tax on certain forms of online gaming and wagering. | Modifies tax on certain forms of online gaming and wagering. | In Committee |
| A4544 | Expands eligibility requirements of State's child care assistance program to include full-time graduate and post-graduate students. | Expands eligibility requirements of State's child care assistance program to include full-time graduate and post-graduate students. | Passed |
| S3504 | Establishes Office of Veteran Advocate and ombudsman for DMVA; appropriates funds. | Establishes Office of Veteran Advocate and ombudsman for DMVA; appropriates funds. | In Committee |
| A4712 | Establishes Office of Veteran Advocate and ombudsman for DMVA; appropriates funds. | Establishes Office of Veteran Advocate and ombudsman for DMVA; appropriates funds. | Passed |
| S4263 | Revises certain provisions concerning, and establishes certain education and data reporting requirements related to, involuntary commitment. | Revises certain provisions concerning, and establishes certain education and data reporting requirements related to, involuntary commitment. | Passed |
| A5803 | Modifies tax on certain forms of online gaming and wagering. | This bill increases the Internet casino gaming tax, the Internet sports wagering tax, and the daily fantasy sports operating fee from 15, 13, and 10.5 percent, respectively, to 19.75 percent. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5805 | Modifies tax rate on certain nicotine products. | This bill increases the rate of tax imposed on cigarettes, liquid nicotine, and container e-liquid, as recommended as part of the Governor's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget, and dedicates a portion of the revenues collected from the tax on liquid nicotine and container e-liquid to the State's Health Care Subsidy Fund. Under current law, the State imposes a tax on cigarettes at a rate of $0.135 per cigarette, or $2.70 per pack of 20 cigarettes, which tax rate has been in effect since 2009. This bill would increase this tax rate to $0.15 per cigarette, or $3.00 per pack of 20 cigarettes. Also under current law, liquid nicotine is taxed at a rate of $0.10 per fluid milliliter on the volume of liquid as listed by the manufacturer. Container e-liquid is taxed at the rate of 10 percent of the listed retail sale price for the product sold within the State. This bill would increase the tax rate from $0.10 to $0.30 per fluid milliliter for liquid nicotine, and increase the tax rate on container e-liquid from 10 percent to 30 percent of the listed retail sale price. The bill's provisions increasing the tax rates for cigarettes, liquid nicotine, and container e-liquid would take effect on August 1, 2025. The bill would also require inventory reports and the payment of higher rates of tax on the inventories of these products by distributors, wholesalers, and retail suppliers in the State for the time at which the tax rate increases go into effect. Lastly, the bill would dedicate $2 million of revenue collected from the taxes imposed on liquid nicotine and container e-liquid to the State's Health Care Subsidy Fund. Under current law, the fund, administered by the Department of Health, annually receives dedicated revenues from a portion of the revenues collected annually from the cigarette tax, as well as the tobacco products wholesale sales and use tax. This bill would add a portion of the revenues collected from the taxes on liquid nicotine and container e-liquid as a dedicated revenue source for the fund. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5809 | "Healthcare Finance Enhancement Act." | This bill establishes the "Healthcare Finance Enhancement Act." Under current law, the Department of Health imposes an assessment on the gross receipts of ambulatory care facilities with gross receipts over $300,000. This assessment is imposed at a rate of 2.95 percent on each facility that is subject to the assessment. The assessments on ambulatory care facilities collected under this law are to be deposited in the Health Care Subsidy Fund established pursuant to section 8 of P.L.1992, c.160 (C.26:2H-18.58). This bill amends current law to reduce this assessment rate from 2.95 percent to 2.5 percent in fiscal year 2026 and to extend the assessment to all ambulatory care facilities beginning in fiscal year 2027. The bill also eliminates the exemption from the ambulatory care facility assessment for surgical practices beginning in fiscal year 2026. The bill increases the per adjusted admission charge imposed on hospitals by the Department of Health from $10 to $12.50 beginning on July 1, 2025, and extends the imposition of this charge to non-public psychiatric hospitals. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S4376 | Establishes Department of Veterans Affairs. | Establishes Department of Veterans Affairs. | Passed |
| S4656 | "Healthcare Finance Enhancement Act." | "Healthcare Finance Enhancement Act." | In Committee |
| S4659 | Modifies tax rate on certain nicotine products. | Modifies tax rate on certain nicotine products. | In Committee |
| S4661 | Increases tax rate on liquid nicotine and container e-liquid. | This bill increases the tax rate imposed on liquid nicotine and container e-liquid, as recommended as part of the Governor's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget. Under current law, liquid nicotine is taxed at a rate of $0.10 per fluid milliliter on the volume of liquid as listed by the manufacturer. Container e-liquid is taxed at the rate of 10 percent of the listed retail sale price for the product sold within the State. This bill would increase the tax rate from $0.10 to $0.30 per fluid milliliter for liquid nicotine, and increase the tax rate on container e-liquid from 10 percent to 30 percent of the listed retail sale price. The bill's provisions would take effect on August 1, 2025. The bill would also require each distributor, wholesaler, and retailer of liquid nicotine to file returns with the Director of the Division of Taxation by the first day of the second month after the effective date. The returns would include the distributer's, wholesaler's, or retail dealer's inventory of liquid nicotine and the payment of an amount equal to the additional amount of tax due on such liquid nicotine for the preceding month. The Governor's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget recommendations include the enactment of legislation to increase the tax rate on liquid nicotine and container e-liquid. This bill is intended to implement this recommendation. | In Committee |
| S4635 | Revises assessment imposed on nursing homes if permissible under federal law. | This bill revises the assessment imposed on nursing homes if permissible under federal law. Under N.J.S.A.26:2H-96, each nursing home is to pay an assessment to the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury, which when combined with the aggregate amount of assessments paid by all other nursing homes, is not to exceed six percent of the aggregate amount of annual revenues received by all nursing homes in accordance with 42 C.F.R. s.433.68(f)(3)(i). This bill amends N.J.S.A.26:2H-96 to provide that the assessment is to be either six percent or the maximum percentage that is permissible under federal law. | In Committee |
| S3754 | Establishes "Disability Mortality and Abuse Prevention Advisory Committee" in DHS; makes appropriation. | Establishes "Disability Mortality and Abuse Prevention Advisory Committee" in DHS; makes appropriation. | In Committee |
| S4651 | Requires Medicaid coverage for continuous glucose monitors and related supplies for individuals diagnosed with diabetes who meet certain coverage eligibility criteria. | This bill requires the State Medicaid program to cover the costs of continuous glucose monitors (CGM), including the cost of any necessary repairs or replacement parts, for Medicaid recipients who are diagnosed with diabetes and are treated with insulin or have a history of problematic hypoglycemia with documentation of at least one of the following: two or more level two hypoglycemic events, defined as a glucose level below 54 mg/dL (3.0 mmol/L), that persist despite attempts to adjust medications, modify the diabetes treatment plan, or both or a history of one level three hypoglycemic event, defined as a glucose level below 54 mg/dL (3.0 mmol/L) that is characterized by altered mental or physical state requiring third-party assistance for treatment of hypoglycemia. To be eligible for coverage, this bill requires the CGM to be prescribed in accordance with the indications for use for the device, as approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration; for the recipient's treating physician to determine that the recipient, or the recipient's caregiver, has sufficient training using the CGM prescribed; and for the recipient to satisfy any additional criteria established by the commissioner based on current evidence-based standards. Under this bill, to be eligible for continuous coverage, Medicaid recipients must participate in follow-up care with their treating health care practitioners at least once every six months during the first 18 months following receipt of the CGM and at least once every 12 months thereafter. This bill directs the Commissioner of Human Services (the commissioner) to apply for State plan amendments or waivers necessary to implement the provisions of this bill and to secure federal financial participation. This bill authorizes the commissioner to adopt rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the purposes of this bill, and allows for the immediate filing of those rules and regulations with the Office of Administrative Law, effective for a period not to exceed six months. | In Committee |
| S3706 | Requires use of merchant category codes for purchases of firearms and ammunition. | Requires use of merchant category codes for purchases of firearms and ammunition. | In Committee |
| S2376 | Requires boards of education to ensure that all staff are trained in care of students with epilepsy and seizure disorders every five years. | Requires boards of education to ensure that all staff are trained in care of students with epilepsy and seizure disorders every five years. | Crossed Over |
| S1962 | Provides certain protections to residents of long-term care facilities. | Provides certain protections to residents of long-term care facilities. | Crossed Over |
| S1953 | Establishes "Mission Critical Long-Term Care Teams"; provides for identification of and intervention at long-term care facilities at risk of operational and financial distress. | This bill provides for the establishment of Mission Critical Long-Term Care Teams, which will be responsible for identifying long-term care facilities for which progressive levels of oversight and direct intervention may be necessary to prevent the decline of health and safety at the facility or the disruption of necessary health care services at the facility. Each Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team will work collaboratively with long-term care facilities to improve the financial and operating results of the facility with a focus on resident health and safety. Each Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team established by the Commissioner of Health is to comprise four individuals with relevant expertise in long-term care administration and management, financial management, nursing care, infection prevention, social work, quality improvement, safety, and continuing professional education. The commissioner will establish specific indicators by which a long-term care facility may be evaluated for: operational and financial soundness, and the thresholds at which it may be considered to be in operational or financial distress or at risk of operational or financial distress; and the facility's capacity to ensure the rights afforded by State law to residents and to deliver the quality of care required by applicable licensing standards for the facility. When a survey or inspection conducted, or complaint received, by the Division of Health Facility Survey and Field Operations in the Department of Health (DOH), or by any other individual in the DOH, identifies a facility at risk based on any of the indicators established by the commissioner, the commissioner may dispatch a Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team to evaluate the facility and advise the facility as to any corrective measures it should take to resolve any identified issues. The commissioner may also dispatch a Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team at the request of facility management. The bill requires that any facility to which a Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team is dispatched cooperate with the team, and that the facility grant both the Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team and the DOH access to all physical plant operations and locations and to all financial, operational, and programmatic information requested thereby. | In Committee |
| S1939 | Requires children's meals served in chain restaurants to meet certain nutritional standards. | Requires children's meals served in chain restaurants to meet certain nutritional standards. | In Committee |
| S1951 | Establishes requirements for sanctions and other actions involving low-performing nursing homes. | This bill requires the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services in the Department of Human Services (DHS) to take certain actions involving nursing homes that receive a one-star quality rating from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The CMS currently rates the quality of care in nursing homes on a scale of one to five stars. Specifically, if the nursing home receives a one-star rating, but did not receive a one-star rating in the preceding quarter, the division will be required to issue a warning to the nursing home: 1) urging the nursing home to improve the quality of care provided to residents; 2) advising the nursing home that a second or subsequent one-star rating may result in the division requiring the nursing home to take specific steps to improve the quality of care; and 3) advising the nursing home that the failure to improve quality of care at the nursing home may result in the division imposing sanctions against the nursing home. If the nursing home receives a one-star CMS rating in two consecutive quarters, the division will be required to evaluate whether to impose sanctions against the nursing home, which sanctions may include, but will not be limited to: issuing an order prohibiting the nursing home from admitting new Medicaid enrollees; limiting the total number of Medicaid enrollees who may be admitted to the nursing home; and reducing or limiting payments to the nursing home under the DHS quality incentive payment program. If the nursing home receives a one-star CMS rating in three consecutive quarters, the division will be required to evaluate whether to impose additional sanctions against the nursing home, which sanctions will be in addition to, and more severe than, any sanctions imposed for a one-star CMS rating in two consecutive quarters. The sanctions may include, but will not be limited to: issuing an order prohibiting the nursing home from admitting new residents; removing current residents who are Medicaid enrollees from the nursing home; stopping all payments to the nursing home under the DHS quality incentive payment program; declining to approve or revoking the approval of the owner or operator of the nursing home to participate in Medicaid; and, in consultation with the Department of Health (DOH), prohibiting the owner or operator of the nursing home from obtaining an interest in, or contracting with, any other nursing home in the State. The division may additionally institute any actions as are necessary to protect the health and well-being of residents and staff at the nursing home. When evaluating whether to impose sanctions against a nursing home, the division will be required to consult with the DOH concerning its recommendations for action against the nursing home and review the information concerning the nursing home that is available on the DOH's nursing home data dashboard. In the event the division does not take action against a nursing home as authorized under the bill, the division will be required to document the reason why action was not taken. In addition to any other actions taken against a nursing home under the bill, the division is to require a nursing home that receives a one-star CMS rating in three or more consecutive quarters to submit an improvement plan to the division, in a manner and method to be determined by division, providing a description of the action steps to be taken by the nursing home over an 18-month period to resolve the quality issues indicated by nursing home's consecutive one-star ratings. The division, in consultation with the DOH, will review the plan and either approve it or return it to the nursing home with a description of the changes needed for the plan to be approved. Upon approval of its improvement plan, a nursing home will be required to begin implementing the plan immediately. If an improvement plan is returned to the nursing home for revision, the nursing home will then have 30 days to submit an updated plan to the division for approval. If the division determines the updated plan cannot be approved, it will have the discretion to allow the nursing home to submit a second updated plan or to make a determination that the nursing home is noncompliant with improvement plan requirements, which will result in the division removing all Medicaid enrollees from the nursing home, as outlined below. Within 60 days after completing its improvement plan, a nursing home will be required to submit a report to the division documenting the execution of the plan, as well as the outcomes of the action steps. The division, in consultation with the DOH, will evaluate the report and determine the nursing home's compliance in implementing the plan as approved by the division. At the division's discretion, a nursing home determined to be noncompliant with the implementation of the facility's improvement plan may be provided additional time to fulfill the actions steps outlined in the plan. A nursing home that fails to comply with the requirements concerning the submission and implementation of an improvement plan will be ineligible to receive reimbursement under the Medicaid program, although reimbursement for services will continue until all Medicaid beneficiaries residing at the nursing home have been relocated. The nursing home will be responsible for: 1) informing Medicaid residents, in writing, of the nursing home's noncompliance with the improvement plan requirements; and 2) providing the division with a patient-centered discharge plan for current Medicaid residents within 30 days of the determination of noncompliance. Nursing homes will have the right to appeal the determination of noncompliance. Commencing one year after the effective date of the bill, and annually thereafter, the division will be required to prepare and submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature outlining the sanctions imposed against nursing homes under the bill in each quarter of the preceding year, explaining the reason why sanctions were not imposed against any nursing home for which sanctions were authorized under the bill, and outlining the results of any nursing home improvement plans required under the bill and the actions taken against each nursing home that was determined to be noncompliant with the improvement plan requirements established under the bill. In addition to the sanctions authorized under the bill, the bill specifies that the division may, at any time, institute any actions necessary to protect the health and well-being of residents and staff at a nursing home. Nothing in the bill is to be construed to diminish the authority of the DOH or any other department or agency having regulatory authority over nursing homes, and a sanction or other action imposed against a nursing home under the bill will be in addition to any other penalties imposed against the nursing home for violations of State or federal law. The division will be required to promulgate regulations establishing the criteria the division will consider when determining whether to impose sanctions against a nursing home and which sanctions are appropriate for the nursing home. These criteria will include, at a minimum, consideration of the preferences of nursing home residents and the availability of other nursing homes in the same region. The division will be also be required to promulgate regulations establishing an appeals process for noncompliant nursing homes. This bill implements the recommendations of the Office of the State Comptroller outlined in its February 2022 report titled, "An Examination of the Lowest-Rated Long Term Care Facilities Participating in New Jersey's Medicaid Program." | In Committee |
| S3429 | Expands eligibility requirements of State's child care assistance program to include full-time graduate and post-graduate students. | Expands eligibility requirements of State's child care assistance program to include full-time graduate and post-graduate students. | In Committee |
| S4563 | Revises territorial rating plans used by insurers writing private passenger automobile insurance. | This bill revises the territorial rating plans used by insurers writing private passenger automobile insurance in this State. Specifically, the bill requires the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance to establish rating territories that are geographic areas of the State defined by contiguous zip code+4, that follow municipal boundaries as closely as possible. The bill provides that the maximum number of territories in any territorial map may not exceed 100 territories. Currently, regulations established by the Department of Banking and Insurance provide for rating territories that are geographic areas of the State defined by contiguous zip code, with the maximum number of territories in any territorial map not exceeding 50 territories. By allowing rating territories to be defined by zip code+4, and increasing the maximum number of territories in the territorial map, insurers will be able to take a more detailed, granular approach to the territorial assignment of risk for automobile insurance. | In Committee |
| SJR151 | Designates July 30 of each year as "Brian Sicknick Day" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates July 30 of each year as "Brian Sicknick Day" in New Jersey. On January 6, 2021, Officer Brian Sicknick was called upon to protect the United States Capitol. Officer Sicknick, who had served with the United States Capitol Police for more than 12 years, lost his life in the line of duty as a direct result of courageously defending Congress and the Capitol. Officer Sicknick was born on July 30, 1978 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. His life can best be described as dedicated to public service. Officer Sicknick joined the United States Capitol Police in July of 2008 and on his most recent assignment he served on the First Responders Unit. During his career, Officer Sicknick became a member of the mountain bike unit. His duties included patrolling the grounds and protecting those he was sworn to serve, as well as the public at large that visited the Capitol on a daily basis. It is altogether fitting and proper to designate July 30 of each year as "Brian Sicknick Day" in New Jersey to recognize Officer Brian Sicknick who lost his life protecting the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. | In Committee |
| S4018 | Requires health insurance and Medicaid coverage for screening, prevention, and treatment services of behavioral health issues affecting children. | This bill requires health insurers (health, hospital and medical service corporations, commercial individual and group health insurers, health maintenance organizations, health benefits plans issued pursuant to the New Jersey Individual Health Coverage and Small Employer Health Benefits Programs, the State Health Benefits Program, and the School Employees' Health Benefits Program) and the State Medicaid program to provide benefits to any covered person for medical expenses incurred relating to screening, prevention, and treatment of behavioral health issues in children. Carriers and the State Medicaid program are required to accept and reimburse claims for screening, prevention, and treatment using an at-risk diagnosis. As used in the bill, an "at-risk diagnosis" is a diagnosis made after consideration of factors influencing behavioral health and child development, such as family circumstances or life challenges, that does not lead to a formal mental health diagnosis and instead, promotes preventive care. Allowing providers to bill for an "at-risk diagnosis" authorizes providers to use an alternative code, including a Social Determinants of Health Z-code, to the codes of the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or the Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood when billing for services, without a formal mental health diagnosis for children who are 18 years of age or younger. | In Committee |
| S4505 | Provides phased-in increases in cigarette tax rate over four-year period. | This bill provides for a phased-in increase in the cigarette tax rate over a four-year period. Under current law, the State imposes a tax on cigarettes at a rate of $0.135 per cigarette, or $2.70 per pack of 20 cigarettes, which tax rate has been in effect since 2009. This bill would increase this tax rate over a four-year period, as follows:(1) beginning on July 1, 2024, the cigarette tax rate would increase by 55 cents to $3.25 per pack of 20 cigarettes;(2) beginning on July 1, 2025, the cigarette tax rate would increase an additional 25 cents to $3.50 per pack of 20 cigarettes; (3) beginning on July 1, 2026, the cigarette tax rate would increase an additional 25 cents to $3.75 per pack of 20 cigarettes effective July 1, 2026; and(4) beginning on July 1, 2027, the cigarette tax rate increases an additional 25 cents to $4.00 per pack of 20 cigarettes, which rate would remain in effect each year thereafter. Current law dedicates one percent of cigarette tax revenues for smoking cessation and prevention initiatives funded through the Department of Health and $391.5 million in cigarette tax revenues to the Health Care Subsidy Fund for payments to acute care hospitals in New Jersey that provide necessary inpatient and outpatient services to patients regardless of ability to pay. This bill does not alter these dedications. Accordingly, any additional revenue collections resulting from the proposed increases in the cigarette tax would be received in the General Fund as State revenue, except as otherwise dedicated for these purposes. | In Committee |
| S4502 | Establishes telecommunication fee to support Statewide behavioral health crisis system of care. | The bill establishes a monthly Statewide 9-8-8 fee in the amount of $0.40 per line per month for each resident of New Jersey who is a subscriber of commercial mobile services or IP-enabled voice services. The fee will not be applied to mobile service users who receive benefits under the federal Lifeline program. The fee will be collected by the mobile telecommunications company or the telecommunications company providing the applicable service to its customers upon payment of any periodic bill for such service. The fees collected pursuant to this bill will be collected monthly and reported and paid to the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury and the State Treasurer will credit the fee revenue to the "9-8-8 Suicide Prevention and Behavioral Health Crisis Hotline Trust Fund Account" established pursuant to the bill. This bill establishes in the Department of the Treasury within the General Fund a special account to be known as the"9-8-8 Suicide Prevention and Behavioral Health Crisis Hotline Trust Fund Account." Funds credited to the "9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Trust Fund Account" will be annually appropriated to pay expenses, including enhancements as needed based upon increased demand that the State is expected to incur that are reasonably attributed to: (1) ensuring the efficient and effective routing and responding to all calls, chats, and texts made to 9-8-8 Lifeline Contact Centers and personnel; (2) the provision of acute mental health, Mobile Crisis Outreach Response Teams and crisis stabilization services, including those provided at Crisis Stabilization and Receiving Centers, Crisis Diversion Homes, and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics by directly responding to the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline contacts; and (3) public awareness and advertising campaigns to highlight the availability and accessibly of these 9-8-8 continuum services. Money in the fund will be obligated and expended in accordance with the requirements of the "National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020," and rules adopted pursuant thereto. | In Committee |
| S4504 | Requires certain businesses to submit excess food reduction plan to DEP; provides CBT credit to eligible businesses that reduce excess food by 25 percent. | This bill would require certain businesses to submit an excess food reduction plan to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and would provide a tax credit under the corporation business tax to eligible businesses that reduce excess food by 25 percent. Specifically, this bill would require, within one year of the bill's effective date, a business within the State that caters or orders food for employees or clients, or to host events, to submit an excess food reduction plan to the DEP for approval. The excess food reduction plan would be required to include, at a minimum, procedures that the business will utilize to: (1) reduce the amount of excess food generated as a result of catering or ordering food for employees or clients, or to host events; (2) limit the ordering or catering of food to amounts that are necessary and not excessive; (3) improve methods of providing food to employees, to clients, or during events by reducing the provision of self-service food so that excess food may be reused or donated; (4) minimize the disposal of excess food to landfills or incinerators; and (5) increase the use of alternate methods for the disposition of excess food generated, including composting and food donation. No later than 90 days after receipt of an excess food reduction plan, the DEP would be required to make a determination to approve the plan as submitted, approve the plan with conditions, or disapprove the plan. If an excess food reduction plan is disapproved, the business would be required to resubmit a revised excess food reduction plan to the DEP. After receiving approval from the DEP, the business would be required to proceed with the implementation of the excess food reduction plan. Under the bill, certain public institutions of higher education would not be required to submit an excess food reduction plan to the DEP if the public institution of higher education is already required to submit a food waste reduction plan that is substantially similar to the excess food reduction plan established by the bill. The bill would also allow a taxpayer that owns or operates a business in this State and that demonstrates a 25 percent reduction in excess food by composting, recycling, or donating excess food rather than disposing of the excess food at a landfill or incinerator to receive a corporation business tax credit to compensate the taxpayer for certain costs incurred in the alternate disposal of excess food. The amount of the tax credit would not exceed the lesser of: (1) the total costs associated with the alternate disposition of excess food through composting, recycling at an authorized food waste recycling facility, or food donation rather than disposal in a landfill or incinerator; or (2) $2,500. To qualify for a tax credit under the bill, a taxpayer would be required apply to the Commissioner of Environmental Protection (commissioner) for a certification that provides that the taxpayer's business' reduction in excess food is eligible for the tax credit. The application to the commissioner is required to demonstrate that the taxpayer's business reduced excess food by 25 percent through the alternate disposition of excess food using composting, recycling, or food donation rather than disposal in a landfill or incinerator prior to applying for the tax credit and that the taxpayer has not received any other corporation business tax credit for a reduction in food waste or excess food. The bill would require, no later than one year after the expiration date of the tax credits provided pursuant to the bill, the commissioner to prepare and submit to the Governor, the State Treasurer, and the Legislature, a report that, at a minimum, summarizes the effectiveness of the tax credit in reducing excess food at businesses throughout the State and in incentivizing the alternate disposition of excess food through composting, recycling, or food donation rather than disposal in a landfill or incinerator. Finally, the bill would also authorize the department to impose a fee at the time an excess food reduction plan is submitted to the department and an application fee at the time a taxpayer applies to the commissioner for a certification that provides that the taxpayer's business' reduction in excess food is eligible for the tax credit provided pursuant to the bill. The amount of the fee and application fee are required to cover the administrative costs of the department in reviewing the excess food reduction plans and tax credit applications. Under the bill, the amount of the tax credit awarded to a taxpayer may also be utilized to reimburse a taxpayer for fees submitted to the department. | In Committee |
| S2332 | Allows complaint for guardianship of minor to be filed six months before minor reaches age 18 under certain circumstances; establishes certain standards for filing guardianship complaints. | This bill allows a complaint for guardianship of a minor who is anticipated to require a guardian upon attaining the age of 18 to be filed six months before the minor attains the age of 18. The bill also establishes certain standards for filing guardianship complaints in general. Under current law, once a child reaches age 18, a parent or other appropriate person may file a complaint for guardianship. However, if proceedings are delayed and a guardian is not yet appointed, the young person is left without the legal protection of a parent, other appropriate person, or appointed guardian, until such time as the guardian is actually appointed. Allowing guardianship proceedings to be initiated in advance will help avoid potential administrative or procedural delays and ensure a seamless transition as the minor turns age 18. Under the bill, an order of guardianship entered before a minor is 18 would not take effect until the day the minor turns 18. The bill additionally specifies that a complaint for adjudication of incapacity and appointment of a guardian shall not be withdrawn absent a showing that the alleged incapacitated person is deceased or has capacity. The showing of capacity does not require medical evidence but may, in the court's discretion, be satisfied by testimony of a witness with knowledge of the alleged incapacitated person's condition and circumstances. | Passed |
| S3750 | Enhances enforcement authority over developmental disability service providers; establishes "Residential Facility Quality of Care Improvement Fund" in DHS. | Enhances enforcement authority over developmental disability service providers; establishes "Residential Facility Quality of Care Improvement Fund" in DHS. | In Committee |
| S1956 | Requires automatic registration with New Jersey Immunization Information System upon administration of vaccine for certain persons who consent to registration. | This bill requires automatic registration with the New Jersey Immunization Information System (NJIIS) upon the administration of a vaccine for persons who are not currently registered with the NJIIS and unless the person or the person's parent or legal guardian, in the case of a person younger than 18 years of age, provides a written request not to participate in the registry. The NJIIS is a Statewide database that maintains records of individual vaccination histories. Individuals born after January 1, 1998 are automatically included in the registry, unless the individual's parent or guardian provides a written request that the person not be included in the registry; individuals born prior to January 1, 1998 may be included in the registry at the individual's written request. This bill requires any person who is not currently enrolled in the registry to be automatically enrolled at the time the person is administered a vaccine, unless the person or the person's parent or legal guardian, in the case of a person younger than 18 years of age, provides a written request not to participate in the registry. The bill provides that during a declared public health emergency, state of emergency, or an outbreak, or the immediate threat of an outbreak, of a communicable disease, as declared by the Commissioner of Health, the Commissioner of Health may deny an individual's request to disenroll from the registry or to not participate in the registry for one or more vaccines for a specified period of time in order to track the administration and uptake of vaccinations. | In Committee |
| SR127 | Urges State citizens to stay up-to-date on vaccinations. | This resolution urges the citizens of the State of New Jersey to become vaccinated. Once declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, measles has once again resurfaced in the country. In 2024, there were a total of 285 reported cases of measles in the United States. For 2025, the number of reported cases has reached 222 in the first three months alone and new cases continue to be reported every day. New Jersey has had three reported cases in 2025. Declining vaccination rates across the country and in New Jersey have played a role in these outbreaks. Ninety-four percent of the cases reported in 2025 were among children and adults who were not vaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown. In 2024, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) declared that only 93 percent of kindergarteners had received their measles vaccination, falling two percent below the threshold needed for community immunity to prevent widespread transmission of the disease. The rate of New Jersey kindergarteners meeting all vaccination requirements has decreased by 3.6 percent from the 2013-2014 school year to the 2023-2024 school year and the percentage of first-graders in New Jersey meeting all vaccination requirements experienced the biggest decrease within the same time period, falling by 7.5 percent. | In Committee |
| S3562 | Provides for designation and establishment of Public Health Institute in New Jersey. | An Act concerning public health and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3952 | Revises law concerning patient referrals to substance use disorder treatment facilities, recovery residences, and clinical laboratories. | Revises law concerning patient referrals to substance use disorder treatment facilities, recovery residences, and clinical laboratories. | In Committee |
| S3955 | Prohibits use of deceptive marketing practices by substance use disorder treatment providers. | Prohibits use of deceptive marketing practices by substance use disorder treatment providers. | In Committee |
| S1971 | Imposes certain rate filing requirements concerning certain health benefits plans available on State-based exchange. | Imposes certain rate filing requirements concerning certain health benefits plans available on State-based exchange. | In Committee |
| S4298 | "Healthy Smiles Act"; increases NJ FamilyCare fee-for-service reimbursement rates for pediatric dental services; requires NJ FamilyCare managed care rates for identical services be no less than fee-for-service rates. | This bill makes certain adjustments to the NJ FamilyCare reimbursement rates for oral health services and supplies. The bill requires that, commencing upon July 1, 2025 or 60 days following the enactment of this bill, whichever is later, the NJ FamilyCare fee-for-service reimbursement rates for covered pediatric oral health services and supplies will be increased by 20 percent from the reimbursement rates in use for identical services at the time of the bill's adoption. Commencing one year after the implementation of the increased reimbursement rates, and annually thereafter, the bill directs the Commissioner of Human Services (commissioner) to adjust the existing fee-for-service reimbursement rates according to changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Urban Consumers as published by the United States Department of Labor for the Northeast region of the country in the previous January over the immediately preceding 12-month period. For reference, in November 2024, the most recent time this data was assessed over a 12-month period, the CPI increased by 3.5 percent. Finally, the commissioner is required to ensure that every contract entered into on and after the effective date of this bill between the State and a managed care organization (MCO) for the provision of NJ FamilyCare services provides that the reimbursement rates for pediatric oral health services and supplies are equal to or greater than the NJ FamilyCare fee-for-service reimbursement rates for the identical services and supplies. Under the bill, an MCO in violation of this provision would be liable for a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 for each day that the non-compliant reimbursement rate was issued. Any penalties assessed are to be collected by the commissioner in the name of the State in a summary proceeding in accordance with State law. The commissioner's determination regarding violations is the final agency decision, subject to review by the Appellate Division of the Superior Court. | In Committee |
| S4299 | Creates Health Care Cost Containment and Price Transparency Commission, Office of Healthcare Affordability and Transparency, and hospital price transparency regulations; appropriates $5 million. | This bill creates the Health Care Cost Containment and Price Transparency Commission (commission), the Office of Healthcare Affordability and Transparency (office), and hospital price transparency regulations. Under the bill, the purpose of the office is to provide support, staffing, infrastructure, and expertise to the commission, and to comprehensively address health care cost growth while also establishing data analytics and public reporting mechanisms to ensure healthcare affordability, informed policymaking, and access for future generations. The office is to establish guidelines for health care entities to submit necessary data for the yearly evaluation of total health care expenditures, their incremental growth, pricing information, pricing incremental growth, the formulation of the healthcare cost growth benchmark and the hospital price benchmark, and for publishing relevant data publicly. Under the bill, the purpose of the 18 member commission is to: monitor, analyze, and contain health care prices by identifying drivers of health care cost growth including hospital price growth; establishing and adopting a health care cost growth benchmark and a hospital price growth benchmark; identifying health care entities that exceed the benchmark or benchmarks; and addressing increases in excess of the benchmark or benchmarks through public transparency, opportunities for remediation, and other actions, including civil penalties. The commission is to set a cost growth benchmark for health care entities. The commission is to impose civil penalties, pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.), on health care entities that either fail to respond to the commission's request to submit a corrective action plan or comply with the requirements of a corrective action plan. The bill provides that the Department of Health is to require hospitals to be in compliance with federal hospital price transparency requirements and provide a written warning notice to or request a corrective action plan from any hospital that is not in compliance with these federal requirements. A hospital is to be prohibited from attempting to collect a medical debt from a patient if the hospital is not, at the time of providing medical services to the patient, in compliance with the provisions of this bill. A hospital that fails to act in accordance with the provisions of this bill is to be liable to a civil penalty of $10 per day per hospital bed for each offense, pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.). The bill appropriates to the office such sums as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this bill, as determined by the Commissioner of Health, but in no case is this amount to exceed $5,000,000. | In Committee |
| S4286 | Establishes certain protections for health care professionals who receive behavioral health care and apply for State licensure. | This bill establishes certain protections for health care professionals who receive behavioral health care and are seeking State licensure as health care professionals. This bill is intended to encourage healthcare professionals to seek behavioral health care without fear of licensing repercussions. The bill aims to strike a balance between ensuring patient safety and encouraging healthcare professionals to seek behavioral health treatment. Under the bill, no State board or agency that licenses health care professionals in the State is permitted to inquire into an applicant's history of receiving behavioral health care during the licensing or license renewal process, except when inquiring about a behavioral health condition that impairs the applicant's ability to practice health care safely. A State board or agency will limit any questions on any licensing or license renewal forms concerning the applicant's behavioral health to inquiries about current impairments affecting the applicant's ability to perform the essential functions of the professional role with reasonable skill and safety. A State board or agency may inquire whether an applicant has a current health condition, including a behavioral health condition that impairs the applicant's ability to practice health care safely. Such inquiry must include assurances that the applicant will not face board or agency action if the applicant is receiving treatment for a behavioral health care condition and not currently impaired. Any inquiry responses related to past or current behavioral health care provided to an applicant will remain confidential and, if there is no impairment to the applicant's ability to practice safely, such responses will not be used as the sole basis for denial of licensure or license renewal or imposition of a requirement by the board or agency that the applicant participate in a treatment program as a condition of licensure. The bill requires the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety, in collaboration with the Department of Health, to provide training to each State licensing board and agency and the board and agency's staff on how to handle behavioral health disclosures in a non-stigmatizing manner. | In Committee |
| S4296 | Authorizes voluntary post-adoption contact agreements. | This bill amends State adoption law to allow for the validity and enforceability of voluntary post-adoption contact agreements (PACA) made between the child's adoptive parents and the child's biological or other relatives. A PACA is a written agreement that allows the birth parents and other family members to maintain contact or visitation with the child being adopted, or to receive information about the child. Such agreements are common in so-called "open adoptions." Under current law, once an adoption is finalized, the birth parents and other specified persons have no legally enforceable right to have continued contact or visitation with the child, although the adoptive parents may agree to informal, voluntary out-of-court arrangements to allow continued contact. Since the enactment of the current Adoption Act, P.L.1977, c.367 (C.9:3-37 et seq.), the Legislature has continuously declined to change the law to allow open adoptions. However, in the view of the sponsor, allowing a more nuanced approach to open adoptions and PACAs will give family court judges a greater ability to tailor adoption arrangements that best serve the interests of the child, especially in cases where the adoption is contested or where there are strong existing attachments between the child and the child's biological relatives. More than half of all U.S. states, including New York and Pennsylvania, now allow open adoptions and PACAs in some form. Under the bill, if the adoptive parents agree to a PACA, the agreement will be submitted to the court. The PACA may provide for contact not only with the birth parents but also with other relatives as specified in the agreement. If the court finds that the PACA was entered into knowingly and voluntarily, and serves the best interests of the child, the court will enter an order, separate from the judgment of adoption, specifying the terms of the PACA. In determining if the PACA serves the best interests of the child, where the child is of sufficient age and capacity to form an intelligent preference, the court will solicit the child's willingness to participate in post-adoption contact and give due consideration to the child's preferences. The Family Part of the Chancery Division of the Superior Court in the vicinage where the adoption was finalized will have jurisdiction to hear any disputes concerning the PACA, but under no circumstances will the adoptive parents' failure to abide by the PACA be grounds for setting aside the judgment of adoption. | In Committee |
| S4297 | Limits estate recovery under Medicaid to federal mandated recovery for nursing home care and other long-term care costs. | This bill amends the law governing the State's Medicaid estate recovery program and limits the authority of the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS) in the Department of Human Services to impose a lien and seek recovery from a Medicaid recipient's estate after death. This bill is designed to allow Medicaid recipients to preserve certain assets and savings for their heirs, while also meeting the minimum federal requirements for the State's Medicaid estate recovery program pursuant to the "Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993," Pub.L.103-66. Currently, New Jersey's Medicaid estate recovery program pursues recovery of payments provided through the Medicaid program for all services received on or after the age of 55. This bill would restrict recovery to the federal required minimum for estate recovery. Specifically, under this bill, the DMAHS would be limited to pursuing recovery for costs associated with nursing facility services, home and community-based services, and hospital and prescription drug services provided concurrently with nursing facility or home and community-based services received on or after the age of 55. Finally, this bill would restrict the definition of "estate" to real and personal property and other assets included in the Medicaid recipient's estate as defined in N.J.S.3B:1-1. In doing so, recovery would be limited to all property and assets that pass from a decedent to his or her heirs under probate law. Currently, the New Jersey Medicaid estate recovery program utilizes an expanded definition of "estate" which enables DMAHS to also recover from some or all property that bypasses probate, such as life insurance, pension benefits, retirement accounts, and jointly owned real estate and accounts. | In Committee |
| S4267 | Appropriates $10 million to Department of Treasury for nurse preceptor tax credits. | This bill establishes a gross income tax credit for preceptors of advanced practice nursing, certified nurse midwife, or certified registered nurse anesthetist students. The tax credit would be equal to $1,000 per student primarily supervised by the preceptor; to be eligible for the credit, the preceptor would be required to supervise the student for at least 100 clinical hours during the taxable year. The tax credit program is limited to $10 million annually, and the tax credits awarded under the program are non-refundable and may not be carried forward. The bill additionally appropriates such sums as may be necessary, up to a limit of $10 million, for nurse preceptor tax credits. The bill defines a "preceptor" as an advanced practice nurse, certified nurse midwife, certified registered nurse anesthetist, physician, physician assistant, or psychologist, who meets the qualifications for precepting under the rules and regulations of the New Jersey Board of Nursing, and who participates in the instructional training of advanced practice nurse, certified nurse midwife, or certified registered nurse anesthetist students. | In Committee |
| S4271 | "Electronic Cigarette Extended Producer Responsibility Act." | This bill, to be known as the "Electronic Cigarette Extended Producer Responsibility Act," would require producers of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and their component parts to form a producer responsibility organization (PRO) and develop and implement a plan to provide for the sound disposal of e-cigarettes. The bill would require the formation of the PRO within two years after the bill's enactment. The bill would require the PRO to be approved by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and to meet certain standards established by the bill. Within five years after the bill's enactment, the bill would require the PRO to submit an "e-cigarette stewardship plan" to the DEP. The plan would be required to, among other things, provide collection site locations Statewide that will accept post-consumer e-cigarettes such that: (1) at least 90 percent of State residents have a permanent collection site within 15 miles of their residence; (2) permanent collection sites be established for every 30,000 residents of a population center, and (3) collection sites be distributed to provide convenient and equitable access for residents within each population center. The bill would also require the PRO to charge fees to its members, in order to fund the PRO's activities and the implementation of the e-cigarette stewardship plan. The fees would be based, in part, on the quantity of e-cigarettes sold by the member in the State. The fees would also be based on the environmental impact of the e-cigarette, with, for example, lower fees being charged for reusable e-cigarettes and e-cigarettes that contain recycled content. The bill would require the DEP to approve the e-cigarette stewardship plan, according to certain procedures established in section 6 of the bill, and the bill would require the plan to be updated at least every five years. Beginning six years after the bill's effective date, the bill would prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes made by producers that do not join the PRO, and the bill would establish civil penalties of $500 for producers, distributors, and retailers that sell the prohibited e-cigarettes. The bill would authorize the DEP, municipalities, and county environmental enforcement agencies to enforce this prohibition. The bill would also authorize the DEP to assess civil administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per violation for any violation of the bill's provisions. | In Committee |
| S4270 | Prohibits NJT from displaying advertisements that promote gambling, tobacco products, or vapor products. | This bill prohibits the New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJT) from displaying or maintaining an advertisement that promotes gambling, tobacco products, or vapor products. Specifically, this bill prohibits NJT from displaying or maintaining any advertisement that: (1) proposes the use of, or promotes, a casino game or sports pool, unless such advertisement is promoting prevention, education, and treatment programs for compulsive gamblers; (2) proposes the use of, or promotes, tobacco or tobacco-related products; or (3) proposes the use of, or promotes, vapor products. This bill defines "vapor product" as any device that may be used to deliver any aerosolized or vaporized substance to the person inhaling from the device, including, but not limited to, an e-cigarette, e-cigar, e-pipe, vape pen, or e-hookah. "Vapor product" includes any component, part, or accessory of the device and also includes any substance that may be aerosolized or vaporized by such device, regardless of whether the substance contains nicotine. "Vapor product" does not include any drug, device, or combination product approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration pursuant to the "Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act." | In Committee |
| S4269 | Prohibits targeted advertisements that promote vapor products or use of vapor products to individuals under the age of 21 on social media platforms. | The bill prohibits the targeted advertisement of vapor products and promotion of the use of vapor products to any individual under 21 years of age on any social media platform. Under the bill, it is unlawful for any person to advertise any vapor product, or promote the use thereof, on any social media platform in a manner that targets individuals under 21 years of age. A person that violates the provisions of the bill will be liable for a civil penalty, not to exceed $250,000 per violation, to be collected in a civil action by a summary proceeding under the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999." The Superior Court and the municipal court will have jurisdiction to enforce the provisions of the bill. The bill defines "vapor product" to mean any device that may be used to deliver any aerosolized or vaporized substance to the person inhaling from the device, including, but not limited to, an e-cigarette, e-cigar, e-pipe, vape pen, or e-hookah. "Vapor product" includes any component, part, or accessory of the device, and also includes any substance that may be aerosolized or vaporized by such device, regardless of whether the substance contains nicotine. "Vapor product" does not include any drug, device, or combination product approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration pursuant to the "Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act," 21 U.S.C. s.301 et seq. The bill defines "social media platform" to mean a public or semi-public internet-based service or application that has users in this State, which service or application: allows users to construct a public or semipublic profile for the purposes of using the platform, populate a list of other users with whom the user shares a social connection through the platform, and post content viewable by other users of the platform; and is designed to connect users within the platform to facilitate social interactions, except that a service or application that provides email or direct messaging services shall not be considered to meet this criterion solely based on the existence of that functionality. | In Committee |
| S4268 | Establishes Nursing School Expansion Grant Program; appropriates $25 million. | The bill establishes the Nursing School Expansion Grant Program, which will be administered by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Under the bill, the program will provide grants to eligible nursing education programs in the State to increase their capacity and improve the supply of the nursing workforce. The bill also appropriates $25 million from the General Fund to the authority for the bill's purposes. Under the bill, an eligible nursing education program may submit an application for grant funding through the program to the Chief Executive Officer. An application is required to include information and data, in such form and in such manner as is required by the Chief Executive Officer, on: (1) the enrollment and graduation rates for the three academic years preceding the date of the application; (2) the projected plan to increase enrollment and graduation targets; (3) the demographic profile of current students, faculty, and staff and specific plans to increase the diversity of the nursing workforce; (4) any plans for faculty expansions in order to meet the needs of an increased student body; (5) any partnerships, connections, or pathways between licensed practical nursing programs, diploma or certificate programs, associate's degree programs, baccalaureate degree programs, and graduate level programs in nursing and nursing education; (6) student pass rates for examinations administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing; and (7) such other information as the Chief Executive Officer may require. The bill directs the Chief Executive Officer, in consultation with the New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing, to develop criteria for the evaluation of applications for grants. Based upon the criteria developed, and within the limit of available appropriations, the Chief Executive Officer will award grants to eligible nursing education programs in such amounts as the officer determines. The bill directs the authority to issue grants in the amount of $24,500,000 and provides that no more than $500,000 may be expended by the authority for the administrative costs of the program. | In Committee |
| S4266 | Transfers oversight to certified nurse aides from DOH to Board of Nursing. | This bill modifies current law governing certified nurse aides (CNAs) by transferring the regulation of CNAs from the New Jersey Department of Health to the New Jersey Board of Nursing, which is part of the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety. Under the bill, references to CNAs in the law currently governing the profession and references to CNAs in law attributing the oversight of CNAs to the Department of Health are removed and substantively identical language on the regulation of CNAs is added under the law governing the New Jersey Board of Nursing or is added to provisions attributing CNA oversight to the board. The board is authorized under the bill to promulgate regulations to effectuate the purposes of the bill. | In Committee |
| S3934 | Codifies Medicaid coverage for eligible pregnant women for 365-day period beginning on last day of pregnancy. | This bill codifies Medicaid coverage for eligible pregnant women for a 365-day period beginning on the last day of a woman's pregnancy. The Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services in the Department of Human Services has been mandated to provide this benefit, via budget language included in the State's Annual Appropriations Act, since FY 2022. Moreover, the division has included this policy in the NJ FamilyCare 1115 Comprehensive Demonstration, which governs the operations of significant components of New Jersey' s Medicaid program. The current demonstration is effective through June 30, 2028. The State's efforts regarding Medicaid coverage for pregnant individuals are aligned with changes at the federal level. For example, a provision in the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021" gave states a new option to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage to 12 months, instead of 60 days, via a state plan amendment for the purposes of improving maternal health and coverage stability, and addressing racial disparities in maternal health. This new option took effect on April 1, 2022 and was originally available for five years; however, the option was made permanent by the "Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023." This bill also clarifies that the State's existing coverage of Medicaid services for pregnant individuals is extended to those individuals whose income does not exceed the highest income eligibility level established for pregnant women under the State Medicaid plan. | Crossed Over |
| S3457 | Establishes "New Jersey Out-of-School Time Advisory Commission" to review before-school, after-school, and summer programs. | Establishes "New Jersey Out-of-School Time Advisory Commission" to review before-school, after-school, and summer programs. | In Committee |
| A4948 | Allows unexpended balance of FY2024 appropriation for City of Perth Amboy - Convery Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge to be used by municipality for pedestrian safety infrastructure projects. | An Act to Supplement the annual appropriations act for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, P.L.2024, c.22. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4684 | Removes certain limitations on recovery for victims of certain sexual offenses. | An Act concerning judgments against public entities and amending P.L.2019, c.120 and N.J.S.59:9-2. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S1949 | Establishes certain requirements and initiatives related to nurses; appropriates funds. | Establishes certain requirements and initiatives related to nurses; appropriates funds. | In Committee |
| S1950 | Expands scope of Office of State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. | This bill expands the scope of the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman (ombudsman) to provide that the office of the ombudsman will oversee all long-term care facility residents, not just the elderly. The bill updates certain statutory references to reflect this change, and additionally removes references to "patients" and "clients" of a facility. Current law provides that, upon completing an investigation, the ombudsman's findings and recommended action are to be submitted to the Commissioner of Health or the Commissioner of Human Services, as appropriate, as well as to any other governmental agency that regulates or operates the facility. The bill revises this requirement to provide that the report be furnished to these entities upon request, and upon substantiation of the report or complaint. The bill further provides that the report may also be provided to the complainant, if the resident or the resident's legal representative consents to the complainant receiving a copy of the report. The bill provides that, in addition to obtaining the name and address of a person on a consent form, the ombudsman is to make reasonable efforts to obtain the person's phone number and email address. The bill removes a requirement for the ombudsman to provide notice before inspecting the premises, books, files, medical records, or other records of a facility or government agency during the course of an investigation. The bill revises a requirement for the Legislature to review the development, administration, and operation of the office through certain standing reference committees to instead make the Legislature directly responsible for the review. The bill makes various technical and stylistic changes to the current statutory law involving grammar and citation. | In Committee |
| SR126 | Condemns U.S. House of Representatives for passage of budget resolution cutting $1.5 trillion from federal budget and urges U.S. Senate to reject House resolution. | This Senate Resolution condemns the United States House of Representatives for passage of a budget resolution, on February 25, 2025, cutting $1.5 trillion over ten years from the federal budget and respectfully urges the United States Senate to reject this House resolution. The budget resolution specifically targets $880 billion in cuts from the House Energy and Commerce Committee which regulates public healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, $330 billion from the Education and Workforce Committee which routinely legislates matters on education funding, and $230 billion from the Agriculture Committee whose purview includes the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Given the size and scope of the desired cuts, as well as budget documents circulated by House leadership, policy experts believe that these cuts are aimed at or will ultimately fall on critical safety net programs such as Medicaid and SNAP. In New Jersey, approximately 1.8 million low- and moderate- income people rely on NJ FamilyCare, which encompasses the Medicaid Program and the Children's Health Insurance Program, to cover their healthcare needs. Funding reductions of this size would have severe consequences for these enrollees, as well as the provider community who deliver the critical healthcare services under the program. Approximately 830,000 low-income residents in New Jersey receive SNAP benefits, which provides them with the resources needed to feed their families. It is anticipated that federal funding cuts to SNAP under the House budget resolution would be realized by limiting benefits, restricting eligibility, or some combination of both of these actions; thereby, significantly reducing the number of residents who receive support from this program. | In Committee |
| S3819 | Allows unexpended balance of FY2024 appropriation for City of Perth Amboy - Convery Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge to be used by municipality for pedestrian safety infrastructure projects. | Allows unexpended balance of FY2024 appropriation for City of Perth Amboy - Convery Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge to be used by municipality for pedestrian safety infrastructure projects. | In Committee |
| S3561 | Permits procurement of medical countermeasures, products, and therapeutics. | This bill permits the procurement of medical countermeasures, products, and therapeutics. Under the bill, the Department of Health may directly purchase medical countermeasures, supplies, and therapeutics pursuant to any federal laws, regulations, or programs, in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in a contract that has been approved by the federal department or agency responsible for administering such laws, regulations, or programs, if the Commissioner of Health determines that the purchase is necessary to advance or protect public health and safety. | Crossed Over |
| S3564 | Removes certain limitations on recovery for victims of certain sexual offenses. | Removes certain limitations on recovery for victims of certain sexual offenses. | In Committee |
| S3565 | Codifies and extends authorization for certain out-of-State health care practitioners and recent graduates of health care training programs to practice in New Jersey. | Codifies and extends authorization for certain out-of-State health care practitioners and recent graduates of health care training programs to practice in New Jersey. | In Committee |
| S3751 | Revises definition of child abuse or neglect to include persons between 18 and 21 years of age in certain settings. | This bill revises the definition of child abuse or neglect to include persons between 18 and 21 years of age in certain settings. Specifically, the bill amends the definition of "child" in section 1 of P.L.1974, c.119 (C.9:6-8.21) to mean any (1) person less than 18 years of age alleged to have been abused or neglected, or (2) any person less than 21 years of age alleged to have been abused or neglected, or subject to exploitation by a teacher, employee, contractor, or volunteer, whether compensated or uncompensated, of an institution responsible for the care or supervision of that person, as regulated by the Department of Children and Families (department), including employees of day schools. The bill also amends the definition of "abused or neglected child" in section 1 of P.L.1974, c.119 (C.9:6-8.21), so that the term will also apply to persons between 18 and 21 years of age. Although the department regulates and funds services for individuals with disabilities under the age of 21, the Office of Program Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) in the Department of Human Services currently conducts investigations involving persons between the age 18 and 21 in department-regulated facilities on behalf of the department and forwards all investigatory materials and findings to the department. This bill will transfer full investigatory responsibility to the department for the populations served and settings regulated by the department, which is accomplished by revising definitions and other provisions in the statute pertaining to the department and child abuse to reflect the full range of ages under the department's jurisdiction for persons up to 21 years of age in regulated facilities. The bill also updates section 3 of P.L.2010, c.5 (C.30:6D-75) to eliminate conflicting and superfluous references to the department, since the statute applies to individuals receiving services from the Department of Human Services. | In Committee |
| S2873 | Requires DHS and DOH, respectively, to provide information on SNAP, WFNJ, and WIC recipients regarding card skimming, cloning, and similar fraudulent activities and to replace stolen benefits; makes appropriation. | This bill directs the Commissioners of Human Services and Health, respectively, to provide information to certain benefit recipients regarding card skimming and cloning and to replace stolen benefits under fraudulent circumstances. Specifically, the Commissioner of Human Services is responsible for implementing these provisions for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Work First New Jersey Program (WFNJ), while the Commissioner of Health is responsible for implementing the provisions for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The bill also appropriates the necessary funds to the departments to support the provisions of the bill. As used under the bill, "skimming" means the illegal installation of devices on point-of-sale or automatic teller machine terminals to capture a cardholder's personal identification number and other data stored on the magnetic strip of the electronic benefits transfer card; and "card cloning" means making an unauthorized copy of an electronic benefits transfer card. Under the bill, each commissioner is to provide information to program recipients regarding the: risks of card skimming, card cloning, and similar fraudulent methods; precautions a recipient can take to avoid falling victim to fraudulent methods; claims process, established under the bill, through which a recipient can have stolen benefits replaced; and process by which a recipient can report stolen to the appropriate department or to local law enforcement agencies. This information is to be distributed to recipients, at a minimum, at the point of enrollment and recertification in the program and with the issuance of the recipient's electronic benefits transfer card. Each commissioner is also required to post the information on the department's website and at eligibility determining offices. The bill mandates the commissioners to establish a claims process, that mirrors the provisions of federal law regarding the replacement of stolen SNAP benefits, by which a recipient's stolen program benefits can be replaced by either federal or State funds, subject to availability. The bill also directs the commissioners to coordinate with vendors to implement available precautions to reduce the vulnerability of electronic benefits transfer cards to theft, such as the inclusion of an embedded microchip in all electronic benefits transfer cards Finally, the commissioners are required to report to the Governor and the Legislature, 18 months following the effective date of the bill, and annually thereafter, data regarding stolen and replaced program benefits, as collected under the bill, as well as any other information that demonstrates the departments' efforts to protect recipients from fraud. | In Committee |
| A1899 | Expands authority of pharmacy technician in administering drugs and vaccines and permits certain pharmacists and pharmacy interns, externs, and technicians to administer COVID-19 vaccine. | An Act concerning pharmacists and pharmacy interns, externs, and technicians, COVID-19 vaccines, and amending P.L.2003, c.280. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S1626 | Requires DHS and State Board of Medical Examiners to develop and implement process to improve efficiency of reviewing NJ FamilyCare provider applications. | Requires DHS and State Board of Medical Examiners to develop and implement process to improve efficiency of reviewing NJ FamilyCare provider applications. | In Committee |
| S1572 | Increases amount of cigarette and other tobacco products tax revenues dedicated to anti-smoking initiatives from one to three percent. | This bill increases, from one to three percent, the amount of cigarette and other tobacco products tax revenues dedicated to anti-smoking initiatives. Under existing law, these revenues are to be directed to the Department of Health to fund tobacco control programs to prevent youth initiation of tobacco usage, reducing exposure to secondhand smoke, and promotion of cessation. Moreover, priority for the funding is to be given to programs that aim to reduce the incidence of smoking among the State's Medicaid population and youth. In FY 2023, these revenues are projected to provide approximately $5 million for anti-smoking initiatives. Under the bill, that amount would increase to approximately $15 million. | In Committee |
| S720 | Requires DCPP to consult with Division of Developmental Disabilities following finding of child abuse or neglect to create services plan for person with developmental disability under certain circumstances. | An Act concerning the Division of Child Protection and Permanency and amending P.L.1974, c.119. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S2331 | "Equitable Outcomes in Child Support Collection Act"; establishes procedures regarding collection of child support on behalf of children in custody of DCPP. | An Act concerning the liability for maintenance costs of children in the care or custody of the Division of Child Protection and Permanency and amending and supplementing P.L.1962, c.142. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5121 | Appropriates $49.5 million from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues to DEP for State acquisition of lands for recreation and conservation purposes, including Blue Acres projects, and Green Acres Program administrative costs. | An Act appropriating $49.5 million from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax revenues for the acquisition of lands by the State for recreation and conservation purposes, including Blue Acres projects, and certain administrative expenses. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S4038 | Requires DOH to use Basic Screening Survey to access oral health in children. | This bill requires the Department of Health (department) to use the Basic Screening Survey to assess oral health in children. Under the bill, the Department of Health, in conjunction with one or more licensed dentists and related staff, is to collect a sufficient number of random data samples from each county in the State on a biannual basis using the Basic Screening Survey produced by the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors in order to formulate a general assessment of the oral health of pre-school and school aged children in this State. No data is to be collected without the informed, written consent of a child's parent or guardian. Any data that is collected is to be collected and used in a manner that is consistent with federal and State privacy laws. The bill requires the department to submit a report biennially to the Governor, and to the Legislature, which report is to contain any findings and recommendations based on the data collected pursuant to the bill's provisions. The Basic Screening Survey is used by states to assess oral health status. Developed by the American Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors, this survey can be performed in dental clinics, at health fairs, at other screening opportunities, and through a retrospective chart review. The Basic Screening Survey is not a thorough clinical examination and does not involve making a clinical diagnosis resulting in a treatment plan. The Basic Screening Survey is intended to identify gross dental or oral lesions. | In Committee |
| S4014 | Provides for licensure of emergency medical responders and emergency medical technicians and certification of mobility assistance vehicle operators; revises requirements for delivery of emergency medical and patient transportation services. | This bill provides for the licensure of emergency medical responders (EMRs) and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and the certification of mobility assistance vehicle operators (MAVOs) by the Department of Health (department), makes various changes to the regulation of emergency medical services in the State, and establishes reporting requirements for certain health care providers providing or coordinating certain transportation services for patients. The bill requires EMRs and EMTs to be licensed and MAVOs to be certified by the department in order to provide emergency medical services and mobility assistance vehicle services, respectively. The Commissioner of Health (commissioner) will establish written standards and application procedures for the licensure of EMRs, EMTs and the certification of MAVOs. The commissioner will also establish written standards for the licensure of EMTs and EMRs by reciprocity. The commissioner will license or certify a candidate who provides satisfactory evidence of the successful completion of an educational program approved by the commissioner for the training of EMRs, EMTs, or MAVOs, as applicable, and who passes an examination approved by the department for the licensure. The commissioner may also license applicants for EMT or EMT licensure who have certain equivalent military training or experience. The bill prohibits a person from impersonating a licensed EMR or EMT or certified MAVO and provides certain immunity from civil damages to EMRs and MAVOs. The bill revises current law and provides the commissioner the authority to summarily suspend a person's mobile intensive care paramedic, EMT, or EMR license or MAVO certification when, in the commissioner's opinion, the continued licensure or certification of that person poses an immediate or serious threat to the public health, safety or welfare. A person whose license or certification has been summarily suspended will have the right to apply for emergency relief. The commissioner may issue a formal written warning, impose a monetary penalty, place on probation, suspend, revoke, or refuse to issue or renew the license of any mobile intensive care paramedic, EMR, or EMT, or the certification of any MAVO, for violation of any of the rules adopted by the department pursuant to the bill. Under current law, the commissioner is required to provide certain notice and hearing before revoking the license or certification of certain emergency medical service providers.The bill establishes certain staffing requirements for specialty care transport units, mobile intensive care units, basic life support units for emergent response, and mobility assistance vehicles. The bill requires all crewmembers to hold the appropriate license or certification as determined by the commissioner. The bill requires each mobility assistance vehicle service provider, specialty care transport unit, and basic life support unit used for non-emergent medical transportation to complete and submit to the department an electronic patient care report for each patient encounter in which the patient received nonemergency health care transportation services. The commissioner will establish, by regulation, requirements for: (1) the collection of data that is to be obtained from each patient encounter; (2) the creation and use of the patient care report to provide the data in electronic form to the receiving facility in a timely manner; and (3) the electronic reporting of this data to the department. The department will develop and maintain an electronic record of the patient data reported and will make such non-identifying patient data available for research purposes, in accordance with guidelines to be established by the commissioner and subject to the requirements and restrictions of State and federal law and regulations. The bill requires each hospital transfer center in the State to provide data concerning patient referrals and transfers upon request by the department. The bill requires the department to conduct a study on the quality of emergency medical services care and workforce in the State and to prepare and submit a written report to the Governor and Legislature. The bill establishes certain penalties for the violation of laws contained in chapter 2K of Title 26 of the Revised Statutes. The bill repeals P.L.1985, c.351 (C.26:2K-21 through C.26:2K-34) and P.L.1989, c.214 (C.26:2K-39 through C.26:2K-47), which establish EMT designations that are no longer used in current practice. | In Committee |
| S4017 | Provides for annual fellowship stipends for Direct Support Professional Career Development Program participants. | This bill provides for annual fellowship stipends for Direct Support Professional Career Development Program participants. Direct support professionals provide services and support to persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Current law governing the Direct Support Professional Career Development Program provided for a one time appropriation of $1,000,000 to establish the Direct Support Professional Career Development Program as part of the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development's Pathways to Career Opportunities Initiative. The appropriation also covers living expenses for participating individuals and establishes a fund for existing direct support professionals to cover costs associated with furthering their education. This bill requires an annual appropriation from the General Fund to the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education in such amounts as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of law governing the Direct Support Professional Career Development Program, including to provide an annual distribution of fellowship funding to cover living expenses for participating individuals and to support existing direct support professionals to cover costs associated with furthering their education. | In Committee |
| S4015 | Clarifies DHS authority to regulate sober living homes and halfway houses as residential substance abuse aftercare facilities; requires background checks and other protections for residents of residential substance abuse facilities. | This bill would amend the State's substance use disorder treatment laws in relation to the regulation of sober living homes and halfway houses. In particular, the bill would expressly clarify that the existing statutory authority of the Department of Human Services (DHS) to license and regulate residential substance use disorder facilities, pursuant to the provisions of P.L.1975, c.305 (C.26:2B-7 et seq.) which concerns alcohol and P.L.1970, c.334 (C.26:2G-21 et seq.) which concerns narcotic drugs, includes the authority to license and regulate residential substance abuse aftercare facilities such as transitional sober living homes and halfway houses. The bill also provides for criminal history record background checks of a person employed or seeking employment as an administrator of these residential substance abuse facilities, or as a representative payee who receives government benefits on behalf of an individual residing in a facility. The background checks are also to be conducted on a person who is the owner of the physical plant on which a facility is located. A person would be disqualified from securing or maintaining a license pursuant to P.L.1975, c.305 (C.26:2B-7 et seq.) or a certificate of approval pursuant to P.L.1970, c.334 (C.26:2G-21 et seq.) if the criminal history record background check of the person who is the owner of the physical plant of the facility or of a person who is employed as an administrator or representative payee at the facility reveals a record of conviction of the crimes or offenses enumerated in the bill. If a person refuses to consent to, or cooperate in, securing a criminal history record background check, DHS is to suspend, deny, revoke, or refuse to renew the license or certificate of approval of the facility. The criminal history record background checks are to be processed by the Division of State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the person who undergoes the background check is to assume the cost of the background check. The bill also provides that the facilities are not to remove a resident from a facility until at least one week following the date of delivery by the facility to the resident of a written notice advising that the resident is to be removed. However, this provision would not apply if the resident poses an immediate and serious threat to other residents or the facility. DHS is also required to conduct inspections every two weeks if there is an investigation for a violation of the laws and regulations governing these facilities or under any other authority. The Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in DHS is to oversee the development and maintenance of a registry to collect and track information about the number of openings available for persons seeking residency in these facilities. The facilities are required to submit to the registry, no less than once a day, information as to the number of openings that are available on that day. The registry would contain, by county, the following information: the name, address and telephone number of the facility; the type of services provided; the maximum occupancy; and the number of openings available. The registry would: be prominently displayed on the DHS website; provide for a search by county or name; be made available to the public, upon request, through the addictions telephone hotline and the Statewide 2-1-1 telephone system; and also be made available using any other means that the Commissioner of Human Services deems appropriate. Lastly, the bill would update the language used in this area of law, in order to ensure grammatical correctness, maintain consistency with current rules of statutory drafting, and correctly reference the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in DHS, which is the agency and division currently responsible for the regulation of substance use disorder treatment facilities. | In Committee |
| S4042 | Requires DOH to purchase xylazine test strips to be distributed to entities that provide authorized harm reduction services; makes appropriation. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Health to establish a program in the Department of Health (department) with the purpose of purchasing and distributing xylazine test strips to entities providing authorized harm reduction services in the State. In implementing the program, the department will: oversee the bulk purchasing and the distribution of xylazine test strips to entities that provide harm reduction services, upon request by the entity; and establish and maintain an Internet website that provides information to the public concerning xylazine test strips and the availability of xylazine test strips through entities providing harm reduction services in the State. The program will be supported by such federal funds as may be available, as well as by any funds appropriated to the department to implement the purposes of the bill. The bill appropriates from the General Fund to the Department of Health such sums as are necessary to implement the provisions of the bill. | In Committee |
| S4019 | Designates minimum percentage of residential substance use disorder treatment facility beds for use by NJ FamilyCare eligible individuals as condition for licensure. | This bill provides that a new residential substance use disorder treatment facility that applies for initial licensure from the Department of Health (DOH) must ensure that at least 40 percent of the facility's beds are for use by NJ FamilyCare eligible individuals. Such a facility will be required to attain this NJ FamilyCare utilization rate within 12 months of initial licensure and must maintain this utilization rate thereafter. In the case of a new facility that fails to comply with the minimum NJ FamilyCare utilization rate, the bill provides that the DOH will not issue an initial license to operate as a residential substance use disorder treatment facility until such time as the facility documents compliance. A residential substance use disorder treatment facility that currently operates under a DOH license will be required to meet the 40 percent NJ FamilyCare utilization rate within 12 months of the date of the facility's next licensure renewal, and will be required to maintain this utilization rate thereafter. If the facility fails to attain the minimum NJ FamilyCare utilization rate established under the bill, the DOH may not renew the facility's license to operate until such time as the facility documents compliance with this requirement. The bill defines a "residential substance use disorder treatment facility" as a facility, or a distinct part of a facility, that provides care for the treatment of substance use disorders, for 24 or more consecutive hours to two or more clients who are not related to the governing authority or its members by marriage, blood, or adoption. Under the bill, this term includes the following facilities: halfway houses, extended care facilities, long-term residential facilities, and short-term residential facilities; and any similar facility providing substance use disorders treatment services including hospital-based and non-hospital-based detoxification through a structured recovery environment involving professional clinical services. | In Committee |
| S4016 | Requires each school district with middle school or high school to establish food services advisory committee to consider menu options that reflect students' cultural, traditional, and dietary preferences. | This bill directs the chief school administrator of a school district that includes a middle school or high school to establish a food services advisory committee to consider and recommend school breakfast and lunch menu options that better reflect the cultural, traditional, and dietary food preferences of the student body, including vegetarian and vegan meal options. The committee will serve in an advisory capacity and make recommendations to the chief school administrator, the school principals, and the food services provider. Under the bill, the members of the committee will be selected by the chief school administrator or a designee and will include a principal or a designee, a food services employee, the chief school administrator or a designee, at least four students enrolled in the school district's middle schools or high schools, and one or more parents of those students. In the event that a school nurse expresses an interest in serving on the food services advisory committee, the chief school administrator or a designee will appoint a school nurse to the committee. In making its recommendations for new menu options, the committee is directed to also consider: available funding for the school breakfast and school lunch programs, equipment, and other issues that may serve to limit food choices; the ability of the food services provider and its employees to comply with the recommendations; and the nutritional value of the new menu options. Finally, the bill provides that any new menu options offered by the school district must meet nutritional standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. To determine the need for a food services advisory committee in a particular school district, a district must provide a written form to each student enrolled in the district's middle schools and high schools to inquire on whether the student has an unmet food preference. The form will also be available on the school district's Internet website. The bill's requirements may be suspended for one school year at the discretion of the chief school administrator in the event that 1) no student indicates an unmet food preference on the written or Internet form, or 2) the response of students is de minimis in nature and the food preferences of those students can be met to the satisfaction of the students without a food services advisory committee. In the event that on the bill's effective date a school district has a method for resolving student grievances that includes student representation, the school district may substitute that body in the place of a food services advisory committee and that body will fulfill the requirements established under the bill. | In Committee |
| S3943 | Appropriates $49.5 million from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues to DEP for State acquisition of lands for recreation and conservation purposes, including Blue Acres projects, and Green Acres Program administrative costs. | This bill appropriates the sum of $49.5 million to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to provide funding for the acquisition by the State of lands for recreation and conservation purposes, including for Blue Acres projects, pursuant to the "Preserve New Jersey Act," P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-43 et seq.). The funding in this bill is provided from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax (CBT) revenues pursuant to Article VIII, Section II, paragraph 6 of the State Constitution, approved by the voters of the State in November 2014. The "Preserve New Jersey Act" implements the constitutional dedication of CBT revenues for open space, farmland, and historic preservation. The act provides that a certain amount of the portion of dedicated CBT revenues allocated each year for the Green Acres program is to be used for: the acquisition of lands for open space, including Blue Acres projects, and development projects on State lands administered by the DEP's Division of Fish and Wildlife and Division of Parks and Forestry; grants and loans to fund local government open space acquisition and development projects; and grants to nonprofit entities to acquire or develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes. This bill appropriates moneys for State open space acquisition projects, including for Blue Acres projects. Specifically, this bill appropriates $23.725 million to the DEP to provide funding for the acquisition by the State of lands for recreation and conservation purposes. This appropriation allocates funding for the acquisition by the State of lands, for recreation and conservation purposes, located throughout the State within the 14 project categories identified in section 1 of the bill. The bill also appropriates $23.725 million to the DEP to provide funding for the acquisition by the State, for recreation and conservation purposes, of properties throughout the State that are prone to or have incurred flood or storm damage, or that may buffer or protect other lands from such damage, i.e., "Blue Acres" projects. In addition, section 3 of the bill appropriates $2.05 million to the DEP for the purposes of paying administrative costs associated with administering the applicable provisions of the "Preserve New Jersey Act." Of the total funds appropriated in the bill, the sum of $7.517 million is available due to interest earnings on the constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues. The "Preserve New Jersey Green Acres Fund" was established by section 6 of the "Preserve New Jersey Act." The "Preserve New Jersey Blue Acres Fund" was established by section 7 of the "Preserve New Jersey Act." P.L.2019, c.136 amended the "Preserve New Jersey Act" to incorporate the purposes of the "Preserve New Jersey Blue Acres Fund" into the "Preserve New Jersey Green Acres Fund," rather than having two separate funds, both providing moneys to the DEP for the acquisition of lands for recreation and conservation purposes. Of the funding allocated for the acquisition of lands for recreation and conservation purposes by the State, a minimum of 10 percent is to be allocated for Blue Acres projects. The projects and appropriations listed in this bill have been approved by the DEP and the Garden State Preservation Trust. Lastly, the bill authorizes the department to re-distribute certain other moneys made available by project cancellations or cost savings to provide additional funding, for recreation and conservation purposes, to previously approved and funded State projects, subject to the approval of the Joint Budget Oversight Committee. The bill provides that the additional funding, if provided from a Green Acres bond act, may include administrative costs. | In Committee |
| S3752 | Establishes certain governance and service standards for developmental disability service providers; appropriates $300,000. | This bill provides protections for individuals with developmental disabilities through the establishment of provider governance and service standards. These standards apply to provider agencies that are authorized to bill greater than $250,000 of services in a State Fiscal Year and to deliver services in provider-managed environments, which the bill defines as a "covered provider agency." In these environments, provider agencies substantially control all aspects of the programming and often the physical setting in which programming occurs. This arrangement creates additional vulnerabilities, particularly for individuals that rely on service providers for all of their long-term care needs. This bill sets standards for provider agency governance to ensure that funds paid by the Division of Developmental Disabilities (division) in the Department of Human Services are properly managed and expended on direct client services. Provider agencies within the scope of the bill are required to have a minimum of five board members, the majority of which are required to be independent, as well as to provide transparency on board composition and meetings. The bill requires the appointment a self-advocate or family member or guardian of a service recipient to each board of directors as a board observer to represent the interests of recipients and their families. Covered provider agencies with greater than $2 million of revenue are required to establish an independent audit committee with a minimum of three members. The bill requires each covered provider agency to post the three most recent annual audited financial statements on the provider agency's Internet website. The bill includes several provisions to ensure that funds paid by the division are primarily expended on direct client services. This includes a cap of 15 percent on program revenue expenditures for executive compensation, general and administrative costs, and similar expenses, plus profit and retained earnings. Existing caps on compensation have been incorporated, updated, and indexed to future increases in the State's minimum wage. Similarly, existing prohibitions on loans to staff members are included. The bill provides that no covered provider agency may pay the costs of any individual salary, except under certain circumstances, in excess of the schedule set forth under the bill. This bill protects service recipients from actions taken by covered provider agencies and their owners that create significant financial or programmatic risk. The bill requires that provider agencies inform the division when a variety of events occur that can reasonably be expected to adversely impact the provider agency's operation or service delivery. These provisions also give the division authority to take action to address the situation and prevent future reoccurrence, including the appointment of an independent monitor. This bill requires that covered provider agencies establish policies on the prevention, reporting and disposition of nepotism, conflicts of interest, non-discrimination and retaliation. Policies against retaliation are of particular concern in order to establish a climate where employees, recipients and families are comfortable raising service quality concerns with the provider agency's management and the division. The bill requires each covered provider agency to employ a full-time salaried manager at each site where the provider agency delivers provider-managed services to more than three clients. This bill incorporates existing insurance and indemnification standards, including the division's authority to annually adjust insurance minimums to ensure that coverage remains consistent with the level of protection needed for staff and service recipients. The bill appropriates from the General Fund to the Department of Human Services the sum of $300,000 for the purposes of hiring additional staff members to monitor and enforce the provisions of the bill. | In Committee |
| S3755 | Establishes framework for appointment of receiver for provider of services to individuals with developmental disabilities. | This bill provides protections for individuals with developmental disabilities by establishing a framework that allows the Department of Human Services (department) to request the appointment of a receiver to certain low performing service providers of this community. Under the bill, an appointed receiver is to oversee the management of the provider-managed services, which includes both financial and operational components, to protect the interests and care of the individuals with developmental disabilities receiving services. Absent this bill, the department must rely on non-performing provider agencies to move for receivership, which creates substantial risk for care recipients if a provider is failing financially or otherwise unable or unwilling to remedy dangerous conditions in its programs. Similar to authority held by the State's Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Health, this bill provides the department with authority to make a motion to a court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a receiver for a provider of services to individuals with development disabilities if: there exists a pattern or practice in substantial violation of the standards of health, safety, or recipient care established under federal, State, or local law, regulations, or policy; or if any other condition dangerous to life, health, or safety of a recipient exists. Under the bill, a recipient means an individual that is both eligible for Division of Developmental Disabilities services and has received an applicable service by a provider. Applicable services include community residence services, private residential facility services, day habilitation services, individual supports, or any long-term care services. This bill: sets standards for a motion to request, and a court order and court proceedings to appoint, a receiver, as well as the responsibilities and rights of providers and the department during those proceedings; outlines the authority of the appointed receiver and the termination of the receivership when the objectives of the court order are met; establishes a method for the department to request the transfer of ownership of a site and provider-managed services to a new provider; and creates standards for provider agency defenses. These provisions are based on both existing authority held by the Department of Health for oversight of licensees, as well as a court order recently used by the department to successfully wind down a low-performing provider agency of services to individuals with developmental disabilities. | In Committee |
| S3753 | Requires DHS and DCF to employ, or contract with, Director of Medical Services; appropriates $480,000. | Require DHS and DCF to employ, or contract with, Director of Medical Services; appropriates $480,000. | In Committee |
| S3756 | Mandates Division of Developmental Disabilities service providers to complete workforce survey. | Mandates Division of Developmental Disabilities service providers to complete workforce survey. | In Committee |
| S1981 | Expands authority of pharmacy technician in administering drugs and vaccines and permits certain pharmacists and pharmacy interns, externs, and technicians to administer COVID-19 vaccine. | Expands authority of pharmacy technician in administering drugs and vaccines and permits certain pharmacists and pharmacy interns, externs, and technicians to administer COVID-19 vaccine. | In Committee |
| S3951 | Requires certain providers of substance or alcohol use disorder treatment, services, or supports to be assessed for conflicts of interest prior to receiving State funds, licensure, or certification. | This bill requires any department, agency, bureau, board, commission, authority, or other entity of the State, or of any county or municipality, that provides State funds to providers, or licenses or certifies any provider that accepts client referrals from a State-funded entity, to assess the provider for conflicts of interest the could impede the provider's ability to deliver treatment, services, or supports for substance or alcohol use disorder prior to the distribution of State funds or the approval of any applicable licensures or certifications. Under the bill, "provider" means a health care professional, facility, or program licensed or certified in the State, or applying for licensure or certification in the State, to provide substance use disorder or alcohol use disorder treatment, services, or supports. Moreover, "conflict of interest" mean any circumstance that creates a risk that the judgment or action by any individual or entity having a financial interest in, employed by, or otherwise affiliated with a provider will be unduly influenced by a secondary, outside interest. A conflict of interest assessment under the bill is required to include, at a minimum, a review of the following information submitted by the provider to the reviewing entity: 1) a financial statement itemizing annual revenues, expenditures, and profits; 2) a list of all board members, including each board member's profession and employer; 3) a list of all stakeholders, investors, owners, or any other individuals or entities that hold a financial interest in the provider; 4) a list of all stakeholders, investors, owners, or any other individuals or entities that hold a financial interest in the provider and that have a financial interest in a secondary entity and the name of the secondary entity; 5) a list of all staff members, indicating each member's title and job duties; and 6) a list of any staff members who hold outside employment, the name of the staff member's outside employer, and the staff member's responsibilities under that outside position. A reviewing entity is not required to administer a conflict of interest assessment on the same provider more frequently than once every 365 days. If, upon review of the information submitted by the provider, the reviewing entity determines that a conflict of interest exists, the reviewing entity shall notify the provider, in writing, of the determination, along with: 1) a description of the conflict of interest and how the conflict can be remedied; and 2) a statement that the provider will be ineligible to receive State funds, or licensure or certification approval, from the reviewing entity, and that any application for State funds submitted to the reviewing entity will be held, until the provider remedies the conflict. Upon receipt of documentation from the provider that the conflict of interest has been remedied, the reviewing entity shall immediately: 1) distribute to the provider any State funds that the provider is otherwise eligible to receive; 2) withdraw any hold placed on an application for State funds, as submitted by the provider, and process that application according to the existing eligibility guidelines for that application; and 3) provide any certification or licensure to the provider that the provider is otherwise eligible to receive. | In Committee |
| S3953 | Establishes oversight and qualifications of peer recovery specialists. | The bill incorporates peer recovery specialists into current law and authorizes the Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, in the Department of Law and Public Safety, to oversee the regulation of the specialists. As defined in the bill, a peer recovery specialist is an individual who provides services as a result of lived experience to other individuals struggling with substance use disorder or mental health problems. The director is to establish, among other items, the requirements to qualify as a peer recovery specialist. Additionally, the bill prohibits specialists from: (1) engaging in professional relationships or commitments that conflict with family members, friends, close associates, or others whose welfare might be jeopardized by that relationship or commitment; (2) exploiting peer relationships with current or former peers for personal gain, including social or business relationships; and (3) accepting as peers for recovery wellness services anyone with whom the peer recovery specialist has engaged in a personal relationship, including any family members or spouses. Moreover, an individual may only provide services as a peer recovery specialist and hold themselves out as a specialist if approved by the director. The bill does not inhibit (1) an individual's ability to provide self-help, sponsorship through support groups, or other uncompensated counseling assistance; (2) activities and services of a designated employee or agent of a private employer who is to be involved in the evaluation or referral for counseling of employees; (3) clergy when engaging in ministerial duties; (4) activities of trainees or interns pursuing a course of study in counseling; and (5) services provided by individuals as part of the scope of practice of the individual's profession. | In Committee |
| S3611 | Provides grant to study and map mental health care resources for children; makes appropriation. | An Act concerning mental health services for children, supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3545 | "Climate Superfund Act"; imposes liability on certain fossil fuel companies for certain damages caused by climate change and establishes program in DEP to collect and distribute compensatory payments. | "Climate Superfund Act"; imposes liability on certain fossil fuel companies for certain damages caused by climate change and establishes program in DEP to collect and distribute compensatory payments. | In Committee |
| S3831 | Requires Medicaid coverage for fertility preservation services in cases of iatrogenic infertility caused by medically necessary treatments. | This bill requires the State Medicaid program and the Plan First program to cover standard fertility preservation services in cases in which a medically necessary medical treatment may directly or indirectly cause iatrogenic infertility. The State's Plan First program provides a benefit package of family planning and family planning-related services and supplies for individuals whose annual incomes are below 205 percent of the federal poverty level and who are not otherwise eligible for Medicaid or the NJ FamilyCare program. The bill defines "iatrogenic infertility" as an impairment of fertility caused by surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or other medical treatment affecting reproductive organs or processes. The bill further defines "standard fertility preservation services" as procedures which are consistent with established medical practices and professional guidelines published by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, or as defined by the New Jersey Department of Health, including the storage of sperm, oocytes, embryos, and cryopreserved ovarian tissue. Subsequent to enactment of P.L.2019, c.306, State-regulated health insurers, the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP), and the School Employees Health Benefits Program (SEHBP) cover standard fertility preservation services if a medically necessary treatment may, directly or indirectly, cause iatrogenic infertility. This statute, however, specifies that standard fertility preservation services for individuals insured by the SHBP, the SEHBP, and State-regulated health insurers does not include storage of sperm or oocytes. The bill will provide Medicaid and Plan First participants who face iatrogenic infertility with access to fertility preservation services that are frequently cost-prohibitive for low-to-moderate income patients. | In Committee |
| SR115 | Commemorates anniversary of October 7th attack on Israel. | On October 7, 2023, just after the 50th anniversary of the start of the multi-front 1973 Yom Kippur War against Israel, the terrorist organization Hamas carried out a brutal attack against the Jewish people and the State of Israel. The attack began in the early morning when Hamas launched thousands of rockets from the Gaza Strip that reached as far as Tel Aviv and the outskirts of Jerusalem, and then infiltrated Israeli towns and army bases in the south, including a gathering of young people at a music festival. The armed terrorists launched a coordinated strike arriving in boats, paragliders, motorcycles, and other vehicles. News reports, survivor accounts, images, and videos from the scenes of this horrific attack show that Hamas terrorists slaughtered ordinary civilians and entire families, including babies and elderly people, set houses on fire, raped women, and took hostages. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, 1,200 people were confirmed dead in Israel, including American citizens, and another 3,400 were injured. The October 7th attack was one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in modern history, resulting in more Jews killed that day than on any single day since the Holocaust. On October 7th, Hamas took 251 men, women, and children hostage from Israel into Gaza, including American citizens, and kept them in inhumane and torturous conditions, including in cramped underground tunnels, since their kidnapping. One of the American hostages taken into captivity by Hamas, Edan Alexander, is a resident of Tenafly, New Jersey, and is still being held in captivity. Hamas has executed many of these hostages, including six individuals who were shot at close range on August 29, 2024 as Israeli Defense Forces approached their location. Israeli authorities believe that 101 of the hostages who were kidnapped on October 7th remain in captivity, and it is believed that only 64 individuals remain alive. The October 7th terror attack prompted a defensive war against Hamas by the Israeli Defense Forces. Many thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians have been wounded and killed by Israeli strikes targeting Hamas leaders, militants, and command and control positions. A large percentage of Palestinian civilians have been displaced and are now living in makeshift shelters with limited access to food, clean water, and medical care. The suffering and death which has occurred as a result of the October 7th attacks are tragic and horrific. It is therefore fitting and proper for New Jersey to commemorate the anniversary of the October 7th attack by Hamas against Israel, to mourn the lives that were lost as a result, condemn any and all acts of terrorism, stand in solidarity with the people of Israel and the Palestinian people, call for the release of all hostages, and support efforts seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict. | In Committee |
| S3716 | Clarifies that bribery statute applies to unlawful gratuities received either before or after official acts. | This bill amends the bribery statute to clarify that it is an offense to receive any benefits as consideration for past official acts as well as any benefits as consideration for future official acts. Under current law, a person is guilty of bribery if he directly or indirectly offers, confers or agrees to confer upon another, or solicits, accepts or agrees to accept from another: (a) any benefit as consideration for a decision, opinion, recommendation, vote or exercise of discretion of a public servant, party official or voter on any public issue or in any public election; (b) any benefit as consideration for a decision, vote, recommendation or exercise of official discretion in a judicial or administrative proceeding; (c) any benefit as consideration for a violation of an official duty of a public servant or party official; or (d) any benefit as consideration for the performance of official duties. Under current law, the term "benefit as consideration" means any benefit not authorized by law. Recently, in Snyder v. United States, 144 S. Ct. 1947 (2024), the United States Supreme Court held that the federal bribery statute only applies to criminalize instances when a benefit is given or promised before an official act, but does not apply to instances where a benefit is conferred after the official act. This bill amends State law to make it clear that New Jersey's criminal bribery statute penalizes all instances where a person directly or indirectly offers, confers, or agrees to confer upon another, or solicits, accepts, or agrees to accept from another any benefit as consideration regardless of whether the benefit was received before or after the official act. | In Committee |
| S3733 | Requires Medicaid and health insurance network contracts to provide participating health care providers with certain notifications. | This bill requires a contract between a health care provider and a carrier that offers a managed care plan or the State Medicaid program or FamilyCare Health Coverage Program to require the carrier or program to provide a participating health care provider with notice at least six months in advance of any change in the policy that could result in the denial of coverage for services provided by the provider to a covered person. As used in the bill, "carrier" means an insurance company, health service corporation, hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, or health maintenance organization authorized to issue health benefits plans in this State, and shall include the State Health Benefits Program and the School Employees' Health Benefits Program. | In Committee |
| S3372 | Prohibits delivery of electronic smoking devices and tobacco products to individuals under 21 years of age. | Prohibits delivery of electronic smoking devices and tobacco products to individuals under 21 years of age. | In Committee |
| S2283 | "Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access and Services Act"; authorizes production and use of psilocybin to promote health and wellness. | "Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access and Services Act"; authorizes production and use of psilocybin to promote health and wellness. | In Committee |
| S3707 | Revises statutory definition of "elevated blood lead level." | This bill revises the statutory definition of "elevated blood lead level." Under current law, "elevated blood lead level" is defined to mean a level of lead in the bloodstream that equals or exceeds five micrograms per deciliter. This bill revises the definition of "elevated blood lead level" to mean a level of lead in the bloodstream that equals or exceeds 3.5 micrograms per deciliter. | In Committee |
| SJR134 | Designates November of each year as "C. Difficile Awareness Month." | This joint resolution designates November of each year as "C. Difficile Awareness Month" in New Jersey to increase awareness of this harmful bacterial infection. The joint resolution respectfully requests the Governor to annually issue a proclamation recognizing November as "C. Difficile Awareness Month" in New Jersey and calls upon public officials and the citizens of New Jersey to observe the month with appropriate activities and programs. | In Committee |
| S3702 | Prohibits business entities from selling or manufacturing certain personal flotation devices not approved by United States Coast Guard. | This bill prohibits any business entity from selling, distributing, manufacturing, delivering, holding, or offering for sale in this State a personal flotation device (PFD) that is not approved by the United States Coast Guard. Under the bill, a "personal flotation device" is defined as a wearable device, including but not limited to a lifejacket, puddle jumper, water wings, or other flotation device designed for recreational swimming and to be worn or attached to the body of a person who is less than 12 years of age. Any business entity that violates the provisions of this bill would be subject to a civil penalty of up to $100 for a first offense, $250 for a second offense, and $500 for a third or subsequent offense. The penalty may be collected and enforced by the Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety in a summary proceeding pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.). Several agencies and experts have issued warnings about the risks associated with certain PFDs, such as water wings, which can deflate or slip off, creating a false sense of safety for children and their parents. From 2018 to 2020, an average of 371 children under 15 drowned in pools or spas each year, and in 2022 there were about 6,400 non-fatal drowning incidents in the same age group. The American Red Cross advises children, inexperienced swimmers, and boaters to wear United States Coast Guard-approved life jackets. This bill aims to reduce confusion by prohibiting the sale and manufacture of unsafe PFDs from the market to better ensure that consumers can select reliable and effective PFDs for their safety. | In Committee |
| S3705 | Increases cap on personal care assistant services from 40 hours to 91 hours per week for Medicaid beneficiary determined clinically eligible for nursing facility level of care. | This bill increases the cap on personal care assistant (PCA) services from 40 hours to 91 hours per week for a Medicaid beneficiary determined clinically eligible for nursing facility level of care. The bill defines "personal care assistant services" to mean health related tasks associated with the cueing, supervision, or the completion of activities of daily living, as well as related tasks. PCA services are certified as medically necessary; delivered in accordance with a beneficiary's written plan of care; and performed by a qualified individual, typically in a beneficiary's home, and under the supervision of a registered professional nurse. Currently, pursuant to State regulation, the Medicaid program limits PCA services to a maximum of 40 hours per week per beneficiary. Additional hours of service may be approved by the Department of Human Services on a case-by-case basis and based on exceptional circumstances. The sponsor believes that the existing policy puts pressure on seniors who need nursing facility level of care to leave their homes and seek care in long-term care facilities, a policy that is more expensive for the State and unfair to seniors who have worked all their lives to maintain the independence and dignity of living in their own home. In addition, 40 hours per week of PCA services is insufficient to supplement care from a beneficiary's family and friends. Since New Jersey's cost of living is one of the highest in the country, these caregivers often need more hours of PCA services for their loved one in order to maintain their own employment. Increasing the service cap for the State's most vulnerable Medicaid beneficiaries will ensure that they can thrive within the community for additional years. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Human Services to approve, as medically necessary, up to 91 hours of PCA services per calendar week for any eligible Medicaid beneficiary who is clinically eligible for nursing facility level of care. The department is also required to modify the existing assessment tool for PCA services to reflect the provisions of this bill. | In Committee |
| S3703 | Requires cost sharing amounts for certain prescription drug benefits to be based on final cost to carrier. | This bill requires the cost sharing amounts for certain prescription drug benefits to be based on the final cost of those prescription drugs to the carrier. Specifically, the bill requires carriers to base any cost sharing required to be paid by a covered person for a prescription drug on the final amount paid for the prescription drug by the carrier, after: (1) any price negotiation by the carrier or a pharmacy benefits manager under contract with the carrier; and (2) the deduction of any compensation remitted by or on behalf of a pharmaceutical manufacturer, developer, or labeler, directly or indirectly, to the carrier or to a pharmacy benefits manager under contract with the carrier. As used in the bill, "carrier" includes the various entities licensed by the State to provide health insurance, as well as the State Health Benefits Program and the School Employees' Health Benefits Program. | In Committee |
| S3701 | Provides for independent prescriptive authority for midwives. | This bill expands the authority of midwives to prescribe drugs.Under current law, a certified nurse midwife (CNM) may be authorized to prescribe drugs if the CNM has completed 30 contact hours in pharmacology, with at least one credit hour on topics or issues concerning prescription opioid drugs. A CNM who is approved to prescribe drugs is authorized to do so in accordance with standing orders and practice protocols developed in agreement between the CNM and a collaborative physician, which practice protocols are to be consistent with standards adopted by the State Board of Medical Examiners (BME). Pursuant to BME regulations, CNMs are restricted to prescribing the drugs outlined in a formulary set forth in the clinical guidelines established between the CNM and the collaborating physician, which drugs may include controlled dangerous substances. A licensed midwife is only authorized to prescribe a drug or medicine when preparing an ergot after the birth of the head of the infant, or household remedies, or to attend other than cases of labor. This bill would revise these requirements to provide that any certified midwife may prescribe drugs, and to remove requirements that the midwife do so in accordance with standing orders and practice protocols developed in agreement with a collaborative physician. The midwife would still be required to complete 30 hours of training in pharmacology, including one credit hour on topics and issues related to prescription opioid drugs. | In Committee |
| S3700 | Establishes act of disseminating misinformation as professional misconduct for health care professionals. | This bill establishes the act of disseminating misinformation or disinformation by a health care professional as an act of professional misconduct subject to disciplinary action. It is the sponsor's intent that this legislation will help combat health misinformation and curb the spread of falsehoods that threaten the health and safety of New Jersey residents. The bill defines "disseminate" to mean the conveyance of information, in the form of treatment or advice, from a health care professional to a patient under the health care professional's care. "Misinformation" means any health-related claim of fact that is false and contradicted by contemporary scientific consensus contrary to the standard of care. "Disinformation" means misinformation that is deliberately disseminated with malicious intent or an intent to mislead. | In Committee |
| S3704 | Requires detailed disclosure of information concerning required payments in lieu of property taxes to be provided to purchaser of real property constructed pursuant to financial agreement containing long term tax exemption. | This bill requires the seller of certain real property to disclose to a prospective purchaser of the property, information concerning payments in lieu of property taxes (PILOTs) required to be made by the owner to the municipality in which the property is located. Under the bill, prior to the execution of the agreement of sale of a parcel of real property constructed using a long-term tax exemption pursuant to the "Long Term Tax Exemption Law," P.L.1991, c.431 (C.40A:20-1 et seq.) and subject to attorney review, as applicable, the seller of the parcel of real property is required to provide to a prospective purchaser a detailed, written document explaining the PILOT payment required to be paid by the purchaser pursuant to an agreement between the municipality and the urban renewal entity that developed the real property. The document is required to inform the prospective purchaser about how the PILOT payment is calculated, the length of the term of the agreement requiring the PILOT payment to be made, and whether making a PILOT payment instead of paying property taxes would affect the prospective purchaser's ability to qualify for assistance from State property tax relief programs. The provisions of this bill are intended to inform prospective purchasers of the effects of purchasing real property constructed pursuant to the "Long Term Tax Exemption Law." Under this law, a developer enters into a financial agreement with a municipality to develop the property. Properties developed under the law are property-tax exempt and are instead subject to a financial agreement the municipality enters into with the developer for a payment in lieu of property tax. This distinction is important because since the purchasers of these homes do not pay property taxes, they may be ineligible for State property tax relief programs, including the $250 veterans' property tax deduction, the veterans' property tax exemption provided to veterans having a 100 percent service-connected disability, the $250 property tax deduction for income-limited senior citizens and persons with disabilities, the homestead property tax reimbursement (colloquially, the "senior freeze"), and the ANCHOR rebate. The sponsor believes that purchasers of these properties should be made aware, prior to the purchase of such a property, that they may be ineligible for these property tax benefits provided by the State of New Jersey. | In Committee |
| A4534 | Revises definition of qualified assistance fund expenses under UEZ program to include costs of transportation infrastructure projects and related debt service. | An Act concerning urban enterprise zones and amending P.L.1983, c.303. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3571 | Creates Health Care Cost Containment Commission; appropriates $5 million. | This bill creates the Health Care Cost Containment Commission (commission) in the Department of Health and appropriates $5 million. Under the bill, the purpose of the commission is to: establish data analytics and reporting mechanisms to ensure healthcare affordability, informed policymaking and access for future generations; review health care expenditures in New Jersey; identify trends in health care cost growth and hospital price growth; identify drivers of health care cost growth including hospital price growth; establish and adopt a health care cost growth benchmark; consider factors in health care cost growth; and identify health care providers and insurance companies that exceed the health care cost growth benchmark. The commission is to consist of 15 members as provided for in the bill, and is to set a cost growth benchmark that may be charged by health care facilities for health care services. In addition, the commission is to establish goals of reducing the rate of growth in per capita total health care spending, promoting an affordable pricing environment that maintains access to high quality care, health equity, and lowering consumer spending on premiums and out-of-pocket costs. The bill appropriates from the General Fund to the Department of Health such sums as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this bill, but not to exceed $5 million. | In Committee |
| S3563 | Creates New Jersey Board of Paramedicine. | This bill establishes the New Jersey Board of Paramedicine. Current law governing mobile intensive care paramedics and emergency medical technicians are repealed and the board is assigned oversight of these professions, in addition to mobile intensive care nurses, flight paramedics, and flight nurses. "Paramedicine" is defined in the bill to mean the practice of basic life support and advanced life support. "Basic life support" or "basic life support services" means, in the bill, a basic level of pre-hospital care which includes the use of procedures, medications, and equipment established by the National EMS Scope of Practice Model from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other techniques, therapies, and procedures authorized by the board. "Advanced life support" is defined, under the bill, to mean an advanced level of emergency medical care, including specialty care transport and air medical ambulances, which includes the use of procedures, medications, and equipment established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's National EMS Scope of Practice Model for paramedics, and any other such procedures, therapies, medications, and as otherwise authorized in rules or regulations promulgated by the board. The board is to consist of 15 members to include: (1) five actively practicing as New Jersey-licensed mobile intensive care paramedics; (2) three New Jersey-licensed emergency medical technicians; one of whom is to be a board-certified emergency medical services physician; (3) one board-certified trauma surgeon; (4) one board-certified pediatric emergency medicine physician; (5) one representative from the New Jersey Emergency Nurses Association; and (6) three public members. The bill authorizes the board to, among other items: (1) prescribe standards and requirements for individuals seeking licensure as a mobile intensive care paramedic, mobile intensive care nurse, flight paramedic, flight nurse, or emergency medical technician; (2) establish standards for and accredit schools to train individuals overseen by the new board; (3) develop a registry of all individuals who have successfully completed training and a competency evaluation program; (4) conduct investigations and research to determine if new information will help advance the profession of paramedicine; and (5) establish an Alternative to Discipline Program for licensees dealing with a chemical dependency or other impairment. The bill also establishes two separate funds - one a "Board of Paramedicine Fund" to, in part, fund research related to paramedicine and support operations of the board and the other an "Emergency Medical Technician Training Fund" to assist certain individuals training to be an emergency medical technician. The bill also creates an "Emergency Medical Services for Children Advisory Council" to advise the board on emergency medical services for minors. The bill also updates current laws to reflect the changes regarding the creation of the board. | In Committee |
| A3364 | Clarifies cap on fees imposed, and modifies definition of participating county, under "County Option Hospital Fee Program Act." | An Act concerning the "County Option Hospital Fee Program Act" and amending P.L.2018, c.136. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3439 | Revises definition of qualified assistance fund expenses under UEZ program to include costs of transportation infrastructure projects and related debt service. | Revises definition of qualified assistance fund expenses under UEZ program to include costs of transportation infrastructure projects and related debt service. | In Committee |
| S2552 | Clarifies cap on fees imposed, and modifies definition of participating county, under "County Option Hospital Fee Program Act." | Clarifies cap on fees imposed, and modifies definition of participating county, under "County Option Hospital Fee Program Act." | In Committee |
| S3434 | Clarifies coverage requirements for health insurers of over-the-counter contraceptive drugs. | This bill clarifies certain current law regarding coverage for over-the-counter contraceptive drugs by insurers authorized to provide health benefits in the State. Specifically, the bill clarifies that various insurers are required to provide coverage for either the requested prescriptive contraceptive drugs, devices, and products approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the therapeutic equivalents. Medical necessity for over-the-counter contraceptive drugs is also deemed to be present under the coverage of the various health insurers in the State. Additionally, point-of-sale coverage for over-the-counter female contraceptives is to be provided without cost-sharing or medical management restrictions. Lastly, the bill further delineates the type of family planning programs that provide benefits for contraceptives and establishes that Medicaid and the other family planning programs are to provide coverage for over-the-counter contraceptives and pharmacy-furnished self-administered hormonal contraceptives with no requirement for a prescription or provider order. | In Committee |
| SJR125 | Designates third full week in April of each year as "Infertility Awareness Week" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates the third full week in April of each year as "Infertility Awareness Week" in New Jersey. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in eight couples suffer from infertility. Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after one year or longer of trying to have a child. Infertility affects women and men equally, with male infertility as a factor in roughly 50 percent of all infertility cases. In the United States, nine percent of men and 11 percent of women have experienced fertility issues. Infertility can cause psychological distress, emotional stress, and financial difficulties for couples, who can experience feelings of anger, guilt, sadness, depression, anxiety, and a loss of self-confidence and self-esteem. Educating others on infertility can remove the stigma and increase empathy and sympathy towards those facing infertility problems. | In Committee |
| S1032 | Requires DHS and DCF to conduct study on service provider workforce, and to evaluate rates paid to, and assess cost of living adjustments for, service providers. | Requires DHS and DCF to conduct study on service provider workforce, and to evaluate rates paid to, and assess cost of living adjustments for, service providers. | In Committee |
| S2010 | Requires minimum annual State appropriation of $10 million for Public Health Priority Funding. | This bill supplements the "Public Health Priority Funding Act of 1977" and requires a minimum annual State appropriation of $10 million for Public Health Priority Funding, thereby reinstating New Jersey's only State appropriated, unrestricted fund for local health departments. Such appropriation will be expended in accordance to the provisions of the "Public Health Priority Funding Act of 1977." From 1966 to 2010, under the "State Health Aid Act" and later amended as the "Public Health Priority Funding Act of 1977," the State provided local health departments with flexibility to address local needs, emerging threats, and other priorities via the appropriation of dedicated funds. The State eliminated Public Health Priority Funding in the FY 2011 Appropriations Act. For context, in FY 2010, Public Health Priority Funding amounted to approximately 15 percent of the total funding for local health departments. Currently, local health departments in New Jersey are funded via local property taxes and State and federal funding that is designated for specific purposes, such as vaccines or environmental health services. | In Committee |
| S3379 | Establishes gross income tax credit for cost of certain postage for sending goods to members of United States Armed Forces and National Guard who are serving their country away from home. | This bill establishes a gross income tax credit for the amount of postage taxpayers pay the United States Postal Service to send parcels as priority mail to individuals serving in the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard at military installations in the United States or abroad. Homesickness frequently befalls members of the Armed Forces and the National Guard while serving their country afield. To boost their morale, many send military personnel packages with cherished items from back home. The cost of postage can strain the ability of the home front to take care of those stationed or deployed afield. In allowing a tax credit for certain postage expenses, this bill removes a cost-prohibitive deterrent to sending goods of appreciation and caring to loved ones serving away from home. | In Committee |
| S3377 | Provides corporation business tax credit for certain investment in manufacturing equipment and manufacturing facility renovation, modernization, and expansion, or hiring and training of new employees for manufacturing purposes. | This bill allows a taxpayer to apply for a corporation business tax credit equal to either:· 10% of the costs of new manufacturing equipment installed at a new or existing manufacturing facility located in a Smart Growth Area within this State, or· 10% of the costs of improvements or additions that result in the renovation, modernization or expansion of a manufacturing facility located in a Smart Growth Area, or· with respect to the employment of any new full-time employee hired and retained for at least 365 days following the effective date of the bill, the greater of 10% of the costs of training, salary, and benefits, including employer paid medical and pension contributions, or the deduction to which the employer would be entitled under existing law. The bill provides that expenditures in Smart Growth Areas for manufacturing equipment and manufacturing facility renovation, modernization, and expansion for which a credit is allowed under this bill will not be expenditures for which a credit will be allowed under the New Jobs Investment Tax Credit, the Manufacturing and Employment Investment Tax Credit, the Research and Development Credit, or the Effluent Treatment and Conveyance Equipment Credit. The bill defines "manufacturing equipment" as machinery, apparatus or equipment used in the production of tangible personal property that is eligible for the sales tax exemption for manufacturing equipment. That is machinery, apparatus, or equipment for use or consumption directly and primarily in the production of tangible personal property by manufacturing, processing, assembling, or refining, whose use is not incidental to those activities, and which has a useful life of more than one year. The bill defines a "manufacturing facility" as a business location, including but not limited to a factory, mill, or plant, at which more than 50% of the business personal property that is housed in the facility is manufacturing equipment. "Qualified manufacturing related job training" that would be eligible for a credit under the bill includes instruction through a county vocational school or county college within the State, instruction through any institution of post-secondary education located in the State that is accredited for this purpose by the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury, and on-the-job training at sites within the State that are owned and operated by the trainee's employer. The bill also requires the Director of the Division of Taxation to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2027, that includes a description of any increased departmental workload associated with administering the credit and an analysis of the effectiveness of the credit as an incentive for encouraging the employment of new manufacturing employees. | In Committee |
| S3373 | Requires long-term care facility to post certain information on its Internet website regarding Office of State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. | This bill requires a long-term care facility to post certain information on the facility's Internet website. Under the bill, a long-term care facility is to post on its Internet website information regarding the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman (ombudsman), which shall include information on the general duties of the ombudsman, the role of the ombudsman in advocating for the residents of the long-term care facility, and the ombudsman's contact information. The bill defines "long-term care facility" to mean a nursing home, assisted living residence, comprehensive personal care home, residential health care facility, or dementia care home licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.). | In Committee |
| S3380 | Requires DHS to develop incentives to encourage private investment in child care deserts. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Human Services to develop financial incentives, to be implemented within 90 days of the effective date of this bill, to encourage private investment in child care facilities located in New Jersey's identified child care deserts. The bill defines a "child care desert" as a community or geographic area in which the demand for quality child care services surpasses the available supply of such services, as determined by the Commissioner of Human Services. The bill directs the Commissioner of Human Services to develop the program of financial incentives in conjunction with the Commissioner of Community Affairs, the Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury, and the Commissioner of Children and Families. Moreover, the commissioner is required to consider a variety of potential incentives to encourage private investment in child care facilities, including, but not limited to: tax credits, tax exemptions, loan guarantees, and assistance with recruiting, hiring and training new employees. The Commissioner of Human Services is required to apply for any State plan amendments or federal waivers needed to ensure continued federal financial participation for the State's subsidized child care program. The provisions of this bill will take effect immediately. It is the intent of the bill's sponsors to employ financial incentives to increase the availability of licensed child care facilities in the low-to-moderate income communities that largely constitute New Jersey's child care deserts. Such a program could build upon or be incorporated into existing programs, administered through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the Department of Community Affairs, to spur private investment in the State's food deserts and Urban Enterprise Zones. According to the Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ), approximately 40 percent of New Jersey municipalities are classified as child care deserts; of these, the majority are urban or rural communities. The lack of quality child care options in the State's child care deserts has become particularly acute during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many child care providers face economic hardship due to reduced student enrollment and higher operating costs associated with enhanced cleaning protocols and mandated personal protective equipment for facility staff. If New Jersey's economy is to re-open after the COVID-19 pandemic, the State's working families, many of whom are essential workers, need access to affordable, high-quality child care options in their communities. | In Committee |
| S3378 | Provides for transfer and sale of inactive liquor licenses for use in qualifying smart growth municipalities. | Under the provisions of this bill, an inactive plenary retail consumption license may be purchased by (1) a corporation or other legal entity operating or intending to operate a restaurant or bar in a qualifying smart growth municipality; or (2) the owner of a real estate development project in a qualifying smart growth municipality, provided that the inactive license would be transferred to a restaurant or bar in the real estate development project. The bill repeals sections 1 and 2 of P.L.2007, c.351 (C.33:1-24.1 and 33:1-24.2) which permit the Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to issue special permits for the service of alcoholic beverages in smart growth development projects. The bill first requires the Director of the ABC to determine whether an inactive license may be transferred to a qualifying smart growth municipality. The director is required to approve the transfer if the municipality is unable to issue a sufficient number of new plenary retail consumption licenses to satisfy the anticipated demand for such licenses in a real estate development project because of the statutory limitation on the number of plenary retail consumption licenses (currently one for each 3,000 of the population). After a contract for the sale of a license has been signed, the seller is required to obtain resolutions adopted by the issuing authorities of the sending municipality and the qualifying smart growth municipality. The resolution adopted by the sending municipality must consent to the transfer of the license to the qualifying smart growth municipality. The resolution adopted by the issuing authority of the qualifying smart growth municipality must state that the municipality wishes to acquire the license and that it will be administered in the same manner as other plenary retail consumption licenses and in accordance with all applicable municipal ordinances. The bill requires the purchaser to pay to the sending municipality prior to the transfer of the license a fee equal to 20 times the annual renewal fee for a plenary retail consumption license in the sending municipality. The fee is to be distributed in the following manner: (1) twenty-five percent is to be paid to the sending municipality; (2) twenty-five percent is to be paid to the director; and (3) fifty percent is to be divided equally among and paid to the holders of plenary retail consumption licensees in the qualifying smart growth municipality. The bill requires the purchaser to pay the qualifying smart growth municipality any fees required for the transfer of a plenary retail consumption license as well as the annual renewal fee, prorated to the next June 30, the annual date of renewal for all retail licenses. A license purchased pursuant to the provisions of the bill may only be transferred to a premises located within the same real estate development project. A license may be transferred to a corporation or other legal entity that operates a bar or restaurant in the same real estate development project or to the owner of the real estate development project. The bill requires the Director of the ABC to assign a distinctive designation for the license number, after the initial transfer of the license, in order to identify the license as being restricted and subject to the provisions of this bill. The bill prohibits the director from issuing a special concessionaire permit for any location or premises which is eligible to obtain a license to serve alcoholic beverages under this bill. Finally, the bill amends section 3 of P.L.2007, c.351 (C.33:1-24.3) which provides that a municipality containing an urban enterprise zone or a Planning Area 1 (Metropolitan) may acquire by purchase any existing plenary retail consumption licenses within the municipality that are inactive and retain them for up to five years. Under this bill, the municipality must acquire the license by purchase and the license must be inactive for more than three years. The bill also clarifies that the municipality may retain the inactive licenses notwithstanding that the Director of ABC has not issued a special ruling and the license holder has not paid the annual license renewal fees. The bill further amends current law to provide that a municipality may have a public sale of an inactive plenary retail consumption license for use only at a licensed premises in a real estate development project within a qualifying smart growth municipality as defined in the bill. | In Committee |
| S3382 | Allows gross income tax credit for certain child care staff and registered family day care providers. | This bill allows a gross income tax credit for staff members employed by a licensed child care provider who directly supervise children and for registered family day care providers who, as applicable, have been employed by a child care provider or worked as a registered family day care provider for a continuous six month period during the taxable year. The credit amount varies depending on the staff member's or registered family day care provider's income: (1) for incomes of less than $25,000, the amount of the credit will be equal to $1,000 for providing child care services to children 30 months of age or older, and $1,500 for providing child care services to children from birth to the age of 30 months; (2) for incomes between $25,000 and $35,000, the amount of the credit will be equal to $750 for providing child care services to children 30 months of age or older, and $1,000 for providing child care services to children from birth to the age of 30 months; and (3) for incomes between $35,001 and $45,000, the amount of the credit will be equal to $500 for providing child care services to children 30 months of age or older, and $750 for providing child care services to children from birth to the age of 30 months. For staff members working for a child care provider who directly supervise children and for registered family day care providers who provide child care services to children from birth to the age of 30 months, the tax credit will only apply if the staff member or family day care provider spends at least 50% of the staff member's or family day care provider's employment time providing such services. For staff members and registered family day care providers with less than $45,000 of gross income, the credit is refundable: if the staff member or provider has no tax liability to against which the credit may be applied, the staff member or provider will receive the remaining credit amount from the State in cash. For a staff member or provider with an income of $45,000, any remaining credit may be carried forward to the next taxable year, but may not be carried forward beyond that. The credit allowed by this bill cannot be taken into account as income or receipts for the purposes of determining the eligibility of a taxpayer for benefits or assistance or for the purposes of determining the amount or extent of benefits or assistance under any State benefits or assistance program, including programs financed in whole or in part with federal funds. | In Committee |
| S3381 | Requires DHS to establish quality-based reimbursement system for registered family child care providers participating in Grow NJ Kids. | This bill permits registered family child care providers that participate in the State's subsidized child care assistance program and in the Grow NJ Kids program to receive enhanced payments under the tiered, quality-based reimbursement system for child care providers, as established pursuant to the Grow NJ Kids program. The bill additionally requires the Commissioner of Human Services to increase state subsidies paid to family child care providers that participate in the Grow NJ Kids program, based upon the quality rating of the provider, by the same percentage as the subsidy increase paid to center-based child care providers with the same Grow NJ Kids quality rating It is the sponsor's belief that family child care is a critical component of New Jersey's child care infrastructure, as it meets families' diverse needs including a home-based setting, flexible schedules for families (evenings, weekends, and nontraditional hours), mixed-aged children in a smaller group, and culturally and linguistically supportive settings. Family child care can be a child care option, particularly for infants and toddlers, in which they are not only cared for, but can thrive in high-quality, accessible, and affordable environments. This specific child care option for families however, is becoming less available. The number of registered family child care homes in New Jersey has decreased significantly, especially in the last decade. In 2017, the Advocates for Children of New Jersey reported that registered family child care homes had declined by 59% over a 15-year timespan, falling from 4,689 providers in 2001 to just 1,907 in 2016. This decline continues and in November 2020, there were only 1,308 registered family child care homes reported statewide, representing an additional 31% decrease. As the number of registered family child care homes decreases, so does the number of available child care slots. Between January 2020 and November 2020, the number of child care slots in registered family child care homes decreased by 890 slots, further reducing options for families. The bill's sponsor believes that low subsidy rates and a lack of financial incentives to improve overall quality have added to the continued decrease in family child care homes. While the base subsidy reimbursement rate for family child care must be increased to reflect the true cost of providing high-quality child care, there is nothing in place to reward those family child care providers who accept child care subsidies to improve their program quality. Currently, family child care providers can work towards such quality improvements by participating in New Jersey's Quality Rating and Improvement System, Grow NJ Kids. However, unlike center-based child care programs, family child care providers receive no subsidy increase, or tiered reimbursement, for providing a higher quality program to the children they care for and educate. Higher subsidy reimbursement rates for achieving improved quality will not only incentivize family child care providers to join Grow NJ Kids, but will also make becoming a registered family child care provider more attractive. Grow NJ Kids is the State's quality rating and improvement initiative for child care and early learning programs, which reimburses child care providers based on objective quality measures. State-licensed child care centers, school- or center-based preschool programs, Head Start programs, and registered family child care providers may request to be evaluated and rated by Grow NJ Kids, based on the quality of child care services provided for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Based upon the outcome of this quality review, the Grow NJ Kids program may award the provider a three-, four- or five-star rating. New Jersey's subsidized child care assistance program currently pays a higher rate to child care centers, Head Start programs, and school- or center-based preschool programs that have a Grow NJ Kids three-, four-, or five star rating. In calendar year 2021, tiered incentive payments under the program range from five percent to twenty percent above the base rate, depending upon the age of the child receiving care and the facility's star rating. Although family child care providers can request a Grow NJ Kids evaluation, these providers are currently ineligible for the program's enhanced payments to providers earning a three-, four-, or five-star rating. It is the intent of the bill's sponsor to ensure that registered family child care providers that offer high-quality care are reimbursed on an equal basis as child care centers under the Grow NJ Kids program. | In Committee |
| AJR86 | Designating fourth Wednesday in May of each year as "Crisis Professionals Day." | This joint resolution permanently designates the fourth Wednesday in May as "Crisis Professionals Day." Crisis professionals are trained professionals that engage with people who are experiencing a crisis. These professionals directly engage with people when they are most vulnerable, oftentimes as a result of their illness and trauma, in effort to deescalate the crisis using methods that center around empathy, support, and hope. Crisis professionals face high-stress situations on a regular basis and as a result have earned the State's highest respect and gratitude. It is fitting to recognize and honor the life changing and lifesaving services that crisis professionals provide, as well as, the invaluable contributions they have provided to thousands of New Jerseyans and communities throughout the State. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| SJR66 | Designating fourth Wednesday in May of each year as "Crisis Professionals Day." | This joint resolution permanently designates the fourth Wednesday in May as "Crisis Professionals Day." The Governor is respectively requested to annually issue a proclamation recognizing "Crisis Professionals Day" and calling upon public officials and the citizens of this State to observe the day with appropriate activities and programs. Crisis professionals are trained professionals who engage with people experiencing a crisis, when they are most vulnerable, oftentimes as a result of illness and trauma. Crisis professionals work to deescalate crisis situations using methods that center around empathy, support, and hope. Recognizing "Crisis Professionals Day" recognizes and honors the life-changing and lifesaving services that crisis professionals provide, as well as the invaluable contributions they provide to the communities and people of New Jersey. | In Committee |
| S1965 | Regulates provision of pharmaceutical services in long-term care facilities. | Regulates provision of pharmaceutical services in long-term care facilities. | Crossed Over |
| S1984 | Requires DOH to evaluate hospital compliance with federal hospital price transparency requirements. | Requires DOH to evaluate hospital compliance with federal hospital price transparency requirements. | In Committee |
| S3008 | Requires State provider subsidy payments for child care services to be based on enrollment. | This bill provides for the Division of Family Development in the Department of Human Services to require that subsidy payments issued to child care providers licensed pursuant to P.L.1983, c.492 (C.30:5B-1 et seq.) or a family day care provider registered by a family day care sponsoring organization pursuant to the "Family Day Care Provider Registration Act," P.L.1987, c.27 (C.30:5B-16 et seq.) for child care services be based on enrollment instead of attendance, as currently provided by regulation. The subsidy payments are to be based on the number of children enrolled with providers on October 15 and April 15 of each year. The bill further provides that at no time is a subsidy payment to be based on the number of eligible children who are actually in attendance. Under the bill, "child care services" means those services provided to eligible children, as certified by the Division of Family Development, for which the division receives and administers State and federal funding to provide subsidy payments to licensed child care providers or registered family day care providers. It is critical that the State ensure adequate funding for licensed child care providers and registered family day care providers who serve low-income families, particularly as they face higher operating costs and reduced enrollment due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In order to ensure the continued success of these child care providers, it is the sponsor's intent to provide relief to financially struggling licensed child care providers and registered family day care providers who care for, educate, and support the State's low-income families. By basing subsidy payments issued to licensed child care providers and registered family day care providers on enrollment, rather than attendance, the bill offers a more reliable source of income for these child care providers. | In Committee |
| S2504 | Requires Medicaid reimbursement rates for certain primary and mental health care services match reimbursement rates under Medicare. | Requires Medicaid reimbursement rates for certain primary and mental health care services match reimbursement rates under Medicare. | In Committee |
| SCR43 | Proposes constitutional amendment to make State trustee of public natural resources and guarantee to the people other environmental rights. | Proposes constitutional amendment to make State trustee of public natural resources and guarantee to the people other environmental rights. | In Committee |
| S1423 | Establishes minimum Medicaid reimbursement rates for certain ambulance transportation services. | This bill establishes a minimum Medicaid reimbursement rate of $200 for basic life support emergency ambulance transportation services, an increase of $142 from the State's existing rate of $58 per transport. In doing so, the sponsor aims to ensure that emergency ambulance transportation providers, which deliver integral medical services for those with unplanned urgent and life-threatening health conditions, are given the financial support necessary to serve the community. Currently, New Jersey has the lowest Medicaid reimbursement rate for basic life support emergency ambulance transportation services in the region. Surrounding states' rates range from $65.27 in Delaware to $293.90 in Connecticut. Moreover, pending legislation in Pennsylvania would increase that state's rate to $325 per transport, which would be the highest rate in the region. | In Committee |
| S198 | Prohibits investment by State of pension and annuity funds in, and requires divestment from, 200 largest publicly traded fossil fuel companies. | This bill, would prohibit the Director of the Division of Investment (director) from investing any assets of the State retirement funds in any of the top 200 companies that hold the largest carbon content fossil fuel reserves. Under the bill, divestment from coal companies would be required to be completed within two years, and from all other fossil fuel companies within one year. The director would be authorized to cease divestment or reinvest in previously divested companies if the director demonstrates that, as a direct result of the divestment, the State retirement funds have or will become equal to or less than 99.5 percent of their hypothetical value had no divestment occurred. Finally, the bill would require the State Investment Council and the director to report on the divestment efforts required by the bill within 120 days of the bill's effective date, and annually thereafter. | In Committee |
| S2828 | Establishes program to subsidize purchase price of medical cannabis for registered qualifying patients enrolled in Medicaid or NJ FamilyCare programs. | This bill requires the Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) to establish a program to subsidize up to 20 percent of the purchase price of medical cannabis and medical cannabis products dispensed to or on behalf registered qualifying patients who are currently enrolled in the State Medicaid program or the NJ FamilyCare program. The subsidy will reduce the purchase price of the medical cannabis or medical cannabis product as listed on the medical cannabis dispensary's or clinical registrant's website, and will be applied after any other discounts or price reductions are applied. The price reduction will apply at the point of purchase. The program developed by the CRC will include a mechanism for medical cannabis dispensaries and clinical registrants to quickly verify whether a registered qualifying patient to whom or on behalf of whom medical cannabis or a medical cannabis product is being dispensed is currently enrolled in Medicaid or NJ FamilyCare. The CRC will be required to coordinate with the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services in the Department of Human Services to develop this enrollment verification system. Medical cannabis dispensaries and clinical registrants are to make patients and their caregivers aware of the subsidy program through posted signage, and may provide additional notice of the program verbally, using written materials, or both, but are not to apply a subsidy or attempt to verify whether a patient is enrolled in Medicaid or NJ FamilyCare except at the request of a patient or the patient's designated or institutional caregiver. The CRC will additionally be required to establish a process for medical cannabis dispensaries to apply for and receive reimbursement from the CRC for the amount of any subsidies applied to the purchase price of medical cannabis and medical cannabis products under the bill. Reimbursements for the subsidies will be paid out of funds available through the "Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Fund" established pursuant to P.L.2021, c.16 (C.24:6I-31 et al.), or other funds made available to the CRC for this purpose. | In Committee |
| S1970 | Permits minors 13 years of age and older to consent to behavioral health care services. | This bill amends current law to lower the age requirement for a minor to consent to behavioral health care services for treatment of mental illness or emotional disorders. Under current law, the minimum age to consent to behavioral health care services for treatment of mental illness or emotional disorders is 16 years of age. A minor under 16 years of age is required to obtain the consent of the minor's parent or guardian to receive these services. This bill lowers the age requirement for minors to consent to behavioral health care services to 13 years of age, and provides that the minor's consent to treatment under the supervision of a physician, an advanced practice nurse, and certain other licensed providers will be valid and binding in the same manner as if the patient had attained the age of majority. | In Committee |
| S1188 | Lowers age at which minors can consent to behavioral health care treatment from age 16 to age 14. | Lowers age at which minors can consent to behavioral health care treatment from age 16 to age 14. | In Committee |
| S2700 | Establishes "Patient Protection and Safe Staffing Act." | This bill establishes the "Patient Protection and Safe Staffing Act," which provides certain staffing standards in State hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, developmental centers, and psychiatric hospitals. Specifically, the bill provides that, in addition to existing staffing requirements provided by law or regulation, the Commissioner of Health is to adopt regulations that provide minimum direct care registered professional nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and unlicensed assistive personnel-to-patient staffing ratios for all patient units in general and special hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities, in accordance with the minimum staffing requirements that are established by the bill. The regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Health are not to decrease any staffing ratios that are already in effect on the bill's effective date. The bill provides that the Commissioner of Health is to require all general and special hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities to employ an acuity and staffing system for the purpose of increasing staffing levels above the minimum levels established in the bill, or otherwise provided by law or regulation, in order to ensure adequate staffing of each unit, service, or department. The bill requires the Department of Health to enforce the bill's requirements by conducting periodic inspections and responding to complaints. A registered professional nurse or other staff member, a collective bargaining agent of a staff member, or a member of the public, who believes that the hospital or facility in which the nurse or staff member is employed is in violation of the requirements established by the bill, may file a complaint with the Commissioner of Health. In responding to a complaint, the commissioner will be required to conduct an investigation to determine whether or not a hospital or facility is in violation. Following the completion of an investigation, in which investigation the department determines a hospital or facility to be in violation of the requirements established by the bill, the hospital or facility may be issued a civil penalty in increasing amounts for repeat violations. Any money collected by the court in payment of a civil penalty imposed will be conveyed to the State Treasurer for deposit into the Patient Protection and Staffing Fund (fund) established by the bill. Moneys in the fund will be dedicated and used only for the purposes of increasing the number of inspectors employed by the Department of Health to enforce the provisions of the bill, advancing nursing recruitment and retentions programs, supporting student loan forgiveness for nursing students, and increasing pay for nursing teaching staff. Finally, in addition to the above-described requirements applicable to the Commissioner of Health, the bill requires the Commissioner of Human Services to conduct a review of Department of Human Services regulations concerning registered professional nurse staffing standards in developmental centers and State psychiatric hospitals, and to revise the regulations, as appropriate, to reflect safe staffing practices and assure adequate staffing at the facilities. | In Committee |
| S2699 | Establishes Restaurant Meals Program in DHS; permits certain individuals to use SNAP benefits at approved restaurants; requires participation by certain restaurants operated by institutions of higher education. | This bill establishes a Restaurant Meals Program (RMP), within the New Jersey Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP - formerly the Food Stamp Program), in the Department of Human Services. The RMP is to be administered by the department, in conjunction with the State's county welfare agencies, in a manner consistent with federal statue and regulation, including those requirements outlined in 7 U.S.C. s.2020(e)(25). Generally, federal law prohibits SNAP benefits from being used to purchase prepared food at restaurants. However, through the RMP, states have the option to allow eligible homeless, disabled, or elderly individuals to use SNAP benefits at approved restaurants that offer food at low or reduced prices. The goal of this program is to provide certain vulnerable SNAP participants, who may not have the means to store and prepare food, access to meals. Under the bill, the department is required to: 1) annually issue guidance to all county welfare agencies indicating which counties are eligible to participate in the RMP, and instructions for participating in the RMP and appealing a non-eligible determination; and 2) provide that the electronic benefit distribution system used by SNAP recipients to purchase food can also be utilized by participants in the RMP at all approved food vendors. Under the oversight of the department, each county welfare agency located in an eligible county that elects to participate in the RMP is responsible for determining the number, type, and location of restaurants to include as approved food vendors in the program. County welfare agencies must consider the agency's administrative capacity, the location of participating restaurants, and SNAP recipient demand within the county in making this determination. Each public or private institution of higher education in the State that is located in an eligible county that elects to participate in the RMP must apply to become an approved food vendor in the program, if the institution operates any qualifying on-campus restaurants. Furthermore, the institution must annually: 1) provide all on-campus restaurants not operated by the institution with information regarding the RMP and the manner in which to apply, and 2) inform enrolled students about the program if an on-campus restaurant has been approved as a food vendor in the RMP. Under the bill, the Commissioner of Human Services is required to issue a report no later than six months following the effective date of the bill, and annually thereafter, to the Governor and to the Legislature that includes, but is not limited to, the following information regarding the RMP: the counties eligible for participation and those that elect to participate; the names and addresses of all approved food vendors in each participating county; and the number of SNAP recipients participating in the program by county. The report must also specify approved food vendor and participant information regarding the program's implementation at institutions of higher education throughout the State. | In Committee |
| S2554 | Requires SHBP, SEHBP, Medicaid, and NJ FamilyCare to cover anti-obesity medications. | This bill requires the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP), the School Employees Health Benefits Program (SEHBP), the State Medicaid program, and the NJ FamilyCare program to provide coverage for anti-obesity medications for subscribers or enrollees. It is the intent of the sponsor of the bill to require these State-supported health benefits programs to cover anti-obesity medications in order to reduce the prevalence of, and medical costs associated with, obesity-related health problems. Health professionals may prescribe anti-obesity medications for use by patients who have obesity-related health problems that have not been mitigated by diet and exercise alone. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), studies show that anti-obesity drugs are most effective when taken as part of a lifestyle program that also includes physical activity and healthy eating habits. While weight loss among patients taking anti-obesity medications varies by medication and the individual, the average weight loss among patients taking such medications ranges from five to ten percent of the patient's starting weight. According to the NIH, ten Food and Drug Administration approved anti-obesity medications are currently available for adult use in the United States. Obesity is a chronic disease that affected 28.6 percent of New Jersey residents in 2022, according to the New Jersey State Health Assessment Data (NJSHAD). The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines obesity as being a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Individuals with obesity are at increased risk for certain diseases and health conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and stroke. | In Committee |
| S2553 | Removes exemption from law regulating patient referrals. | This bill removes an exemption from the law regulating patient referrals. In general, N.J.S.A.45:9-22.5 provides that a practitioner shall not refer a patient for a medical procedure to a health care service in which the practitioner or the practitioner's immediate family has a significant beneficial interest. N.J.S.A.45:9-22.5 exempts certain medical procedures from the above prohibition. This bill amends N.J.S.A.45:9-22.5 to remove the following medical procedure from the statute's exemption list: "medically-necessary intraoperative monitoring services rendered during a neurosurgical, neurological, or neuro-radiological surgical procedure that is performed in a hospital." | In Committee |
| S2626 | Permits State employees not covered by collective negotiations agreements to enroll in certain negotiated health care plans. | Under current law, the State Health Benefits Program provides to State employees covered by collective negotiations agreements the health care and prescription drug plans required by the terms of those collective negotiations. Those agreements may also specify the annual contributions that the State employees must make toward the cost of the plans if they enroll for coverage in those plans. This bill permits State employees who are not covered by collective negotiations agreements to enroll in certain plans and to make the same contributions negotiated by the Communication Workers of America. | In Committee |
| S1493 | Eliminates smoking ban exemption for casinos and simulcasting facilities. | Eliminates smoking ban exemption for casinos and simulcasting facilities. | In Committee |
| S1942 | Prohibits sale of tobacco products and electronic smoking devices at certain pharmacies. | This bill will prohibit the sale of all tobacco products and electronic smoking devices, including any cartridge or other component of an electronic smoking device, at pharmacies located in New Jersey, as well as at any business in New Jersey that has a pharmacy located on its premises. The owner of a pharmacy or other business entity that violates this prohibition will be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $250 for a first violation, not less than $500 for a second violation, and $1,000 for a third or subsequent violation. A pharmacy at which a violation occurs may also be subject to disciplinary action by the Board of Pharmacy, and any other business entity at which a violation occurs may also be subject to disciplinary action by an agency, board, office, or other appropriate governmental entity having jurisdiction. The provisions of the bill will not apply to a department store or food retailer that is licensed to operate as a pharmacy practice site or that leases space on its premises to a third party for the operation of a pharmacy practice site. The bill defines "department store" to mean a retail establishment where foodstuffs, ready-to-wear apparel, and accessories for adults and children, yard goods and household textiles, small household wares, furniture, electrical appliances, and accessories are regularly and customarily sold. The bill defines "food retailer" to mean a grocery store, supermarket, or retail establishment where groceries and other food stuffs are regularly and customarily sold in a bona fide manner for off-premises consumption, and the sale of groceries and other food stuffs constitutes at least 65 percent of the store's total annual sales. Nothing in the bill is to be construed to prohibit the sale of smoking cessation products approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, and nothing in the bill is to prohibit a pharmacy that has been issued a medical cannabis dispensary permit from dispensing medical cannabis in any form, along with paraphernalia and related supplies, to registered qualifying patients. | In Committee |
| S1959 | Concerns social media privacy and data management for children and establishes New Jersey Children's Data Protection Commission. | This bill establishes social media privacy and data management requirements for children and also establishes the New Jersey Children's Data Protection Commission. The bill requires that before any new online service, product, or feature is offered to users residing in New Jersey, a social media platform that provides an online service, product, or feature likely to be accessed by children is required to, take certain actions as described in the bill, including completing a data protection impact assessment. Under the bill, a data protection impact assessment is to address: (1) whether the design of the online product, service, or feature could harm children, including by exposing children to harmful, or potentially harmful, content on the social media platform; (2) whether the design of the online service, product, or feature could lead to children experiencing or being targeted by harmful, or potentially harmful, contacts on the social media platform; (3) whether the design of the online service, product, or feature could permit children to witness, participate in, or be subject to harmful, or potentially harmful, conduct on the social media platform; (4) whether the design of the online product, service, or feature could allow children to be party to or exploited by a harmful, or potentially harmful, contact on the social media platform; (5) whether algorithms used by the online service, product, or feature could harm children; (6) whether targeted advertising systems used by the online service, product, or feature could harm children; (7) whether and how the online service, product, or feature uses system design features to increase, sustain, or extend use of the social media platform by children, including the automatic playing of media, rewards for time spent, and notifications; and (8) whether, how, and for what purpose the online service, product, or feature collects or processes personal information of children. The bill prohibits social media platforms that provide online service, product, or feature likely to be accessed by children from, among other things: (1) using the personal information of any child in a way that the social media platform knows, or has reason to know, is materially detrimental to the physical health, mental health, or well-being of a child; (2) profiling a child by default, unless certain criteria apply; or (3) collecting, selling, sharing, or retaining any personal information that is not necessary to provide an online service, product, or feature with which a child is actively and knowingly engaged, unless the social media platform can demonstrate a compelling reason that the collecting, selling, sharing, or retaining of the personal information is in the best interests of children likely to access the online service, product, or feature. The bill provides penalties for social media platforms that fail to comply with the provisions of the bill. Any social media platform that violates the provisions of the bill is subject to an injunction and liable for a civil penalty of not more than $2,500 per affected child for each negligent violation or not more than $7,500 per affected child for each intentional violation, which shall be assessed and recovered only in a civil action brought by the Attorney General. Finally, the bill establishes, within the Division of Consumer Affairs, the New Jersey Children's Data Protection Commission (commission). The commission shall consist of nine members, with expertise in children's data privacy, children's physical health, children's mental health and well-being, computer science, or children's rights. Under the bill, three members would be appointed by the Governor, President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the Assembly, respectively. The commission is tasked with taking input from a broad range of stakeholders and making recommendations to the Legislature on best practices regarding certain topics described in the bill. The commission is required to submit a report of its findings and recommendations within six months of its organizational meeting and annually thereafter. | In Committee |
| S1967 | Revises law establishing Office of Food Security Advocate, and establishes certain conditions for use of monies appropriated to emergency food organizations. | This bill amends and supplements P.L.2021, c.483 (C.52:27J-1 et seq.), which established the Office of the Food Security Advocate. The bill establishes, in statute, certain conditions concerning the use of monies appropriated to emergency food organizations pursuant to an annual appropriations act. The bill defines "emergency food organization" as a food bank which receives funding for Food and Hunger Programs pursuant to an annual State appropriations act. P.L.2022, c.49, which is, the annual appropriations act for the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2023, provided that the amount appropriated for Food and Hunger Programs would be directly distributed as follows: 53 percent to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey; 15 percent to the Food Bank of South Jersey; 15 percent to Fulfill Monmouth & Ocean; 11 percent to the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank; three percent to Norwescap; and three percent to the Southern Regional Food Distribution Center. The bill requires 10 percent of each emergency food organization's funding allocation to be expended on New Jersey agricultural products, including expenditures related to agricultural capital investment and innovation, up to 30 percent to be expended for the administrative and staffing costs and the purchase of capital investments or infrastructure, including the purchase of necessary technology, vehicles, and storage, and no less than 60 percent to be expended in order to support local distribution agencies. Support for local distribution agencies will include purchasing food that fulfills local distribution agencies' stated needs, awarding cash funds to local distribution agencies, or reimbursing local distribution agencies based on costs incurred. Emergency food organizations will be permitted to apply to the Office of the Food Security Advocate for a waiver to utilize these funds to fill a demonstrated need for a program that supports local distribution agencies. The bill requires the Office of the Food Security Advocate, in consultation with emergency food organizations, to develop a process for eliciting and gathering data about local distribution agencies' food and capacity needs, and requires each emergency food organization to use that process and data to develop a data-informed plan for the equitable support of local food distribution agencies. Data-informed plans will be tailored to the service area and needs of the specific emergency food organization. The bill requires each emergency food organization, on a monthly basis, to prepare and submit a State funding expenditures report to the Office of the Food Security Advocate. Funding for emergency food organizations will be contingent on the successful implementation by the organizations of a data-informed plan and satisfying the fiscal and programmatic requirements and other contractual obligations detailed in their contracts. | Dead |
| S1941 | Establishes minimum registered professional nurse staffing standards for hospitals and ambulatory surgery facilities and certain DHS facilities. | This bill establishes staffing standards for registered professional nurses in State hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, developmental centers, and psychiatric hospitals. Specifically, the bill provides that, in addition to existing staffing requirements provided by law or regulation, the Commissioner of Health is to adopt regulations that provide minimum direct care registered professional nurse-to-patient staffing ratios for all patient units in general and special hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities, in accordance with the minimum staffing requirements that are established by the bill. As specified in the bill, minimum nurse-to-patient ratios will vary depending on the type of unit, and will range from one registered professional nurse for every five patients in a behavioral health or psychiatric or a medical/surgical unit, to one registered professional nurse for every patient under anesthesia in an operating room. The regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Health are not to decrease any nurse-to-patient staffing ratios that are already in effect on the bill's effective date. The bill provides that the Commissioner of Health is to require all general and special hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities to employ an acuity and staffing system for the purpose of increasing direct care registered professional nurse staffing levels above the minimum levels established in the bill, or otherwise provided by law or regulation, in order to ensure adequate staffing of each unit, service, or department. The acuity and staffing system will be based on: patient classification or acuity; professional nurse staffing standards adopted by nurse specialty organizations; skill mix; and the staffing levels of other health care personnel and the use of agency or temporary staff. The system is to be established in the facility by the facility's department of nursing, with the approval of a majority of the unit staff nurses or their bargaining agent. The bill requires the acuity and staffing system to allow for the forecasting of staffing levels, and to provide a method to adjust staffing levels for each patient care unit based on objective criteria currently set forth at N.J.A.C.8:43G-17.1(a)3, including, but not limited to: (1) the documented skills, training, and competency of staff to plan and provide nursing services in the nursing areas where they function; (2) a patient database incorporating objective factors such as the case mix index, specific or aggregate patient diagnostic classifications or acuity levels, patient profiles, critical pathways or care progression plans, length of stay, and discharge plans; (3) operational factors, such as unit size, design, and capacity, the admission/discharge/transfer index, and support service availability; (4) contingency plans to address critical departures from the staffing plan, including policies and procedures to regulate the closure of available beds if staffing levels fall below specified levels; and (5) policies and procedures for the reassignment of staff, including float and agency staff. The acuity and staffing system will additionally be required to permit waiver of minimum staffing level requirements in the event of an unforeseen emergent circumstance which causes significant changes in the patient census for a regular shift. Waiver will not be permitted unless the facility has made reasonable efforts to provide sufficient additional staff to meet the required minimum staffing levels, including seeking volunteers and making use of on-call staff, per-diem staff, agency staff, and float pools. The bill defines "unforeseeable emergent circumstance" to mean an unpredictable or unavoidable occurrence requiring immediate action. The Commissioner of Health will also be permitted to waive the minimum staffing level requirements for any hospital or facility that the commissioner determines is in financial distress. A waiver may be revoked upon a determination that the facility is no longer in financial distress. The bill requires the Department of Health to enforce minimum staffing ratios by conducting periodic inspections and responding to complaints. The bill provides a system, pursuant to which a registered professional nurse, other staff member, or member of the public, believing that a facility is in violation of the staffing requirements or the staffing and acuity system, may file a complaint with the Commissioner of Health. In responding to a complaint, the commissioner will be required to conduct an investigation to determine whether or not a hospital or facility is in violation, and to take such other action as may be necessary to ensure compliance with the requirements of the bill. Finally, in addition to the above-described requirements applicable to the Commissioner of Health, the bill requires the Commissioner of Human Services to conduct a review of Department of Human Services regulations concerning registered professional nurse staffing standards in developmental centers and State psychiatric hospitals, and to revise the regulations, as appropriate, to reflect safe staffing practices and assure adequate staffing at the facilities. | In Committee |
| S1938 | Requires restaurants to provide healthy beverages with meals designated for children. | This bill requires restaurants to provide a healthy beverage with any meals designated for children. Under the bill, a restaurant's default beverage for a children's meal could be: (1) water, sparkling water, or flavored water, with no added natural or artificial sweeteners; (2) nonfat or one percent milk or non-dairy milk alternative containing no more than 130 calories per container or serving as offered for sale; or (3) one hundred percent fruit juice or fruit juice combined with water or carbonated water, with no added sweeteners, in a serving size of no more than eight ounces. The bill does not prohibit or preclude a restaurant from selling or offering another beverage as a replacement to the default beverage included with the children's meal. | In Committee |
| S1979 | Excludes certain income earned from health promotion or disease prevention work from income eligibility determination under NJ FamilyCare, WFNJ, and NJ SNAP. | This bill requires the Department of Human Services, in determining an applicant's income eligibility, or re-determining a beneficiary's income eligibility for the NJ FamilyCare program, the Work First New Jersey Program, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), to exclude from income the first $5,000 earned during a calendar year as a community outreach worker for a health promotion or disease prevention program. Under the bill: "community outreach worker" means a temporary employee of a non-profit community-based organization, health care system, local health department, or other similar organization, who is paid hourly or through a stipend and draws on their experiences as a community member to serve as a liaison between those organizations and the community by engaging in outreach activities such as communicating public health and community response information, cultivating new channels to share information, and connecting people to appropriate health and social services; "disease prevention program" means a program that involves actions or efforts to reduce or eliminate exposure to risks that might increase the chances that an individual or a community will incur disease; and "health promotion program" means a program that engages and empowers individuals and communities to develop behaviors that improve and maintain an individual's health. | In Committee |
| S51 | Permits PERS retiree to return to elective public office after retirement under certain circumstances. | This bill provides that a former member of the Public Employees' Retirement System who has been granted a retirement allowance prior to, or on or after, the effective date of this bill, for any cause other than disability, may return to an elective public office position with the former employer, either by appointment to fill a vacancy or by election, without cancellation of the retirement and reenrollment in the system if: (1) the return commences after the retirement allowance becomes due and payable; (2) the former member had attained the service retirement age, applicable to that member, as of the date of retirement; and (3) the compensation for the elective public office held is less than $12,000 per year. This bill will be effective if the qualified status of the retirement system under federal law can be maintained upon its application, and such modifications to the system as may be available will be made to allow for its application. As used in this bill, "former employer" means the public entity from which the former member retired from service performed immediately prior to retirement. | In Committee |
| S1973 | Expands exemptions from drug paraphernalia laws to also exempt certain harm reduction supplies. | This bill exempts certain supplies from State criminal drug paraphernalia laws. Current law establishes criminal penalties for possessing, manufacturing, distributing, dispensing, or advertising drug paraphernalia, which items used in connection with the production, distribution, and use of illicit drugs. Current law provides certain exceptions from the definition of "drug paraphernalia" for fentanyl test strips and hypodermic needles and syringes that are sold by a pharmacy. This bill expands the current exceptions from the definition of "drug paraphernalia" to include: 1) equipment, products used for testing and analyzing a controlled dangerous substance; 2) testing equipment other than fentanyl test strips, used or intended for use identifying, or in analyzing the strength, effectiveness or purity of controlled dangerous substances or controlled substance analogs; 3) dilutants and adulterants, such as quinine hydrochloride, mannitol, mannite, dextrose and lactose, used or intended for use in cutting controlled dangerous substances or controlled substance analogs, which are provided by an entity authorized to provide harm reduction services; 4) blenders, bowls, containers, spoons and mixing devices used or intended for use in compounding controlled dangerous substances or controlled substance analogs, which are provided by an entity authorized to provide harm reduction services; 5) objects used or intended for use in ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing cocaine, nitrous oxide or the fumes of a toxic chemical, other than marijuana or hashish, into the human body, which are provided by an entity authorized to provide harm reduction services; and 6) "harm reduction supplies." Under the bill, "harm reduction supplies," means any materials or equipment used or intended for use in preventing, reducing, or mitigating the adverse effects associated with the personal use of controlled dangerous substances, controlled substance analogs, or toxic chemicals, which adverse effects may include, but are not limited to, disease transmission and overdose. "Harm reduction supplies" includes, but is not to be limited to: naloxone hydrochloride and other opioid antidotes; test strips and other supplies or equipment designed to identify or analyze the presence, strength, effectiveness, or purity of controlled dangerous substances, controlled substance analogs, toxic chemicals, or other substances used to potentiate or enhance the effects of controlled dangerous substances, controlled substance analogs, or toxic chemicals; and supplies or equipment provided by an entity authorized to provide harm reduction services in accordance with the provisions of P.L.2006, c.99 (C.26:5C-25 et al.). The bill would take effect immediately. | Dead |
| S1946 | Amends law to extend length of postpartum coverage for Medicaid services for eligible pregnant women to 180-day period. | This bill amends the law to extend the length of time of postpartum comprehensive Medicaid coverage for eligible pregnant women to a 180-day period, beginning on the last day of pregnancy. In doing so, this bill codifies budget language adopted in the FY 2020 Appropriations Act. Under current State law, comprehensive Medicaid coverage for this population is provided for a 60-day period, beginning on the last day of the pregnancy. This 60-day period complies with federal regulations regarding the minimum time length for postpartum Medicaid coverage. The bill also codifies that the income threshold for pregnant women under Medicaid must not exceed the highest income eligibility level established for pregnant women under the State Medicaid plan - currently 194 percent of the federal poverty level. Furthermore, the bill requires the Commissioner of Human Services to apply for such State plan amendments or waivers as may be necessary to implement the provisions of the bill and to secure federal financial participation for State Medicaid expenditures under the federal Medicaid program. | In Committee |
| S2224 | Requires DCF and DOE to establish policies and procedures relating to child abuse and neglect and child abuse prevention during certain public health emergencies. | This bill requires the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to establish policies and procedures to detect and investigate incidents of child abuse and neglect and to promote child abuse prevention techniques that are to be employed for the duration of any public health emergency declared pursuant to P.L.2005, c.222 (C.26:13-1 et seq.) that necessitates restrictions on person-to-person contact. The policies and procedures are to include, but not be limited to: (1) publicizing the DCF's State Central Registry, as well as other information on reporting child abuse and neglect; (2) allowing certain child protective investigators and permanency workers to perform duties, if appropriate, remotely; (4) allowing the family of a child under the department's care, custody, and supervision to access services remotely, if appropriate; (5) providing for the preparation and dissemination of resource materials prepared by the department regarding child abuse and neglect; and (6) providing for the regular review and analysis of the State's child abuse reporting requirements. The bill authorizes the department to employ these policies and procedures according to the specific circumstances of an existing public health emergency, provided that the department addresses the deficiencies presented by the existing public health emergency regarding child abuse detection, investigation, and prevention. Under the bill, the DCF, in consultation with the Department of Education (DOE), is required to establish a public awareness campaign regarding the protection of children from abuse and neglect during public health emergencies that require restrictions on person-to-person contact; and the policies and procedures established under the bill. The bill also requires the DCF to prepare a fact sheet on the information provided through the public awareness campaign, and to make the fact sheet available in various electronic locations. The DCF is to collect and analyze data on all records of child abuse reports made during the public health emergency declared in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and issue a report, no later than one year after the effective date of the bill, to the Governor and the Legislature. The bill requires the DOE and the DCF to develop an online training program for school employees on the detection and prevention of child abuse, inclusive of how to do so during a public health emergency that requires restrictions on person-to-person contact. The online training program is to be made available to all school districts in the State, free of charge, to assist school employees on the identification, detection, reporting, and response to issues of child abuse. The DOE, in consultation with the DCF, is also to require every school district in the State, during a public health emergency that requires restrictions on person-to-person contact, to: (1) allow students and their families to remotely access information about the DCF's Family Helpline and other similar telephone hotlines; and (2) remotely provide a behavioral health assessment to every student who is deemed at-risk of child abuse or neglect as determined by a school psychologist, school counselor, or school social worker. | In Committee |
| S304 | Expands Medicare health care coverage to all New Jersey residents. | This bill would expand the federal Medicare health care coverage program to every New Jersey resident, regardless of age, health, or disability status. Currently, Medicare is generally available only to people who are age 65 years or older, who have a disability, or who have certain specified health conditions. The bill defines a resident as a person domiciled in the State for a period of 30 days immediately preceding the date of application for inclusion in the Medicare program. The bill requires the State to apply to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for any waiver of federal statute or regulation necessary to effectuate this expansion of Medicare. The application would allow New Jersey to replace federal, State, and local health care programs with universal coverage through New Jersey Medicare. CMS would estimate the cost of providing Medicare for all New Jersey residents, and will deduct the estimated revenue from Medicare and Medicaid payments that New Jersey residents, the State of New Jersey, and the federal government pay to offset those costs. CMS will establish Medicare premiums for New Jersey residents accordingly. Upon the enactment of universal Medicare coverage in New Jersey, the bill would prohibit any health insurance carrier from offering a health benefits plan that includes coverage for health care services covered by Medicare. This provision would ensure full participation in the Medicare program, which would increase enrollment and thus spread the risk of insurance over a larger population to achieve greater cost efficiency in the health care sector. The purpose of this bill is to establish a universal health care coverage program in New Jersey that builds upon the long, successful history of the federal Medicare program. In contrast with most common private insurance plans, Medicare is affordable for nearly everyone, offers greater patient choice in their health care providers, and has much lower out-of-pocket costs. Medicare is more efficient than private insurance, having much lower administrative costs. As an established federal program, expanding Medicare would require no new State bureaucracy and no difficult adjustment for health care providers to a new system. Medicare could provide low-cost health care coverage with to hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents who currently lack health coverage or who may lose coverage as a result of increasingly complex, costly, and restrictive private health insurance. | In Committee |
| S1952 | Requires procurement of management support and other services for certain nursing homes. | This bill requires the procurement of management support and other services for certain nursing homes. Under the bill, if the Department of Health identifies a nursing home in substantial violation, or with a pattern and practice of habitual violations, of the standards of health, safety, and resident care established under federal or State law, the department may, with adequate notice and as appropriate, provide or appoint at the expense of the nursing home, or direct the nursing home to employ, contract with, or otherwise provide, a monitor or other vendor for management support services and resources, consultative services, staffing services, or any other support that may be necessary to: (1) remedy the violations or deficient conditions; (2) transition the nursing home to new ownership; (3) facilitate the safe and orderly closure of the nursing home if ordered by the department; or (4) avoid the cessation of operations of the nursing home. A monitor or vendor selected pursuant to the bill's provisions may: (1) attend any meetings of the nursing home's: owners or board, executive committee, finance committee, steering committee, infection control committee, or any other meeting of the nursing home, including meetings held with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services if permitted under federal law; (2) hire consultants; (3) undertake studies of the nursing home; (4) access records of the nursing home in a manner that is consistent with federal and State privacy laws; (5) convene meetings with the owners of a nursing home; and (6) take actions that are necessary and appropriate to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of the nursing home. | In Committee |
| S1968 | Provides categorical eligibility for subsidized child care services to certain child care workers. | The bill provides eligibility for child care services through the State's subsidized child care assistance program for "qualifying child care workers," regardless of the individual's annual family income. The bill defines a qualifying child care worker as an educator or staff member who is employed by a licensed child care center or a registered family child care provider for a minimum of 20 hours per week. Under the bill, the Commissioner of Human Services is directed to establish a process by which the Department of Human Services will confirm that a qualifying child care worker is employed by a child care provider for the number of hours required to access the child care subsidy benefit. The commissioner, moreover, is to apply for any State plan amendments or waivers necessary to ensure continuation of federal funding for subsidized child care services for eligible families under the "Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990." | In Committee |
| S1955 | Creates certain protections for insurers and insurance producers engaging in business of insurance in connection with cannabis-related businesses. | This bill creates certain protections for insurers and insurance producers engaging in the business of insurance in connection with cannabis-related businesses. Specifically, the bill provides that, notwithstanding any law to the contrary, no State or local government agency may: (1) prohibit, penalize, or otherwise discourage an insurer or insurance producer from engaging in the business of insurance in connection with a cannabis-related business; (2) terminate, cancel, or otherwise limit the policies of an insurer solely because the insurer or insurance producer has engaged in the business of insurance in connection with a cannabis-related business; (3) recommend, incentivize, or encourage an insurer or insurance producer not to engage in the business of insurance in connection with a policyholder, or downgrade or cancel the insurance and insurance services offered to a policyholder solely because the policyholder is or becomes the owner, operator, or employee of a cannabis-related business; or (4) take any adverse or corrective supervisory action on an insurance policy against a cannabis-related business or a person that does business with or is employed by a cannabis-related business, solely because the business or person owns or operates or does business with or is employed by a cannabis-related business, as applicable. The bill provides that insurers and insurance producers, and the officers, directors, and employees of insurers and insurance producers, that engage in the business of insurance with a cannabis-related business or who otherwise engage with a person in a transaction permissible under State law related to cannabis, may not be held liable pursuant to any State law or regulation solely for engaging in the business of insurance, or for further investing any income derived from that business of insurance. The bill also provides that nothing in the bill requires an insurer or insurance producer to engage in the business of insurance in connection with a cannabis-related business and that it does not interfere with the regulation of the business of insurance pursuant to current law, except as expressly provided in the bill. | In Committee |
| S1642 | Prohibits government dealings with businesses associated with Azerbaijan. | This bill prohibits various government dealings with businesses associated with Azerbaijan. Specifically, a person that engages in prohibited activities in Azerbaijan will be placed on a list by the Department of the Treasury and will not be permitted to: (1) contract with State agencies; (2) file or renew a Public Works Contractor Registration; (3) receive an economic development subsidy from the Economic Development Authority; (4) be awarded a municipal property tax abatement, or make or enter into a payment in-lieu of property tax agreement; (5) apply for or receive a tax clearance certificate from the Division of Taxation; (6) be certified as an urban renewal entity for purposes of the "Long Term Tax Exemption Law"; or (7) be designated as a redeveloper by a public agency for the purposes of the "Local Redevelopment and Housing Law." The bill prohibits the State from investing pension or annuity funds in companies with an equity tie to the government of Azerbaijan. The bill also prohibits the State and its subdivisions from banking with, having or holding stock, debt, or other equity investments of, or maintaining insurance coverage through a policy issued by a financial institution that has an equity tie to the government of Azerbaijan. | In Committee |
| S1947 | Prohibits sale of flavored cigarettes, non-premium cigars, and oral nicotine pouches. | This bill extends the current State statutory ban on the sale of flavored cigarettes to include menthol and clove cigarettes. New Jersey generally banned flavored cigarettes in 2008, but included in that law exceptions for menthol and clove cigarettes. In 2009, the federal government adopted a law banning all flavored cigarettes, including clove, but also provided an exception for menthol cigarettes. Under the bill, the existing penalties for prohibited sales of flavored cigarettes will apply to sales of menthol and clove cigarettes. The substitute makes the prohibitions and penalties under the flavored cigarette ban applicable to retailers, rather than individuals. The revision to the flavor ban means that a retailer is not to, either directly or indirectly by an agent or employee, or by a vending machine owned by the retailer or located in the retailer's establishment, sell, offer for sale, distribute for commercial purpose at no cost or minimal cost or with coupons or rebate offers, give or furnish, to a person a cigarette, or any component part thereof, which contains a natural or artificial constituent or additive that causes the cigarette product or any smoke emanating from the cigarette or product to have a characterizing flavor other than tobacco. In no event is a cigarette or any component part thereof to be construed to have a characterizing flavor based solely on the use of additives or flavorings, or the provision of an ingredient list made available by any means. The existing penalties under the current law concerning flavored cigarettes will continue to apply, such that a retailer who makes a prohibited sale will be liable to a civil penalty of not less than $250 for the first violation, not less than $500 for the second violation, and $1,000 for the third and each subsequent violation. In addition, the retailer's tobacco retailer license may be suspended or revoked upon a second or subsequent violation, under certain circumstances. The licensee will also be subject to administrative charges, based on a schedule issued by the Director of the Division of Taxation, which may provide for a monetary penalty in lieu of a suspension. | In Committee |
| S1960 | Requires helmet while operating bicycle, scooter, or motorized scooter. | This bill requires all persons to wear a helmet when bicycling, roller skating, or skateboarding. Current law requires persons 17 years of age and younger to wear a helmet when bicycling, roller skating, or skateboarding. This bill also extends the helmet requirement to operators of non-motorized and motorized scooters. Under current law, it is unlawful to manufacture, assemble, sell, offer to sell, or distribute bicycles, roller skates, or skateboards without a warning notice advising customers of the legal provisions concerning the wearing of approved helmets and appropriate personal protection equipment, and persons selling or renting bicycles, roller skates, or skateboards are required to advise their customers of these legal provisions and make helmets available to persons subject to the helmet requirement. Businesses complying with these requirements would not be liable in a civil action for damages for any physical injury sustained by a bicyclist, roller skater, or skateboarder who fails to wear a helmet. The bill expands these requirements and civil immunity provisions to non-motorized and motorized scooters. The bill does not amend section 8 of P.L.1997, c.411 (C.39:4-10.12), and therefore, it is the sponsor's understanding that the bill's provisions do not apply to operators and patrons of roller skating rinks subject to the "New Jersey Roller Skating Rink Safety and Fair Liability Act," P.L.1991, c.28 (C.5:14-1 et seq.). | In Committee |
| S1978 | Establishes Interagency Council on Homelessness. | This bill establishes the "Interagency Council on Homelessness" (council) in, but not of, the Department of Community Affairs to replace the statutorily-established "New Jersey Homelessness Prevention Task Force." The bill establishes the council to serve as an advisory body to the existing Office of Homelessness Prevention, to develop recommendations, through a collaborative effort among representatives of State government, providers of services to the homeless, and other concerned representatives of the public, and to develop, promote, and support efforts for the most effective means of coordinating and funding programs to meet the various needs of persons who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The bill also expands membership of this advisory board. The bill requires the Commissioner of Community Affairs to notify the members of the New Jersey Homelessness Prevention Task Force of the termination of the task force and otherwise provide for the transfer or other disposition of the records, property, and personnel of task force to the council. This bill requires the council to prepare an annual report on its findings, conclusions, and recommendations and to submit the report to the Governor and to the Legislature. | Dead |
| S1393 | Authorizes home cultivation of medical cannabis. | This bill authorizes the home cultivation of medical cannabis for a registered qualifying patient's personal medical use. Specifically, the bill provides that a registered qualifying patient who is 21 years of age or older who provides notice to the Cannabis Regulatory Commission of the intent to home cultivate medical cannabis will be allowed to either home cultivate medical cannabis himself or herself, or authorize a designated caregiver to home cultivate medical cannabis on the patient's behalf. A home cultivator will be allowed to cultivate and possess up to four mature cannabis plants and up to four immature cannabis plants. Medical cannabis may only be home cultivated at the residence of the authorized home cultivator that is on file with the commission. The notice of intent to home cultivate medical cannabis provided to the commission is to specify which individual will home cultivate the medical cannabis. In no case may more than one individual home cultivate medical cannabis for a registered qualifying patient at one time. A patient may change the designated home cultivator upon providing 10 days' notice to the commission. At least 10 days after providing the notice of change, but no more than 30 days after providing notice, any medical cannabis plants in the former home cultivator's possession may be transferred to the new designated home cultivator. Any plants that are not transferred to the new home cultivator are to be promptly surrendered to law enforcement for destruction. The failure to provide notice of a change in designated home cultivator will result in the patient's registration with the commission being deemed null and void. The commission will be required to promptly update the registry information for the patient and any affected designated caregiver upon receiving notice of the patient's intent to home cultivate medical cannabis or of a change in who is authorized to home cultivate medical cannabis for the patient. Any designated caregiver of a patient who elects to home cultivate medical cannabis will be authorized to possess, transport, and assist the patient with the administration of home-cultivated medical cannabis in dried form or in any other consumable form, regardless of whether the designated caregiver is designated as the patient's home cultivator. In addition to any other civil or criminal penalties as may apply, any individual in possession of home-cultivated medical cannabis in the form of a mature or immature plant or in any consumable form, who sells, donates, or furnishes the home-cultivated medical cannabis to any individual who is not authorized to be in possession of the home-cultivated medical cannabis under the bill, will be liable to a civil penalty of up to $1,000. In addition, the individual's registration with the commission will be deemed null and void, and the individual will be permanently ineligible for re-registration with the commission as a qualifying patient, a designated caregiver, or an institutional caregiver. It is the sponsor's intent to expand access to medical cannabis for registered qualifying patients who may find the medical cannabis that is available through a medical cannabis dispensary unaffordable, or who may otherwise benefit from the convenience of home cultivation or the ability to readily access medical cannabis in the strain and form appropriate to the patient's individual treatment needs. Of the 36 states that have approved a comprehensive medical cannabis program, 17, or nearly half, currently allow for home cultivation of medical cannabis: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. | In Committee |
| S682 | Enters New Jersey into Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact. | This bill enters New Jersey into the "Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact." The purpose of the Compact is to facilitate interstate practice of audiology and speech-language pathology with the goal of improving public access to audiology and speech-language pathology services. The privilege to practice under the compact derives from the license issued to the audiologist or speech-language pathologist in the licensee's state of resident, which is called the "home state." For the purposes of the compact, an audiologist or speech-language pathologist may only hold one home state license at a time. A home state license is recognized by each member state as authorizing the audiologist or speech-language pathologist to practice audiology or speech-language pathology, under a privilege to practice, in each member state. Member states are required to implement or utilize procedures for considering the criminal history records of applicants for initial licensure. Applicants to practice under the compact are required to maintain licensure in their home state. Upon application for a privilege to practice in a remote state, the licensing board in the remote state will be required to ascertain, through a data system established under the compact, whether the applicant has ever held, or is the holder of, a license issued by any other state, whether there are any encumbrances on any license or privilege to practice held by the applicant, and whether any adverse action has been taken against any license or privilege to practice held by the applicant. Member states may charge a fee for granting a compact privilege. In order for an audiologist to practice under the compact, the audiologist will be required to meet certain educational requirements; have completed a supervised clinical practicum experience and successfully passed a national examination approved by the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Compact Commission (commission); hold an active, unencumbered license; have not been convicted or found guilty of a felony related to the practice of audiology; and have a valid United States Social Security or National Practitioner Identification number. In order for a speech-language pathologist to practice under the compact, the speech-language pathologist will be required to meet certain educational requirements; have completed a supervised clinical practicum experience; have completed a supervised postgraduate professional experience; have successfully passed a national examination approved by the commission; hold an active, unencumbered license; have not been convicted or found guilty of a felony related to the practice of speech-language pathology; and have a valid United States Social Security or National Practitioner Identification number. An audiologist or speech-language pathologist practicing in a member state will be required to comply with the practice laws of the state in which the client is located at the time service is provided. The practice of audiology and speech-language pathology will include all audiology and speech-language pathology practice as defined by the state practice laws of the member state in which the client is located. The practice of audiology and speech-language pathology in a member state under a privilege to practice will subject an audiologist or speech-language pathologist to the jurisdiction of the licensing board, the courts, and the laws of the member state in which the client is located at the time service is provided. Individuals not residing in a member state will continue to be able to apply for a member state's single-state license as provided under the laws of that member state; provided that a single-state license granted to a non-resident will not be recognized as authorizing the licensee to practice in other remote states under the compact; an individual residing in a non-member state will only be authorized to practice in the specific states in which the individual is licensed. To exercise the compact privilege under the terms and provisions of the compact, an audiologist or speech-language pathologist will be required to: 1) hold an active license in the home state; 2) have no encumbrance on any state license; 3) be eligible for a compact privilege; 4) have not had any adverse action against any license or compact privilege within the previous two years from the date of the application; 5) notify the commission that the licensee is seeking the compact privilege within a remote state; 6) pay any applicable fees, including any state fee, for the compact privilege; and 7) report to the commission any adverse action taken against the licensee by any non-member state within 30 days from the date the adverse action is taken. Licensees who move from one member state to another member state will be required to obtain home-state licensure in the new member state in order to continue practicing under the compact. The licensee will also be required to terminate licensure in the former home state. Licensees moving to another member state will be permitted to initiate the licensure application process in the new member state before moving to the new member state. If a licensee moves from a member state to a non-member state, the licensee will no longer be able to participate in the compact, but may practice in member states by obtaining a single-state license to practice in the state, and may continue to practice in the former home state, if the licensee maintains licensure in that state. Licensees providing audiology or speech-language pathology services in a remote state under the compact privilege will be required to function within the laws and regulations of the remote state, and will be subject to that state's regulatory authority. A remote state may, in accordance with due process and that state's laws, remove a licensee's compact privilege in the remote state for a specific period of time, impose fines, and take any other necessary actions to protect the health and safety of its citizens. If a home state license is encumbered, the licensee will lose the compact privilege in any remote state until: 1) the home state license is no longer encumbered; 2) two years have elapsed from the date of the adverse action; and 3) the licensee otherwise meets the requirements to practice under the compact. Member states will be required to recognize the right of an audiologist or speech-language pathologist to practice audiology or speech-language pathology under the compact in any member state via telehealth. Active duty military personnel and their spouses will be permitted to practice under the compact by designating a home state where the individual has a current license in good standing. The individual may retain the home state designation during the period the service member is on active duty. Subsequent to designating a home state, the individual may only change the individual's home state through application for licensure in the new state. Only a home state may take adverse action against a licensee's license. However, remote states will have the authority to take adverse action against an audiologist's or speech-language pathologist's privilege to practice within that member state and issue subpoenas for both hearings and investigations. Home states will be required to give the same priority and effect to reported conduct received from a member state as they would if the conduct had occurred within the home state. In so doing, the home state is to apply its own state laws to determine appropriate action. A member state may take adverse action against an audiologist or speech-language pathologist based on the factual findings of a remote state, provided that the member state follows the member state's own procedures for taking the adverse action. Member states may participate in investigations and share information with other member states in furtherance of an investigation. Home states will be required to complete any pending investigations of an audiologist or speech-language pathologist who changes primary state of residence during the course of an investigation. The home state will also have the authority to take appropriate action against the licensee and will be required to promptly report the conclusions of the investigation to the data system established under the compact, which will then notify the new home state of any adverse actions against the licensee. Member states may recover from a licensee the costs of investigations and dispositions of cases resulting from any adverse action taken against the licensee. Nothing in the compact is to override a member state's decision that participation in an alternative program may be used in lieu of adverse action. The compact is administered by a joint public agency known as the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Compact Commission. Each member state appoints two delegates to the commission, including one audiologist and one speech-language pathologist, which members are selected by the member state's licensing board. The delegates are required to be current members of the member state's licensing board. The commission also includes five additional delegates, each of whom is either a public member or board administrator from a state licensing board, who are chosen by the commission's executive committee from a pool of nominees provided by the commission at large. The commission meets at least once during each calendar year. The commission is responsible for: establishing its fiscal year; establishing bylaws; establishing a code of ethics; maintaining financial records; meeting and taking actions consistent with the compact and the commission's bylaws; promulgating uniform rules to facilitate and coordinate the implementation and administration of the compact; bringing and prosecuting legal proceedings or actions; purchasing and maintaining insurance and bonds; engaging personnel services and establishing personnel policies and programs; accepting any and all appropriate donations and grants of money, equipment, supplies, materials, services, and property, provided that at all times the commission avoids any appearance of impropriety or conflict of interest; establishing a budget and making expenditures; borrowing money; appointing committees; providing and receiving information from, and cooperating with, law enforcement agencies; establishing and electing an executive committee; and performing other functions as may be necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of the compact. The commission's executive committee comprises 10 members, including seven voting members who are elected by the commission from its current membership and three nonvoting, ex-officio members, including one member from a recognized national audiology professional association, one member from a recognized national speech-language pathology association, and one member from the recognized membership organization of the audiology and speech-language pathology licensing boards. The ex-officio members will be selected by their respective organizations. The executive committee meets at least annually, and has the following duties and responsibilities: recommending to the entire commission changes to its rules or bylaws, changes to the compact, fees paid by compact member states, and fees charged to licensees; ensuring compact administration services are appropriately provided; preparing and recommending the commission's budget; maintaining financial records; monitoring compliance with the compact by member states; establishing additional committees as necessary; and any other duties as provided in the commission's rules or bylaws. All meetings of the commission are to be open to the public and are subject to public notice requirements. However, the commission, its executive committee, and other committees may convene in a closed, non-public meeting if the commission or executive committee or other committees of the commission are to discuss: non-compliance of a member state with the compact; personnel issues related to specific employees or other matters related to the commission's internal personnel practices and procedures; current, threatened, or reasonably anticipated litigation; negotiation of purchase contracts; criminal accusations and formal censures; disclosure of trade secrets or privileged or confidential information; disclosure of private, personal information; disclosure of investigative records compiled for law enforcement purposes; disclosure of information related to investigative reports; or other matters specifically exempted from disclosure by state or federal law. If a meeting, or portion of a meeting, is closed, the commission's legal counsel or designee is required to certify that the meeting may be closed and reference each relevant exempting provision. The commission is required to pay, or provide for the payment of, the reasonable expenses of its establishment, organization, and ongoing activities. The commission may accept any and all appropriate revenue sources, donations, and grants of money, equipment, supplies, materials, and services. The commission may levy on and collect an annual assessment from each member state or impose fees on other parties to cover the cost of its operations and activities. The commission may not incur obligations of any kind prior to securing the funds adequate to meet the same; nor may it pledge the credit of any of the member states, except by and with the authority of the member state. The commission is required to keep accurate accounts of all receipts and disbursements. The receipts and disbursements of the commission are subject to audit and accounting procedures, and all receipts and disbursements of funds handled by the commission are to be audited yearly, with the report of the audit included in the commission's annual report. The members, officers, executive director, employees, and representatives of the commission are immune from suit and liability, either personally or in their official capacity, for any claim for damage to or loss of property or personal injury or other civil liability caused by or arising out of any actual or alleged act, error, or omission within the scope of commission employment, duties, or responsibilities. The commission is required to defend its members, officers, executive director, employees, and representatives in any civil action arising out of any actual or alleged act, error, or omission that occurred within the scope of commission employment, duties, or responsibilities, provided that nothing in the compact prohibits any person from retaining the person's own counsel. The commission is required to indemnify and hold harmless any member, officer, executive director, employee, or representative of the commission for the amount of any settlement or judgment obtained against that person arising out of any actual or alleged act, error, or omission that occurred within the scope of commission employment, duties, or responsibilities. The immunity, requirement to defend, and requirement to indemnify under the compact do not apply to intentional or willful or wanton misconduct. The commission is required to provide for the development, maintenance, and utilization of a coordinated database and reporting system containing licensure, adverse action, and investigative information on all licensed individuals in member states. Member states are required to submit a uniform data set to the data system on all individuals to whom the compact is applicable, including: identifying information; licensure data; adverse actions against a license or compact privilege; non-confidential information related to alternative program participation; any denial of an application for licensure, and the reason for the denial; and other information that may facilitate the administration of the compact. Investigative information pertaining to a licensee is only available to other member states. The commission is required to promptly notify all member states of any adverse action taken against a licensee or an individual applying for a license. Adverse action information pertaining to a licensee in any member state is available to any other member state. Member states contributing information to the data system may designate information that may not be shared with the public without that state's express permission. Any information submitted to the data system that is subsequently required to be expunged by the laws of the member state contributing the information is to be removed from the data system. The commission is required to promulgate rules to administer the compact, which rules are binding on all member states. If a majority of the legislatures of the member states rejects a rule, by enactment of a statute or resolution in the same manner used to adopt the compact within four years of the date of adoption of the rule, the rule will have no further force and effect in any member state. Rules may be adopted at a regular or special meeting of the commission. Proposed rulemakings are subject to a 30-day public notice requirement. The rulemaking process includes a process for the public to submit written data, facts, opinions, and arguments, which are made available to the public. The commission may also be required to hold a public hearing on the proposed rulemaking upon request by at least 25 individuals, by a governmental entity, or by an organization that has at least 25 members. All public hearings are recorded and made available on request. More than one proposed rule may be considered at a single hearing. In adopting final rules, the commission is required to consider all written and oral comments received. The commission additionally has the authority to adopt emergency rules under certain circumstances, which emergency rules are valid for no more than 90 days. Upon request by a member state, the commission is to attempt to resolve disputes related to the compact that arise among member states and between member and non-member states, which may include mediation or binding dispute resolution. Member states may withdraw from the compact by enacting a repealer statute. A member state's withdrawal will not take effect until six months after enactment of the repealing statute. Withdrawal does not affect the requirement for the withdrawing state to continue to assist with investigative and adverse action reporting requirements incurred prior to withdrawal. Nothing in the compact is to be construed to invalidate or prevent any audiology or speech-language pathology licensure agreement or other cooperative arrangement between a member state and a non-member state that does not conflict with the provisions of the compact. The compact may be amended by the member states, through the adoption of amendatory legislation in each member state. The compact is to be liberally construed so as to effectuate its purposes. The provisions of the compact are severable. Nothing in the compact is to be construed to prevent the enforcement of any other law of a member state that is not inconsistent with the compact. All laws in a member state in conflict with the compact are superseded to the extent of the conflict. All lawful actions of the commission, including all rules and bylaws promulgated by the commission, are binding upon the member states. All agreements between the commission and the member states are binding in accordance with their terms. In the event any provision of the compact exceeds the constitutional limits imposed on the legislature of any member state, the provision is ineffective to the extent of the conflict. The compact took effect upon adoption by 10 states, and is currently in effect in 23 states, including Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. | In Committee |
| S1958 | Eliminates fee for filing certified copy of name change order. | Under current law, a $50 fee is charged for filing a certified copy of an order for change of name. Many New Jersey residents seek a change of name each year for reasons including marriage and divorce. This bill eliminates the fee for filing a certified copy of a name change order in this State. | In Committee |
| S2212 | Requires DHS to establish a pilot program covering menstrual hygiene products under Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare. | This bill establishes a pilot program under which the State Medicaid and New Jersey FamilyCare programs would provide menstrual hygiene products free-of-charge for Medicaid and New Jersey FamilyCare-eligible menstruators through contracted Medicaid pharmacies. The bill defines "menstrual hygiene products" as tampons, menstrual cups, and sanitary napkins used to collect menstrual fluids. This pilot program is contingent upon federal approval of the State's Section 1115 waiver application to provide this new benefit and the receipt of federal matching funds for State expenditures for menstrual hygiene products under the Medicaid and New Jersey FamilyCare programs. Under the bill, the Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with appropriate experts in the fields of gynecology, women's health, and adolescent health, would determine both the quantity and frequency with which menstrual hygiene products are to be provided to eligible menstruators. Menstruators enrolled in the Medicaid or the New Jersey FamilyCare programs would receive a supply of menstrual hygiene products, at no cost, by providing a current Medicaid identification card at an approved Medicaid pharmacy. Pharmacies that participate in the pilot would then submit claims to the department, on a quarterly basis, for reimbursement for the menstrual hygiene products furnished to eligible menstruators. Currently, federal statute and regulations prohibit enrollees in federal safety-net programs, such as the Medicaid program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), from using their benefits to purchase menstrual hygiene products. The impact of these policies is clearly illustrated in the results of a recent survey of low-income women in St. Louis, MO. Of the women surveyed, 66 percent reported being unable to afford menstrual hygiene products at some point in the previous 12 months, while 20 percent of these respondents confronted this problem on a monthly basis. During the school year, low-income students may have access to menstrual hygiene products through the school health office or designated teachers. However, research by menstrual pad manufacturer Always shows that 20 percent of school-aged menstruators have either left school early, or missed school days altogether, because they lacked access to menstrual hygiene products. The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has only heightened "period poverty," a term that refers to inadequate access to menstrual hygiene products and education, clean toilets, and handwashing facilities, as numerous New Jersey residents face economic hardship due to pandemic-related job losses and reduced hours of employment, and as schools switch students to remote learning as a way to slow the spread of COVID-19. Without access to menstrual hygiene products, many low-income menstruators are forced to extend the length of time they use a single tampon or sanitary napkin, or reuse a soiled sanitary napkin, thereby risking infection and, potentially, toxic shock syndrome. Other menstruators resort to using alternatives to menstrual hygiene products, such as toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, socks, or rags. It is the intent of the bill's sponsor to provide all low-income menstruators with equitable access to a reliable supply of menstrual hygiene products through the Medicaid and New Jersey FamilyCare programs. | In Committee |
| S1977 | Authorizes State Treasurer to sell as surplus certain real property and improvements in Township of Woodbridge in Middlesex County. | This bill authorizes the State Treasure to sell and convey a portion of the State's interest within the former Woodbridge Development Center property located at 1291 Rahway Avenue in the Township of Woodbridge, Middlesex County. The State will sell two non-contiguous parcels and improvements thereon containing 2.321 acres. The State will sell the property to the Township of Woodbridge for the appraised value of $910,000. The property is considered surplus to the needs of the State. The State House Commission will set the terms and conditions of the sale. In 2018, the State House Commission approved the sale of a portion of the former site of the Department of Correction's Woodbridge Development Center property to the Township of Woodbridge. The current sale will subdivide the Power Plant Parcel of the former site so that the State retains the central portion of the parcel and certain rights and the Township of Woodbridge acquires the northern and southern portion of the parcel. | Dead |
| S2240 | Provides temporary corporation business tax and gross income tax credits for certain employer-provided child care expenditures. | This bill provides businesses with credits against the corporation business tax and the gross income tax for certain employer-provided child care expenditures. The bill allows the tax credits for the three calendar years beginning after enactment. The bill permits businesses subject to the corporation business tax or the gross income tax to apply a credit against the tax liability otherwise due for a percentage of up to $50,000 of eligible expenditure made to acquire, construct, reconstruct, renovate, or otherwise improve real property to be used as a qualified child care center. The bill also permits businesses to apply a separate, additional credit for a percentage of up to $50,000 of eligible expenditures made in connection with the provision of certain child care services. The bill provides that the amount of the credit allowed for the construction of a child care center is equal to 50 percent of up to $50,000 of the cost paid or incurred by a business to acquire, construct, reconstruct, renovate, or otherwise improve real property in this State that is to be used by the business, or another person under contract or agreement with the business, to conduct, maintain, and operate a qualified child care center primarily for the children of individuals employed by the business. The bill provides that the amount of the credit allowed for the provision of child care services is equal to: -- 50 percent of up to $50,000 of the cost paid or incurred by a business to conduct, maintain, and operate a qualified child care center of the business that is used primarily by the children of individuals employed by the business; -- 50 percent of up to $50,000 of the amount paid by a business to another person to conduct, maintain, and operate, under contract or agreement with the business, a qualified child care center of the business that is used primarily by the children of individuals employed by the business; -- 50 percent of up to $50,000 of the amount paid by a business to another person under contract or agreement with the business, for the provision of child care to children of individuals employed by the business at a qualified child care center; or -- 10 percent of up to $50,000 of the cost paid or incurred by a business for the provision, by the business or by another person under contract or agreement with the business, of qualified child care information and referral services to individuals employed by the business. The bill provides that to be eligible to apply the credit for the construction of a child care center a business must make and enter into an agreement with the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury. The bill specifies that the agreement must require the business to demonstrate the intended use and status of the real property acquired, constructed, reconstructed, renovated, or otherwise improved in this State, and require the business to use that property to conduct, maintain, and operate a qualified child care center primarily for the children of individuals employed by the business for a 60-month period. The bill defines a "qualified child care center" as a facility that is licensed as a child care center by the Department of Children and Families, and participates in Grow NJ Kids, but specifically excludes from that definition facilities licensed by the department if: the principal use of the facility is for some purpose other than the care, development, and supervision of children; the facility is not used on a regular basis to provide for the care, development, and supervision of children; enrollment in the facility is not open to children of individuals employed by the business claiming the credit; or use of the facility is limited or restricted under procedures, criteria, or other systems of selection that unfairly discriminate. The purpose of this bill is to encourage New Jersey businesses to take a more active role in the provision of child care to employees and their children. Businesses that are active in providing child care typically have a more engaged and productive workforce and play an integral part in reducing the overall demand for quality, affordable child care in this State. | In Committee |
| S1945 | Requires each principal department in Executive Branch to conduct review of department's COVID-19 preparedness, response, and recovery and make recommendations. | For over a year, the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on the lives of every resident of this State. Many New Jersey families have experienced firsthand the effects of furloughs and layoffs, the stresses of prolonged social isolation, and the pain of preventable illnesses and deaths. It is anticipated that COVID-19 will have lasting deleterious effects on the State and the nation due to the costs of the COVID-19 response, widespread upticks in unemployment claims, and the lasting toll of the disease on first responders, health care workers, and the health care industry, as well as to other commercial and social sectors. This bill requires each principal department in the Executive Branch to conduct a review of the department's COVID-19 preparedness, response, and recovery and to make recommendations. Under the bill, the head of each principal department in the Executive Branch must conduct an internal analysis of the department's preparedness, response, and recovery efforts concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, and develop a preparedness, response, and recovery plan for any future state of emergency or public health emergency. The bill also requires the head of each principal department in the Executive Branch to report the findings and recommendations from the internal analysis to the Governor and the Legislature no later than two years following the effective date of the bill. | In Committee |
| S1195 | Requires public school student with concussion to be evaluated by physician or other licensed health care provider before return to school and return to physical activity at school. | This bill provides that a student enrolled in a school district who sustains a concussion must receive an evaluation by a physician or other licensed health care provider trained in the evaluation and management of concussions and written clearance from one of these physicians in order to return to school. In the event that the physician provides notice that the student requires restrictions or limitations, the school district 504 team must immediately implement the restrictions or limitations and notify all teachers and staff who have contact with the student of the restrictions or limitations. The school district's 504 team, in consultation with the physician who provided notice, would promptly identify the manner in which the restrictions or limitations would be provided to the student during recovery and the need for the continuation or adjustment of the restrictions or limitations, and to determine the duration of the restrictions or limitations. The bill also provides that a student enrolled in a school district who sustains a concussion is prohibited from engaging in any physical activity at school including, but not limited to, recess, physical education, or intramural sports. The student may not participate in any physical activity until he is evaluated by a physician or other licensed health care provider trained in the evaluation and management of concussions and he receives written clearance from the physician to participate. | In Committee |
| S1976 | Requires study and implementation of reference-based pricing for SHBP and SEHBP. | This bill requires the State Health Benefits Commission and School Employees' Health Benefits Commission to conduct comprehensive reviews of reference-based pricing health benefits models and the fiscal impact of implementing reference-based pricing for the State Health Benefits Program and the School Employees' Health Benefits Program. The review must be conducted in consultation with the actuary of each program and the carriers under contract with each program. The review must identify areas of health care benefits and services where reference-based pricing can be implemented. The bill specifies the areas and issues to be evaluated by each commission and requires each commission to issue a final report on its findings and recommendations within 180 days after the effective date of the bill. Within one year following the effective date of this bill, each commission must implement reference-based pricing for each contract entered into with a carrier after the effective date in a manner that places limitations on reimbursement rates using Medicare rates as the reference point. Each commission, prior to implementation, must adopt a written report detailing how the reference percentages have been set by each commission, the expected cost savings, and the existing negotiated cost ranges by procedure that each carrier under contract with each commission has in place prior to implementation of the reference-based price limitation. | In Committee |
| S2239 | Extends duration of law requiring certain provider subsidy payments for child care services be based on enrollment. | This bill extends the applicability of P.L.2021, c.324, which requires that subsidy payments to licensed child care providers be based on enrollment of students who are eligible for child care services, rather than on attendance, to provide that the provisions of the law continue for an additional three years, instead of expiring on June 30, 2022 as provided for in existing law. The bill provides that a licensed child care provider or registered family day care provider receiving subsidy payments based on enrollment is required to pay wages to its staff, and determine the number of hours worked by staff, based on the number of children enrolled with the provider who are eligible for child care services. At no time will the amount of wages paid to staff or the number of hours worked by staff be based on the attendance of children eligible for child care services. The bill stipulates that a licensed child care center or a registered family day care provider receiving subsidy payments based on enrollment will continue to receive such payments until the Division of Family Development (the division) in the Department of Human Services issues the report required pursuant to the bill, at which time the division may consider to extend the payment of enrollment-based subsidies to licensed child care centers and registered family day care providers in accordance with P.L.2021, c.324. The bill requires the division to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature on the study conducted under the provisions of P.L.2021, c.324 within three years following the effective date of the bill. | In Committee |
| S1940 | Concerns family leave and gestational carriers. | This bill amends P.L.1948, c.110 and P.L.1989, c.261 to have the paid and unpaid leave provided under those laws include leave time in which an employee who is intended to become the parent of a child under a written agreement with a gestational carrier or otherwise provides care for the person whose pregnancy will result in the child during the person's pregnancy and recovery from childbirth. | In Committee |
| S1943 | Requires workers' compensation, PIP, and health insurance coverage for the medical use of cannabis under certain circumstances. | This bill requires workers' compensation, personal injury protection (PIP), and health insurance coverage for the medical use of cannabis under certain circumstances. The bill provides that personal injury protection automobile insurance benefits, workers' compensation benefits, and health benefits plans must include coverage for costs associated with the medical use of cannabis, provided that the insured, employee, or covered person is a qualifying patient authorized for the medical use of cannabis pursuant to the "Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act," P.L.2009, c.307 (C.24:6I-1 et al). In addition, the bill provides that an employer or workers' compensation insurance carrier, private passenger automobile insurance carrier, or health insurance carrier is not required to provide coverage or benefits for costs associated with the medical use of cannabis upon intervention by the federal government to enforce of the federal "Controlled Substances Act" (21 U.S.C. s.802 et seq.). Lastly, the bill provides that an employer, insurer, or health insurance carrier shall, if for any reason payment by the employer, insurer, or health insurance carrier to the medical cannabis dispensary is not feasible, remit directly to the insured, employee, or covered person the costs for any benefits associated with the medical use of cannabis upon proof of payment by the insured, employee, or covered person to the medical cannabis dispensary. | In Committee |
| S1885 | Broadens eligibility for certain veterans' benefits by eliminating requirement of service during specified dates or in specified locations. | This bill broadens the eligibility for various veterans benefits by eliminating the requirement that to be considered a veteran a person must have served during periods of war, in specific war zones, or during periods of emergency. Instead, the bill provides that a person will be considered a veteran if he or she served for at least 90 days, exclusive of certain types of initial training, in order to be eligible for veterans benefits. The bill specifies that to be considered a veteran and eligible for veterans benefits, a member of a reserve component of the United States Armed Forces (including the National Guard) must serve the entire period to which he or she is called to federal active service, exclusive of active duty for training. A person who is discharged as the result of a service-connected disability will be classed as a veteran even if he or she did not meet the 90-day service requirement. The veterans benefits include: (1) civil service preference under Title 11A of the New Jersey Statutes; (2) veteran's retirement allowance under the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) or the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS); (3) the purchase of additional military service credit in the Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS), TPAF and PERS; (4) the annual property tax deduction provided under Article VIII of the New Jersey Constitution ($250 each tax year) or the property tax exemption provided under N.J.S.A.54:4-3.30 for a veteran who is certified permanently 100% disabled by the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs; and (5) surviving spouse benefits for veterans killed in active service, including civil service preference and the property tax deduction or exemption. The bill provides that an active service member of the United States Armed Forces or a current member of a military reserve component (including the National Guard) who has not been discharged from service is eligible for the civil service preference and the property tax deduction provided that he or she qualifies as a veteran. Eligibility for the property tax benefits and civil service preference is contingent upon voter approval of authorizing amendments to the State Constitution. Article VIII, Section I, paragraph 3 (concerning property tax benefits) and Article VII, Section I, paragraph 2 (concerning civil service preference) of the State Constitution currently refer to service in time of war. The bill repeals a section of existing civil service, pension and tax law regarding wartime service which is no longer necessary because of the elimination of the wartime service requirement. | In Committee |
| S1983 | Eliminates certain practice restrictions for advanced practice nurses. | This bill eliminates practice restrictions for advanced practice nurses (APNs), including restrictions that limit the ability of APNs to prescribe medications and administer anesthesia, and establishes new requirements for APNs to prescribe medications. The bill expressly provides that, notwithstanding the provisions of any other law or regulation to the contrary, an APN with greater than 24 months or 2,400 hours of licensed, active, advanced nursing practice will be authorized to practice without a joint protocol with a collaborating provider. With regard to prescribing medications, the bill requires the use of New Jersey Prescription Blanks and satisfying continuing professional education requirements related to pharmacology and prescribing controlled substances. An APN with fewer than 24 months or 2,400 hours of licensed, active, advanced nursing practice in an initial role will be permitted to prescribe medication only if a formal joint protocol with a physician or experienced advanced practice nurse is in place. The bill revises the requirements for APNs to authorize patients for medical cannabis and to issue written instructions for medical cannabis, to provide that the APN will only be required to meet the requirements set forth under the "Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act," P.L.2009, c.307 (C.24:6I-1 et al.). Those requirements include: possessing active State and federal registrations to prescribe controlled dangerous substances; being the health care practitioner responsible for the ongoing treatment of a patient's qualifying medical condition; and complying with various other requirements for issuing written instructions for medical cannabis. The bill further provides that every APN who is an APN-Anesthesia and who has completed 24 months or 2,400 hours of licensed, active, advanced nursing practice in an initial role will be authorized to practice as an APN-Anesthesia to the full scope of practice for APNs-Anesthesia, without any requirement for supervision by a licensed physician and without any requirement that the APN-Anesthesia enter into joint protocols with a licensed physician. The bill provides that any State law or regulation that requires the signature or similar endorsement of a physician will be deemed to require the same of an APN, to the extent consistent with an APN's scope of practice. The bill revises and repeals certain sections of law that are obviated by the changes made under the bill. | In Committee |
| S1982 | Requires age verification and parent or guardian consent for minor's use of social media platform; prohibits certain messaging between adults and minors on social media platform. | This bill prohibits a social media company (company) from permitting a New Jersey resident who is a minor to be an account holder on the company's platform unless the minor has obtained the express consent of a parent or guardian. To provide express consent, the parent or guardian is required to provide credit card information to the social media company and consent to a fee of not more than 35 cents to be charged to the credit card provided. The bill also requires a company to verify the age of an existing or new account holder and, if the existing or new account holder is a minor, confirm that a minor has obtained express consent from a parent or guardian in accordance with the bill's provisions: (1) for a new account, at the time the resident opens the account; or (2) for an account holder who has not provided age verification, within 14 calendar days of the account holder's attempt to access the account. If an account holder fails to meet the age verification requirements within the required time period, the company is required to deny access to the account: (1) upon the expiration of the time period; and (2) until all verification requirements are met. The bill requires a company, for a social media platform account held by a minor account holder, to: (1) prohibit direct messaging between the account and any other adult user that is not linked to the account through adding on the social media platform; and (2) not collect or use any personal information from the posts, content, messages, text, or usage activities of the account other than information that is necessary to comply with, and to verify compliance with, State or federal law, which information includes a parent or guardian's name, a birth date, and any other information required to be submitted to provide express consent. The Division of Consumer Affairs (division) is responsible for enforcement of the bill's provisions. The division is required to receive consumer complaints related to, investigate alleged violation of, and enforce the provisions of this bill. The division is entitled to any penalties, fines, or fees collected for a violation. The division is authorized to impose a civil penalty of up to $2,500 for each violation or to initiate a civil suit in Superior Court. In addition, an individual may bring an action in the Superior Court against a company, for failure to comply with the provisions of this bill. If the individual's suit is successful, an individual is entitled to reasonable attorney fees and court costs. An individual is also entitled to either actual damages or $2,500, whichever is greater. | In Committee |
| S1969 | Establishes Office of Child Advocate. | This bill establishes the Office of the Child Advocate in, but notof, the Department of Children and Families (DCF). The bill provides that the child advocate would seek to ensure the provision of effective, appropriate, and timely services for children at risk of abuse and neglect in the State, and that children under State supervision due to abuse or neglect are served adequately and appropriately by the State. The Office of the Child Advocate would be deemed a child protective agency for the purposes of N.J.S.A.9:6-8.10a. The bill allows the Child Advocate to: investigate, review, monitor, or evaluate any State agency response on, or disposition of, an allegation of child abuse or neglect in this State; inspect and review the operations, policies, and procedures of juvenile detention centers, resource family homes, group homes, residential treatment facilities, shelters for the care of abused or neglected children, shelters for the care of juveniles considered as juvenile-family crisis cases, shelters for the care of homeless youth, or independent living arrangements; and any other public or private residential setting in which a child has been placed by a State or county agency or department; review, evaluate, report on, and make recommendations concerning the procedures established by any State agency providing services to children who are at risk of abuse or neglect, children in State or institutional custody, or children who receive child protective or permanency services; review, monitor, and report on the performance of State-funded private entities charged with the care and supervision of children at risk of abuse or neglect by conducting research audits or other studies of case records, policies, procedures, and protocols, as deemed necessary by the child advocate to assess the performance of the entities; receive, investigate, and make referrals to other agencies or take other appropriate actions with respect to a complaint received by the office regarding the actions of a State, county or municipal agency, or a State-funded private entity providing services to children who are at risk of abuse or neglect; hold a public hearing on the subject of an investigation or study underway by the office, and receive testimony from agency and program representatives, the public, and other interested parties, as the child advocate deems appropriate; establish and maintain a 24 hour toll-free telephone hotline to receive and respond to calls from members of the public referring problems to the child advocate, both individual and systemic, in how the State, through its agencies and contract services, protect children; and intervene in or institute litigation, or intervene in or institute administrative proceedings before any department, commission, agency, or State board, to assert the broad public interest of the State in the welfare of children and to protect and promote the rights of children. The bill provides that the Child Advocate would seek to ensure the protection of children who are in an institution or resource family home by reviewing, evaluating, and monitoring the operation and activities of the Institutional Abuse Investigation Unit in DCF. The bill also provides that the Child Advocate would report annually to the Governor, Commissioner of Children and Families, and Legislature on: the activities of the office; priorities for children's services that have been identified by the child advocate; and recommendations for improvement or needed changes concerning the provision of services to children who are at risk of abuse or neglect, and are in State or institutional custody, or receive child protective or permanency services by State agencies and State-funded private entities, and make the annual report available to the public and post the report on DCF's website. | In Committee |
| S1961 | Provides for presumptive eligibility for home and community-based services and services provided through program of all-inclusive care for the elderly under Medicaid. | This bill requires the Department of Human Services (department) to provide for the presumptive eligibility for home and community-based services, nursing home services, and the program of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE) under Medicaid for an individual who is: seeking home and community-based services, nursing home care or PACE enrollment; awaiting an eligibility determination for Medicaid and any applicable Medicaid waiver program offering home and community-based services, nursing home services, or services provided through PACE; and likely to be financially and clinically eligible for Medicaid and any applicable Medicaid waiver program offering home and community-based services, nursing home services, or services provided through PACE as determined by the department. The department will provide Medicaid coverage for eligible home and community-based services, nursing home services, services provided through PACE to an individual who is granted presumptive eligibility. Coverage will begin upon the receipt of an individual's request for services and will end if the individual is determined clinically or financially ineligible for home and community-based services, nursing home services, or services provided through PACE under Medicaid during the eligibility determination process. An individual seeking presumptive eligibility for home and community-based services, nursing home services, or services provided through PACE under Medicaid will be required to submit a request to the department in a manner and form as determined by the Commissioner of Human Services (commissioner). An individual granted presumptive eligibility will be required to submit a completed application for Medicaid and any applicable Medicaid waiver program offering home and community-based services, nursing home services, or services provided through PACE no later than the end of the month following the month in which presumptive eligibility is granted. The department will provide each individual granted presumptive eligibility pursuant to this bill a written notice explaining the terms and conditions of presumptive eligibility and the home and community-based services, nursing home services, or services provided through PACE that the individual will be eligible to receive. A home and community-based services provider, nursing home facility, or PACE center is to be reimbursed for all Medicaid-eligible services rendered to an individual who has been granted presumptive eligibility, regardless of whether the individual granted presumptive eligibility is determined clinically or financially ineligible for home and community-based services, nursing home services, or services provided through PACE under Medicaid during the eligibility determination process. The commissioner will apply for such State plan amendments or waivers as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this bill and to secure federal financial participation for State Medicaid expenditures under the federal Medicaid program. | Dead |
| S1954 | Requires school districts to provide instruction on bleed control as part of implementation of New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education. | This bill requires boards of education of school districts that include grades nine through 12, or any combination thereof, to incorporate instruction on bleed control into the health curriculum for students as part of the district's implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education. Under the bill, a board of education may select a no-cost, non-certification instructional program to meet this requirement. | In Committee |
| S2241 | Extends child care subsidies to families earning up to 300 percent of federal poverty level; appropriates funds. | This bill raises the annual household income limit for determining initial income eligibility under the State's subsidized child care assistance program. Currently, initial eligibility determination in the State's subsidized child care assistance program is limited to families that report a maximum annual gross family income of 200 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), which is $55,500 for a family of four in 2022. However, according to the most recent ALICE Report by the United Ways of New Jersey, the average ALICE - Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed - Household Survival Budget in the State was $88,224 for a family of four in 2018. In 2018, 37 percent of New Jersey's 3.2 million households struggled to make ends meet, with 27 percent of these households categorized as ALICE households. This bill raises the maximum initial income eligibility, and subsequent redetermination income eligibility, for the State's subsidized child care assistance program to 300 percent of the FPL, which is $83,250 for a family of four in 2022. The Commissioner of Human Services will be required to establish and utilize at least four tiers to determine initial income eligibility and placement on the Division of Family Development's co-payment schedule for child care services under the State's subsidized child care assistance program. The bill specifies that nothing in its provisions precludes the commissioner from establishing a child care assistance income threshold that is higher than 300 percent of the FPL. The bill additionally appropriates such sums as may be necessary to implement the provisions of the bill, which appropriation will be in an amount determined by the Commissioner of Human Services, subject to approval by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Department of the Treasury. | In Committee |
| S1972 | Establishes "New Jersey Living Donor Support Program" in DOH; makes appropriation. | This bill establishes the "New Jersey Living Donor Support Program" (program) in the Department of Health (department). The purpose of this program is to provide financial assistance to cover eligible expenses incurred by a living donor in the process of making a living donation of an anatomical gift for the purpose of transplantation into another individual. The Commissioner of Health will determine which expenses incurred in the process of making a live donation will be eligible for reimbursement under the program, including, but not limited to: lost wages, including demonstrated lost non-employment income; the economic value of sick or vacation days expended; travel and lodging costs; child care and elder care expenses; and costs of medication and care. Subject to the availability of funds, the program will pay for the eligible expenses of a living donor who is a resident of this State and makes a living donation, in which the ultimate recipient is a resident of the State. Eligible expenses will be reimbursed as soon as practicable after they have been incurred, including by pre-payment when appropriate. The commissioner may impose a limitation on the amount of reimbursement made for lost wages for a living donor making an annual income in excess of $125,000, or for eligible expenses in excess of $14,000 for any single living donor. The commissioner may include additional expenses to be eligible for reimbursement under the program. If a living donor's eligible expenses are covered in whole or in part by any other third-party payer, the third-party payer will be the primary payer and the New Jersey Living Donor Support Program will be the payer of last resort. The department may contract with a third-party for the administration of the program. Factors such as the cost of the program to the State and the usability of the program by living donors and health care providers will be taken into consideration when awarding such a contract. This bill appropriates from the General Fund to the department such sums as will be necessary to implement the provisions of this bill. | In Committee |
| S1963 | Requires automatic enrollment of certain persons recently ineligible for Medicaid in health benefits plan; requires DHS to electronically publish certain data regarding NJ FamilyCare eligibility renewals and call center performance. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance to automatically enroll an individual in a health benefits plan when the individual becomes ineligible for coverage through the Medicaid program because the individual no longer meets the income requirements of the program, if the individual is not otherwise eligible for a health benefits plan through an employer. The Department of Human Services is required to provide certain information to the Department of Banking and Insurance so that the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance can enroll the individual in the health benefits plan. Under the bill, the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance is to enroll the individual in: (1) for an individual with an annual household income of not more than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, the lowest cost silver-level plan available through the State-based exchange that does not qualify as a high deductible health plan; and (2) for an individual with an annual household income of more than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, the lowest cost plan at the best actuarial value available through the State-based exchange that does not qualify as a high deductible health plan. The bill provides that the plan enrollment is to occur before the termination date of the Medicaid coverage and the plan's premium due date is to be no sooner than the last day of the first month of enrollment in the plan. The Commissioner of Banking and Insurance is authorized to establish a special enrollment period for any automated coverage assignment, as determined by the commissioner. The Commissioner of Banking and Insurance is to provide an individual who is enrolled in a plan pursuant to the bill with a notice that includes the following information: (1) the plan in which the individual is enrolled; (2) the individual's right to select another available plan and any relevant deadlines for that selection; (3) how to receive assistance to select a plan; (4) the individual's right not to enroll in the plan; (5) information for an individual appealing the individual's previous coverage through an insurance affordability program; and (6) a statement explaining the individual's obligations and responsibilities under the plan. The bill also requires the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services in the Department of Human Services to provide the following information on the NJ FamilyCare Data Dashboard website, or any public facing web-based dashboard that provides key demographic and performance metrics regarding the NJ FamilyCare Program that replaces the NJ FamilyCare Data Dashboard website: (1) the number of eligibility renewals each month; (2) the number of eligibility renewals processed each month that did not require an enrollee to respond to renewal documents; (3) the number of eligibility renewals each month that required an enrollee to respond to renewal documents; (4) the number of eligibility terminations each month; (5) the number of eligibility terminations each month that were due to the department not receiving documents or information requested from an enrollee, or that were due to the department receiving incomplete documents or information requested from an enrollee, which documents or information were needed to make an eligibility determination; (6) the average wait time each month for callers to NJ FamilyCare call centers to speak with a representative; (7) the number of phone calls received each month by NJ FamilyCare call centers Statewide; (8) the number of phone calls received each month by NJ FamilyCare call centers Statewide in which the caller speaks with a center representative; and (9) the number of phone calls received each month by NJ FamilyCare call centers Statewide in which the caller abandons the call before speaking with a center representative. All data provided regarding NJ FamilyCare eligibility renewals is required to be grouped according to the following: (1) race; (2) NJ FamilyCare eligibility group, which shall include Modified Adjusted Gross Income-based children, Modified Adjusted Gross Income-based adults, beneficiaries who qualify based on disability, and beneficiaries who qualify based on age and who are 65 years of age or older; and (3) age, which shall include the following ranges: enrollees age 18 years and younger; enrollees age 19 through 64 years; and enrollees age 65 years and older. | In Committee |
| S1975 | Creates "Midwifery Licensing Act;" modifies regulation of midwifery. | This bill modifies current law regulating midwives. Specifically, the bill repeals the current law requiring approval for licensure of midwives by the State Board of Medical Examiners and establishes a State Board of Midwifery. Under the bill, a board of thirteen members is created to oversee the licensure of certified midwives (CMs), certified nurse midwives (CNMs), and certified professional midwives (CPMs). The bill: 1) delineates the responsibilities of the board, which include the approval of licensure applications; recognition of entities accrediting midwifery certification programs and national entities issuing the certifications; 2) establishes continuing education requirements; 3) requires applicants to meet certain standards to qualify for a license; and 4) authorizes the State Board of Midwifery to grant individuals currently licensed as a CM, CNM, or CPM by the State Board of Medical Examiners a license at that same level. The bill also updates current law authorizing CMs and CNMs to prescribe certain drugs by, among other items, expanding the services a CM and CNM can provide to include ordering, dispensing and administering prescription drugs and medical devices. | In Committee |
| S1944 | Allows costs of medical cannabis to be reimbursed by Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund, PAAD, Senior Gold and VCCO. | This bill requires the Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund, the "Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled" (PAAD) program, the "Senior Gold Prescription Discount Program," and the Victims of Crime Compensation Office (VCCO) to cover the cost of medical cannabis dispensed to or on behalf of registered qualifying patients eligible for or receiving benefits under those programs. Specifically, the bill will require the Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund to assist with the cost of medical cannabis for a child who is eligible for assistance from the program who is a registered qualifying medical cannabis patient, subject to rules and regulations promulgated by the Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund Commission and the availability of monies in the fund. Under the PAAD and Senior Gold programs, at the time of each purchase of medical cannabis, the eligible person or the eligible person's caregiver will be required to pay a copayment that may not be waived, discounted, or rebated in whole or in part. The State will then reimburse the medical cannabis dispensary or clinical registrant for the balance of the purchase price of the medical cannabis, which purchase price will be the price listed on the medical cannabis dispensary's or clinical registrant's website as required pursuant to subsection h. of section 7 of P.L.2009, c.307 (C.24:6I-7) less any applicable discounts or price reductions. Under the PAAD program, the copayment will be $7. Under the Senior Gold program, the copayment will be equal to: 1) $15 plus 50 percent of the remaining amount of the cost of the medical cannabis, or the cost of the medical cannabis, whichever is less; or 2) $15, or the cost of the medical cannabis, whichever is less, in the case of an eligible person who has incurred out-of-pocket expenditures, including copayments and deductibles, for the purchase of prescription drugs and medical cannabis, which are not reimbursable by any other plan of assistance or insurance and are credited to that person's account for each 12-month period of eligibility in accordance with procedures established by the Commissioner of Human Services, in the following amounts: $2,000 for a single person and $3,000 for a married couple. These out-of-pocket expense amounts will include only expenses incurred on or after the date that the person received proof of eligibility for the program. An eligible person whose medical cannabis costs are covered in part by any other program or plan of assistance or insurance may be required to receive reduced assistance under the PAAD and Senior Gold programs. Under the PAAD program, if an eligible person's medical cannabis costs are covered in whole by any other program or plan of assistance or insurance, the person will be ineligible for PAAD assistance; under the Senior Gold program, if an eligible person's medical cannabis costs are covered in whole or in part by another plan of assistance or insurance, the Senior Gold program will be the payer of last resort. The Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, may establish limits on the maximum quantity of medical cannabis that may be purchased by or on behalf of an eligible person in a 30-day period under the PAAD and Senior Gold programs, which limits may be in an amount lower than the maximum quantities of medical cannabis that may be dispensed to or on behalf of a registered qualifying patient pursuant to subsection f. of section 10 of P.L.2009, c.307 (C.24:6I-10). The bill provides that eligible persons under the PAAD and Senior Gold programs may be reimbursed for 50 percent of the cost of medical cannabis purchased by or on behalf of that person in an amount that exceeds the required copayment, during the period commencing 30 days after the person's properly completed application was received by the department and ending on the date on which the person received proof of eligibility from the department; except that no reimbursement may be made for medical cannabis purchased prior to the effective date of the bill. This bill requires the Victims of Crime Compensation Office (VCCO) to include the costs associated with the medical use of cannabis as an expense for which a victim may receive compensation, an emergency award, or a supplemental award. Under current law, victims of certain crimes are eligible to receive compensation from the VCCO for certain expenses, including unreimbursed and unreimbursable expenses reasonably incurred for medical care or other services necessary as a result of the victim's injury. This bill provides that the expenses that are eligible for compensation from the VCCO will include the cost of medical cannabis dispensed to or on behalf of a victim who is an eligible medical cannabis patient. Current law also provides that the VCCO may make an emergency award to an applicant pending final determination of a case when the office determines that compensation is likely to be provided and that the applicant will suffer undue hardship if funds are not made immediately available. Under current law, the funds are only permitted to be used to cover immediate costs of essential shelter, food, or medical expenses. The bill provides that medical expenses are to include the cost of medical cannabis dispensed to or on behalf of an applicant who is an eligible medical cannabis patient. In addition, current law provides that certain crime victims who are catastrophically injured are eligible to receive an additional, supplemental award to be used for certain rehabilitative services, including prescription drugs and medical supplies. This bill provides that the cost of medical cannabis dispensed to or on behalf of a catastrophically-injured crime victim who is an eligible medical cannabis patient will be included as a rehabilitative service for which the victim may receive a supplemental award. The bill specifies that the VCCO, in consultation with the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, may establish limits on the maximum quantity of medical cannabis that will be eligible for coverage, payment, or reimbursement from the VCCO under these various programs for an individual in a 30-day period. These limits may be in an amount lower than the maximum quantities of medical cannabis that may be dispensed to or on behalf of a registered qualifying patient pursuant to subsection f. of section 10 of P.L.2009, c.307 (C.24:6I-10). | In Committee |
| S1966 | Revises health insurance coverage requirements for treatment of infertility. | This bill updates current law on health insurance coverage of infertility by requiring certain health insurance carriers (including hospital service corporations, medical service corporations, health service corporations, and health maintenance organizations authorized to issue health benefits plans in New Jersey, commercial group health insurance providers, and any entities contracted to administer health benefits in connection with the State Health Benefits Program and School Employees' Health Benefits Program) to cover infertility services for a partner of a person who has successfully reversed a voluntary sterilization. The bill also requires health insurance carriers to cover any services related to infertility in accordance with American Society for Reproductive Medicine guidelines and as determined by a physician, including intrauterine insemination, genetic testing, in vitro fertilization using donor eggs, in vitro fertilization where the embryo is transferred to a gestational carrier or surrogate, and unlimited embryo transfers, in accordance with guidelines from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and any other services related to infertility recommended by a physician. Additionally, the bill revises the current statutory definition of "infertility" and adds a definition of "treatment of infertility." The bill also provides that nothing in the definition of "infertility" may be used to deny or delay treatment to any individual, regardless of relationship status or sexual orientation and prohibits health insurance carriers from imposing restrictions concerning the coverage of infertility services based on age. Finally, the bill excludes coverage for infertility services if an individual's infertility resulted solely from a voluntary unreversed sterilization; provided, however, that coverage for infertility services shall not be excluded if the voluntary sterilization is successfully reversed. | Dead |
| S2250 | Increases Medicaid reimbursement rates for primary care services; appropriates $20 million. | This bill appropriates $20 million in order to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for primary care services. The bill directs the Commissioner of Human Services (commissioner) to determine the amount of the increases as follows: The primary care services reimbursement rates associated with the most frequently used medical billing codes under Medicaid in calendar year 2022 are to be increased so that each rate is no less than 100 percent of the payment rate that applies to the same service under part B of Medicare. The commissioner is to determine the number of primary care services rates increased under this subsection such that the annual aggregate amount of the rate increases is equal to $20 million, as appropriated under the bill, combined with the anticipated receipt of increased federal Medicaid matching funds. Under the bill, primary care services means the same as defined under section 1202 of the federal "Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010," and includes evaluation and management services, which cover the non-procedural services patients receive from a provider, and services related to immunization administration. Mental health services means procedures or services rendered by a health care provider, in a traditional setting as well in an integrated behavioral health setting or via a collaborative care program, for the treatment of mental illness, emotional disorders, or drug or alcohol abuse. Primary care and mental health services include those services furnished by: (1) a physician with a primary specialty designation of family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatric medicine, or obstetrics and gynecology; (2) a health care professional, including but not limited to an advance practice nurse or a physician assistant, who is working in the area of family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatric medicine, or obstetrics and gynecology; or (3) a midwife. The provisions of the bill are not to be construed to require any decrease in the Medicaid reimbursement rate for a primary care service from the previous fiscal year's reimbursement level for the same service. Moreover, the requirements established under the bill apply whether the services are reimbursed under the Medicaid fee-for-service delivery system or the Medicaid managed care delivery system, and only to services delivered by approved Medicaid providers. The bill directs the commissioner, no later than one year after the effective date of the bill, to submit a report to the Governor and Legislature providing information on the implementation of the bill, including data indicating any changes regarding access to primary care services, as well as the quality of care of these services, for Medicaid beneficiaries following any rate increases associated with the bill. The report is also to include any recommendations for further enhancements to the Medicaid rates for these services to improve provider access and quality of care for Medicaid beneficiaries in underserved areas of the State. | In Committee |
| S1948 | Revises reporting requirements for nursing homes concerning financial disclosures and ownership structure. | This bill revises the reporting requirements for transfers of nursing home ownership and assignments of substantial management control over a nursing home to a third party entity. Specifically, the bill requires nursing home owners and operators, as well as applicants for a transfer of ownership of a nursing home and third party entities exercising substantial management control over the nursing home, to provide an organizational chart identifying: parent entities and wholly-owned subsidiaries; principals that provide a service, facility, or supplies to the nursing home; and unrelated parties that provide a service, facility, or supplies to the nursing home that are paid $200,000 or more by the nursing home. In the case of an applicant for a transfer of ownership of a nursing home, these disclosures will be based on expectations with regard to services, facilities, supplies, and payments. For applications for transfer of ownership of a nursing home, the organizational chart is to be posted on the Department of Health's (DOH's) Internet website, along with a copy of the transfer of ownership application, which is currently required to be posted on the DOH's website. The bill removes a current provision of law that allows applicants for transfers of ownership to prepare and submit a summary of the application information that omits proprietary information and can be used for public disclosure purposes. The bill additionally removes a provision of current law that provides nothing in a transfer of ownership application may be used in an adverse licensure or disciplinary action against the applicant. The bill revises the current requirements for approval of a transfer of ownership application to provide that approval is contingent on review of the applicant's history of disciplinary actions involving facilities owned, operated, or managed by the applicant in both New Jersey and in any other jurisdiction; under current law, this review is limited to New Jersey facilities. Under current law, approval is additionally conditioned on payment of outstanding and issued Medicaid audit claims and penalties issued by the Department of Health (DOH); the bill adds as a condition of approval that there be payment of all Medicaid overpayments, and requires payment of any State-issued penalty, not just those issued by the DOH. The amended bill further specifies that, if any Medicaid overpayments are identified after the transfer of ownership occurs, the new owner will be required to submit an affidavit to the DOH and to the State Comptroller identifying the responsible party for the overpayments. The bill revises the mandatory components of the annual reports nursing homes are required to submit to the DOH to additionally require balance sheets include information concerning equity, and statements of operations include specifically itemized expenses related to leases of land, buildings, and equipment, loans of equipment, and contracts in excess of $10,000 per year for any service, as well as details concerning any mortgagee for the land or building used by the nursing home. The reporting requirements will also include information concerning the owners and operators of related parties to the nursing home and entities other than a nonprofit organization that have an ownership interest of five percent or more in a private equity fund that is invested in the nursing home. The bill revises the threshold for reporting certain interested party transactions from $2,500 per year to $10,000 per year. The bill further requires enhanced disclosure of the owners and principals of the owners, management companies, and related parties to a nursing home, including the owners and principals of holding and parent companies and subsidiaries, as well as limited liability companies. The bill further revises the current financial disclosures required for nursing home owners and operators, to require the submission of an owner-certified financial statement that: 1) is reviewed or audited by a certified public accountant and performed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in effect the day the application or statement is submitted; and 2) includes: a balance sheet detailing the assets, liabilities, and equity the end of the reporting entity's fiscal year; a statement of income, expenses, and operating surplus or deficit for the annual fiscal period; a statement of changes in equity; a statement detailing patient revenue by payer, including, but not limited to, Medicare, NJ FamilyCare, and other payers, and revenue center; a statement of cash flows, including, but not limited to, ongoing and new capital expenditures and depreciation; a combined financial statement that includes all entities reported in the owner-certified financial statement; and any other information, data, and documents as may be required by the Commissioner of Health or the State Comptroller. The bill specifies that an owner-certified financial statement required under P.L.2021, c.457 (C.26:2H-46.3 et seq.) is to meet the requirements for owner-certified financial statements established under the bill. The bill further specifies that a health care system consisting of more than one nursing home will be required to submit owner-certified financial statements that consolidate the financial data across all nursing homes that are a part of that health care system, together with a statement of operations or income with respect to each nursing home in the health care system, which statements of operations or income may be submitted in a supplemental schedule. A nonprofit nursing home that files a copy of its most recent Internal Revenue Service Form 990 Public Inspection Copy with the DOH and the State Comptroller, and a nursing home that files with the DOH and the State Comptroller a cost report with an audited financial statement that has been submitted to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, may each be deemed to have satisfied all or part of the requirements of an owner-certified financial statement established under the bill. For applicants for a transfer of ownership and entities seeking to delegate management of a nursing home, this information will be included with certain materials that current law requires be provided to the Department of Health (DOH). The bill expands the disclosure requirements under current law to additionally reference limited liability companies, which will be required to make the required disclosures for each member of the limited liability company. The bill revises a current requirement for nursing homes to submit certain information to the DOH within 90 days after the end of the fiscal year to require the information be submitted 150 days after the end of the fiscal year. The DOH will be required to immediately transmit submitted nursing home reports to the State Comptroller. All information submitted under the bill with regard to transfers of ownership, annual reporting, and delegations of substantial management control, is to be certified under penalty of perjury that the information is accurate and complete. All information submitted will additionally be deemed a public record. The bill revises the current penalties that apply for failure to make a required report or for submitting false information. Current law authorizes a civil penalty of $10 to $100 per day for each day the report is not filed or corrected. The bill revises the civil penalty to up to $200 per day, makes the penalties discretionary, and authorizes the DOH to curtail resident admissions to the nursing home. The bill provides that the State Comptroller, in consultation with the DOH and the Department of Human Services, will be authorized to monitor, review and audit owner-certified financial statements in accordance with certain existing statutory authorities, and will be authorized to obtain information and testimony, issue reports, make referrals, and coordinate with and require the cooperation of State agencies in the same manner as permitted under those existing statutory authorities. The bill grants the DOH and the State Comptroller express authority to promulgate rules and regulations to implement the bill, and the authority to issue temporary notices to implement the bill, which notices will be valid for no more than one year after the date the bill is enacted. | In Committee |
| S1937 | Requires public and nonpublic secondary schools to annually conduct written or verbal substance use screening on all students using a particular screening program. | This bill will require school districts, charter schools, and nonpublic schools to provide for an annual written or verbal substance use screening on each high school student. The screening will assess the student's risk for substance abuse using the screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) program. If the student screens positive for potential substance misuse, the person administering the screening will be required to provide brief counseling using motivational interviewing and assist the student with referral to treatment options, if needed. The Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of Human Services and the Department of Children and Families, using existing public and private training resources, will make available to school districts, charter schools, and nonpublic schools, training for personnel using the SBIRT program. Under the provisions of the bill, the parent or guardian of a student being screened must be given prior written notice of the screening and an opportunity to have the student opt out of the screening. The bill also includes a provision regarding the privacy of information collected during the screening. Statements made by a student during a screening are considered confidential information and cannot be disclosed by a person receiving the statement to any other person without the prior written consent of the student and the student's parent or guardian, except in cases of immediate medical emergency or if disclosure is otherwise required by State law. A school district, charter school, or nonpublic school is permitted to opt out of the SBIRT program required pursuant to the bill, if it is implementing an alternative screening program and provides to the Department of Education a detailed description of the alternative program and the reasons why the SBIRT program is not appropriate for its use. The State Board of Education, in conjunction with the Commissioner of Human Services, will promulgate regulations to effectuate the provisions of this bill, including standards pursuant to which the SBIRT program will be conducted. | In Committee |
| S702 | Adopts Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact. | This bill would adopt the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact in New Jersey, which is an interstate compact that will authorize dentists and dental hygienists licensed in a compact state to practice in any other compact state without being individually licensed in that other state. Licensees in a compact state seeking to practice dentistry or dental hygiene in another compact state will be required to apply for a compact privilege to practice in the other state, including paying any applicable fees. States participating in the compact are required to meet certain requirements related to the licensure of dentists and dental hygienists, require criminal background checks of licensees and applicants for licensure, and participate in a data system that is used to track adverse actions taken against licensees in states participating in the compact. An adverse action against a licensee in a compact state will suspend the licensee's authorization to practice in all other compact states. Licensees are subject to the practice laws and jurisdiction of the state in which the licensee is practicing. The compact will be overseen by a commission comprising one commissioner appointed from each member state. An executive board made up of the chair, vice chair, secretary, and treasurer of the commission, as well as up to three additional commissioners, will be charged with the day-to-day administration of the compact. The bill sets forth specific requirements concerning the operations and authorities of the commission and the executive board, as well as procedures for enforcing compliance with the compact. The compact takes effect when it is adopted in at least seven states. As of May 2023, Iowa and Washington have enacted legislation adopting the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact. | In Committee |
| S1980 | Establishes Cannabis Certified Worker Grant Program and Social Equity Certified Worker Hiring Grant Program; makes appropriation. | This bill creates two grant programs to support workforce development programs for workers in the cannabis industry in the State. The bill establishes the Cannabis Certified Worker Grant Program, which will provide grants to eligible businesses; business organizations and associations; labor organizations; joint labor-management partnerships; local education agencies; public vocational schools; two-year and four-year colleges; local workforce development boards; workforce training providers; economic development organizations; and community-based and other non-profit organizations. The eligible entities will use grant funds to develop and administer workforce development programs that are targeted at training and providing skilled workers who have the ability to perform jobs in the cannabis industry. The bill establishes a separate grant program to provide grants to fund the hiring of cannabis workers who have participated in the Cannabis Certified Worker Grant Program by microbusinesses. The bill allocates $400,000 to the Cannabis Certified Worker Grant Program, and $400,000 to the Social Equity Certified Worker Hiring Grant Program, respectively, from the amounts appropriated pursuant to the annual appropriations act for State fiscal year 2024 from the Workforce Development Partnership Fund for the purpose of funding Work First New Jersey Work Activities and Work First New Jersey-Training Related Expenses. | In Committee |
| S1964 | Prohibits social media platforms from using certain practices or features that cause child users to become addicted to platform. | This bill prohibits a social media platform from using any practice, design, feature, or affordance that would cause child users to become addicted to the platform. Under the bill, a social media platform would be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $250,000 for each violation. However, if a social media platform implements an audit program and corrects certain addictive practices, the platform would not be deemed to violate the provisions of the bill. Specifically, the social media platform would be required to conduct quarterly audits, and hire an independent third party to conduct an annual audit, to determine whether any of its practices, designs, features, or affordances would cause, have the potential to cause, or contribute to the addiction of child users to the platform. If so, the social media platform would also be required to correct the practice, design, feature, or affordance within 30 calendar days of the completion of the audit. Additionally, certain social media platforms would not be subject to the requirements of the bill. These social media platforms would include any platform that is controlled by a business entity that generated less than $100 million in gross revenue during the preceding calendar year, or any platform whose primary function is to enable users to play video games. The bill also clarifies that social media platforms would not be subject to liability under this bill for: (1) any content generated, uploaded, or shared by users of the platform; (2) any content that is created by third-party entities and passively displayed by the platform; (3) any information or content for which the platform was not responsible for creating and developing; and (4) any conduct involving child users that would otherwise be protected under certain federal law, the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, or Article I, paragraph 6 of the State Constitution. | In Committee |
| S1957 | Amends Fiscal Year 2024 annual appropriations act to extend ANCHOR Property Tax Relief Program eligibility to homestead owners and tenants who made payments in lieu of taxes. | This bill amends the Fiscal Year 2023 annual appropriations act to extend ANCHOR Property Tax Relief Program eligibility to residences on which a homestead owner or tenant made one or more payments in lieu of taxes to the municipality in which the residence is located. The ANCHOR Property Tax Relief Program provides property tax relief to New Jersey residents who owned or rented their principal residence on October 1, 2019 and met certain income limits. Currently, homestead owners and tenants who made payments in lieu of taxes on their residences are ineligible for the property tax benefit under the program. | In Committee |
| S4707 | Directs DHS to establish Children's Partial Hospitalization Pilot Program. | Directs DHS to establish Children's Partial Hospitalization Pilot Program. | Introduced |
| S4725 | Requires public and nonpublic school athletic coaches to obtain certification in automated external defibrillator operation and first aid; updates requirements of emergency action plan for sports-related injury. | Requires public and nonpublic school athletic coaches to obtain certification in automated external defibrillator operation and first aid; updates requirements of emergency action plan for sports-related injury. | Introduced |
| S4724 | Requires certain golf courses to maintain automated external defibrillator. | Requires certain golf courses to maintain automated external defibrillator. | Introduced |
| S4727 | Requires volunteers, employees, and organizers of certain youth and sports organizations to receive criminal history record background checks. | Requires volunteers, employees, and organizers of certain youth and sports organizations to receive criminal history record background checks. | Introduced |
| S4726 | Requires health benefits coverage for certain immunizations recommended by DOH. | Requires health benefits coverage for certain immunizations recommended by DOH. | Introduced |
| Bill | Bill Name | Motion | Vote Date | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1636 | Changes MVC voter registration procedures. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2167 | Requires public and certain nonpublic schools to comply with breakfast and lunch standards adopted by USDA. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S317 | Revises "Athletic Training Licensure Act." | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2019 | Authorizes pharmacists to dispense HIV prophylaxis without individual prescription under certain circumstances; mandates prescription benefits coverage. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S862 | Requires DOT to provide additional information in annual report on pavement condition; makes report available to public. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2051 | Requires law enforcement officer to conduct risk assessment of and provide assistance to domestic violence victims. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S1403 | Requires employer or contractor engaged in work for public body to submit payroll records to DOLWD. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S1320 | Requires certain information be included in certain contracts with licensed public adjusters. | Senate Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S1067 | Directs DHS to conduct landscape analysis of available mental health services. | Senate Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A2929 | Requires disclosure of lead drinking water hazards to tenants of residential units; prohibits landlords from obstructing replacement of lead service lines; concerns testing of certain property for lead drinking water hazards. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3323 | Requires pay for extracurricular activities to be included in compensation for TPAF purposes. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3361 | Establishes limit on rent increase for certain dwelling sites for modular or industrialized buildings or manufactured homes. | Senate Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3128 | Authorizes HMFA to use certain tax credits; directs HMFA to conduct tax credit auctions to provide financial assistance for certain housing purposes. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A1948 | Requires VCCO to issue annual report to Governor and Legislature. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A1682 | Requires State Board of Education to adopt New Jersey Student Learning Standards pertaining to labor movement; requires school districts to provide instruction on labor movement. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2346 | Creates Code Red alert pilot program to shelter at-risk individuals during certain hot weather and air quality events; appropriates $5 million. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2373 | Provides employment protections for paid first responders diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder under certain conditions. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3424 | Establishes certain program requirements for school counselor certification; outlines role and duties of school counselor; requires professional development for school counselors; establishes position of School Counselor Liaison in DOE. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3518 | Requires MVC to create digital driver's licenses and digital non-driver identification cards. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2783 | "Travel Insurance Act." | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3802 | Differentiates certain legal services from traditional insurance products. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| SJR96 | Permanently designates August 17th as "Nonprofit Day" in NJ. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2951 | Authorizes provision of monetary awards to whistleblowers who report State tax law violations committed by employers in construction industry. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2961 | Establishes minimum qualifications for persons employed on public works contract. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2961 | Establishes minimum qualifications for persons employed on public works contract. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| SJR100 | Designates July of each year as "Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month" in NJ. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4085 | Allows for natural organic reduction and controlled supervised decomposition of human remains. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3041 | Prohibits cooperative from receiving public works contract when cooperative-approved vendor fails to pay prevailing wage; concerns cooperative purchasing agreements with other states; and permits contracting units to award certain indefinite contracts. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4178 | Authorizes State Treasurer to grant temporary deed of easement in Borough of Sea Girt in Monmouth County. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3132 | Imposes certain requirements on secondhand dealers of cellular telephones and wireless communication devices. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3189 | Makes various changes to "New Jersey Angel Investor Tax Credit Act" and Technology Business Tax Certificate Transfer Program; repeals "New Jersey Ignite Act." | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4331 | Establishes licensure for cosmetic retail services. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4429 | Expands prohibitions on employers concerning requirements for employees to attend or listen to communications related to political matters. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3287 | Provides gross income tax deduction for amounts paid to taxpayers for sale of certain real property interests for conservation purposes. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3309 | Establishes "Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act"; revises motor vehicle franchise agreements. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3309 | Establishes "Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act"; revises motor vehicle franchise agreements. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4455 | Allows exemption from New Jersey gross income of certain capital gains from sale or exchange of qualified small business stock. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3418 | Authorizes certain types of permanent structures, recently constructed or erected on preserved farmland, to be used, in certain cases, for purposes of holding special occasion events thereon. | Senate Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4603 | Allows commercial farmer to be awarded reasonable costs and attorney fees for defending against bad faith complaints under "Right to Farm Act". | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4712 | Establishes Office of Veteran Advocate and ombudsman for DMVA; appropriates funds. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4765 | Requires driver education and testing on responsibilities when approaching and passing pedestrians and persons operating bicycles and personal conveyances; requires driver's manual to include information on sharing roadway with motorists for certain road users. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3618 | Directs DEP and DOT to establish "Wildlife Corridor Action Plan." | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4897 | Revises law requiring certain student identification cards to contain telephone number for suicide prevention hotline. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3711 | Makes annual allocation of $500,000 from Clean Communities Program Fund for public outreach concerning single-use plastics reduction program permanent. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3776 | Establishes Chronic Absenteeism Task Force. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4937 | Concerns satellite cannabis dispensaries, Cannabis Regulatory Commission membership, and post-employment restrictions on State employees. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4937 | Concerns satellite cannabis dispensaries, Cannabis Regulatory Commission membership, and post-employment restrictions on State employees. | Senate Floor: Amend | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4954 | Requires members of historic preservation commissions to complete historic preservation planning course. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4971 | Requires EDA to provide grants to certain small businesses affected by State infrastructure and construction projects. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4969 | Ensures boards of elections have discretion to make initial determination of validity of cast ballots; requires Secretary of State to establish uniform guidelines for assessing validity of ballots. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3858 | Requires school bus personnel members to call 911 emergency line in potential life-threatening emergencies; requires certain school buses transportating students with disabilities to be equipped with certain safety features; makes appropriation. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3887 | Requires DEP to provide public access for boats to certain State-and county-owned lakes and reservoirs. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5049 | Removes certain limitations on receipt of retirement or death benefits under PFRS under certain circumstances. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3910 | Makes various changes to provision of preschool aid and facilities requirements; establishes Universal Preschool Implementation Steering Committee; requires full-day kindergarten in all school districts. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3917 | Makes various changes to school funding law and Educational Adequacy Report; establishes Special Education Funding Review Task Force. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3931 | Updates requirements for licensure in occupational therapy. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3933 | Establishes School Supervisor Mentorship Pilot Program; appropriates $500,000. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3944 | Provides that certain non-profit corporation alcoholic beverage theater licensees include disregarded entities of such corporations; allows certain community theaters to sell alcoholic beverages. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5100 | Re-appropriates unexpended balance of FY2024 appropriation for Town of West New York to support recreation center; appropriates $3 million for Town of West New York - Recreation Center to restore lapsed FY2024 funding. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5130 | Requires enforcing agency to conduct inspection of construction in specified time window. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3982 | Requires certain information be provided to parent at least two business days prior to annual Individualized Education Program (IEP) team meeting; establishes IEP Improvement Working Group in DOE. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5170 | Requires State to purchase certain unused tax credits issued under New Jersey Economic Recovery Act of 2020. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4028 | Limits amount of payment that State agency as property owner may withhold from certain contractors on State construction contracts to two percent of amount due. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5199 | Requires resident and fellow physicians employed by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, who are eligible for coverage in SHBP, to be eligible to enroll and receive health insurance on first day of employment. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5267 | Requires BPU to procure and incentivize transmission-scale energy storage. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5267 | Requires BPU to procure and incentivize transmission-scale energy storage. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5267 | Requires BPU to procure and incentivize transmission-scale energy storage. | Senate Floor: Reconsidered Vote | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5267 | Requires BPU to procure and incentivize transmission-scale energy storage. | Senate Floor: Amend | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5264 | Requires establishment of automated platform to expedite construction code approval of applications to install residential solar energy systems. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4122 | Revises apportionment of State lottery contributions. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4135 | Provides allowance for certain redevelopment projects undertaken by institutions of higher education under New Jersey Aspire program. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5309 | Permits up to three credits of continuing medical education on menopause to be used by advanced practice nurses and physicians for license renewal. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5378 | Modifies provisions of Cultural Arts Incentives Program, New Jersey Aspire Program, and Grow New Jersey Program; eliminates Community-Anchored Development Program. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5381 | Provides medical documentation requirement for certain members of PERS, PFRS, and SPRS to receive accidental disability retirement allowance for participation in 9/11 World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations; removes filing deadline. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4263 | Revises certain provisions concerning, and establishes certain education and data reporting requirements related to, involuntary commitment. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5447 | Prohibits sweepstakes model of wagering; establishes new penalties for unlawful gambling operations and practices; directs Division of Consumer Affairs and Division of Gaming Enforcement to enforce penalties. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5463 | Requires electric public utilities to submit annual report on voting to BPU. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4293 | Requires owner or operator of data center to submit water and energy usage report to BPU. | Senate Floor: Reconsidered Vote | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4293 | Requires owner or operator of data center to submit water and energy usage report to BPU. | Senate Floor: Concur in House Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4293 | Requires owner or operator of data center to submit water and energy usage report to BPU. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5563 | Establishes "Summer Termination Program" for certain utility customers. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5563 | Establishes "Summer Termination Program" for certain utility customers. | Senate Floor: Amend | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5546 | Concerns financial powers and responsibilities of Capital City Redevelopment Corporation. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4376 | Establishes Department of Veterans Affairs. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5687 | Establishes Next New Jersey Manufacturing Program to incentivize in-State manufacturing investments and job creation. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5688 | Imposes surcharge on hotel occupancies in certain municipalities to fund fire services; provides for appropriation. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4426 | Appropriates funds to DEP for environmental infrastructure projects in FY2026. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4426 | Appropriates funds to DEP for environmental infrastructure projects in FY2026. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4467 | Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend certain sums to make loans for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2026. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4467 | Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend certain sums to make loans for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2026. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4451 | Clarifies requirements for land use plan element and housing plan element of municipal master plan. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| SCR131 | Approves FY2026 Financial Plan of NJ Infrastructure Bank. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4400 | Extends hours that minor employed by national sports association, league, or team may work under certain circumstances. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4387 | Requires establishment of tracking system in Division of Consumer Affairs to determine compliance with continuing education requirements. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4423 | Authorizes BPU to provide site approval for small modular reactors; authorizes operators of small modular reactors to store spent nuclear fuel on-site. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4476 | Permits awarding of contracts for certain preschool education services by resolution of board of education; extends maximum length of preschool education services contracts to three years. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4472 | Eliminates five percent down payment requirement for local bond ordinances involving hazard mitigation and resilience projects. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4506 | Exempts minor league baseball players from certain State wage laws under certain circumstances. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4530 | Requires BPU to revise community solar program targets. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4530 | Requires BPU to revise community solar program targets. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| Committee | Position | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detail | New Jersey Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee | Chair | 1 |
| State | District | Chamber | Party | Status | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NJ | District 19 | Senate | Democrat | In Office | 01/13/1998 |