Legislator
Legislator > Carol Murphy
State Assemblymember
Carol Murphy
(D) - New Jersey
New Jersey Assembly District 07
In Office - Started: 01/09/2018
contact info
Mount Laurel Office
750 Centerton Road
Mount Laurel, NJ 08054
Mount Laurel, NJ 08054
Phone: 856-242-2018
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | This bill exempts certain contracts awarded for preschool education services from public advertising and bidding and permits the contracts to be awarded by a resolution of the board of education. The bill also extends the maximum length of preschool education services contracts to three years. Under current law, certain contracts under the Public School Contracts Law may be awarded by a resolution of the board of education without public advertising and bidding. The bill permits contracts for preschool education services provided by a licensed childcare provider or Head Start program and supported by preschool education aid to be awarded by a resolution of the board of education without public advertising and bidding. The Public School Contracts Law also limits awarded contracts to no more than 24 consecutive months unless otherwise authorized for a longer term. This bill permits contracts for preschool education services provided by a licensed childcare provider or Head Start program and supported by preschool education aid to be awarded for a period not to exceed three years. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| 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. | This bill requires that enrollment for health care coverage under the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) for eligible resident and fellow physicians employed by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, including University Hospital, and their dependents, be available on the first day of employment for new hires, and on the bill's effective date for such current employees. Delays in health care coverage and access to life-saving medicine can be dangerous and cause debilitating health care debt during emergencies. In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor signed Executive Order 172 allowing public employees to immediately enroll in the SHBP. However, the ability to immediately enroll was eliminated when the Governor later signed Executive Order 244 in 2021, which ended the public health emergency. This bill provides for immediate enrollment for eligible resident and fellow physicians employed by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, including University Hospital, and their dependents. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A3361 | Establishes limit on rent increase for certain dwelling sites for modular or industrialized buildings or manufactured homes. | Establishes limit on rent increase for certain dwelling sites for modular or industrialized buildings or manufactured homes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A3323 | Requires pay for extracurricular activities to be included in compensation for TPAF purposes. | This bill amends the definition of compensation for purposes of the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) to include additional pay for performing extracurricular duties beyond the regular school day or the regular school year. This additional pay is currently not included in the definition of compensation for pension purposes. Extracurricular duties include, but are not limited to, preparation for and involvement in public performances, contests, athletic competitions, demonstrations, displays, and club activities. | Passed |
| A1446 | Revises "Athletic Training Licensure Act." | Revises "Athletic Training Licensure Act." | In Committee |
| 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 |
| S317 | Revises "Athletic Training Licensure Act." | Revises "Athletic Training Licensure Act." | Passed |
| S1067 | Directs DHS to conduct landscape analysis of available mental health services. | Directs DHS to conduct landscape analysis of available mental health services. | Vetoed |
| S1403 | Requires employer or contractor engaged in work for public body to submit payroll records to DOLWD. | Requires employer or contractor engaged in work for public body to submit payroll records to DOLWD. | Passed |
| A2365 | Makes various changes to "New Jersey Angel Investor Tax Credit Act" and Technology Business Tax Certificate Transfer Program; repeals "New Jersey Ignite Act." | Makes various changes to "New Jersey Angel Investor Tax Credit Act" and Technology Business Tax Certificate Transfer Program; repeals "New Jersey Ignite Act." | In Committee |
| A1948 | Requires VCCO to issue annual report to Governor and Legislature. | This bill codifies the current policy of the Victims of Crime Compensation Office (VCCO) to issue an annual report summarizing compensation awards granted to eligible victims. Under the bill, the report is to summarize compensation awarded to victims during the previous fiscal year. The report is also to include the number of applications for compensation, the number of applications granted and denied and the reasons for the dispositions, the amount of awards, demographics concerning awards, services for which awards were provided, funding received by the office, and any other information deemed relevant by the Attorney General and the Executive Director of the VCCO. The bill requires the report to be completed within six months following the last day of the previous fiscal year. The report is to be issued to the Governor and the Legislature, as well as made available on the official website of the Department of Law and Public Safety. | Passed |
| A1406 | 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. | In Committee |
| A1675 | Extends membership in TPAF to 10 years after discontinuance of service and to 15 years for those who were laid off or had 10 or more years of continuous service upon voluntary termination. | Extends membership in TPAF to 10 years after discontinuance of service and to 15 years for those who were laid off or had 10 or more years of continuous service upon voluntary termination. | Passed |
| A3518 | Requires MVC to create digital driver's licenses and digital non-driver identification cards. | Requires MVC to create digital driver's licenses and digital non-driver identification cards. | Passed |
| AJR128 | Designates August of each year as "American Artist Appreciation Month" in New Jersey. | This resolution designates the month of August each year as "American Artist Appreciation Month" in recognition of the many valuable contributions of American artists to American society and the arts industry as a whole. The United States has a long history of artistic creation that reflects many different influences, innovations, and time periods. American artists have contributed significantly to visual and performing arts and have pioneered many artistic movements in the arts industry. Visual arts have been transformed by Pop Art, Luminism, and Photorealism, all movements which were led by American artists. American musicians have consistently been trailblazers in the music industry, popularizing many genres of music, including jazz, country, and rock and roll music. The many different artistic media and styles offer something to everyone, and by connecting with artists through their work, consumers are able to explore and consider different viewpoints on important issues. In addition to creating beautiful pieces of artwork that can stand the test of time, modern American artists contribute significantly to the nation's economy. The arts industry is one of the largest industries in the country. The arts industry is responsible for 4.7 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), generates more than twice as much revenue for local, state, and federal governments as the industry receives in government funding, supports 2.3 million jobs, and stimulates other industries, like food service, clothing and retail, and lodging and transportation, through live events. The film and television industry in New Jersey has been growing in recent years, due to the tax credit approved by the Legislature in 2018, and is forecasted to continue growing as the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic dissipate. In New Jersey, the arts industry currently accounts for 41 million dollars of revenue for State and local governments, as well as 25,000 jobs. New Jersey has always had a special relationship with the arts. The state is home to many prominent artists across all media, and boasts numerous museums, theatres, and arenas where exhibits and performances by American artists are hosted. It is fitting for the State of New Jersey to designate the month of August each year as "American Artist Appreciation Month" in recognition of the many American artists who create works of art that inspire New Jersey residents and Americans across the country. | Crossed Over |
| A3742 | Requires Secretary of Agriculture to establish Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse school districts for costs expended in sourcing and procuring local foods for students; appropriates $4,500,000. | Requires Secretary of Agriculture to establish Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse school districts for costs expended in sourcing and procuring local foods for students; appropriates $4,500,000. | Crossed Over |
| A4029 | Requires employer or contractor engaged in work for public body to submit payroll records to DOLWD. | Requires employer or contractor engaged in work for public body to submit payroll records to DOLWD. | In Committee |
| S2961 | Establishes minimum qualifications for persons employed on public works contract. | Establishes minimum qualifications for persons employed on public works contract. | Passed |
| A4124 | Establishes minimum qualifications for persons employed on public works contract. | Establishes minimum qualifications for persons employed on public works contract. | In Committee |
| S3052 | Concerns grade options at public institutions of higher education for service member and dependents unable to complete course due to military obligation. | Concerns grade options at public institutions of higher education for service member and dependents unable to complete course due to military obligation. | Passed |
| S3189 | Makes various changes to "New Jersey Angel Investor Tax Credit Act" and Technology Business Tax Certificate Transfer Program; repeals "New Jersey Ignite Act." | An Act 2[increasing the amount of the tax credits provided for investments made in emerging technology businesses under] making various changes to2 the "New Jersey Angel Investor Tax Credit Act2[,]2" 2[and amending P.L.1997, c.349 and P.L.2013, c.14] and the Technology Business Tax Certificate Transfer Program, revising various parts of the statutory law, and repealing parts of P.L.2020, c.1562. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5278 | Establishes "New Jersey Menopause Coverage Act"; requires health insurance coverage of medically necessary perimenopause and menopause treatments. | Establishes "New Jersey Menopause Coverage Act"; requires health insurance coverage of medically necessary perimenopause and menopause treatments. | Crossed Over |
| SJR154 | Directs BPU to investigate PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.'s Reliability Pricing Model; directs State to promote affordable energy practices and to urge PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. to implement certain reforms. | This joint resolution respectfully: (1) directs the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to investigate PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.'s (PJM) Reliability Pricing Model; and (2) directs the State of New Jersey to collaborate with neighboring states to promote affordable energy practices and to urge PJM to implement market reforms and expeditiously review new electricity generation applications. PJM is the regional transmission organization responsible for coordinating the movement of electricity and ensuring reliable and cost-effective energy distribution in New Jersey, several other states, and the District of Columbia. One of PJM's responsibilities is to administer a capacity market to ensure adequate resources exist on the grid to maintain reliability at the lowest possible cost through a competitive auction. The rising cost of capacity in PJM's capacity market auctions, which contributes to the overall increase in electricity bills for ratepayers, raises concerns about the alignment of capacity prices with the principles of affordability and transparency outlined in New Jersey's "Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act". In addition, delays in PJM's interconnection queue have prevented new electric generation resources from becoming operational in a timely manner. As a result, these new resources, which are needed to maintain reliability at low costs, will be unable to compete in PJM's capacity market auctions in the near future. The BPU has been working to incentivize the development of new generation resources to help meet growing energy demand and thereby prevent increases in energy and capacity prices. The BPU has also been actively working to protect ratepayers from price increases and coordinating with other PJM states to push for capacity market reforms. The BPU's initiatives, led by Governor Murphy, are accompanied by the actions of consumer advocates, who have furthered the region's efforts to reduce prices through additional complaints at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which the BPU has pledged to support. | Passed |
| AJR216 | Directs BPU to investigate PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.'s Reliability Pricing Model; directs State to promote affordable energy practices and to urge PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. to implement certain reforms. | This joint resolution respectfully: (1) directs the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to investigate PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.'s (PJM) Reliability Pricing Model; and (2) directs the State of New Jersey to collaborate with neighboring states to promote affordable energy practices and to urge PJM to implement market reforms and expeditiously review new electricity generation applications. PJM is the regional transmission organization responsible for coordinating the movement of electricity and ensuring reliable and cost-effective energy distribution in New Jersey, several other states, and the District of Columbia. One of PJM's responsibilities is to administer a capacity market to ensure adequate resources exist on the grid to maintain reliability at the lowest possible cost through a competitive auction. The rising cost of capacity in PJM's capacity market auctions, which contributes to the overall increase in electricity bills for ratepayers, raises concerns about the alignment of capacity prices with the principles of affordability and transparency outlined in New Jersey's "Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act". In addition, delays in PJM's interconnection queue have prevented new electric generation resources from becoming operational in a timely manner. As a result, these new resources, which are needed to maintain reliability at low costs, will be unable to compete in PJM's capacity market auctions in the near future. The BPU has been working to incentivize the development of new generation resources to help meet growing energy demand and thereby prevent increases in energy and capacity prices. The BPU has also been actively working to protect ratepayers from price increases and coordinating with other PJM states to push for capacity market reforms. The BPU's initiatives, led by Governor Murphy, are accompanied by the actions of consumer advocates, who have furthered the region's efforts to reduce prices through additional complaints at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which the BPU has pledged to support. | In Committee |
| A5420 | Permits 30-calendar day extension to cure period for certain businesses to address and resolve certain violations. | This bill permits 30-calendar day extensions to cure periods for certain businesses to address and resolve certain violations. Under current law, a State agency, department, or authority may suspend enforcement of any monetary fine or civil penalty, for a period of 60 calendar days, that would otherwise be imposed on a business for a first-time violation that does not or would not result in a significant adverse impact to the public safety or welfare, result in loss of income or benefits to an employee, or present the risk of environmental harm. This bill provides that the State agency, department, or authority may extend the 60-calendar day cure period an additional 30 calendar days for a business where such agency, department, or authority determines that not providing the extension would be contrary to equity and good conscience. | Crossed Over |
| A5422 | Allows businesses to receive information via email concerning new regulations and economic incentives that affect business. | This bill provides businesses with the option of receiving notifications from the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services and, as applicable, from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, on new statutory and regulatory requirements and economic incentives related to their industry. Current processes require that all businesses registered in the State receive these updates via traditional paper communication. The bill allows any business with the option of providing a registered email address to the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, which will coordinate the dissemination of these statutory, regulatory and economic incentive-related communications through the provided email. The bill also provides a method for businesses to revert to the traditional means of paper communication. | Crossed Over |
| A5712 | Establishes Air Traffic Controller Loan Redemption Program; supports partnership between public institution of higher education and federal Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative and establishment of Center for Study of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena; appropriates $3.5 million. | Establishes Air Traffic Controller Loan Redemption Program; supports partnership between public institution of higher education and federal Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative and establishment of Center for Study of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena; appropriates $3.5 million. | Crossed Over |
| S4293 | Requires owner or operator of data center to submit water and energy usage report to BPU. | Requires owner or operator of data center to submit water and energy usage report to BPU. | Passed |
| A5517 | Directs BPU to study feasibility of developing advanced reactors Statewide. | Directs BPU to study feasibility of developing advanced reactors Statewide. | Crossed Over |
| A5538 | Prohibits municipal utilities authority from charging fire district and fire department water service charges for fire protection systems in certain circumstances. | Prohibits municipal utilities authority from charging fire district and fire department water service charges for fire protection systems in certain circumstances. | Crossed Over |
| A5548 | Requires owner or operator of data center to submit water and energy usage report to BPU. | Requires owner or operator of data center to submit water and energy usage report to BPU. | In Committee |
| A5595 | Permits individuals to establish voluntary nonopioid directives. | Permits individuals to establish voluntary nonopioid directives. | Crossed Over |
| A5649 | Allows counties and municipalities to use open space trust funds for remediation of collapsed mine shafts and sinkholes on property owned by county or municipality. | This bill would allow a county or municipality to use monies in their "open space trust fund" for the remediation of collapsed mine shafts and sinkholes on property owned by the county or municipality. Under current law, counties are authorized to establish "County Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Funds" and municipalities are authorized to establish "Municipal Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Funds." These funds are often referred to as "open space trust funds." This bill would expand this authorization to allow counties and municipalities to use the monies in such funds for the additional purpose of remediation of collapsed mine shafts and sinkholes on property owned by the county or municipality. Under this bill, a county or municipality would not be required to obtain voter approval to use funds in their open space trust fund for the remediation of collapsed mine shafts and sinkholes; however, the county or municipality would be required to adopt a resolution or ordinance, as appropriate, prior to doing so, and comply with public notice requirements contained in the bill. | Crossed Over |
| A5623 | Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend certain sums to make loans for transportation infrastructure projects for FY2026; makes appropriation. | This bill authorizes the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (NJIB) to expend up to $53,450,000 in Fiscal Year 2026 (FY2026) to provide low-interest loans to certain local government units that undertake one of 17 eligible transportation infrastructure projects set forth in the bill. The bill also authorizes the NJIB to make a maximum of $1 million in principal-forgiveness financing loans to project sponsors for planning and design costs. Under the bill, up to $100,000 of a loan, per borrower, is to be forgiven for a project where a principal amount of at least $250,000 is financed by the Transportation Infrastructure Financing Program through completion of the project's construction. Additionally, the bill permits the NJIB to use any loan repayments received to date, and the amounts for capitalized interest, interest accrued pursuant to a short-term or temporary loan made to a project sponsor pursuant to the Interim Transportation Financing Program, bond issuance expenses, and related amounts, to fund the FY2026 New Jersey Transportation Infrastructure Financing Program (NJTIB). The bill also authorizes the NJIB to utilize certain funds generated by the operation of the bank, including, but not limited to, proceeds from the sale of bonds, the revenues derived from investments, and loan repayments, to defray the NJIB's FY2026 operating expenses. Finally, the bill appropriates certain funds from the General Fund to the NJIB. Since its creation in 2018, the NJIB, in partnership with the Department of Transportation, has provided low-cost NJTIB loans for the construction of critical transportation infrastructure projects with the mission of reducing the cost of financing for New Jersey counties and municipalities and making possible responsible and sustainable economic development. | In Committee |
| A5687 | Establishes Next New Jersey Manufacturing Program to incentivize in-State manufacturing investments and job creation. | Establishes Next New Jersey Manufacturing Program to incentivize in-State manufacturing investments and job creation. | Passed |
| S4426 | Appropriates funds to DEP for environmental infrastructure projects in FY2026. | Appropriates funds to DEP for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2026. | Passed |
| S4467 | Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend certain sums to make loans for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2026. | Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend certain sums to make loans for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2026. | Passed |
| S4377 | Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend certain sums to make loans for transportation infrastructure projects for FY2026; makes appropriation. | This bill authorizes the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (NJIB) to expend up to $53,450,000 in Fiscal Year 2026 (FY2026) to provide low-interest loans to certain local government units that undertake one of 17 eligible transportation infrastructure projects set forth in the bill. The bill also authorizes the NJIB to make a maximum of $1 million in principal-forgiveness financing loans to project sponsors for planning and design costs. Under the bill, up to $100,000 of a loan, per borrower, is to be forgiven for a project where a principal amount of at least $250,000 is financed by the Transportation Infrastructure Financing Program through completion of the project's construction. Additionally, the bill permits the NJIB to use any loan repayments received to date, and the amounts for capitalized interest, interest accrued pursuant to a short-term or temporary loan made to a project sponsor pursuant to the Interim Transportation Financing Program, bond issuance expenses, and related amounts, to fund the FY2026 New Jersey Transportation Infrastructure Financing Program (NJTIB). The bill also authorizes the NJIB to utilize certain funds generated by the operation of the bank, including, but not limited to, proceeds from the sale of bonds, the revenues derived from investments, and loan repayments, to defray the NJIB's FY2026 operating expenses. Finally, the bill appropriates certain funds from the General Fund to the NJIB. Since its creation in 2018, the NJIB, in partnership with the Department of Transportation, has provided low-cost NJTIB loans for the construction of critical transportation infrastructure projects with the mission of reducing the cost of financing for New Jersey counties and municipalities and making possible responsible and sustainable economic development. | Passed |
| A5383 | Requires unrestricted Medicaid coverage for ovulation enhancing drugs and medical services related to administering such drugs for certain beneficiaries experiencing infertility. | Requires unrestricted Medicaid coverage for ovulation enhancing drugs and medical services related to administering such drugs for certain beneficiaries experiencing infertility. | Crossed Over |
| 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. | 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. | Passed |
| S4567 | Appropriates $107,999,000 from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues and various Green Acres funds to DEP for local government open space acquisition, park development, and planning projects, and for certain administrative expenses. | This bill appropriates $107,999,000 from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax (CBT) revenues and various Green Acres funds to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Of the total amount appropriated by the bill, $102,679,000 would be used by the DEP to provide grants or loans, or both, to assist local government units in the State to acquire or develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes, $3,000,000 would be used for a new planning grant program, and $2,320,000 would be used for the DEP's associated administrative costs. The total amount of funding allocated for local government projects listed in this bill is $102,679,000. Of this amount, $22,427,000 is for projects to acquire lands for recreation and conservation purposes identified in section 4 of the bill, and $80,252,000 is for projects to develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes identified in section 5 of the bill. Of the sum for projects to acquire lands for recreation and conservation purposes: $19,959,000 is allocated for planning incentive open space acquisition projects (i.e., projects located in municipalities and counties that have an open space tax and an approved open space plan); $2,086,000 is allocated for open space acquisition projects in urban aid municipalities or sponsored by densely populated counties; and $382,000 is allocated for site-specific incentive acquisition projects (i.e., projects located in municipalities that have an open space tax, but do not have an open space plan). Of the sum for projects to develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes: $29,145,000 is allocated for local park development projects in urban aid municipalities or sponsored by densely populated counties; $11,951,000 is allocated for local park development projects in densely or highly populated municipalities or sponsored by highly populated counties; $6,638,000 is allocated for standard local park development projects (i.e., projects located in municipalities that do not meet the criteria of the prior two categories); $4,247,000 is allocated for stewardship activity projects; and $28,271,000 is allocated for completely inclusive playground projects, pursuant to section 4 of P.L.2018, c.104 (C.13:8C-27.1), otherwise known as "Jake's Law." The projects approved by the bill include projects in "urban aid" and densely or highly populated municipalities and counties. The bill defines a "densely or highly populated municipality" as a municipality with a population density of at least 5,000 persons per square mile or a population of at least 35,000 persons; a "densely populated county" as a county with a population density of at least 5,000 persons per square mile; and a "highly populated county" as a county with a population density of at least 1,000 persons per square mile. In addition, the bill would appropriate $3 million to the DEP in order to establish a new a Planning Grant program, the purpose of which would be to provide matching grants to local governments to fund the preparation of plans and other activities necessary to identify needs and opportunities for additional recreation and conservation initiatives in the State. To the extent that there are funds remaining after the local government unit projects listed in this bill are offered funding, the bill also authorizes the DEP, with the approval of the JBOC, to use those funds to provide additional funding for local government unit projects listed in this bill as well as for local government unit projects previously approved for funding pursuant to various other laws. The projects listed in the bill have been approved by the DEP and the Garden State Preservation Trust (GSPT). | Passed |
| A5792 | Provides for workers' compensation coverage of certain counseling services for first responders and provides that certain mental health related communications are confidential. | Provides for workers' compensation coverage of certain counseling services for first responders and provides that certain mental health related communications are confidential. | Passed |
| A5780 | 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. | This bill exempts certain contracts awarded for preschool education services from public advertising and bidding and permits the contracts to be awarded by a resolution of the board of education. The bill also extends the maximum length of preschool education services contracts to three years. Under current law, certain contracts under the Public School Contracts Law may be awarded by a resolution of the board of education without public advertising and bidding. The bill permits contracts for preschool education services provided by a licensed childcare provider or Head Start program and supported by preschool education aid to be awarded by a resolution of the board of education without public advertising and bidding. The Public School Contracts Law also limits awarded contracts to no more than 24 consecutive months unless otherwise authorized for a longer term. This bill permits contracts for preschool education services provided by a licensed childcare provider or Head Start program and supported by preschool education aid to be awarded for a period not to exceed three years. | In Committee |
| A5779 | Establishes Chronic Absenteeism Task Force. | Establishes Chronic Absenteeism Task Force. | In Committee |
| A5847 | Extends deadline for completion of school district's annual audit for 2024-2025 school year. | This bill extends the deadline for the completion of a school district's annual audit for the 2024-2025 school year. Under current law, the board of education of every school district is required to complete an annual audit of the school district's accounts and financial transaction completed no later than five months after the end of the school year. The school district's accountant is required to file a report of the annual audit with the board of education, and within five days thereafter, the Commissioner of Education. This bill extends each of these deadlines for the 2024-2025 school year. The provisions of P.L.2023, c.305 similarly extended the deadline for the completion of a school district's annual audit for the 2022-2023 and the 2023-2024 school years. | Passed |
| A5848 | Modifies child endangerment statute to include AI technology; establishes criminal penalties. | This bill amends the child endangerment statute, N.J.S.A.2C:24-4, to create a fourth degree crime of knowingly or recklessly causing or allowing a child to be subjected to sexual conduct through the use of automated interactive computer technology. Under current law, endangering the welfare of a child occurs when a person engages in sexual conduct which would impair or debauch the morals of the child. Endangering is a second degree crime when committed by a person with a legal duty to care for the child, and is a third degree crime when committed by other persons. Although the statute does not specify what types of acts constitute sexual conduct which would impair or debauch the morals of the child, it has been well-settled by the courts of this State that the conduct can occur online or over the telephone without actual physical contact, and can include conversations with children that describe sexual activity. See, e.g., State v. Maxwell, 361 N.J. Super. 502 (Law Div. 2001); State v. Johnson, 460 N.J. Super. 481 (Law Div. 2019); State v. McInerney, 428 N.J. Super. 432 (App. Div. 2012). Under the bill, any person who knowingly or recklessly causes, or allows, a child to be subjected to sexual conduct which would impair or debauch the morals of the child, through the person's creation, control, possession, manipulation, use, dissemination, sale, or promotion of any automated interactive computer technology that is capable of performing or simulating sexual conduct, is guilty of a crime of the fourth degree. The bill provides an exception for AI technology that has safety features designed to stop a chatbot from simulating sexual conduct when it detects that a user is a child. A crime of the second degree is punishable by five to 10 years' imprisonment, a fine of up to $150,000, or both. A crime of the third degree is punishable by three to five years' imprisonment, a fine of up to $15,000, or both. A crime of the fourth degree is punishable by up to 18 months' imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. It is the sponsor's intent that the bill would impose criminal penalties in situations where the creator of an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot knowingly or recklessly programs the chatbot to engage in simulated sexual chats with users who are children. Such deliberate creation or misuse of AI chatbots, without regard to the safety of children, and their proliferation across social media platforms and the Internet, was reported in an April 26, 2025 article in the Wall Street Journal, entitled "Meta's 'Digital Companions' Will Talk Sex with Users - Even Children." | Crossed Over |
| A5790 | Requires health benefits coverage for treatment of lipedema. | Requires health benefits coverage for treatment of lipedema. | Crossed Over |
| A5860 | Appropriates $107,999,000 from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues and various Green Acres funds to DEP for local government open space acquisition, park development, and planning projects, and for certain administrative expenses. | Appropriates $107,999,000 from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues and various Green Acres funds to DEP for local government open space acquisition, park development, and planning projects, and for certain administrative expenses. | In Committee |
| A5622 | Appropriates funds to DEP for environmental infrastructure projects in FY2026. | This bill would appropriate certain federal and State moneys to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for the purpose of implementing the State Fiscal Year 2026 New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Financing Program (NJEIFP). The bill would appropriate these funds for the purpose of making loans to local governments and privately-owned water companies (project sponsors) for a portion of the costs of water infrastructure projects. A companion bill, Assembly Bill No. 5621 of this session, would authorize the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (NJIB) to execute loans using the funds appropriated to the DEP by this bill to finance a portion of the costs of the clean water and drinking water projects enumerated by the bill. The bill would authorize the DEP to use the moneys appropriated by the bill to fund the following projects: (1) in subsection a. of section 2 of the bill, a list of two projects to improve water discharge and treatment systems that had previously received a loan and require supplemental loans, representing $5.2 million in estimated total loan amounts; (2) in subsection b. of section 2 of the bill, a list of four projects to improve drinking water systems that had previously received a loan and require supplemental loans, representing $19 million in estimated total loan amounts; (3) in paragraph (1) of subsection a. of section 3 of the bill, the "Storm Sandy and State Fiscal Year 2026 Clean Water Project Eligibility List," a list of 151 projects to improve water discharge and treatment systems, representing $1.7 billion in estimated total loan amounts; (4) in paragraph (2) of subsection a. of section 3 of the bill, a list of four projects in the Pinelands area that are receiving funding under the "Pinelands Infrastructure Trust Bond Act of 1985," P.L.1985, c.302, to improve water discharge and treatment systems, representing $15.3 million in estimated total loan amounts; and (5) in subsection b. of section 3 of the bill, the "Storm Sandy and State Fiscal Year 2026 Drinking Water Project Eligibility List," a list of 59 projects to improve drinking water systems, representing $651.7 million in estimated total loan amounts. The bill would also appropriate the unexpended balances from various funds to the DEP, and allow the DEP to transfer moneys between various State funds, for the purpose of funding the NJEIFP and providing the State match for federal funding provided under the federal laws, including the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, as detailed in subsection a. of section 1 of the bill. In addition, the bill would appropriate to the DEP funds deposited in the "Clean Water State Revolving Fund" and the "Drinking Water State Revolving Fund" pursuant to the federal "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act," Pub. L. 117-58. The bill would authorize loans to certain project sponsors to include zero interest or principal forgiveness, subject to certain funding limits and restrictions detailed in subsections b. through e. of section 1 of the bill. Projects designated for zero interest or principal forgiveness loans include projects that reduce or eliminate discharges from combined sewer overflow outfalls, water quality restoration projects, water and energy efficiency projects, and emerging contaminant projects. The bill would establish certain requirements on loans to project sponsors made by the DEP pursuant to the bill, as enumerated in section 4 of the bill. The bill would also establish additional restrictions, described in section 5 of the bill, for "Sandy financing loans," which are those loans that utilize federal funding provided pursuant to the federal "Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013," Pub.L. 113-2. Under the bill, the project lists and the DEP's authorization to utilize the funds appropriated by the bill would expire on July 1, 2026. The bill would also authorize the NJIB to utilize repayments of loans made using moneys from various State funds, enumerated in subsections a. and b. of section 10 of the bill, to recoup trust bond repayments and administrative fees that have not been paid by project sponsors instead of redepositing the money into the funds. However, the bill would also require the NJIB to make a compensatory deposit into certain State funds, as detailed in subsection c. of section 10 of the bill, when the NJIB receives the deficient payments or fees from the project sponsor. Finally, the bill would appropriate to the NJIB, from repayments of loans, interest payments, certain federal funds, and any earnings received from the investment of those funds, as enumerated in sections 12 and 13 of the bill, such amounts as the chairperson or secretary of the NJIB certifies are necessary and appropriate for deposit into one or more reserve funds established by the NJIB. | In Committee |
| A5854 | Allows certain motor vehicle franchisors to sell, lease, or assign vehicles to employees. | Allows certain motor vehicle franchisors to sell, lease, or assign vehicles to employees. | Passed |
| A5621 | Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend certain sums to make loans for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2026. | This bill would authorize the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (NJIB) to expend up to $2.4 billion to provide loans to local governments and privately-owned water companies (project sponsors) for a portion of the costs of water infrastructure projects, for the purpose of implementing the State fiscal year 2026 New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Financing Program (NJEIFP). A companion bill, Assembly Bill No. 5622 of this session, would appropriate certain federal and State moneys to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for the purpose of partially funding the costs of the clean water and drinking water projects enumerated by the bill. The bill would authorize the NJIB to provide loans to fund the following projects: (1) in subsection a. of section 2 of the bill, a list of two projects to improve water discharge and treatment systems that had previously received a loan and require supplemental loans, representing $5.2 million in estimated total loan amounts; (2) in subsection b. of section 2 of the bill, a list of four projects to improve drinking water systems that had previously received a loan and require supplemental loans, representing $19 million in estimated total loan amounts; (3) in subsection c. of section 3 of the bill, a list of four projects in the Pinelands area that are receiving funding under the "Pinelands Infrastructure Trust Bond Act of 1985," P.L.1985, c.302 to improve water discharge and treatment systems, representing $15.3 million in estimated total loan amounts; (4) in subsection a. of section 4 of the bill, the "Storm Sandy and State Fiscal Year 2026 Clean Water Project Eligibility List," a list of 151 projects to improve water discharge and treatment systems, representing $1.7 billion in estimated total loan amounts; and (5) in subsection b. of section 4 of the bill, the "Storm Sandy and State Fiscal Year 2026 Drinking Water Project Eligibility List," a list of 59 projects to improve drinking water systems, representing $651.7 million in estimated total loan amounts. The bill would also appropriate to the NJIB an amount up to $1.5 billion, as necessary, to make short-term or temporary loans to project sponsors on the "Interim Environmental Financing Program Project Priority List," which is required to be submitted to the Legislature by the DEP Commissioner. The bill would also appropriate to the NJIB the amount needed to fund project sponsors on the "Environmental Disaster Relief Emergency Financing Program Project Priority List," which is also required to be submitted to the Legislature by the DEP Commissioner. In addition, the bill would appropriate available funds from the "Economic Development and Infrastructure Improvement Revolving Fund" created pursuant to the annual appropriations act for State fiscal year 2021, P.L.2020, c.97, to provide debt service reserves or guarantees to certain local government units for the purpose of making them eligible to receive a loan from the NJIB to finance the environmental infrastructure component of a redevelopment project. The bill would also authorize the NJIB to transfer moneys between various State funds, for the purpose of funding the NJEIFP and providing the State match for federal funding provided under the federal laws, including the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, as detailed in subsection c. of section 1 of the bill. The bill would establish certain requirements on loans to project sponsors made by the NJIB pursuant to the bill, as enumerated in section 6 of the bill. The bill would also authorize the NJIB to decrease or increase the loan amounts it provides, subject to certain conditions enumerated in sections 7 and 8 of the bill. Finally, the bill would authorize the NJIB to utilize certain moneys to fund its annual operating expenses. | In Committee |
| A5877 | 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. | Crossed Over |
| S4632 | Establishes grant program in DOE for public schools to purchase and install point-of-use filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets. | An Act concerning the installation of 1point-of-use1 filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets in public schools and supplementing Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S4654 | Provides for publication of required legal notices on government Internet websites and through certain online news publications. | This bill provides that whenever a public entity, as defined in the bill, is required by law or by order or rule of any court to publish or advertise a legal notice, the public entity is to publish or advertise the legal notice on the public entity's official Internet website. The majority of the bill's requirements are mandatory beginning March 1, 2026, and are optional until that date. Under the bill, the public entity's official Internet website is to be accessible and available to the public free of charge, and a direct hyperlink to legal notices published on the public entity's official Internet website is to be conspicuously placed on the public entity's Internet homepage. The Secretary of State, with support from the Office of Information Technology and any other State agency the secretary deems necessary, is required to establish an Internet webpage which includes the hyperlinks to the legal notices webpage of each public entity. The legal notices hyperlink webpage is to be accessible and available to the public free of charge and be accessible by a direct hyperlink that is conspicuously placed on the Secretary of State's homepage. Each public entity is required to submit the entity's hyperlink to the Secretary of State and provide any updates thereto. The bill provides that a public entity is required to maintain an Internet archive of legal notices that are no longer displayed, which are required to be kept for at least one year. A public entity is required to display a legal notice on its legal notices webpage for at least one week, or other time period as required by law, before transferring it to the archive. Under the bill, a local government unit is not required to maintain an archive until July 1, 2026. Under the bill, a local government unit may in addition to the publication on its official website, publish or advertise a legal notice on an eligible online news publication that meets the criteria as specified in the bill. The bill also provides that whenever a corporation, individual, or any other entity that is not a public entity is required by law or by the order or rule of any court to publish or advertise a legal notice, the corporation, individual, or other entity is to publish or advertise the legal notice on an online news publication that satisfies the eligibility requirements to function as an online news publication, as specified in the bill. For the year from January 1, 2026, a public entity is required to provide an advertisement at least twice per month in an eligible online news publication that: states that the complete text of each legal notice may be obtained or viewed by the public on the official Internet website of the public entity; and provides the hyperlink to the Secretary of State's legal notices hyperlink Internet webpage, with exceptions provided in the bill. Additionally, under current law, a newspaper utilized, or permitted to be utilized, by a person or public body, as defined in section 3 of the "Open Public Meetings Act," P.L.1975, c.231 (C.10:4-8), from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024 for the purpose of complying with any requirements for issuing or publishing a public notice or legal advertisement, including, but not limited to, for providing adequate notice of a meeting, the solicitation of bids, qualifications, or proposals, or the publication of any ordinances, synopses, or summaries of official documents, is deemed eligible for the same purposes from January 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025 if the newspaper's publication is in print or electronic format. This bill amends that law to provide that public bodies may continue using qualifying newspapers for required public notices and legal advertisements until March 1, 2026 regardless of format. The bill is to take effect immediately. Provides for publication of required legal notices on government Internet websites and through certain online news publications. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5878 | Provides for publication of required legal notices on government Internet websites and through certain online news publications. | This bill provides that whenever a public entity, as defined in the bill, is required by law or by order or rule of any court to publish or advertise a legal notice, the public entity is to publish or advertise the legal notice on the public entity's official Internet website. The majority of the bill's requirements are mandatory beginning March 1, 2026, and are optional until that date. Under the bill, the public entity's official Internet website is to be accessible and available to the public free of charge, and a direct hyperlink to legal notices published on the public entity's official Internet website is to be conspicuously placed on the public entity's Internet homepage. The Secretary of State, with support from the Office of Information Technology and any other State agency the secretary deems necessary, is required to establish an Internet webpage which includes the hyperlinks to the legal notices webpage of each public entity. The legal notices hyperlink webpage is to be accessible and available to the public free of charge and be accessible by a direct hyperlink that is conspicuously placed on the Secretary of State's homepage. Each public entity is required to submit the entity's hyperlink to the Secretary of State and provide any updates thereto. The bill provides that a public entity is required to maintain an Internet archive of legal notices that are no longer displayed, which are required to be kept for at least one year. A public entity is required to display a legal notice on its legal notices webpage for at least one week, or other time period as required by law, before transferring it to the archive. Under the bill, a local government unit is not required to maintain an archive until July 1, 2026. Under the bill, a local government unit may in addition to the publication on its official website, publish or advertise a legal notice on an eligible online news publication that meets the criteria as specified in the bill. The bill also provides that whenever a corporation, individual, or any other entity that is not a public entity is required by law or by the order or rule of any court to publish or advertise a legal notice, the corporation, individual, or other entity is to publish or advertise the legal notice on an online news publication that satisfies the eligibility requirements to function as an online news publication, as specified in the bill. For the year from January 1, 2026, a public entity is required to provide an advertisement at least twice per month in an eligible online news publication that: states that the complete text of each legal notice may be obtained or viewed by the public on the official Internet website of the public entity; and provides the hyperlink to the Secretary of State's legal notices hyperlink Internet webpage, with exceptions provided in the bill. Additionally, under current law, a newspaper utilized, or permitted to be utilized, by a person or public body, as defined in section 3 of the "Open Public Meetings Act," P.L.1975, c.231 (C.10:4-8), from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024 for the purpose of complying with any requirements for issuing or publishing a public notice or legal advertisement, including, but not limited to, for providing adequate notice of a meeting, the solicitation of bids, qualifications, or proposals, or the publication of any ordinances, synopses, or summaries of official documents, is deemed eligible for the same purposes from January 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025 if the newspaper's publication is in print or electronic format. This bill amends that law to provide that public bodies may continue using qualifying newspapers for required public notices and legal advertisements until March 1, 2026 regardless of format. The bill is to take effect immediately. | In Committee |
| 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. "Healthcare Finance Enhancement Act." | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5812 | Establishes grant program in DOE for public schools to purchase and install point-of-use filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Education to establish a School Lead Filters program to provide grants, subject to available appropriations, for the purchase and installation of point-of-use filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets in public schools no later than 180 days after enactment of the bill. Public schools that wish to apply to the program are to apply to the Department of Education for a grant in a form and manner as determined by the commissioner. The bill requires the commissioner to advertise the availability of the grants to public schools, including publishing information about the program on the department's Internet website. The bill requires the commissioner to give priority to public schools that demonstrate significant water quality issues, as evidenced by test results, reports from the Department of Environmental Protection, or reliable data sources indicating elevated levels of lead and other contaminants in drinking water, as well as to public schools that have not already installed point-of-use filtered bottle-filling stations or filtered faucets. The bill permits the commissioner to develop and disseminate guidance to public schools to assist in the development of plans for installing point-of-use filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets. The resources may include information on factors that a school should consider when selecting point-of-use filtered bottle-filling stations, filtered faucets, and filter cartridges. The bill requires the commissioner to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature no later than six months after the end of the 2025-2026 school year. The report is to contain information on the implementation of the grant program and information on the number of grants applied for, the number of grants awarded, and the commissioner's recommendation as to how much additional funding would be needed to match total demand in all public schools. It is the sponsor's intent to establish a program to assist school districts in installing filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets in order to better protect children's health. Poor drinking water, and in particular, exposure to lead, contributes to significant health problems. Because children are still growing, their bodies absorb more lead than adults. Negative health impacts of contaminated drinking water include anemia, kidney and brain damage, learning disabilities, and decreased growth. | In Committee |
| A5904 | Revises statutory obligations of Advisory Graduate Medical Education Council of New Jersey. | This bill revises the statutory obligations of the Advisory Graduate Medical Education Council of New Jersey (council). Under the bill, the council is to be responsible to the Department of Health beginning on the bill's effective date and meet at least once annually. Under the bill, the functions of the council are expanded to include: 1) developing an informational guide of available funding for graduate medical education in the State to provide to legislators, policy-makers, and stakeholders three months prior to the start of a new fiscal year; 2) working with federal stakeholders to maximize the use of federal programs such as the Health Resources and Services Administration's Rural Residency Planning and Development Program and the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program; 3) developing workforce and population health outcomes based on the Graduate Medical Education Subsidy and Supplemental Graduate Medical Education Subsidy of each upcoming annual appropriations act; 4) developing metrics to measure whether workforce and population health outcomes have been achieved; 5) making recommendations on how to utilize and distribute federal and State funds from the Graduate Medical Education Subsidy and Supplemental Graduate Medical Education Subsidy in each upcoming annual appropriations act based on the State's five-year strategic plan; and 6) developing a five-year strategic plan for the management and growth of graduate medical education in the State. The bill provides that the council is to submit an annual report to the Governor and Legislature which contains the following: 1) a summary of the council's activities; 2) the graduate medical workforce needs of the State, including emerging needs and any shortages in practice areas, as well the general health needs of the State; 3) the manner in which the graduate medical education subsidy and any supplemental graduate medical education funding in the State's annual appropriations act have been allocated among hospitals, including numerically, geographically, and according to specialty and setting; 4) information on whether the graduate medical education subsidy and any supplemental graduate medical education funding in the State's annual appropriations act are creating desired workforce and population health outcomes; 5) an analysis of where medical graduates work following the completion of residency requirements and whether the number and type of graduate medical education funded positions was proportional to any needs or shortages in the State; and 6) recommendations on achieving the proper distribution of graduate medical education positions in geographically underserved and specialty areas. | In Committee |
| A4380 | Establishes "Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act"; revises motor vehicle franchise agreements. | Establishes "Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act"; revises motor vehicle franchise agreements. | In Committee |
| S3309 | Establishes "Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act"; revises motor vehicle franchise agreements. | Establishes "Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act"; revises motor vehicle franchise agreements. | Passed |
| A4878 | Concerns grade options at public institutions of higher education for service member and dependents unable to complete course due to military obligation. | This bill extends certain options in regard to grades to dependents of service members enrolled in public institutions of higher education who cannot complete a course due to an unplanned military obligation of the service member. The bill also clarifies the scope of existing grade options and establishes additional grade options. Under current law, a student enrolled in public institution of higher education who is unable to complete a course due to a deployment, mobilization, reassignment, or other military obligation as a service member has four options in regard to the grade for the course. If the student has completed at least eight weeks of the course, the student may choose to receive a (1) letter grade; (2) pass or fail grade; (3) grade of incomplete; or (4) withdrawal. If the student has completed fewer than eight weeks of the course, the student's options are limited to choosing between receiving an incomplete grade and withdrawing from the course. Current law also specifies that a student who accepts a grade of pass or fail may, within a year of returning to the institution, complete the course work to receive a letter grade. Under the bill, these grade options are to also be made available to the dependents of the service member. The bill defines a "dependent" as a dependent child or spouse of the service member. The bill clarifies that the deployment, mobilization, reassignment or other military obligation preventing the service member or dependent from completing the course be unplanned. The bill also changes the demarcating line of course completion from eight weeks to 55 percent of the duration of the course. If the service member or dependent has completed 55 percent of the duration of the course, receipt of a letter grade would only be granted if the faculty member teaching the course determines that the service member or dependent has completed sufficient work, and there is sufficient evidence of progress toward meeting the requirements of the course, to justify the grade. A grade of pass or fail would also be based on whether the faculty member determines the member or dependent completed sufficient work and there is sufficient evidence of meeting the course requirements. The bill also adds the options of receiving a temporary grade or transferring into an equivalent online section of the course when available and with appropriate approval. The options are to be subject to the approval of the teacher, department, registrar, or appropriate office at the institution, If the service member or dependent has completed less than 55 percent of the duration of the course, the service member or dependent may receive an incomplete for the grade only if the faculty member teaching the course determines that the student or dependent has completed sufficient work, and there is sufficient evidence of progress toward meeting the requirements of the course, to justify the grade. The service member or dependent also has an added option of transferring into an equivalent online section of the course when available and with appropriate approval. The options shall be subject to the approval of the teacher, department, the registrar, or the appropriate office at the institution, Finally, the bill specifies that the service member or dependent who initially chose to accept a pass or fail grade, but subsequently returns to the institution within a year to complete course work to receive a letter grade, may contact the faculty member who taught the course, the academic chair of the department offering the course, the registrar, or the appropriate office at the institution to establish a plan for completing the course work to receive the grade. | In Committee |
| S3776 | Establishes Chronic Absenteeism Task Force. | Establishes Chronic Absenteeism Task Force. | Passed |
| A5000 | Requires Medicaid coverage for fertility preservation services in cases of iatrogenic infertility caused by medically necessary treatments. | Requires Medicaid coverage for fertility preservation services in cases of iatrogenic infertility caused by medically necessary treatments. | Crossed Over |
| A5049 | Removes certain limitations on receipt of retirement or death benefits under PFRS under certain circumstances. | Removes certain limitations on receipt of retirement or death benefits under PFRS under certain circumstances. | Passed |
| A5893 | Establishes "New Jersey Veterans Assistance Trust." | This bill establishes the "New Jersey Veterans Assistance Trust" in, but not of, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to provide monetary and other assistance, as necessary, to veterans, families of veterans, and public and private programs that support veterans and their families, or any other programs that the trust considers to be within the purpose for which the trust is established. The bill provides that the trust will be administered by a board of 14 trustees consisting of the Deputy Commissioner for Veterans Affairs in the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, who will serve as the chair; the Commissioner of Human Services; the Commissioner of Health; the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development; the Commissioner of Community Affairs; the Commissioner of Transportation; and the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs; or their designees, who will serve ex officio; a member of the public appointed by the Governor who must be a representative of a veterans service organization; a member of the public appointed by the Governor who must be a representative of a nonprofit organization that serves veterans; a member of the public appointed by the Governor who must be a representative of the business community; one member of the General Assembly appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; one member of the Senate appointed by the Senate President; one member of the General Assembly appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly; and one member of the Senate appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate. Members appointed by the Governor will represent the northern, central, and southern geographic regions of the State. The bill grants the trust the power to: solicit and accept any gift, grant, legacy, or endowment; make grants or loans to veterans, families of veterans, and public or private programs that support veterans and their families, or any other programs that the trust considers to be within the purpose for which the trust is established; develop projects for sponsorship by corporate organizations or private individuals; execute or enter into contracts; acquire, hold, improve, or convey property; sue or be sued; and take any other action as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the trust. Under the bill, the trustees may invest all or a part of the monies held in reserve into investment grade US debt or US equities approved for investment by the State-administered pension systems, provided that the overall investment portfolio of the trust maintains a credit rating of at least AA. The bill requires the trust to submit an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature by February 1 of each year. The report is required to include the trust's activities, gifts and grants received, administrative costs, accounting, and the opening and closing balance of any funds held in reserve or invested for future use for the preceding calendar year. The report also is also required to make recommendations and requests to further the purposes of the trust as necessary. | In Committee |
| AR196 | Urges Congress to renew expiring enhanced premium tax credits. | This resolution urges Congress to renew the enhanced premium tax credits that are scheduled to expire at the end of 2025. Premium tax credits are instrumental in reducing the cost of quality health insurance coverage for over 19 million Americans, including the over half a million New Jerseyans that receive coverage through Get Covered New Jersey. Enrollment through Get Covered New Jersey has doubled since the State first launched its marketplace as a result of the increased levels of financial assistance available to individuals and families that otherwise would not be able to afford health insurance. Nine in ten New Jerseyans that enrolled in marketplace health insurance in 2025 qualified for an enhanced premium tax credit. Nearly half of these enrollees pay $10 or less per month for coverage and many pay $1 or less per month, compared to just 13 percent of enrollees that paid $10 or less per month before the expansion of the tax credits. If Congress allows these enhanced premium tax credits to expire, the average cost of health insurance for an individual in the State who previously received an enhanced premium tax credit would increase by $1,260 per year and would be twice as expensive as the individual's current premium. Older New Jerseyans approaching the Medicare eligibility would experience some of the highest cost increases and would pay on average $1,860 more each year for coverage. Many individuals may not be able to afford coverage without the tax credits and could become uninsured with limited access to necessary medical care. The expiration of enhanced premium tax credits would also put considerable strain on hospitals, health systems, and other health providers, which will face more uncompensated care as a result of a larger uninsured population. Extending the availability of enhanced premium tax credits is critical to ensuring that health insurance remains affordable and accessible for individuals and families in New Jersey and across the country. | In Committee |
| A5806 | Eliminates sales tax on baby necessities and sunscreen. | This bill provides sales and use tax exemptions for the sales of certain baby products and sunscreen. The exemption provided for baby products would include baby wash or soap, baby shampoos, baby lotions, and baby powders; child restraint systems; cribs; nursing bottles, nipples, and funnels; and strollers. A "child restraint system" is defined under the bill to mean any device that is designed to protect, hold, or restrain an infant or young child while riding in a motor vehicle to prevent or minimize injury and conforms with federal motor vehicle safety standards. The bill also defines a "crib" as a bed or sleeping enclosure designed to accommodate an infant or young child including bassinets and toddler beds. In addition, the bill further defines a "stroller" as a non-motorized, wheeled vehicle designed to push or otherwise transport an infant or young child including, but not limited to, a carriage, folding-type umbrella stroller, or full-size stroller. The bill also provides a sales and use tax exemption for the sales of sunscreen. "Sunscreen" is defined under the bill to mean a lotion, cream, spray, or gel regulated by the federal Food and Drug Administration that is primarily used for purposes of absorbing, reflecting, or scattering ultraviolet radiation and preventing sunburn or any sun-related skin damage. The definition of sunscreen would not, however, include products marketed or intended for use as cosmetics or otherwise intended to be applied for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering appearance. | In Committee |
| A5728 | Establishes New Jersey Innovation Authority. | Establishes New Jersey Innovation Authority. | In Committee |
| A5869 | Imposes additional curriculum for Intoxicated Driving Program; requires participation by offenders convicted of, or initially charged with DWI. | This bill requires a person convicted of intoxicated driving and certain moving violations to complete an online course on the impact of driving while under the influence of alcohol and drugs (DWI). The bill requires a person convicted of DWI (R.S.39:4-50), or a person convicted of reckless driving (R.S.39:4-96), careless driving (R.S.39:4-97), or unsafe driving (C.39:4-97.2) who initially was charged with DWI, to complete an online course featuring testimony of persons impacted by inebriated drivers. The bill adds the requirement to the Intoxicated Driving Program currently conducted by the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of Human Services and prescribed by the Chief Administrator of the Motor Vehicle Commission. The online course, in the bill as a "Qualified online victim impact panel," is defined as any program that meets all of the following requirements: · is accessible 24 hours per day; · (ii) is offered in English and Spanish or any other language deemed appropriate by the Chief Administrator; · (iii) provides all direct client support necessary for program completion;· (iv) includes a non-judgmental presentation by a minimum eight victims and offenders regarding the impact upon their lives of alcohol, drugs, and driving under the influence of those substances;· (v) requires a minimum of three and a half hours to complete;· (vi) provides a system for testing the participant's attention and comprehension multiple times during the program;· (vii) provides for communication with participants six months after completing the program to reinforce the lessons of the program and encourage participants to live more responsibly; and· (viii) issues a certificate of completion to the participant upon satisfactory fulfillment of attendance, fee payment, and program participation requirements. Currently, a person guilty of DWI, is subject to fines, a period of detainment between 12 and 48 hours spent completing a program of education at the Intoxicated Driver Resource Center, and the possible forfeiture of the right to operate a motor vehicle for a period of time, with or without an ignition interlock system installed. A court may also order a violator of this statute to participate in supervised visitation program at a facility such as a trauma center to observe victims of drunk drivers, a care center for persons in advanced stages of substance use disorder to observe the patients, or a morgue to observe victims of vehicle accidents involving drunk drivers. However, this requirement is at the court's discretion, and prioritized for drivers who were under the age of 21 at the time of the offense. | In Committee |
| A5868 | Directs MVC Chief Administrator to enter into driver's license reciprocity agreement with Republic of Ireland. | This bill directs the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, in consultation with the Department of State, to coordinate with the Republic of Ireland to enter into a reciprocity agreement whereby a person with a valid New Jersey driver's license may apply for and receive a Republic of Ireland driver's license, and a person with a valid Republic of Ireland driver's license may apply for and receive a New Jersey driver's license. Under the bill, a person seeking a driver's license under the reciprocity agreement is required to meet certain requirements provided in the reciprocity agreement and is exempt from needing to take a driving knowledge test or driving skills test. | In Committee |
| A3558 | Establishes State definition of anti-Semitism; creates a public awareness campaign; appropriates $100,000. | This bill establishes a State definition of anti-Semitism. Under the bill, the term "definition of anti-Semitism" refers to the definition adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance on May 26, 2016, including the "contemporary examples of antisemitism". The bill provides that in reviewing, investigating, or deciding whether there has been a violation of any policy, law, or regulation prohibiting discriminatory acts, the State must take into consideration this definition of anti-Semitism adopted by the IHRA for purposes of determining whether the alleged act was motivated by anti-Semitic intent. Nothing contained in the bill would be construed to diminish or infringe upon any right protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, or paragraph 6 of Article I of the New Jersey State Constitution. Nothing in the bill would be construed to conflict with local, State, or federal anti-discrimination laws or regulations. This bill also appropriates $100,000 to the Office of the Attorney General for the creation of a public awareness campaign to promote bias crime reporting. Through extensive community outreach, the citizens of New Jersey will be empowered to identify and report bias crimes using the existing bias crime reporting hotline within the New Jersey Bias Crimes Reporting Unit. This appropriation represents an investment in safety and collective action against bias crimes, including acts considered anti-Semitic. | In Committee |
| SJR30 | Designates June 23 of each year as "International Widows' Day." | This joint resolution designates June 23 of each year as "International Widows' Day." According to the United Nations, there are an estimated 260 million widows around the world, and nearly one in ten live in extreme poverty. In the United States, one million women become widowed each year. Seventy percent of all married women will be widowed in their lifetime. Many widows are far younger than one may guess, as the median age of a widow is 59, according to the United States Census Bureau. Widows are often unsupported by our country's social services, programs, and policies. Many widows face challenges even years after the loss of a loved one, including financial and legal difficulties, mental and physical health issues, and the loss of health insurance. It is important to draw attention to the experiences and realities of widows, including the need for increased bereavement leave, changes to Social Security regulations regarding widows, and the plight of widows in other countries. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5376 | Creates Health Care Cost Containment and Price Transparency Commission, Office of Healthcare Affordability and Transparency, and hospital price transparency regulations. | Creates Health Care Cost Containment and Price Transparency Commission, Office of Healthcare Affordability and Transparency, and hospital price transparency regulations. | In Committee |
| A5076 | Requires State Police to establish recovery leave policy for troopers presenting proof of pregnancy. | Requires State Police to establish recovery leave policy for troopers presenting proof of pregnancy. | Crossed Over |
| A4981 | Permits court to take additional time to consider pretrial release or pretrial detention when firearm offense is involved. | Permits court to take additional time to consider pretrial release or pretrial detention when firearm offense is involved. | Crossed Over |
| A4978 | Requires AG to report data regarding shootings that did not result in bodily injury. | This bill requires each county prosecutor to provide to the Attorney General data pertaining to criminal complaints concerning crimes involving the use of a firearm that did not result in bodily injury. In addition, the bill requires each county prosecutor to report this data to the Attorney General every quarter for three years in a manner prescribed by the Attorney General. At the end of the three years, the Attorney General is to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature and publish the report on the Internet website of the Department of Law and Public Safety. | Crossed Over |
| A5720 | Requires key boxes at public school buildings with certain exceptions; appropriates $2.5 million for reimbursement of costs related to key box installation. | Requires key boxes at public school buildings with certain exceptions; appropriates $2.5 million for reimbursement of costs related to key box installation. | In Committee |
| A5791 | Permits certain members of Prosecutors Part of PERS to qualify for service retirement with 20 or more years of service. | This bill permits an active member of the Prosecutors Part of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) who is enrolled before the effective date of this bill to retire on or after the effective date of this bill, but no later than 5 years from the effective date of the bill, upon attaining 20 or more years of service credit regardless of age. Under the bill, such a member will be entitled to a retirement allowance equal to 50 percent of the member's final compensation. Under current law, a member must be 55 years of age or older and attain at least 20 years of service credit to retire on a service retirement allowance of 50 percent of final compensation. | In Committee |
| A2414 | 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 |
| A2255 | 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. | In Committee |
| A3619 | Exempts certain veterans from field or live-fire range portion of hunter gun safety course. | The bill exempts a veteran from completing the field or live-fire range portion of the required course in gun safety. The bill also allows the Division of Fish and Wildlife to require the veteran to provide proof of service and honorable discharge prior to the division's authorization of the exemption. The bill defines "veteran" as any resident of the State who has been honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active military service in any of the Armed Forces of the United States, or reserves component thereof, or any honorably discharged member of the American Merchant Marine who served during World War II and is declared by the United States Department of Defense to be eligible for federal veterans' benefits. | In Committee |
| A3609 | Concerns professional licensing and application fees for spouse or dependent of active duty member of United States Armed Forces. | This bill provides that no professional or occupational board shall charge a license application fee to an applicant who is the spouse or dependent of an active-duty service member. The bill also removes the provision requiring the payment of a fee for the issuance of a temporary courtesy license. In addition, the bill provides that a professional or occupational licensing board shall include on any application for professional or occupational licensure a box for the applicant to indicate the applicant's status as the spouse or dependent of an active duty member of the United States Armed Forces. | In Committee |
| A5748 | Requires continued employment for physicians diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder under certain conditions. | This bill provides requires continued employment for physicians diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder under certain conditions. The bill defines "employee" to mean a physician holding a position of paid employment with an employer. "Employer" means an entity that employs physicians. Under the bill, an employer is not to discharge, harass, discriminate, retaliate, or threaten any such action against an employee with respect to the compensation, terms, conditions, duties, or privileges of employment on the basis that the employee took or requested any leave related to a qualifying diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. Following a period of leave related to a qualifying diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, an employer is to reinstate an employee whose fitness to return to work has been documented by a licensed physician or licensed mental health professional, who is someone other than the employee, to the position and duties held by the employee prior to the leave. Under the bill, a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder is qualified if: (1) the diagnosis is made by a licensed physician or licensed mental health professional, who is someone other than the employee; and (2) as determined by the licensed physician or licensed mental health professional, who is someone other than the employee, the post-traumatic stress disorder arose: as a result of the employee experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event during and within the scope of the performance of regular or assigned duties of the employee; or due to vicarious trauma experienced by the employee as a result of the performance of regular or assigned duties of the employee. The bill provides that an employee or former employee may institute a civil action in the Superior Court for relief upon a violation of the bill's provisions. All remedies available in common law tort actions are to be available to a prevailing plaintiff. The court may also order any or all of the following relief: (1) an assessment of a civil fine of $5,000 for the first violation of any of the bill's provisions and $10,000 for each subsequent violation; (2) an injunction to restrain the continued violation; (3) reinstatement of the employee to the same position or to a position equivalent to that which the employee held prior to unlawful discharge or retaliatory action; (4) reinstatement of full fringe benefits and seniority rights; (5) compensation for any lost wages, benefits, and other remuneration; or (6) payment of reasonable costs and attorney's fees. | In Committee |
| A5754 | Establishes Red Tape Review Task Force. | This bill establishes the Red Tape Review Task Force. The purpose of the task force is to provide recommendations to eliminate unnecessarily burdensome requirements and to streamline State government and private entity interactions by collaboratively working to achieve regulatory restraint. The goal of these efforts is to improve New Jersey's regulatory process, eliminate burdensome red tape, and promote job creation and retention, economic growth, and investment in New Jersey. The task force will consist of the following nine members who will serve without compensation: (1) the Lieutenant Governor, or a designee, who will serve as chair of the task force; (2) the Chief Counsel to the Governor, or a designee; (3) the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, or a designee; (4) the Commissioner of Community Affairs, or a designee; (5) the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, or a designee; (6) the President of the Senate, or a designee; (7) the Speaker of the General Assembly, or a designee; (8) the Senate Minority Leader, or a designee; and (9) the Minority Leader of the General Assembly, or a designee. The Lieutenant Governor may appoint additional task force members who have the appropriate expertise and can represent non-profit organizations, businesses, workers, and local governments. The task force will submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature of its findings and recommendations within three years of the effective date of this bill. The task force will expire upon submission of the report. | In Committee |
| A5749 | Requires health insurers to provide coverage for testing for suspected dyslexia. | This bill requires health insurers (including insurance companies, hospital service corporations, medical service corporations, health service corporations, health maintenance organizations authorized to issue health benefits plans in New Jersey, and entities contracted to administer health benefits in connection with the State Health Benefits Program and School Employees' Health Benefits Program) to provide coverage for testing for suspected dyslexia. Specifically, the bill requires coverage for suspected dyslexia that may not exclude coverage for the screening, diagnosis, or treatment of medical conditions otherwise covered by the policy. Coverage is to include comprehensive neuropsychological examinations for the purposes of diagnosing dyslexia and determining the psychological, emotional, and educational wellness needs of the individual tested. | In Committee |
| A5750 | Reallocates fines incurred for violations of "Antwan's Law" to local municipality for law enforcement purposes. | "Antwan's Law," P.L.2019, c.5, named in memory of Antwan Timbers, Jr., a high school student who was tragically killed while walking alongside Route 130 in Burlington City, reduces the speed limit in certain areas of Burlington County, and provides that fines for violating the speed limit in these areas will be triple the amount of the fines for a violation of N.J.S.A.39:4-98. This bill amends "Antwan's Law," to require that such fines be paid into the municipal treasury of the municipality in which the offense was committed to be used for law enforcement purposes. Under current law, N.J.S.A.39:5-41, all fines, penalties, and forfeitures imposed and collected under Title 39 of the Revised Statutes, other than those violations in which the complaining witness is the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission or staff member of the chief administrator, a member of the State police, county police department, county park police system, or sheriff's office, an inspector of the Board of Public Utilities, or law enforcement officer of any other State agency, are required to be paid as follows: one-half of the total amount collected to the financial officer of the respective municipalities in which the violations occurred, to be used by the municipality for general municipal use and to defray the costs of operating the municipal court; and one-half of the total amount collected to the financial officer of the county in which fines or penalties were collected, to be used by the county as a fund for constructing, reconstructing, maintaining, and repairing roads and bridges, removing snow, acquiring and purchasing rights-of-way, and purchasing, replacing, and repairing equipment for use on said roads and bridges. Of this total amount, up to 25 percent of the fines and penalties received by a municipality, but not more than the actual amount budgeted for by the municipal court, may be used to upgrade case processing. Under this bill, fines and penalties assessed and collected for violations of "Antwan's Law" are to be paid into the municipal treasury of the municipality in which the violation occurred to be used for law enforcement purposes. | In Committee |
| A5751 | Directs DHS to establish Children's Partial Hospitalization Pilot Program. | This bill directs the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services in the Department of Human Services to establish the Children's Partial Hospitalization Pilot Program. The goal of this pilot program is to expand the availability of partial hospitalization services for children ages five through 14 by providing reimbursement under the NJ FamilyCare program - the State' s health insurance program for eligible, low-income persons - for partial hospitalization services provided at non-hospital based locations. Children's partial hospitalization services are intensive, highly structured outpatient treatment services that provide individualized, outcomes-oriented psychiatric services designed for youth and young adults and that are intended to minimize the need for inpatient hospitalization. Currently, to qualify for NJ FamilyCare reimbursement, partial hospitalization services must be provided in a hospital setting. Under the bill, the division is to select one applicant to participate in the pilot program. The eligible applicant is required to: demonstrate an established plan for implementation; exclusively provide partial hospitalization services to children ages five through 14; meet all existing federal and State requirements for reimbursement of children's partial hospitalization services under NJ FamilyCare, except that the location of service delivery does not need to be a licensed hospital; and apply to the Department of Children and Families for approval as a provider within the Children's System of Care. The Children's System of Care is New Jersey's public behavioral health system for youth under 21 years of age. No later than 36 months after the division selects the pilot's participant, the division is required to submit to the Governor and to the Legislature, a report that summarizes the implementation of the program to date, as well as recommendations for the continuation of the program. The pilot program shall expire 36 months after the division selects the pilot's participant. | In Committee |
| A5752 | Allows municipalities to adopt certain zoning ordinances pertaining to outdoor firing ranges. | This bill requires a municipality in which an outdoor firing range is located to adopt a zoning ordinance establishing safety guidelines for outdoor firing ranges. The safety guidelines are to include requirements pertaining to the posting of signage that displays the location and presence of an outdoor fire range and the range's hours of operation. In addition, the municipality may establish requirements that are consistent with current law regarding the caliber and gauge of ammunition that may be used on the grounds of the outdoor firing range. The requirements also may include the location of side and impact berms on the outdoor firing range property and any other safety requirements deemed necessary by the governing body and consistent with current law and guidelines promulgated by the Department of Law and Public Safety. The bill requires the municipality that enacts a firing range zoning ordinance to provide notice of the public hearing required under current law to the residents of the municipality in which the firing range is located and residents of municipalities located within one mile of the firing range. | In Committee |
| A5753 | Allows gross income tax credits to certain renters whose rent exceeds 35 percent of gross income. | This bill would establish a refundable gross income tax credit for certain renters whose rent exceeds 35 percent of their gross income. Under the bill, a taxpayer with gross income not in excess of $60,000, and who pays rent on the principal residence of the taxpayer in excess of 35 percent of the taxpayer's gross income, may be allowed a refundable gross income tax credit based on a percentage of the excess rent paid by the taxpayer during the taxable year, not to exceed $1,000. Under the bill, a taxpayer may elect to receive the refundable portion of the tax credit in monthly installments during the taxable year immediately following the taxable year for which the credit is claimed. Specifically, the amount of the tax credit would be determined according to the following schedule: (1) 100 percent of the excess rent, not to exceed $1,000, if: the taxpayer's gross income does not exceed $50,000 and the taxpayer resides in a high-cost area; or the taxpayer's gross income does not exceed $25,000 and the taxpayer does not reside in a high-cost area; (2) 75 percent of the excess rent, not to exceed $1,000, if: the taxpayer's gross income exceeds $50,000 but does not exceed $60,000 and the taxpayer resides in a high-cost area; or the taxpayer's gross income exceeds $25,000 but does not exceed $50,000 and the taxpayer does not reside in a high-cost area; or (3) 50 percent of the excess rent, not to exceed $1,000, if the taxpayer's gross income exceeds $50,000 but does not exceed $60,000, and the taxpayer does not reside in a high-cost area. As used in the bill, the term "high-cost area" is defined as any location in the State in which the small area fair market rent is used to calculate the tenant-based housing subsidy provided to participants of the federal Housing Choice Voucher Program during the taxable year for which the credit is claimed. The bill also provides that for any taxpayer who receives State or federal tenant-based housing subsidy, and who otherwise qualifies for the tax credit allowed under the bill, the taxpayer may instead elect to receive a tax credit in an amount equal to 1/12 of the unsubsidized rent paid by the taxpayer during the taxable year. Additionally, the bill provides that the tax credit would be authorized retroactively, beginning on and after the taxable year immediately preceding the date of enactment of this bill. If a taxpayer qualified for the credit in the taxable year immediately preceding the date of enactment, the taxpayer would be required to file an amended tax return with the Director of the Division of Taxation within 90 days following the date of enactment to claim the credit or refund of any resulting overpayment of tax. | In Committee |
| A4652 | Establishes offense of inciting public brawl; upgrades penalty for disorderly conduct in certain circumstances. | An Act concerning public brawls and disorderly conduct and amending N.J.S.2C:33-1 and N.J.S.2C:33-2. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A2415 | Requires Silver Alert System receive same broadcast alerts as Amber Alert System. | This bill requires media outlets that participate in the "Silver Alert System" to issue the same broadcast alerts used when an "Amber Alert" is initiated following a child's abduction. The "Silver Alert System" is a Statewide program for the dissemination of information regarding a missing person believed to be suffering from dementia or other cognitive impairment. Under current law, the program is a cooperative effort between State and local law enforcement agencies and print, radio, and television media outlets. This bill requires participating media outlets, when responding to a "Silver Alert," to broadcast a distinctive sound tone and the statement: "This is a Missing Person Silver Alert." The alert is to include a description of the missing person and other information the enforcement agency deems appropriate. In addition, the alert is to be broadcast as often as possible for the first three hours that a "Silver Alert" is in progress. After the initial three hours, the alerts are to be rebroadcast at intervals that the lead law enforcement agency and participating media deem appropriate. | Crossed Over |
| AJR56 | Designates May of each year as "Older Americans Month" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates May of each year as "Older Americans Month" in New Jersey to increase the public's awareness and understanding of the numerous contributions of New Jersey's older Americans and to rededicate our efforts to better serve the older Americans of New Jersey. The contributions and sacrifices that older Americans have made to this State and country are immeasurable. It is fitting for younger generations to show immense respect and gratitude to their elders, especially now, as society exits a pandemic that has posed unique challenges for older Americans. Whether older Americans retire in their fifties and sixties or continue working into their seventies and eighties, it is important to revere their experience, wisdom, and accomplishments in the workplace and in society. Ensuring the State's continued commitment to causes that help older Americans in New Jersey enjoy active, productive, and healthy lives safely and with dignity is paramount. Therefore, it is altogether fitting and proper to designate the month of May as "Older Americans Month" in New Jersey. | Crossed Over |
| AJR45 | Designates June 23 of each year as "International Widows' Day." | This joint resolution designates June 23 of each year as "International Widows' Day." According to the United Nations, there are an estimated 260 million widows around the world, and nearly one in ten live in extreme poverty. In the United States, one million women become widowed each year. Seventy percent of all married women will be widowed in their lifetime. Many widows are far younger than one may guess, as the median age of a widow is 59, according to the United States Census Bureau. Widows are often unsupported by our country's social services, programs, and policies. Many widows face challenges even years after the loss of a loved one, including financial and legal difficulties, mental and physical health issues, and the loss of health insurance. It is important to draw attention to the experiences and realities of widows, including the need for increased bereavement leave, changes to Social Security regulations regarding widows, and the plight of widows in other countries. | 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 |
| A3893 | 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. | In Committee |
| A375 | Establishes three-year pilot program in Middlesex, Monmouth, and Union counties for electronic monitoring of certain offenders; appropriates $15 million. | Establishes three-year pilot program in Middlesex, Monmouth, and Union counties for electronic monitoring of certain offenders; appropriates $15 million. | In Committee |
| A5241 | Prohibits approving authority from approving construction of certain warehouses on lot of land within 1,000 feet of historic district. | Prohibits approving authority from approving construction of certain warehouses on lot of land within 1,000 feet of historic district. | In Committee |
| A1211 | Upgrades criminal penalties for use or possession of payment card scanning device; requires merchant to take reasonable safety measures to prevent scanning of payment card. | Upgrades criminal penalties for use or possession of payment card scanning device; requires merchant to take reasonable safety measures to prevent scanning of payment card. | Crossed Over |
| A3340 | Clarifies which health care professional may provide documentation to school district of need for home instruction due to student's health condition. | Clarifies which health care professional may provide documentation to school district of need for home instruction due to student's health condition. | Crossed Over |
| A2115 | Requires public transportation employees and certain motorbus operators to complete training course on handling and responding to suspected human trafficking; requires inclusion of certain content in certain courses. | Requires public transportation employees and certain motorbus operators to complete training course on handling and responding to suspected human trafficking; requires inclusion of certain content in certain courses. | Crossed Over |
| A1700 | Requires DOH to establish public awareness campaign and develop policies and procedures to promote recognition and treatment of perinatal anxiety. | Requires DOH to establish public awareness campaign and develop policies and procedures to promote recognition and treatment of perinatal anxiety. | Crossed Over |
| A3732 | Establishes third degree crime for certain trespasses involving victim of domestic violence. | Establishes third degree crime for certain trespasses involving victim of domestic violence. | Crossed Over |
| A3598 | Requires patient to receive notification of abnormality in chest x-ray; designated as Claudia's Law. | This bill, which is designated as Claudia's Law, provides that if a patient's chest x-ray demonstrates any abnormality, the report provided to the patient is to include the following information, at a minimum: "Your chest x-ray shows an abnormality that may be associated with a risk factor for various illnesses. This information about the result of your chest x-ray is given to you to raise your awareness. Use this information to talk to your health care provider about any risks for illness that pertain to your personal medical history. At that time, ask your health care provider if more screening tests might be useful, based on your risk. A report of your results was sent to your physician." | Crossed Over |
| A3734 | Permits court to order transfer of billing responsibility for, and rights to, wireless telephone number to certain victims of domestic violence or stalking. | Permits court to order transfer of billing responsibility for, and rights to, wireless telephone number to certain victims of domestic violence or stalking. | Crossed Over |
| A3735 | Establishes crime of fertility fraud. | The bill establishes the crime of fertility fraud. Under the bill, a person commits fertility fraud if the person is a health care practitioner and knowingly performs an assisted reproduction treatment on a patient that results in a pregnancy using the person's own human reproductive material without the written informed consent of the patient, or using the human reproductive material of another person without the written informed consent of the patient. Fertility fraud is a crime of the third degree. A crime of the third degree is punishable by a term of imprisonment of three to five years, a fine of up to $15,000, or both. The bill also requires the court to order the permanent revocation of any license or certification related to the provision of health care services that is held by the defendant. Under the bill, a prosecution for fertility fraud is required to be commenced within 20 years of the date the assisted reproduction treatment was conducted, or within 10 years of the date that the victim became aware that the crime occurred. | In Committee |
| A4374 | Establishes criminal penalties for certain violations of the "New Jersey Prevailing Wage Act." | Establishes criminal penalties for certain violations of the "New Jersey Prevailing Wage Act." | In Committee |
| A1825 | Establishes certain guidelines for SHBP, SEHBP, and Medicaid concerning step therapy protocols. | An Act concerning step therapy protocols and supplementing Titles 30 and 52 of the Revised Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A588 | Regulates provision of pharmaceutical services in nursing homes. | Regulates provision of pharmaceutical services in nursing homes. | In Committee |
| A1148 | Provides for background checks and other requirements for certain agencies providing temporary home for child or pregnant woman during crisis. | Provides for background checks and other requirements for certain agencies providing temporary home for child or pregnant woman during crisis. | In Committee |
| A5635 | 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 |
| A5634 | Enhances enforcement authority over developmental disability service providers; establishes "Residential Facility Quality of Care Improvement Fund" in DHS. | This bill enhances the enforcement authority over developmental disability service providers, and establishes the "Residential Facility Quality of Care Improvement Fund" in the Department of Human Services (department). The department possesses licensing authority pursuant to N.J.A.C.10:44A-1.8 et seq. to take negative licensing actions against noncompliant providers, such as issuing written warnings, halting admissions, issuing provisional licensing, revoking licenses, and assigning a quality management team. This bill expands that authority to impose financial penalties. The Office of Program Integrity & Accountability in the department licenses providers of residential services to adults with developmental or intellectual disabilities, while the Division of Developmental Disabilities in the department authorizes payment to providers of services to adults with developmental or intellectual disabilities through contracts and a fee-for-service system. Under the bill, the department is to have the authority to license authorized providers and licensed providers, as both of these terms are defined in the bill. The bill provides that any person, firm, partnership, corporation, or association operating a provider-managed residential setting without a license when a license is required is to be subject to penalties. Any licensed provider that has been granted a second consecutive provisional license is to be subject to a penalty Any authorized provider or licensed provider is to be subject to penalties provided for in the bill if the provider: (1) employs or fails to remove from employment a person who has been placed on the Central Registry of Offenders Against Individuals with Developmental Disabilities or included on the child abuse registry; (2) fails to conduct an initial or biannual criminal history record background check; (3) fails to meet the requirements of drug testing for controlled dangerous substances; (4) receives a substantiated finding from the Office of Investigations of a violation outlined in the bill; (5) fails to conduct an adequate internal investigation of an allegation of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of an individual with a developmental disability and submit a complete report to the department within 180 days of the date of the alleged incident; (6) fails to submit an approved plan of correction to the department upon the completion of an investigation closed by the Office of Investigations, or (7) is assigned a Quality Management Team by the department. The bill also amends current law to grant the department authority to impose civil penalties for individuals who violate reporting obligations under P.L.2010, c.5 (C.30:6D-75), rather than penalties being imposed once that person is convicted of a disorderly person offense. Finally, the bill amends section 3 of P.L.2010, c.5 (C.30:6D-75) and establishes the "Residential Facility Quality of Care Improvement Fund" in the department. | In Committee |
| A5637 | 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 |
| S3388 | Allows pharmacists to transfer Schedule II attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder prescriptions. | An Act concerning transference of prescriptions and amending P.L.2003, c.280. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5133 | Requires health insurance and Medicaid coverage for the treatment of stuttering. | Requires health insurance and Medicaid coverage for the treatment of stuttering. | In Committee |
| A4838 | Requires prescription drug coverage for serious mental illness without prior authorization or utilization management, including step therapy. | Requires prescription drug coverage for serious mental illness without prior authorization or utilization management, including step therapy. | In Committee |
| A5567 | Permits court to order counseling for children in households with domestic violence in appropriate cases; establishes presumption of award of custody to domestic violence victim in appropriate cases. | This bill permits the court to order counseling for a child in a proceeding involving domestic violence. The bill also permits the court to order legal and physical custody of a minor child to the plaintiff in certain circumstances involving domestic violence. Current law provides that pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-28), once a domestic violence complaint is filed, the victim and the abuser should be advised of any programs or services available for advice and counseling. The statute does not require that the victim and the abuser be advised of specific services available for counseling for any minor children of either party to the complaint. The bill permits a court to order counseling in appropriate cases, including when a child witnesses or experiences domestic violence while residing in the household with the abuser and the victim. Additionally, the bill permits the court to order the abusive party, to pay for the domestic violence counseling provided to the child. A defendant ordered to pay for domestic violence counseling is required to show proof of payment of the services to the court. The bill permits the court to order a defendant to provide reimbursement for costs incurred in providing counseling for a child. The court may enter this order upon evaluating and determining the defendant's ability to pay for such services. The defendant may be required to pay the victim directly, reimburse the Victims of Crime Compensation Office for compensation paid to the victim from the Victims of Crime Compensation Office, or reimburse any party that may have compensated the victim. The bill clarifies that any direct payment to the plaintiff is not permitted to be made in person, but may be made electronically or in any other manner that does not require contact between the victim and the defendant. The bill also establishes that, upon the issuance of a final restraining order, there is a presumption that legal and physical custody be awarded to the non-abusive parent. Nothing in the bill precludes the non-custodial parent from making an application to the court to modify custody after an award of custody to the non-abusive parent. The bill establishes that the absent good cause to the contrary, and upon request of the victim, the court is required to order in any subsequent child support proceeding following the entry of a final restraining order, the victim is not required to be in the same room as the person found by the court to have committed domestic violence. Further the victim's and child's whereabouts are required to be kept confidential. The bill clarifies that the court consider a request by a custodial parent who has been subjected to domestic violence by a person with parenting time rights to a child in the parent's custody for an investigation or evaluation to assess the risk of harm to the child prior to entering a parenting time order. Currently, the provisions of section N.J.S.A.2C:25-29 specify that the investigation or evaluation would be conducted by an appropriate agency. | In Committee |
| S4144 | Clarifies installation of ignition interlock devices for certain DWI offenses. | An Act clarifying time frames of ignition interlock devices and amending R.S.39:4-50. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3587 | Upgrades, and in some circumstances provides for extended terms of imprisonment for, certain retail theft crimes, addresses gift card fraud, and authorizes new Attorney General initiatives to address organized retail theft. | An Act concerning retail theft, amending and supplementing various parts of the statutory law, and making an appropriation. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| SJR140 | Designates month of March of each year as "Amyloidosis Awareness Month." | This joint resolution designates the month of March as "Amyloidosis Awareness Month" in the State of New Jersey in order to educate the public about the signs and symptoms of amyloidosis, extend the life expectancy of those who may be unaware that they are suffering from the disease, and help improve the quality of life of those who have been diagnosed with the amyloidosis. Designates month of March of each year as "Amyloidosis Awareness Month." | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| AJR202 | Designates month of March of each year as "Amyloidosis Awareness Month." | This joint resolution designates the month of March as "Amyloidosis Awareness Month" in the State of New Jersey in order to educate the public about the signs and symptoms of amyloidosis, extend the life expectancy of those who may be unaware that they are suffering from the disease, and help improve the quality of life of those who have been diagnosed with the amyloidosis. | In Committee |
| A5411 | Clarifies installation of ignition interlock devices for certain DWI offenses. | This bill clarifies P.L.2023, c.191 and the installation of ignition interlock devices (IID) for certain driving while intoxicated (DWI) offenses. Under current law, for a first DWI offense, a person whose blood alcohol concentration was 0.15% or higher is required to forfeit the right to operate a motor vehicle for a period of three months and is required to install an IID during the period of license forfeiture and for an additional 12 to 15 months thereafter. For a second DWI offense, a person is required to forfeit the right to operate a motor vehicle for a period of one to two years and is required to install an IID during the period of license forfeiture and for an additional two to four years thereafter. For a third or subsequent DWI offense, a person is required to forfeit the right to operate a motor vehicle for eight years and is required to install an IID during the period of license forfeiture and for an additional two to four years thereafter. A person may receive a one day credit against the period of license forfeiture for every two days that the person has the ignition interlock device installed under certain conditions. Under the provisions of this bill, any person who is required to forfeit the right to operate a motor vehicle over the highways of this State pursuant to current law may, in lieu of forfeiting the right to operate a motor vehicle, install an ignition interlock device and receive a one day credit against the period of license forfeiture pursuant to current law for every two days that the person has the ignition interlock device installed. The bill provides that a person is not entitled to this credit if the violation of R.S.39:4-50 resulted in serious bodily injury to another person. In addition, a person who has been arrested or convicted of operating or permitting another person to operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of a narcotic, hallucinogenic, or habit-producing drug pursuant to the provisions of R.S.39:4-50 or a person who is convicted of operating a commercial motor vehicle under the influence of a controlled substance pursuant to section 5 of P.L.1990, c.103 (C.39:3-10.13) is also not eligible for this credit. The provisions of this bill take effect immediately and apply to any offense occurring on or after the effective date. The bill's provisions expire on January 1, 2029 to conform to the expiration of P.L.2019, c.248 and P.L.2023, c.191 which also expire on January 1, 2029 and concern the installation of ignition interlock devices. | In Committee |
| A1203 | "Pet Insurance Act." | "Pet Insurance Act." | Crossed Over |
| A567 | Permits court to order counseling for children in households with domestic violence in appropriate cases; establishes presumption of award of custody to domestic violence victim in appropriate cases. | Permits court to order counseling for children in households with domestic violence in appropriate cases; establishes presumption of award of custody to domestic violence victim in appropriate cases. | In Committee |
| A3636 | Requires State agencies to make their websites accessible to people with disabilities and on mobile devices. | This bill requires that the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 AA, or the most up-to-date version of the guidelines, be the accessibility standard for the websites of all State agencies, and requires that each website be configured in such a way that it can be navigated, viewed, and accessed on a smartphone, tablet computer, or similar mobile device. The WCAG guidelines are published by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium, and make content accessible for people with disabilities. Under the bill, the Chief Technology Officer is required to establish the protocol by which a State agency can determine that its websites comply with the requirements. The Chief Technology Officer is required to certify each website's compliance two years after the bill's effective date and recertify compliance once every two years thereafter. As used in this bill, "State agency" means the Executive and Legislative Branch of the State, including, but not limited to, any department, board, bureau, commission, division, office, council, agency, or instrumentality thereof, or independent agency, public authority, or public benefit corporation. | In Committee |
| S2423 | Renames Juvenile Justice Commission as Youth Justice Commission. | An Act renaming the Juvenile Justice Commission and amending the various parts of the statutory law. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5321 | 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. | In Committee |
| A4679 | Requires certain high-traffic facilities to obtain permit from DEP and annually implement measures to reduce air pollution caused by facility. | This bill would establish a program in the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to require certain high-traffic facilities to obtain a permit from the DEP and annually implement measures to reduce air pollution caused by the facility. Specifically, the bill would apply to "regulated facilities," defined by the bill as (1) a facility used for the purpose of goods distribution, whether leased or used as a proprietary facility, which has 100,000 square feet or more of business area; (2) a facility located in an overburdened community and used for the purpose of goods distribution, whether leased or used as a proprietary facility, which has 50,000 square feet or more of business area; or (3) a facility that generates 50 or more truck trips per day, including a port or any part of a port. The bill would require each owner or operator of a regulated facility to obtain, and abide by the terms of, an indirect source air pollution permit issued by the DEP. A newly constructed regulated facility would not be allowed to commence operations without first obtaining an indirect source air pollution permit issued by the DEP. The goal of the indirect source air pollution permit program would be to reduce air pollution from regulated facilities to zero by the year 2050. Each permit would require the regulated facility to implement an annual quota of air pollution mitigation measures, determined by the DEP using a points-based accounting system. Points would be awarded for measures, as enumerated in subsection a. of section 4 of the bill, including purchasing battery-electric trucks, purchasing and using battery-electric forklifts, yard trucks, or other on-site equipment and using battery-electric trucks at the regulated facility or in truck trips to or from the regulated facility. Persons who violate the bill's provisions could be liable for civil administrative penalties of between $10,000 and $20,000 per violation, and civil penalties of up to $20,000 per violation. In order to monitor compliance with the bill's provisions, the bill would require the DEP to annually conduct truck counting on a representative sample of roads adjacent to regulated facilities, and to annually conduct monitoring of idling and hoteling activities at a representative sample of regulated facilities. In addition, the DEP would be required to annually conduct an inspection of at least 10 percent of the regulated facilities located in overburdened communities, and at least five percent of all other regulated facilities, using a randomized selection process. The bill would require owners or operators of regulated facilities to pay an annual permit fee, which would be set at a level sufficient to cover the DEP's administrative costs in implementing the bill's provisions. The first annual permit fee paid by a regulated facility would also include an amount sufficient to fund the cleanup and restoration of the facility and its land once the facility is no longer in commercial operation for longer than one year. The DEP would be required to provide certain public notifications under the permit program, including public notice of the submission of permit applications, renewals, or revisions, and the full permit application, the draft and final findings by the consulted agencies, and the agencies' response to comments, for each permit. Finally, the bill would require the DEP to post a list of regulated facilities, along with certain items of information enumerated in subsection c. of section 7 of the bill, on its website, and to submit an annual report on the program established by the bill to the Governor and the Legislature. | In Committee |
| A4653 | Requires AG to establish training program for crowd management and provide resources to municipal police department or force for large gatherings and flash mobs. | Requires AG to establish training program for crowd management and provide resources to municipal police department or force for large gatherings and flash mobs. | Crossed Over |
| A5428 | Establishes a senior citizens telephone chat-line. | This bill requires the Division of Aging Services (the division) in the Department of Human Services to establish a senior citizens telephone chat-line to connect older adults who are feeling isolated or lonely with matched volunteers who will offer emotional support via weekly telephonic check-ins. A person 60 years of age or older or a person's family member or guardian may register with the division to receive a weekly telephone call, on a form prescribed by the division. The form is to include the name and address of the person who will be receiving the weekly telephone call, information on the person's interests and hobbies, the most convenient times for the person to receive the weekly telephone calls, and any other information prescribed by the division. A person 18 years of age or older seeking to volunteer with the telephone chat-line is to register with the division and provide information on: the person's interests and hobbies; the person's place of residence; and any other information that will help the division match a volunteer, based on similar interests and geographical location, with a person registered to receive a weekly telephone call. The bill stipulates that the division provide for the confidentiality of the names of the persons registered to receive weekly telephone calls, the names of the volunteers making the weekly telephone calls, and the information discussed on the telephone calls. | In Committee |
| A4707 | Authorizes State Treasurer to sell as surplus certain real property and improvements in City of Camden in Camden County. | An Act authorizing the State Treasurer to sell certain surplus real property and improvements owned by the State in the City of Camden, Camden County, and repealing P.L.2013, c.22. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A3700 | Establishes pilot program to provide Medicaid coverage of remote maternal health services for eligible beneficiaries. | This bill establishes a voluntary, three-year pilot program to provide certain pregnant Medicaid beneficiaries with remote maternal health services, upon referral by the beneficiaries' health care provider. It is the intent of the bill's sponsor to expand access to obstetric care for pregnant patients who live in the State's rural communities or in medically underserved communities. The bill provides that the Commissioner of Human Services, based upon clinical evidence and the recommendations of experts in the fields of obstetrics and maternal-fetal medicine, will determine the remote services to be provided through the pilot program. At minimum, the program will provide remote patient monitoring, remote non-stress tests, and tele-ultrasound services for pregnant Medicaid beneficiaries. The bill defines "remote maternal health services" as the use of digital technology to collect medical and health data from a pregnant patient and securely transmit this information to a health care provider at a distant site for interpretation and use as part of a diagnosis or a treatment plan. "Remote patient monitoring" is defined as the use of digital technology to collect and transmit patient health data to a healthcare provider at a distant site for review and treatment management. The bill stipulates that the devices and digital technologies used to provide remote maternal health services must comply with the requirements of the federal "Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996," and be used in an FDA-approved capacity. The bill provides that State licensed physicians, certified nurse midwives, professional midwives, or midwives may refer a pregnant Medicaid beneficiary to the pilot program if the health care provider determines that remote maternal health services are in the beneficiary's best interests; or that the beneficiary has an increased likelihood of a high-risk pregnancy due to: pre-existing medical conditions; age; lifestyle factors; or a diagnosed pregnancy-related condition, such as preeclampsia. The bill also provides that remote maternal health services will be available to a pregnant Medicaid beneficiary whose pregnancy is not high-risk, but who resides in a community that lacks a sufficient number of health care providers who offer obstetric care and participate in the Medicaid program. Eligibility for the pilot program will also be extended to a pregnant Medicaid beneficiary who is unable to access consistent obstetric care due to socioeconomic factors, such as the beneficiary's work schedule, a lack of reliable transportation, or a lack of reliable child care. Pursuant to the bill, the establishment of the remote maternal health services pilot program is contingent upon federal approval of the State's Medicaid waiver application or State plan amendment, in order to ensure federal financial participation for State Medicaid expenditures under the federal Medicaid program. | In Committee |
| A4051 | Prohibits sale of cats, dogs, or rabbits by pet shops; repeals "Pet Purchase Protection Act." | Prohibits sale of cats, dogs, or rabbits by pet shops; repeals "Pet Purchase Protection Act." | In Committee |
| A5182 | Modernizes responsibilities of New Jersey Council of County Colleges. | Modernizes responsibilities of New Jersey Council of County Colleges. | Crossed Over |
| A5305 | Broadens public awareness signage to include notices in Chinese and Korean. | This bill broadens the public awareness signs containing national, 24 hour hotline information about human trafficking to include information in Chinese and Korean. This legislation is based upon Recommendation #4 contained in "An Inquiry into Human Trafficking Activity in the Massage and Bodywork Therapy Industry in New Jersey," an October, 2024 report of the State Commission of Investigation. | Crossed Over |
| A5303 | Requires AG to review Statewide policy regarding investigation of human trafficking. | This bill requires the Attorney General to review the Statewide policy regarding the investigation of human trafficking. Currently, Attorney General Law Enforcement Directive No. 2012-2 sets forth standards and procedures for the investigation of human trafficking. Under the provisions of this bill, upon the review of the policy, the Attorney General is required to consider and address: 1) whether the use of audio or video recording by law enforcement officers conducting undercover investigations of human trafficking would protect the integrity of the investigation and ensure the proper treatment of victims of human trafficking; 2) the implementation of strict policies for dissemination of the audio or video recording, if used, in order to protect victims of human trafficking; 3) the involvement of county prosecutors at the beginning of and throughout human trafficking investigations conducted by county or municipal law enforcement officers in order to address legal challenges as they arise; and 4) any other areas, as determined by the Attorney General. This bill is in response to a recommendation contained in a report issued by the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation in October 2024 entitled "An Inquiry into Human Trafficking Activity in the Massage and Bodywork Therapy Industry in New Jersey." | Crossed Over |
| AR178 | 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 Assembly 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. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4755 | Upgrades, and in some circumstances provides for extended terms of imprisonment for, certain retail theft crimes, addresses gift card fraud, and authorizes new Attorney General initiatives to address organized retail theft. | Upgrades, and in some circumstances provides for extended terms of imprisonment for, certain retail theft crimes, addresses gift card fraud, and authorizes new Attorney General initiatives to address organized retail theft. | In Committee |
| A4391 | Allows pharmacists to transfer Schedule II attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder prescriptions. | This bill allows pharmacists to transfer Schedule II controlled dangerous substance prescriptions for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder to other pharmacists. Specifically, the bill provides that a Schedule II controlled dangerous substance that is prescribed for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder may be transferred from a pharmacist to another pharmacist, provided the prescription transfer is in compliance with federal regulations. Federal rules recently changed to allow the transfer of Schedule II-V controlled dangerous substance prescriptions between licensed pharmacies for the initial filling on a one-time basis only, upon request from the patient. New Jersey currently allows for transfers of Schedule III-V controlled dangerous substance prescriptions; this bill would expand allowable transfers to also include Schedule II controlled dangerous substance prescriptions. The bill will allow for greater flexibility for people attempting to fill attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder prescriptions. The ability to easily transfer prescriptions between pharmacies is especially valuable to patients who are attempting to fill prescriptions for medicine that is less available due to a shortage. Currently, when a patient is unable to fill a prescription at a particular pharmacy, the patient must ask their health care provider to send a new prescription to a different pharmacy. The bill will allow for a more efficient transfer process, by allowing pharmacies to directly transfer attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder prescriptions. | In Committee |
| A1673 | "Right to Mental Health for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Act"; establishes certain requirements concerning provision of mental health services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. | "Right to Mental Health for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Act"; establishes certain requirements concerning provision of mental health services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. | In Committee |
| A2145 | Provides employment protections for paid first responders diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder under certain conditions. | This bill establishes employment protections for paid first responders who are diagnosed with certain cases of work-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Under the bill, an employer would be prohibited from discharging, harassing, or otherwise discriminating against an employee, or threatening to do so, with respect to the compensation, terms, conditions, duties, or privileges of employment on the basis that the employee took or requested any leave related to a qualifying diagnosis of PTSD. The bill provides that if an employer violates its provisions, an employee or former employee would be authorized to institute a civil action in the Superior Court for relief. All remedies available in common law tort actions would be available to a prevailing plaintiff. Additionally, the bill provides that a court would be authorized to order any or all of the following relief: (1) an assessment of a civil fine of $5,000 and $10,000 for each subsequent violation; (2) an injunction to restrain the continued violation of any of the provisions of the bill; (3) reinstatement of the employee to the same position or to a position equivalent to that which the employee held prior to unlawful discharge or retaliatory action; (4) reinstatement of full fringe benefits and seniority rights; (5) compensation for any lost wages, benefits and other remuneration; (6) payment of reasonable costs and attorney's fees. | In Committee |
| A1185 | Upgrades offense of prostitution as patron; directs fines collected to "Human Trafficking Survivor's Assistance Fund." | This bill provides for enhanced penalties for the crime of engaging in prostitution as a patron. In New Jersey, the offense of prostitution encompasses different conduct by various actors; penalties for the offense vary, depending on the unlawful conduct. This bill addresses conduct by persons who purchase sexual activity, commonly referred to as "johns." Under paragraph (1) of subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:34-1, a person commits this offense if the actor engages in prostitution as a patron, or one who purchases sexual activity with another person in exchange for something of economic value, or the offer or acceptance of an offer to engage in sexual activity in exchange for something of economic value. Currently, a violation of this provision is a disorderly persons offense for a first offense, punishable by up to six months imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. For a second or third violation, it is a crime of the fourth degree, punishable by up to 18 months imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. For a fourth violation, it is a crime of the third degree, punishable by three to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $15,000, or both. In addition to any other disposition for the offense, N.J.S.A.2C:34-1.2 assesses additional penalties upon persons convicted of engaging in prostitution as a patron which include an assessment of $500, and can include participation in a prostitution offender program. This bill increases prostitution by a patron to a crime of the fourth degree, except that a fourth violation remains a crime of the third degree. In addition, the bill provides that any fine collected shall be forwarded to the Department of the Treasury to be deposited in the "Human Trafficking Survivor's Assistance Fund" (the HTSAF) established by N.J.S.A.52:17B-238. It is the sponsor's view that in combatting prostitution, closely related to the crime of human trafficking, greater emphasis should be placed on eliminating the demand for persons who may be victims of sex trafficking by targeting persons who purchase sexual activity. All monies deposited in the HTSAF fund are required by the law to be used for the provision of services to victims of human trafficking, to promote awareness of human trafficking, and the development, maintenance, revision, and distribution of training courses and other educational materials, and the operation of educational or training programs. | In Committee |
| A5304 | Upgrades penalties for certain prostitution crimes; creates crimes of leader of prostitution network and participant in prostitution network. | This bill upgrades certain crimes related to prostitution and creates the crimes of leader of a prostitution network and participant in a prostitution network. The bill upgrades the criminal penalties for the promotion of prostitution to a crime of the second degree and imposes a mandatory minimum term of one-third to one-half of the sentence imposed, or five years, whichever is greater, during which time the defendant would not be eligible for parole. Under current law, all crimes under the umbrella of promotion of prostitution are crimes of the third degree, except the crimes of soliciting a person to patronize a prostitute and procuring a prostitute for a patron, which are crimes of the fourth degree. The bill also upgrades the criminal penalties for compelling another to engage in or promote prostitution and promoting prostitution of one's spouse from crimes of the third degree to crimes of the second degree, and imposes a mandatory minimum term of one-third to one-half of the sentence imposed, or five years, whichever is greater, during which time the defendant would not be eligible for parole. The bill creates two new crimes: (1) leader of a prostitution network, a crime of the second degree; and (2) participant in a prostitution network, a crime of the third degree. The bill provides that it is an affirmative defense to the crime of participant in a prostitution network that the defendant was a victim of human trafficking during the commission of the crime. A disorderly persons offense is ordinarily punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to 6 months, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. A crime of the fourth degree is ordinarily punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to 18 months, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. A crime of the third degree is ordinarily punishable by a term of imprisonment of three to five years, a fine of up to $15,000, or both. A crime of the second degree is ordinarily punishable by a term of imprisonment of five to 10 years, a fine of up to $150,000, or both. Under the bill, crimes related to prostitution, with the exception of engaging in prostitution as a prostitute, would be ineligible for admission into the Pretrial Intervention Program. This bill is in response to the State Commission of Investigation report released on October 17, 2024, entitled "An Inquiry into Human Trafficking Activity in the Massage and Bodywork Therapy Industry in New Jersey." | In Committee |
| A5319 | Makes supplemental appropriation of $144.2 million to provide additional Outcomes-Based Allocation funding to four-year public institutions of higher education. | This bill makes a supplemental appropriation of approximately $144.2 million to provide additional Outcomes-Based Allocation funding to the State's public four-year institutions of higher education. The FY 2025 Appropriations Act appropriates a total of $220.5 million in Outcomes-Based Allocation funding to the State's 13 public four-year institutions of higher education. Pursuant to budget language in the FY 2025 Appropriations Act, an institution's allocation is based on the institution's share of Statewide overall totals on the following metrics: the total number of degrees awarded; the number of degrees awarded to individuals from underrepresented ethnic and racial minority groups; the number of students at the institution with adjusted gross income between $0 and $65,000; degrees awarded to students with adjusted gross income between $0 and $65,000; degrees awarded to transfer students; degrees awarded in the STEM and healthcare fields; and the number of doctoral degrees awarded. This bill would supplement the existing amount of funds distributed through the Outcomes-Based Allocation program in FY 2025. The amount of funds provided pursuant to the bill is calculated based on estimated future needs of the institutions and is disbursed in the same manner as is currently provided in the FY 2025 Appropriations Act. | In Committee |
| A2804 | Provides 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. | Crossed Over |
| A2437 | Requires ingredients of menstrual products to be listed on package. | Requires ingredients of menstrual products to be listed on package. | Crossed Over |
| A3879 | Requires signs to be posted in emergency rooms regarding VCCO. | Requires signs to be posted in emergency rooms regarding VCCO. | Crossed Over |
| A3894 | Amends certain fire safety statutes to update licensure and equipment requirements and liability, fee, and penalty provisions; expands membership of Fire Protection Equipment Advisory Committee. | An Act concerning fire safety by making changes to certain licensure requirements, equipment requirements, advisory committee memberships, penalties, and fees and amending P.L.1991, c.92, P.L.2001, c.289, and P.L.1983, c.383. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A3414 | Modifies regulation of student permits by NJ State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling and establishes oversight of individuals seeking employment as shampoo technicians. | An Act concerning student permits for certain cosmetology and hairstyling students and amending and supplementing P.L.1984, c.205 (C.45:5B-1 et seq.). | 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 |
| A4284 | Eliminates fee for special plates for firefighters and members of first aid or rescue squads. | Eliminates fee for special plates for firefighters and members of first aid or rescue squads. | Crossed Over |
| A3678 | Renames Juvenile Justice Commission as Youth Justice Commission. | Renames Juvenile Justice Commission as Youth Justice Commission. | In Committee |
| S684 | Requires telecommunications, cable television, and Internet service providers to allow for service contracts to be paused or canceled following service recipients's admission to long-term care facility. | An Act allowing for service contracts to be paused or canceled following service recipients' admission to certain long-term care facilities and supplementing Title 56 of the Revised Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4571 | Makes various changes to powers and duties of NJ Infrastructure Bank. | An Act concerning the authority of the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank and amending P.L.1985, c.334, P.L.2013, c.93, and P.L.2023, c.63. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3936 | Appropriates $60 million from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues for recreation and conservation purposes to DEP for State capital and park development projects. | An Act appropriating $60 million from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax revenues for the development of lands by the State for recreation and conservation purposes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S715 | Requires AG to establish rape kit tracking system. | An Act concerning sexual assault forensic evidence kits and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A2345 | Prohibits public officials from accepting virtual currency and non-fungible tokens as gifts. | This bill amends definitions to provide that a gift includes all forms of virtual currency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Under this bill, a public official would be prohibited from accepting any form of virtual currency or NFTs as a gift. | In Committee |
| A3456 | Reduces allowed diversion of funds from stormwater, water, and sewer purposes to municipal and county budgets; requires municipalities and counties to notify Division of Local Government Services of diversions. | This bill would reduce the amount of funds that counties and municipalities may divert from stormwater, water, and sewer utilities and authorities to county and municipal budgets. Under current law, municipalities may transfer available surplus revenue that was collected to fund a utility to other expenditures made by the municipality, in an amount up to five percent of the utility's annual operating costs. This bill would reduce the allowed transfer for stormwater, water, and sewer utilities to three percent of the utility's annual operating costs. Similarly, current law allows counties and municipalities to appropriate undesignated funds and unreserved retained earnings held by an authority that was created by the county or municipality, in an amount up to five percent of the authority's annual operating costs. This bill would reduce the allowed appropriation for water and sewer purposes to three percent of the authority's annual operating costs. This bill would also require counties and municipalities to notify the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs whenever the county or municipality: (1) transfers funds from a stormwater, water, or sewer utility, or (2) appropriates funds from a water or sewer authority. | In Committee |
| A5210 | Requires household members of firearm purchasers to receive background check. | This bill requires every household member of an applicant for a permit to purchase a handgun (PPH) or a firearms purchaser identification card (FPIC) to submit to a criminal history records background check. Under the bill, an applicant would be disqualified from obtaining a PPH or FPIC if the applicant resides with a "household member" who is disqualified from owning a firearm. The bill defines "household member" as any person over the age of 18 who cohabitates with an applicant for a PPH or FPIC. A person may be disqualified from obtaining these documents under certain circumstances, including, having criminal history record or a history of mental health or substance related issued. | In Committee |
| A5175 | Reinstates automatic COLAs for retirement benefits of certain PFRS members. | This bill reinstates automatic cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for annual pension, ordinary disability pension, or accidental disability pension retirement benefits for certain members of the Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS). Provisions contained in P.L.2011, c.78 (C.43:3C-16 et al.), signed into law on June 28, 2011, had suspended the automatic annual adjustment for current and future retirees and beneficiaries of PFRS and other State-administered retirement systems until those systems reach a target funded ratio. Decades of underfunding those systems by the State had placed the systems in precarious financial conditions. Although this bill does not reinstate COLAs for other retirees, it serves as the first step in reinstating COLAs for all retirees of the State-administered retirement systems. Through the prioritization of PFRS, the State will begin this process with retired first responders, police and firefighters, to provide them greater financial security and stability at a time when inflation has significantly eroded the value of their retirement benefit payments, which are already based on the lower salaries of years ago. To that end, the bill includes restrictions intended to limit costs and focus on segments among PFRS retirees expected to be most in need of an immediate benefit. Under the bill, members of PFRS will receive automatic COLAs for annual pension, ordinary disability pension, and accidental disability pension benefits if the member has been retired and receiving retirement benefits for a minimum of ten years. Longer-term retirees generally will have lower pension benefits and be less able to obtain employment to offset the erosion of their benefits. Members of PFRS who are hired more than 30 days following the effective date of this act will not be considered eligible to receive these automatic COLAs. Additionally, members who are enrolled in deferred retirement will not be considered eligible for these automatic COLAs, nor will members who retired with 20 or more years of service but less than 25 years of service. The COLAs will only apply to future pension benefit payments. The bill does not provide for retroactive COLAs. The adjustment in eligible members' pension benefits will be calculated based on an amount up to $75,000 of a retiree's benefit for the first year following the enactment of this bill. Eligible members receiving up to $75,000 of pension benefits will receive a COLA tied to the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. This will ensure that greater initial benefits will be provided to those likely to be most in need. The adjustment in eligible member's pension benefits will be limited to one percent if the member receives more than $75,000 in benefits for the first year following the enactment of the bill. After the first calendar year following the enactment of the bill, the $75,000 threshold will be adjusted annually according to the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, except that the adjustment will be calculated at a rate not to exceed three percent. The bill also grants the cost-of-living adjustment to the monthly pension or survivorship benefit of a surviving spouse, child, or beneficiary that is provided by PFRS. Under the bill, if the Board of Trustees of PFRS fails to comply with the provisions of this bill within six months following the effective date, then the State Treasurer will be responsible for implementing the cost-of-living adjustments. The bill requires the Legislature to appropriate monies from the General Fund as necessary to effectuate the cost-of-living adjustments established under the bill that are sufficient to cover both State and local expenses, and to reimburse each PFRS local employer for the full cost incurred. The bill further provides that this appropriation will take precedence over any additional funding added to the annual State budget by the Legislature through non-emergency supplemental appropriations, resolutions or other changes to the Governor's budget message. | In Committee |
| A5018 | Concerns rights of juvenile defendants who elect to be tried as adults. | This bill provides that juvenile defendants who voluntarily elect to move their cases from the Family Part to the Criminal Part of the Superior Court in order to be tried as adults, pursuant to the waiver process set forth in section 8 of P.L.1982, c.77 (C.2A:4A-27), shall be granted the following procedural rights: - a case would proceed as if it originated in the Criminal Part and be subject to applicable adult sentencing provisions, provided there would be a presumption that a convicted juvenile serve any custodial sentence imposed in a State juvenile facility operated by the Juvenile Justice Commission until reaching 21 years of age, except that: (1) a confined juvenile who has reached 18 years of age and whose continued presence in the juvenile facility threatens the safety of others, including other juvenile offenders, or the ability of the commission to operate juvenile programs at the facility, could be transferred to a State adult correctional facility; and (2) a juvenile who has reached or exceeds 21 years of age could continue to serve a sentence in the State juvenile facility at the discretion of the commission and with the consent of the juvenile; and - at any point during the proceedings of the case, with the consent of the juvenile and prosecutor, the court could remand the case to the Family Part to continue as a juvenile adjudication if it appears that the interests of the public and the best interests of the juvenile require access to programs and procedures uniquely available through the juvenile adjudication process, and the interests of the public are no longer served by the juvenile's original voluntary waiver to the Criminal Part. The above are similar to the procedural rights provided to juvenile defendants who are involuntarily waived by the prosecutor from the Family Part to the Criminal Part. See P.L.2015, c.89, s.1 (C.2A:4A-26.1). Additionally, the bill would require the court to approve the juvenile's voluntary waiver, which it could do only after conducting a hearing. At the hearing, the court would inform the juvenile of the differences in the maximum sentencing or disposition between adults and juveniles for the offenses charged, and the differences "in the consequences of magnitude" between proceeding under the "New Jersey Code of Juvenile Justice" and the "New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice." A determination to approve the voluntary waiver would also require that the juvenile's action be found to be "knowingly, willingly, and voluntarily" made. | Crossed Over |
| A4750 | Expands certain employer reporting requirements to include entities that employ or contract with individuals for financial compensation, including ride-sharing and delivery technology platforms. | This bill expands certain employer reporting requirements to include entities that employ or contract with individuals for financial compensation, including ride-sharing and delivery service technology platforms. Under current law, employers and labor organizations are required to report certain information to the Department of Human Services regarding employees or persons to whom the employer anticipates paying earnings. The law requires this information to be reported to the department within 20 days of the hiring, re-hiring, or return to work of the employee. The bill expands these existing reporting requirements to include employers, labor organizations, and other entities that employ or contract with any person for financial compensation. Financial compensation includes compensation from a technology platform used for ride-sharing or delivery services. | Crossed Over |
| ACR114 | Urges DEP and EDA to establish plastics recycling marketplace. | This concurrent resolution respectfully urges the Department of Environmental Protection to utilize monies from the State Recycling Fund to conduct the necessary research for the development of a plastics recycling marketplace in the State in order to increase the volume of single-use plastics being recycled in the State and decrease the amount of these plastics from entering into our natural environment. In addition, the Legislature respectfully urges the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to take steps to encourage and provide funding to establish a plastics recycling marketplace in the State in order to reduce the presence of single-use plastics in our natural environment. Single-use plastics are defined as plastic packaging and other consumer products made out of plastic that are designed to be used once and thrown away after a brief use, and include bottles, cups, plastic lids, bags, plates, utensils, straws, stirrers, swabs, food containers, plastic film wraps, and plastic packaging. Americans purchase 50 billion water bottles per year, an averaging 13 bottles per month per person. Additionally, 100 billion plastic bags and 25 billion styrofoam plastic coffee cups are thrown away by Americans each year, which averages to 307 plastic bags and 77 cups per person per year. Not all single-use plastic waste reaches landfills, permanent disposal facilities, or is recycled. New Jersey's current post-consumer plastics recycling rates vary between six to nine percent, however, although some calculations indicate recycling rates maybe around 13 percent. Mismanaged single-use plastic waste may block drainage systems, release toxic fumes if burned, become land pollution, and contaminate the food chain. Further, unrecycled plastics are disposed of in landfills, dumpsites, incinerators, or end up in waterways and oceans where they will remain for hundreds or even thousands of years. Furthermore, plastic released in the environment typically does not biodegrade, but instead breaks into smaller pieces, called microplastics, which continue to accumulate in the natural environment. There is evidence that microplastic pollution can move through natural food webs and accumulate in fin fish and shellfish tissues, which means microplastics and associated pollutants have the potential to move into the human food chain. The accumulation of single-use plastics in our environment is dangerous for the residents of this State, marine wildlife, and the environment, creates visual pollution, and impacts tourism, fishing, and shipping industries. | Crossed Over |
| S2864 | Establishes working hours for certain minors employed as professional athletes. | An Act concerning working hours of minors in professional athletics industry and amending P.L.1940, c.153. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A3517 | "Equitable Outcomes in Child Support Collection Act"; establishes procedures regarding collection of child support on behalf of children in custody of DCPP. | This bill is to be known as the "Equitable Outcomes in Child Support Collection Act." The bill amends section 1 of P.L.1962, c.142 (C.30:4C-29.1) to remove provisions in the statutes that outline how the Department of Children and Families currently collects child support obligations from legally responsible persons to offset the costs of maintenance, incurred by the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP), on behalf of children in the DCPP's care or custody, and establishes new procedures for such collection. Specifically, as amended, the bill stipulates that any current child support obligation or any unpaid outstanding arrears balance of a court-ordered child support obligation, all unsatisfied civil judgments based on a court-ordered child support obligation, all warrants issued solely based on the alleged failure to pay or the sole purpose of enforcing a child support obligation, or any current outstanding liens entered on any and all property to which the defendant has or has acquired an interest, which is owed to reimburse the DCPP for maintenance costs incurred while a child was in its care or custody, are deemed null and void and are to be vacated and discharged. This bill updates the State's statutes concerning the liability for maintenance costs of children in the care or custody of the DCPP to align with revised policies issued in 2022 by the Children's Bureau, an office of the federal Administration for Children and Families, allowing for Title IV-E agencies to define more narrowly when it is appropriate to seek child support from legally responsible persons. | In Committee |
| A908 | Requires AG to establish rape kit tracking system. | This bill requires the Attorney General to establish a sexual assault forensic evidence (SAFE) kit, commonly referred to as a rape kit, tracking system. Under the bill, the Attorney General is to issue guidelines or a directive establishing the system. The bill defines a "sexual assault forensic evidence kit tracking system" as an Internet-based system that allows a person, including a victim; a State, county, or municipal law enforcement officer; an employee of a healthcare facility or laboratory, as deemed appropriate by the Attorney General; and any other person, as deemed appropriate by the Attorney General, to track a sexual assault forensic evidence kit through the chain of custody from the time of collection at a healthcare facility to the transfer to a local law enforcement agency, submission to a laboratory, and final disposition. | In Committee |
| A2334 | Requires telecommunications, cable television, and Internet service providers to allow for service contracts to be paused or canceled following service recipient's admission to long-term care facility. | Requires telecommunications, cable television, and Internet service providers to allow for service contracts to be paused or canceled following service recipient's admission to long-term care facility. | In Committee |
| A5119 | Appropriates $60 million from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues for recreation and conservation purposes to DEP for State capital and park development projects. | This bill appropriates the sum of $60 million to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to provide funding for capital projects and park development projects on lands administered by the DEP for recreation and conservation purposes 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 lands administered by the State for recreation and conservation purposes; 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 funds for capital and park development projects on State lands administered by the DEP's State Parks, Forests, and Historic Sites program and Fish and Wildlife program. These programs were formerly known, respectively, as the Division of Parks and Forestry and Division of Fish and Wildlife, prior to the DEP's current reorganization. The "Preserve New Jersey Green Acres Fund" was established by section 6 of the "Preserve New Jersey Act." The projects and appropriations listed in this bill have been approved by the DEP and the Garden State Preservation Trust. | In Committee |
| A5131 | Revises law on extended employment programs for persons with disabilities. | This bill modifies State statutes regarding extended employment programs that provide rehabilitation and employment for persons with significant disabilities. The bill renames the "Sheltered Workshop Act of 1971," P.L.1971, c.272 (C.34:16-39 et seq.), as the "Extended Employment Act." The bill amends the act to change the term used to designate facilities operated by nonprofit organizations to provide vocational rehabilitation and transitional employment to persons with disabilities from "sheltered workshop" to "extended employment." The bill relaxes the specifications regarding which individuals, deemed "extended employees," may be served under extended employment programs by permitting the individuals to have "significant," rather than "severe," disabilities and by removing the requirement that they first complete a workshop program, and that, after completing the program, their disability still makes them incapable of competing in the regular labor market. The bill eliminates the role of the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired in determining the eligibility of individuals to be served by an extended employment program, setting standards for staff, facilities, and services of the programs, and requiring documentation of services. The bill eliminates the requirement that individual progress reports be provided and removes the law's exemption of extended employment facilities from the permit requirements and certain other requirements of the industrial homework law, P.L.1941, c.308 (C.34:6-136.1 et eq.). The bill clarifies the desired program outcomes of the extended employment program. The bill also sets requirements for baseline funding for the extended employment funding and parameters for minimum increases based on the funding provided in the FY 2024 New Jersey State Budget combined with the consumer price index for all urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) or 80 percent of expenses outlined in a functional expense report to be submitted by providers of extended employment services each fiscal year, whichever of the two is greater. The bill clarifies that the Division of Vocational Rehabilitative Services is responsible for informing and referring individuals to the extended employment program and requires consultation with ACCSES New Jersey for consultation on major policy and leadership changes within the division. The bill repeals the provisions of P.L.1975, c.350 (C.34:16-45 et seq.) concerning the sale of products produced in extended employment facilities, including specific labeling requirements, requirements regarding the minimum percentage of work to be done in the facilities, and penalties for misrepresentation regarding the disability status of the workers. Finally, the bill eliminates references to particular kinds of transportation in the program assisting persons with disabilities in extended employment programs. | In Committee |
| A5140 | Increases penalties for denying access to public facilities, NJT, and transportation network companies to service dogs and their handlers. | This bill increases the penalties, from civil to criminal, for any person who denies or interferes with the access of a service dog or their handler to a public facility, to any form of transportation operated by the New Jersey Transit Corporation, or any transportation network company. Currently, any person who interferes or denies the access of a service dog or their handler to a public facility is liable for civil penalties as follows:· $250 for the first violation; · $500 for the second violation; and· $1,000 for the third and each subsequent violation. This bill would subject any person denying access to a public facility, to any form of transportation operated by NJT, or any transportation network company towards a service dog or their handler to criminal penalties. A person in violation of section 1 of P.L.1971, c.130 (C.10:5-29), or section 1 of P.L.2016, c.25 (C.27:25-5b), or section 15 of P.L.2017, c.26 (C.39:5H-15) would be charged with a petty disorderly persons offense for the first violation, and a disorderly persons offense for the second and each subsequent violation. A petty disorderly persons offense is punishable by imprisonment for up to 30 days, a fine of up to $500, or both. A disorderly persons offense is punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of up to $1,000, or both; however, for a second and each subsequent violation, the standard term of up to six months' imprisonment has been increased to up to one year. | In Committee |
| A3892 | Requires campus police officers to wear body worn cameras. | Under current law, every uniformed State, county, and municipal patrol law enforcement officer, with certain exceptions, is required to wear a body worn camera that electronically records audio and video while acting in the performance of the officer's official duties. This bill specifically requires campus police officers to wear a body worn camera while acting in the performance of the officer's official duties. This bill also clarifies the definition of a law enforcement officer, as it relates to the regulations for using body worn cameras, to include campus police officers. | In Committee |
| A3751 | Prohibits use of license plate flipping device; increases penalty for displaying fictitious registration plate number in certain circumstances. | This bill prohibits the use of license plate flipping devices and increases the penalty for displaying a fictitious plate number if a flipping device was used. Current law provides that a person convicted of displaying a fictitious number on a motor vehicle registration plate, also referred to in statutory law as a license plate, is subject to a fine of up to $500 or a term of imprisonment of up to 60 days. The bill provides that a person convicted of displaying a fictitious number through the use of a license plate flipping device: (1) would be subject to a fine of up to $750, imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 60 days, or both; (2) if the offense is committed in a residential district or school zone, would be subject to a fine of up to $1,000; imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 60 days, or both; and (3) if the offense is committed during or to aid in the commission of a crime, offense, or another violation under Title 39 of the Revised Statutes, would be subject to a fine of up to $1,500, imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 90 days, or both. The bill defines a "license plate flipping device" as a device that enables a registration plate to be changed to another registration plate with different identification marks either manually or electronically. Under the bill, the term also includes technology that is capable of changing the appearance of a registration plate to appear as a different registration plate. It is the sponsor's intent that this bill deters drivers from using license plate flipping devices to evade paying tolls, avoid identification by traffic cameras, or engage in any other prohibited activity on the roadways of this State. | In Committee |
| A1165 | Establishes pilot program in DOE to use therapy dogs in public elementary school wellness programs. | This bill establishes a three-year pilot program to assess the academic and health benefits associated with the use of therapy dogs in public elementary school wellness programs. A therapy dog is a dog that has been trained, evaluated, and registered with a handler to provide animal assisted therapy and other animal assisted activities within a school or other facility. Some research suggests that the use of therapy dogs in schools is associated with improvements in school attendance, confidence, motivation, and reading and writing skills. Under the bill, a school district that wants to participate in the pilot program is required to submit an application to the commissioner. The application is required to include, but need not be limited to: the number of elementary schools in the school district; the number of students enrolled in each elementary school; information on student participation in wellness programs at each elementary school; and information on how the school district plans to use therapy dogs to promote student wellness. The commissioner will select two districts in each of the southern, central, and northern regions of the State to participate in the program and will seek a cross section of school districts from urban, suburban, and rural areas of the State. The commission will provide pilot districts with guidance regarding the use of therapy dogs in schools including: examples of activities that students may engage in with a therapy dog; recommended training requirements for therapy dog handlers; recommended measures to evaluate the health and appropriate behavior of therapy dogs; and insurance issues relevant to having therapy dogs on school district property. No later than June 30 of the third school year following the establishment of the pilot program, the commissioner will submit to the Governor and to the Legislature a report that evaluates the effectiveness of the pilot program in improving the academic performance and health outcomes of students in elementary schools. | In Committee |
| A3446 | "Freedom to Read Act"; establishes requirements for library material in public school libraries and public libraries; protects school library staff members and librarians. | An Act concerning public school libraries and public libraries and supplementing Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4626 | Requires construction project applicants to disclose project financing. | Requires construction project applicants to disclose project financing. | In Committee |
| A4174 | Clarifies consent to being photographed, filmed, or recorded in a sexual manner does not include or imply consent to disclosure of image. | This bill amends the invasion of privacy statute, N.J.S.A.2C:14-9, to clarify that a person's consent to being photographed, filmed, videotaped, recorded, observed, or otherwise having their nude, sexual, or sexually suggestive image reproduced is not be construed to include or imply the person's consent to the disclosure of such image. The bill also requires that a person's consent to disclosure is strictly construed to be limited only to the express purpose for which consent was obtained. Under current law, a person's consent to the taking of the image could be construed to also waive any restriction on the subsequent disclosure of the image. Under the bill, taking an image and disclosing an image are two separate acts that require two separate instances of consent. | Crossed Over |
| S3201 | Upgrades certain penalties for assaulting law enforcement officer and requires offender to be tested for communicable diseases in certain instances. | An Act upgrading certain penalties for assault and requiring testing for communicable diseases, and revising various parts of statutory law. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S2652 | Revises statutory terms pertaining to sexual exploitation or abuse of children. | An Act concerning certain criminal offenses involving sexual exploitation or abuse of children and amending various parts of the statutory law. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5032 | "Medicaid Transportation Brokerage Program Oversight and Accountability Act"; establishes vehicle, staffing, and performance standards, and review and reporting requirements for non-emergency medical transport provided under State's non-emergency medical transportation brokerage program. | This bill establishes vehicle, staffing, and performance standards in association with the State's non-emergency medical transportation brokerage program. Under the State's non-emergency medical transportation brokerage program, the Department of Human Services (DHS) contracts with a non-emergency medical transportation broker to manage the provision of non-emergency medical transport to Medicaid beneficiaries in the State. The transportation broker is responsible for: developing and maintaining a non-emergency medical transport provider network for use by Medicaid program beneficiaries; verifying beneficiary eligibility for non-emergency medical transport; determining and authorizing the appropriate mode of transport for each beneficiary on the basis of medical necessity; and dispatching an appropriate provider vehicle to transport the beneficiary. Recent reports issued by the Office of Inspector General and the Office of the State Auditor have indicated that there are significant performance deficiencies in the provision of non-emergency transport under the brokerage program. This bill is designed to address the issues raised in those reports. Specifically, the bill clarifies the requirements that are to be applicable to the DHS, the non-emergency medical transportation broker, and the individual providers within the broker's network, under the non-emergency medical transportation brokerage program; and further establishes a procedure for the performance review of the broker and its authorized providers and the review of complaints that are submitted about the brokerage program. The bill clarifies that adult medical day care service centers, the non-emergency medical transportation broker is obligated to: 1) require a person requesting transportation services to certify that the transportation services are necessary for the person to receive a covered medical service under Medicaid; and 2) require a person requesting transport through the use of a mobility assistance vehicle (MAV) to submit a medical necessity form justifying the use of the MAV. Individual providers of transportation services under the brokerage program would be required to comply with the vehicle, staffing, and service delivery requirements specified therein. The DHS is required to designate an employee to engage in the ongoing monitoring and oversight of the non-emergency medical transportation brokerage program. In conducting a performance review, the department's designated evaluator is to be required to determine whether: 1) vehicles used to transport Medicaid beneficiaries are fully compliant with all statutory, regulatory, and contractual requirements; 2) transport personnel are properly licensed and qualified to provide non-emergency medical transportation services; 3) prior authorization is being obtained, and medical necessity is being documented, for beneficiaries who require MAV service; 4) individual providers consistently maintain requisite insurance policies; 5) transportation recipients actually receive a covered medical service on the date of transport; and 6) the transportation services provided to each beneficiary are adequately documented, as required by the bill. | In Committee |
| A5020 | Makes $3 million supplemental appropriation for bonus awards for certain COVID-19 emergency essential frontline State workers of Local 195 International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers. | This bill provides for a supplemental appropriation of $3,000,000 from the General Fund to provide individual employee awards to the many essential frontline State workers of Local 195 of International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers who provided emergency frontline workplace service during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Independent Review of New Jersey's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic completed on March 7, 2024 noted that one of the strengths of New Jersey State Government's response was that staff across government departments and agencies went above and beyond what they were expected or paid to do. Many state employees put their lives on hold to ensure that the important work of their department or agency continued amidst the uncertainty, additional workload, and safety challenges posed by the pandemic. Many frontline agency workers also reported experiencing significant trauma due to the panic and urgency of the response and the demands associated with their jobs. Personal losses and increased workloads caused many State workers to endure prolonged exhaustion and pandemic fatigue. Workers were overwhelmed by the sudden and dramatic increase in their responsibilities, which agencies had to process while being understaffed. Across departments and agencies, state employees demonstrated resilience and flexibility. Many state agencies worked closely with their respective unions to ensure their staff were well placed to continue their work during the pandemic. Agencies that had pre-existing relationships with union leaders were able to have proactive discussions and continuous dialogue in the early stages of the pandemic, enabling rapid decision making concerning workplace attendance by staff deemed essential for the health and safety of human life. The many frontline State workers of Local 195 of International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers ensured the continued operation and maintenance of the many crucial State facilities, which provide essential services to their clients and patients who could not survive a termination of services during the pandemic. This appropriation will ensure that the many thousands of these State employees receive additional compensation in the form of individual bonuses for their essential work during the most dangerous of times. | In Committee |
| A4706 | Revises statutes implementing certain property tax relief programs pursuant to recommendations promulgated by Stay NJ Task Force. | An Act concerning the Stay NJ property tax benefit program and amending and supplementing various parts of the statutory law. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5001 | Requires public high schools to display public awareness sign on human trafficking. | This bill requires public schools enrolling students in grades nine through 12 to display certain information on human trafficking. Under current law, the Commission on Human Trafficking is required to develop language for a public awareness sign that contains the national, 24-hour toll-free hotline telephone service on human trafficking. The sign is to be no smaller than eight and one-half inches by eleven inches in size, printed in 16-point font, in English and Spanish. Certain entities are required, to the extent practicable, to display the public awareness sign. Under this bill, a public school that enrolls students in grades nine through 12 is required to display the public awareness sign developed by the Commission on Human Trafficking in a place that is clearly visible to employees, students, and the parents or guardians of enrolled students. | In Committee |
| A4523 | Creates New Jersey Board of Paramedicine. | Creates New Jersey Board of Paramedicine. | In Committee |
| A2445 | Creates resume bank for certain persons with disabilities. | This bill creates a resume bank for certain persons with disabilities. Under the bill, the Governor is to establish and maintain a voluntary resume bank for individuals with a disability who wish to be appointed to a State board, commission, authority, or a similar State entity that provides for the appointment of private citizens into its membership, which entities will include special committees, councils, and tasks forces. The Governor will maintain an Internet webpage that lists available appointments within such entities. The bill provides that the resume bank is to be accessible to the executive branch and the Legislature. The resume bank is to contain features permitting individuals with a disability to upload or submit their resumes to the bank. Under the bill, the resume bank is to contain the following information: (1) the resume of an individual with a disability who wishes to be appointed to a State board or commission; (2) the name, address, and telephone number of the individual with a disability; (3) any pertinent information related to the individual's disability; and (4) any pertinent information as to particular State boards, commissions, authorities, and other similar State entities that are of interest to the individual with a disability. | In Committee |
| A2818 | Prohibits and imposes criminal penalty on disclosure of certain intentionally deceptive audio or visual media within 90 days of election. | Prohibits and imposes criminal penalty on disclosure of certain intentionally deceptive audio or visual media within 90 days of election. | Crossed Over |
| A4529 | Requires Attorney General to conduct study tracking residential burglaries and issue guidance to law enforcement and public. | This bill requires the Attorney General, in consultation with the Administrative Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Superintendent of State Police, the New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police, and the County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey, to conduct a study and prepare a written report concerning residential burglaries in the State. The bill requires the report to include, but not be limited to:· annual State residential burglary statistics beginning with calendar year 2018 through the most recently available data, itemized by county, including, but not limited to: the number of residential burglaries reported, including whether the burglary occurred during the day, night, or weekend, and whether any weapon was used; the number of residential burglaries resulting in injury or death to a resident or law enforcement officer; the number of residential burglaries that coincided with theft of a motor vehicle; the average and median dollar value of property damage or theft incurred; and the number of adults and juveniles charged with and convicted or adjudicated delinquent of burglary of a residence; · a summary of law enforcement initiatives and activities, including public awareness activities, implemented during the reporting period to address the issue of residential burglaries Statewide, and the effects of those initiatives and activities; and· recommendations to decrease the number of residential burglaries committed in the State, including any recommendations for legislative or regulatory action that may be necessary to effectuate this purpose. Under the bill, the Attorney General is required to submit an initial report to the Governor and the Legislature within six months of the bill's enactment, and to submit an annual report thereafter. | Crossed Over |
| A4941 | Provides seniority service credit to educational support professionals for military service. | Current law provides that a teaching staff member may receive up to four years of credit, in computing length of service for seniority purposes, for military service. This bill provides a similar benefit to educational support professionals. Under the bill, every educational support professional who has served in the active military of the United States and is declared by the United States Department of Defense to be eligible for federal veterans' benefits is to receive equivalent years of employment or seniority credit, up to four years, for that service as if the professional had been employed for the same period of time at the school district. Any military service is to be credited towards this employment or seniority credit, including service that occurred prior to the professional's employment as an educational support professional. | In Committee |
| A4896 | Makes FY2025 supplemental appropriation of $400,000 from General fund for grant to nonprofit organization to support purchase of pet food for pet owners undergoing medical care. | This bill supplements the Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations act to make an additional appropriation of $400,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Health to provide a grant to the nonprofit organization Living for a Cause to provide funding for the Patient Pet Food Security Wellness Program. The program would assist patients undergoing medical care in Burlington County and the surrounding counties who are experiencing economic hardship, to provide pet food to patients to alleviate the financial burden of pet ownership and prevent the surrender of pets to animal shelters. Living for a Cause is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Florence, New Jersey and dedicated to a range of philanthropic causes, including animal welfare activities. Since 2009, Living for a Cause has supported many animals and their owners across New Jersey by providing an array of animal emergency programs. The program has sponsored horses that have been rescued from unsafe circumstances, provided pet oxygen masks and K9 cooling vests to relieve animals from heat stroke, distributed K9 ballistic vests to police dogs, and organized large pet food distributions for local food pantries and home delivery. Living for a Cause launched the Patient Pet Food Security Wellness Program in 2023. | In Committee |
| A4895 | Makes FY2025 supplemental appropriation of $8,000,000 to Monmouth County Open Space and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund to assist in the purchase of the Stein property in Upper Freehold Township, New Jersey. | This bill would appropriate $8,000,000 from the Property Tax Relief Fund to the Monmouth County Open Space and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund to meet the $25,000,000 needed to purchase the Stein property in Upper Freehold Township, New Jersey. Preservation of the property would prevent construction of an obstructive warehouse on the property. The Stein property is a historic Revolutionary War site, providing a campground for 10,000 British soldiers as they retreated from Philadelphia before the Battle of Monmouth. The proposed development would split the farm into two properties, each to contain a 50 foot warehouse with loading docks. The Upper Freehold Planning Board members estimated that, during a 24 hour period on an average weekday, a total of 790 vehicles (including trucks) might enter and leave the site. Residents most affected would be those living along the property's neighboring border with Allentown Borough, where the construction would allow for 100 feet of space between warehouse properties and adjacent Allentown Borough residents. Local property owners express concern that the warehouse plans will threaten local open space, generate air pollution, disrupt the natural ecosystem, and contaminate water sources with industrial runoff. Stormwater flooding already presents an issue at sewage plants and in private basements in Allentown Borough. The proposed construction would necessitate a water mitigation and sewer system to support the warehouse's infrastructure. The New Jersey Society of the Sons of the American Revolution has also urged Upper Freehold Township to preserve the land. | In Committee |
| A2180 | Permits certain persons to operate Type S school buses. | An Act concerning school transportation, amending P.L.2015, c.268 (C.18A:39-20.1). | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A2835 | Establishes Second Chance Program in charge of providing opportunities through labor organizations for formerly incarcerated individuals. | Establishes Second Chance Program in charge of providing opportunities through labor organizations for formerly incarcerated individuals. | Crossed Over |
| A1131 | Requires DMVA provide central registry of unclaimed cremains of veterans, spouses, and dependents; requires funeral director report to DMVA possession of unclaimed veteran, spouse, and dependent cremains. | Requires DMVA provide central registry of unclaimed cremains of veterans, spouses, and dependents; requires funeral director report to DMVA possession of unclaimed veteran, spouse, and dependent cremains. | Crossed Over |
| A3591 | Makes it fourth degree crime to engage in certain tracking and location activities. | This bill would make it a crime of the fourth degree for a person, in order to initiate or facilitate an unlawful act, to knowingly install or place, or cause to be installed or placed, an electronic tracking device or tracking application to track or determine the location of another person. A crime of the fourth degree is generally punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to 18 months, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. The bill defines an "electronic tracking device" as "any device designed or intended to be used for the sole purpose of tracking the location or movement of a person that reveals its location or movement by the transmission of electronic signals"; and a "tracking application" as "any computer application software installed or otherwise operational on a computer or mobile device that is used to surreptitiously track and transmit to another person the movement or determine the location of the computer or mobile device." There would be a permissive inference (for consideration by a jury) that the use of a tracking device or application to conduct surreptitious surveillance of another person was to initiate or facilitate an unlawful act, such as stalking pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1992, c.209 (C.2C:12-10) or harassment pursuant to N.J.S.2C:33-4. The bill would exempt actions involving State or local government entities and equipment owned, leased, or operated by those entities, as the bill indicates that the provisions which criminalize tracking or location spotting activities would not be applicable to such entities. The bill also provides that several enumerated parties, and in some cases specific uses tied to those parties, would be deemed to be lawful tracking or location spotting of a person. These parties and their lawful uses would include: - a parent or guardian of a minor child for the purpose of tracking or determining the location of the minor child; - for the purpose of monitoring, tracking, or locating a person who, due to a physical or mental health condition, may be at risk of injury or death; - a person in order to track or locate personal property during a lawful business transaction in which the person's personal property is in the temporary possession or otherwise under the control of a third party; - a person collecting consumer location data as part of a lawful business practice, so long as the use is disclosed in a terms of use policy, privacy policy, or similar document or form made available to the consumer; - an employer for the purpose of tracking an employee or vehicle used by an employee while engaged in the course of employment when not prohibited by State or federal law or regulation. The bill adds that a failure by an employer to comply with the written notice requirement to use a tracking device in a vehicle used by an employee in accordance with the provisions of section 1 of P.L.2021, c.449 (C.34:6B-22) or failure to comply with any other requirements in order to track an employee or vehicle used by an employee pursuant to another State or federal law or regulation would only be considered a violation of that law or regulation, and not punishable as a crime pursuant to this section; and - any person who has obtained the consent of the person to be tracked or located, which consent would be required to be provided in writing, in the case of an electronic tracking device, or, in the case of a tracking application, by opting-in to or otherwise affirmatively accepting its use. A person's consent would be presumed to be revoked if: - the person who gave consent and the person who obtained consent are spouses, civil union partners, or domestic partners, and one person has filed a petition for divorce, dissolution of the civil union, or termination of the domestic partnership; or - the person who gave consent or the person who obtained consent has filed an application for a temporary or final restraining order pursuant to the provisions of the "Prevention of Domestic Violence Act of 1991," P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-17 et al.). | Crossed Over |
| A3539 | Revises statutory terms pertaining to sexual exploitation or abuse of children. | This bill updates terminology in statutory law pertaining to the sexual exploitation or abuse of children. Current state law prohibits the creation, manufacture, distribution, sale or viewing of child pornography. Among child protection advocates, however, terms such as "child sexual abuse material" and "child sexual exploitation material" have come into wider use, replacing the general description of "child pornography" because these terms more accurately reflect the suffering of the children who are victims of these crimes. When used in the context of depictions of children, the term "pornography" may be understood to legitimize or trivialize the sexual abuse or exploitation of those children. In addition, the term "pornography" carries with it the implication that the acts are performed with the consent of the child, and represent legitimate sexual material. This bill replaces the term child pornography with the term "trade in child sexual abuse or exploitation material" in Title 2A. In Title 2C, the definition of "item depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of a child" is amended to include "child sexual abuse or exploitation material" and the acronym "CSAEM." The bill replaces the term child pornography with "network to share child sexual abuse or exploitation material" in various sections of Title 2C concerning the definition, degrees of crime, examination referrals, registration of sex offenders, and special sentencing for parole supervision for life for a leader of a network distributing depictions of child sexual abuse or exploitation. The bill further clarifies that online distribution or possession of sexual abuse or exploitation material is to be included in the schedule of penalties pertaining to offenses involving computer criminal activity in Title 2C. In Title 9, the term pornography is replaced with "any crime involving child sexual abuse or exploitation material" concerning disqualification of employment pursuant to N.J.S.9:3-40.5. In Title 18A, the word pornography is replaced with the term "child sexual abuse or exploitation material" with regard to the practice of "sexting," or sending sexually explicit messages pursuant to N.J.S.18A:35-4.32. This bill replaces the term pornography in various parts of Title 30 with "any crime involving child sexual abuse or exploitation material" in the statutes concerning revocation of a day care center's registration, criteria for permanent disqualification from employment, disqualification from adopting a child or being a resource family parent, and disqualification of employment at, or ownership or sponsorship of, a child day care center. In Title 52, the term pornography is replaced with "online distribution or possession of child sexual abuse or exploitation material" in the statutes concerning the Department of Law and Public Safety's efforts to receive and respond to inquiries or complaints from members of the public reporting computer crimes pursuant to N.J.S.52:17B-193. This bill also updates the terminology used in current law to replace outdated references to certain crimes that involve the sexual exploitation or abuse of children. According to the sponsor, the changes made in this bill are not intended, nor should they be construed, to have any substantive impact on the applicability of the affected provisions; the changes are intended to render the terminology consistent with the rest of the current statutory scheme and the broader international trend. The bill also corrects technical inconsistencies in the statutes. | In Committee |
| A2378 | Upgrades certain penalties for assaulting law enforcement officer and requires offender to be tested for communicable diseases in certain instances. | Upgrades certain penalties for assaulting law enforcement officer and requires offender to be tested for communicable diseases in certain instances. | In Committee |
| A2717 | Authorizes proportional property tax exemption for honorably discharged veterans having a service-connected permanent disability and proclaims that the State shall reimburse municipalities for costs of exemption. | The bill grants a property tax exemption to honorably discharged veterans having a service-connected disability in proportion to their disability percentage rating. The exemption is only granted to those with a disability percentage rating of at least 30 percent, and the exemption is capped at $10,000. Those with a 100 percent disability percentage rating would still be allowed a 100 percent property tax exemption without a cap, as is the case under current law. In addition, the bill grants those honorably discharged veterans having less than a 100 percent service-connected disability, but who are unemployable, a 100 percent property tax exemption, which matches the current 100 percent property tax exemption for honorably discharged veterans having a 100 percent disability percentage rating. As under current law, the bill allows the 100 percent property tax exemption to extend to the surviving spouse of a veteran. However, the newly allowed property tax exemption for a veteran with a less than 100 percent property tax exemption would not extend to the surviving spouse. The bill also eliminates all references to medical conditions so that any service-connected disability, as determined by the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs, will make a veteran eligible for the property tax exemption. Finally, the bill proclaims that the State shall annually reimburse taxing districts, including for administrative costs, for the property tax exemptions granted to disabled veterans and their surviving spouses. The bill includes reporting provisions so proper reimbursement can be made. | In Committee |
| A3060 | Permits designation of special event zones for traffic regulation purposes during certain large events. | This bill permits the designation of "special event zones" for the purpose of regulating traffic during certain "special events," which the bill defines as any automotive or motor vehicle events occurring on or near a roadway, which events either have been approved by the county or municipality in which the event is located, or are expected to have 25 or more persons in attendance. When a special event occurs, or is expected to occur, on any roadway under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation (DOT), the bill permits the Commissioner of Transportation to designate all or part of the roadway, including any parking structures or other property located within the designated area, as a special event zone. Similarly, when a special event occurs, or is expected to occur, on a roadway under the jurisdiction of a county or municipality, the county or municipality may also designate the area as a special event zone. In either case, the special event zone would remain in effect for the duration of the special event, and including a reasonable period of time before and after the special event. While the special event zone remains in effect, the DOT, municipality, or county, as applicable, would be required to maintain appropriate signage on or along the special event zone. Under the bill, certain traffic regulations would be altered within the special event zone while the zone remains in effect, including: (1) an allowance for the DOT, county, or municipality, as applicable, to reduce the established speed limitations, as such reductions are deemed necessary to ensure public safety; and (2) the prohibition of "exhibition driving," which the bill defines to include certain forms of disruptive or erratic driving; and (3) the imposition of increased penalties for certain traffic offenses. Specifically, the bill provides that a person would be subject to a fine not exceeding $1,000 after committing the following traffic offenses within a special event zone: (1) operating a motor vehicle in excess of the posted speed limitation; (2) careless driving; and (3) operating a motor vehicle for a wager, in a race, or for the purposes of making a speed record. Additionally, a person who engages in exhibition driving or reckless driving within a special event zone would be subject to a fine not exceeding $1,000, a term of imprisonment of up to 60 days, or both. Under current law, the Commissioner of Transportation is required to approve certain types of local traffic regulations before those regulations may take effect. Under the bill, the designation of a special event zone by a county or municipal would take effect without requiring the approval of the commissioner. | Crossed Over |
| A2402 | Authorizes special license plates for members of the United States Coast Guard. | This bill authorizes the Chief Administrator (chief administrator) of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to issue United States Coast Guard license plates to current and former members of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and to the spouse and parents of current and former members of the USCG. The design of the license plate is to be chosen by the chief administrator, in consultation with the USCG. In addition to the required motor vehicle registration fees, there is an application fee of $50 and an annual renewal fee of $10 for the license plates. After deducting the costs to implement the license plate program, the additional fees collected are to be deposited into the "United States Coast Guard License Plate Fund." The proceeds of the fund are to be appropriated annually to the USCG. The chief administrator is required to annually certify the average cost of producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of the specialty license plates. If the average cost per plate exceeds $50 in two consecutive fiscal years, the chief administrator may discontinue the license plate program. The bill also requires that the USCG appoint a liaison to represent the USCG in all communications with the MVC regarding the license plates. The bill provides that State or other public funds may not be used by the MVC for the initial cost to implement the license plate program. The bill requires the USCG, or an individual or entity designated by the USCG, to contribute non-public monies, not to exceed $25,000, to offset the initial costs to design, produce, issue, and publicize the license plates and for any computer programming necessary to implement the program. The bill authorizes the USCG to receive funds from private sources to be used to offset the initial costs. The MVC is prohibited from designing, producing, issuing, or publicizing the availability of the license plates, or making any necessary programming changes, until: (1) the USCG, or an individual or entity designated by the USCG, has provided the MVC with the money necessary to offset the initial costs incurred by the MVC in establishing the license plate program; and (2) the USCG, or its designee, has provided the MVC with a minimum of 500 completed applications for the license plates, upon the availability for purchase of those license plates. The provisions of the bill will remain inoperative until the first day of the 13th month after the date on which appropriate applications and fees required to offset the initial costs incurred by the MVC are provided by the USCG or its designee. The bill expires on the last day of the 12th month after enactment if sufficient applications and fees to offset the initial costs are not received by that date. | Crossed Over |
| ACR115 | Urges United States Congress to pass "Universal School Meals Program Act of 2023." | This concurrent resolution urges the United States Congress to pass the "Universal School Meals Program Act of 2023." This federal legislation would provide free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack to all school children regardless of their socioeconomic background. This legislation also eliminates school food debt and reimburses schools for all delinquent school meal debt. | Crossed Over |
| A3459 | Creates Military and Veterans Affairs Oversight Board. | This bill creates, in the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, a Military and Veterans Affairs Oversight Board. The board will be responsible for the oversight of: (1) all veteran service officers; (2) each board, council, commission, program, and such similar entity, within the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs; and (3) all programs, benefits, and services provided specifically to military service members, veterans, and their families by any State Executive Branch department, division, commission, or agency. The board will consist of the head of each veteran organization in the State with a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code. The heads of the American Legion Department of New Jersey, the Disabled American Veterans Department of New Jersey, and the Department of New Jersey Veterans of Foreign Wars will serve as co-chairs for the first three meetings. By the conclusion of the third meeting, the members will vote to elect a chair and vice-chair. The chair and vice-chair will serve for a term of three years. Each member of the board will be entitled to be reimbursed for traveling and other expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties. In addition, each member will receive a per diem allowance of $1,000 for each monthly meeting attended. The failure of a member of the board to participate in a minimum number of monthly meetings will result in removal of that board member. Each Executive Branch department, division, commission, and agency, as well as the veteran service officers, and each board, council, commission, and such similar entity, within the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs will appoint a liaison to the board. The liaison will act as the point of contact to the board. Each liaison will attend the monthly meetings of the board. The failure to participate in a minimum number of meetings will result in removal of that liaison. The liaison will provide a biannual report to the board. The report will describe in detail such programs, benefits, and services provided, and such other information deemed necessary and appropriate by the board. Each Executive branch department, division, commission, and agency will also annually present to the board that portion of their State and federal, if applicable, budget that represents those programs, benefits, and services. The bill also requires the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, upon request and when available, to provide copies of reports of the contractor relating to military mission maintenance and growth, subject to the provisions of the law commonly referred to as the Open Public Records Act. Under the bill, the responsibilities of the board will be to coordinate and implement a strategic plan to ensure military service members, veterans, and their families are made aware of the programs, benefits, and services available to them, and to ensure that all State departments, divisions, commissions, and agencies are effectively delivering programs, benefits, and services that are comprehensive to military service members, veterans, and their families in this State. The board will also conduct an analysis of the various programs, benefits, and services provided by the State specifically to military service members, veterans, and their families, and evaluate those programs, benefits, and services to assess their effectiveness. In addition, the board will analyze and evaluate with regard to veterans who reside in the State: accessibility of the programs, benefits, or services; educational, job skills, employment, and business opportunities; physical and behavioral health and long-term healthcare options; criminal justice issues; housing opportunities and homelessness; and special needs as determined by the board. The bill requires the board to provide a report detailing a strategic plan based upon comprehensive data acquired through engagement with State departments, divisions, commissions, and agencies, and military service members, veterans, and their families. The board will develop recommendations to be submitted to the Governor and the Legislature to address any deficiencies in the provision of programs, benefits, and services specifically to military service members, veterans, and their families in this State. The recommendations will address specifically whether the existing State programs, benefits, and services are adequate to meet the existing needs of military service members, veterans, and their families; are being used to fulfill objectives in a manner that complements and leverages State, federal, and private resources; and how they may more effectively serve all current and future military service members, veterans, and their families in the State of New Jersey. Under the bill, the board will prepare and submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature within nine months of the organizational meeting of the board. Thereafter, the board will prepare and submit annual reports to the Governor and the Legislature containing its findings, activities, and recommendations, including any recommendations for administrative and legislative action that it deems appropriate. All reports of the board will be prominently posted on the website of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs will include in the annual budget request of the department a request for sufficient funds to effectuate the purposes of the bill. | In Committee |
| A4409 | Establishes "Mass Violence Care Fund." | Establishes "Mass Violence Care Fund." | Crossed Over |
| A4191 | Protects access to assisted reproductive technology. | This bill provides every woman in this State the fundamental right to choose whether to use assisted reproductive technology (ART). Under current law, the State provides the fundamental right to choose or refuse contraception or sterilization, or to choose whether to carry a pregnancy, to give birth, or to terminate a pregnancy. Under the bill, the fundamental rights related to reproductive health choice in the State are expanded to include the use of ART. ART includes, but is not limited to, in vitro fertilization (IVF). This legislation is in response to the Alabama Supreme Court ruling in LePage v. Mobile Infirmary Clinic, P.C. (Docket No. SC-2022-0515, SC-2022-0579), decided in February 2024. In LePage, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos are "extrauterine children," finding that that the state's "'Wrongful Death of A Minor Act' applies on its face to all unborn children, without limitation." This holding could have widespread implications for anyone in Alabama who is seeking or provides IVF. New Jersey has long been a State that supports, and provides protections for, the reproductive freedom of its citizens, including the right to make the choice of whether to start or expand a family through IVF. | Crossed Over |
| A4048 | Requires upcoming Educational Adequacy Report to include comprehensive review of certain components of school funding in consultation with certain stakeholders and experts. | This bill requires the upcoming Educational Adequacy Report to be developed in consultation with certain education stakeholders and school finance experts. Under current law, an Educational Adequacy Report is required to be issued every three years by the Governor, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education. The purpose of the report is to update the various parameters used to calculate State aid to school districts, including the base per pupil amount, various grade level and student characteristic weights, preschool education per pupil amounts, security and transportation aid cost coefficients, excess cost and classification rate assumption for census-based special education funding, and extraordinary special education aid thresholds. The requirements established under the bill would apply to the next upcoming Educational Adequacy Report that is to be issued by September 1, 2025. Specifically, the bill requires the Governor, in consultation with the commissioner, to engage a diverse group of stakeholders, including school administrators, staff, students, parents, and other community members, to identify the necessary school resources and student supports that are not adequately funded through the State school funding formula. In addition, the bill requires the Governor and the commissioner to commission various school finance experts to recommend revisions to the methodologies used for the determination of various cost factors that are required to be updated under the Educational Adequacy Report. | Crossed Over |
| A4150 | Permits certified nurse aides to be employed as personal care assistants. | Permits certified nurse aides to be employed as personal care assistants. | Crossed Over |
| A3739 | Criminalizes the use of "signal jammers." | This bill would criminalize the use of "signal jammers" under State law. Such devices are already illegal under federal law. "Signal jammers," which are also known as signal blockers, GPS jammers, cell phone jammers, and text blockers, are radio frequency transmitters that are designed to block, jam, or otherwise interfere with authorized radio communications. These devices can prevent cell phones from making or receiving calls, texts, and emails; block Wi-Fi devices from connecting to the Internet; prevent a GPS from receiving correct positioning signals; and prevent a first responder from locating a person in an emergency. Under current New Jersey law, it is a crime of the fourth degree to: (1) make, or cause to be made, a radio transmission of energy in this State unless the person obtains a license, or an exemption from licensure, from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) pursuant to applicable federal law or regulation, or (2) do any act to cause an unlicensed radio transmission of energy or interference with a public or commercial radio station licensed by the FCC or to enable the radio transmission of energy or interference to occur. This bill provides that it would also be a crime of the fourth degree to interfere with or cause interference to any radio communications of any station licensed or authorized by or under any federal law or regulation or operated by the United States government; or, in violation of federal law or regulation, to use any scanning receiver that is capable of: (1) receiving transmissions in the frequencies allocated to the domestic cellular radio telecommunications service, (2) readily being altered by the user to receive transmissions in such frequencies, or (3) being equipped with decoders that convert digital cellular transmissions to analog voice audio. The provisions of this bill are also set out in federal law, specifically in 47 U.S.C. s.301 and 47 U.S.C. s.333. | In Committee |
| A4531 | Limits negotiated plea agreements for crime of burglary when firearm involved. | This bill prohibits the prosecution from entering into a plea agreement for a lesser term of imprisonment or fine for the crime of burglary when a firearm is involved. Under current law, it is a crime of the second degree if, in the course of committing the offense of burglary, the actor: (1) purposely, knowingly or recklessly inflicts, attempts to inflict, or threatens to inflict bodily injury on anyone; or (2) is armed with or displays what appears to be explosives or a deadly weapon. Under the bill, a person convicted of burglary while armed with a firearm would be ineligible to enter into a negotiated plea agreement to receive a lesser term of imprisonment or a fine. "Firearm" is defined as any handgun, rifle, shotgun, machine gun, automatic or semi-automatic rifle, or any gun, device or instrument in the nature of a weapon from which may be fired or ejected any solid projectable ball, slug, pellet, missile or bullet, or any gas, vapor or other noxious thing, by means of a cartridge or shell or by the action of an explosive or the igniting of flammable or explosive substances. "Firearm" also includes, without limitation, any firearm which is in the nature of an air gun, spring gun or pistol or other weapon of a similar nature in which the propelling force is a spring, elastic band, carbon dioxide, compressed or other gas or vapor, air or compressed air, or is ignited by compressed air, and ejecting a bullet or missile smaller than three-eighths of an inch in diameter, with sufficient force to injure a person. | Crossed Over |
| A4530 | Allows sentencing to extended term for repeat convictions of receipt of stolen property. | This bill provides that a person may be sentenced to an extended term of imprisonment for repeat convictions of receiving stolen property. Under the bill, a person is a persistent offender if the person has previously been convicted on two or more prior and separate occasions of receiving stolen property in violation of N.J.S.A.2C:20-7, regardless of the dates of the convictions. A persistent offender may be sentenced to an extended term, upon motion of the prosecutor, if the prior conviction is for a crime committed on a separate occasion and the crime for which the person is being sentenced was either: (1) within 10 years of the date of the defendant's last release from confinement for the commission of any crime; or (2) within 10 years of the date of the commission of the most recent violation of N.J.S.2C:20-7 for which the defendant has a prior conviction. | Crossed Over |
| A4528 | Establishes "Home Security Systems Anti-Burglary Task Force." | This bill establishes the "Home Security Systems Anti-Burglary Task Force" in the Department of Law and Public Safety. Under the bill, the purpose of the task force is to study and make recommendations for manufacturers and installers concerning home security systems, including but not limited to keyless entry, camera, and alarm systems, meant to prevent residential burglaries. The bill provides that the task force will consist of 16 members as follows:· the chairperson of the Fire Alarm, Burglar Alarm and Locksmith Advisory Committee of the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, who shall serve as the chair of the task force;· the Attorney General and the Superintendent of State Police, serving ex officio, or their designees;· one representative of each of the following organizations selected by that organization: the New Jersey Electronic Life Safety Association; the Electronic Security Association; the Monitoring Association; the Security Industry Association; the Insurance Council of New Jersey; the New Jersey Insurance Underwriting Association; the New Jersey Property-Liability Insurance Guaranty Association; the New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police; and the County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey; and· four public members, appointed by the Governor, with experience in the locksmithing and alarm business, including at least one licensed locksmith and one licensed burglar alarm installer. The bill requires the task force to submit a written report to the Governor and the Legislature detailing the task force's recommendations concerning improvements in home security and anti-burglary measures through security system design features and product availability. The report will also include any recommendations for legislative or regulatory action that are necessary to effectuate the improvements. | Crossed Over |
| A4621 | Requires employer to disclose information concerning leave eligibility in hiring package. | Requires employer to disclose information concerning leave eligibility in hiring package. | In Committee |
| S3368 | Concerns law protecting residential tenants from lead-based paint hazards. | An Act concerning lead-based paint hazards in residential rental property, including establishing lead-based paint hazard programs, amending P.L.2021, c.182, and repealing section 1 of P.L.2007, c.251. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4682 | Prohibits health insurance carriers from denying coverage of nonopioid prescription drugs in favor of opioid prescription drugs. | This bill makes it unlawful when a licensed health care provider prescribes a nonopioid medication to a person covered by a health insurance carrier for the treatment of acute pain and the carrier denies coverage of a nonopioid prescription drug: (1) in favor of an opioid prescription drug; or (2) to require a covered person to try an opioid prescription drug prior to approving the use of a nonopioid prescription drug. "Carrier" is defined in the bill to mean 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. Under the bill, a carrier that establishes and maintains a drug formulary is to ensure that a nonopioid drug approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment or management of pain will not be disadvantaged or discouraged, with respect to coverage or cost-sharing, relative to any opioid or narcotic drug for the treatment or management of pain on the formulary of the carrier under various circumstances. It is not prohibited in the bill for an opioid drug to be preferred over another opioid drug or for a nonopioid drug to be preferred over another nonopioid drug. The provisions of the bill prohibiting denial of a nonopioid prescription drug are also incorporated into the laws governing the required coverage for contracts negotiated by the State Health Benefits Commission and the School Employees' Health Benefits Commission, and in the law overseeing Medicaid. | In Committee |
| A4731 | Adds one dental assistant to membership of New Jersey State Board of Dentistry. | The New Jersey State Board of Dentistry currently consists of two public members, nine members who have resided and practiced dentistry within this State for 10 years, and one member who is a dental hygienist. This bill adds one dental assistant to the membership of the board and clarifies the qualifications for both the assistant and hygienist members. Additionally, the bill adds language to state that the Governor is to consider, but not be obligated to follow, the recommendations of the New Jersey Dental Association nor the New Jersey Dental Assistants Association when appointing a dentist or the dental assistant to the board. The 4-year term for board members is retained under the bill. This bill also makes technical changes to the statutes. It repeals section 10 of P.L.2007, c.259 and amends R.S.45:6-1 to include those 2007 provisions regarding the addition of another dentist to the board's membership; removes an obsolete provision concerning membership succession; and updates certain organization and statutory references. | In Committee |
| S2435 | Revises certain requirements concerning eligibility for reimbursement from "Emergency Medical Technician Training Fund." | An Act concerning the "Emergency Medical Technician Training Fund" and amending P.L.1992, c.143. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A1930 | Broadens statute that criminalizes cyber-harassment of minor. | Under current law, cyber-harassment is a crime of the third degree if the offender is 21 or older at the time of the offense and impersonates a minor for the purpose of cyber-harassing a minor. This bill broadens the statute to provide that a person is guilty of this offense if the person is 18 or older and engages in cyber-harassing a minor. This bill eliminates the provision that a person must impersonate a minor in order to be guilty of the offense. A crime of the third degree is punishable by three to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $15,000, or both. | In Committee |
| A1941 | Requires Commission on Human Trafficking to post public awareness signage in additional establishments. | Requires Commission on Human Trafficking to post public awareness signage in additional establishments. | In Committee |
| A2610 | Extends annual horse racing purse subsidies through State fiscal year 2029. | An Act concerning horse racing purse subsidies and amending P.L.2019, c.36. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A360 | Revises law prohibiting feeding of black bear. | This bill would amend the law concerning the feeding of black bear. Under current law, the prohibition on the feeding of black bear does not apply in the case of an unintentional feeding of a black bear. "Unintentional feeding" is defined in the law as using or placing any material for a purpose other than to attract or entice black bears but which results in the attraction or enticement of a black bear, and includes the use of bait for deer in accordance with section 1 of P.L.1997, c.424 (C.23:4-24.4) and the State Fish and Game Code. This bill clarifies that the prohibition applies to any food and includes the placement of food. The bill deletes the exemption for, and the definition of, "unintentional feeding," and replaces it with a specific list of activities or actions that are not considered to be the feeding of black bear. The bill provides that the following activities would not be subject to the prohibition in the bill: (1) any person licensed pursuant to law to possess wildlife; (2) any crop, agricultural product, or animal feed on the premises of any person engaged in agricultural or horticultural activities; (3) a birdfeeder maintained between the dates of April 1 and November 30, provided that certain conditions are met; (4) the placement of food at a shelter or pound licensed by the Department of Health or a municipally approved managed cat colony, provided that any uneaten food is removed every night; (5) the feeding of companion animals, provided that any uneaten food is removed every night; and (6) any action by federal, State, or local authorities that requires feeding, baiting, or luring of wildlife for management or scientific purpose. The bill would also amend the current law concerning the use of civil penalties recovered for violations. Under current law, any penalties are to be paid to the Division of Fish and Wildlife. Under this bill, any penalties collected would be remitted to the municipality in which the violation occurred. | In Committee |
| A2890 | Permits temporary appointment of additional members to the Board of Review in the Division of Employment Security. | An Act concerning the Board of Review in the Division of Employment Security and amending various parts of the statutory law. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S1017 | Establishes right of sexual assault victim to notification of certain developments in criminal case. | An Act concerning the rights of victims of sexual assault and amending and supplementing P.L.2019, c.103 (C.52:4B-60.1 et seq.). | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A2884 | Provides for purchase of PFRS credit for service as class two special law enforcement officer. | An Act concerning the purchase of credit in the Police and Firemen's Retirement System for certain service and amending P.L.1991, c.153. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S2876 | Designates State Highway Route 42 and Interstate Highway Route 295 interchange as "Ensign John R. Elliott Memorial Interchange." | An Act designating the interchange between State Highway Route 42 and Interstate Highway Route 295 as the "Ensign John R. Elliott Memorial Interchange." | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S2644 | Requires DOE to establish working group on student literacy; mandates universal literacy screenings for kindergarten through grade three students; requires professional development for certain school district employees. | An Act concerning student literacy and supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S2869 | Establishes penalties for employers who disclose or threaten to disclose employee's immigration status for purpose of concealing violation of State wage, benefit or tax laws. | This bill provides that if the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development finds that an employer has, for the purpose of concealing any violation of State wage, benefit and tax laws, disclosed or threatened to disclose to a public body an employee's immigration status, the commissioner is, in addition to imposing any other remedies or penalties authorized by law, authorized to assess and collect an administrative penalty against the employer. Specifically, the bill provides for administrative penalties as follows: (1) for the first violation, an administrative penalty not to exceed $1,000; (2) for the second violation, an administrative penalty not to exceed $5,000; and (3) for any subsequent violation, an administrative penalty not to exceed $10,000. When determining the amount of the administrative penalty imposed pursuant to the bill's provisions, the commissioner may consider factors which include the history of previous violations by the employer, the seriousness of the violation, the good faith of the employer and the size of the employer's business. The commissioner may not levy an administrative penalty pursuant to the bill's provisions unless the commissioner provides the alleged violator with notification of the violation and of the amount of administrative penalty, and unless the commissioner provides the alleged violator an opportunity to request a hearing before the commissioner or the commissioner's designee. Establishes penalties for employers who disclose or threaten to disclose employee's immigration status for purpose of concealing violation of State wage, benefit or tax laws. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S2344 | Limits availability of Child Care Facilities Improvement Program grants funded through Child Care Revitalization Act to licensed child care centers. | An Act making certain adjustments to child care funding and amending P.L.2021, c.144. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3432 | Establishes Next New Jersey Program for artificial intelligence investments. | An Act concerning the development of artificial intelligence innovations, ventures, and facilities, and amending and supplementing P.L.2020, c.156. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A3861 | "Louisa Carman Medical Debt Relief Act." | An Act concerning the report and collection of medical debt and supplementing P.L.1997, c.172 (C.56:11-28 et seq.). | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S2792 | Appropriates $500,000 from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues and "2009 Farmland Preservation Fund" to State Agriculture Development Committee for municipal planning incentive grants for farmland preservation purposes. | An Act appropriating $500,000 from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax revenues and the "2009 Farmland Preservation Fund" to the State Agriculture Development Committee for municipal planning incentive grants for farmland preservation purposes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S2793 | Appropriates $1.723 million from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues and "2009 Farmland Preservation Fund" to State Agriculture Development Committee for grants to certain nonprofit organizations for farmland preservation purposes. | An Act appropriating $1.723 million from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax revenues and the "2009 Farmland Preservation Fund" to the State Agriculture Development Committee for grants to qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organizations for farmland preservation purposes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3275 | Revises various provisions of film and digital media content production tax credit program. | This bill revises certain provisions of the film and digital media content production tax credit program to include eligibility for wages and salaries paid to persons who are not subject to tax under the "New Jersey Gross Income Tax Act" due to a tax reciprocity agreement with another state. Under the film and digital media content production tax credit program, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority awards corporation business tax and gross income tax credits to eligible taxpayers based on the qualified film production expenses or qualified digital media content production expenses incurred for use within certain parts of the State. In addition to certain other eligibility requirements, at least 50 percent of the qualified digital media content production expenses incurred by a taxpayer are required to be for wages and salaries paid to full-time or full-time equivalent employees in New Jersey in order to qualify for the digital media content production tax credit. Under current law, the terms "qualified film production expenses" and "qualified digital media content production expenses" are defined to include, among other expenses, the wages and salaries paid to individuals who are employed for the purposes of the production and who are subject to the tax imposed by the "New Jersey Gross Income Tax Act." Current law also defines the term "full-time or full-time equivalent employee" to include persons working not less than 35 hours per week, or other standard of service accepted by custom or practice as full-time or full-time equivalent employment, and whose wages and salaries are subject to withholding as provided in the "New Jersey Gross Income Tax Act." This bill expands the scope of qualified film production expenses and qualified digital media content production expenses to include wages and salaries that are paid to individuals who are employed for the purposes of the production and who are not subject to tax under the "New Jersey Gross Income Tax Act" due to the provisions of a tax reciprocity agreement with another state. The bill also provides that these expenses would include any payments made by the taxpayer to a loan out company for services performed in New Jersey by individuals who are employed by the loan out company and whose wages and salaries are not subject to tax under the "New Jersey Gross Income Tax Act" due to the provisions of a tax reciprocity agreement with another state. Additionally, the bill amends the definition "full-time or full-time equivalent employee" to include otherwise eligible persons whose wages and salaries are not subject to tax under the "New Jersey Gross Income Tax Act" due to the provisions of a tax reciprocity agreement with another state. Currently, the State has entered into a reciprocal income tax agreement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Under the terms of this agreement, compensation paid to Pennsylvania residents who are employed in New Jersey is not subject to tax under the "New Jersey Gross Income Tax Act." Accordingly, the bill provides that wages and salaries paid to certain Pennsylvania residents may be included as qualified film production expenses and qualified digital media content production expenses, provided that these persons are employed in the New Jersey for the purposes of the film or digital media content production. The provisions of this bill would take effect immediately and apply retroactively beginning on January 1, 2024 to any taxpayer who has not received a tax credit certificate or tax credit transfer certificate from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority before this date. However, any taxpayer that has previously received a tax credit certificate, but has not used such tax credit certificate before January 1, 2024, would be allowed to surrender the tax credit certificate to the authority and receive a new tax credit certificate in accordance with the provisions of this bill. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A3772 | Revises process for property tax lien holder to foreclose right to redeem a property tax lien; allows property owner to protect remaining equity. | An Act revising the process for a property tax lien holder to foreclose the right to redeem a property tax lien, amending various parts of the statutory law, and supplementing chapter 5 of Title 54 of the Revised Statutes and P.L.1948, c.96 (C.54:5-104.29 et seq.). | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4425 | Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend certain sums to make loans for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2025. | An Act authorizing the expenditure of funds by the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank for the purpose of making loans to eligible project sponsors to finance a portion of the cost of construction of environmental infrastructure projects, and making an appropriation. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4572 | Appropriates $101,696,535 from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues to DEP for local government open space acquisition and park development projects; and for certain administrative expenses. | An Act appropriating $101,696,535 from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax revenues to help local government units acquire or develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes, and for certain administrative expenses. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4587 | Increases hours required for individual to obtain licensure as teacher in cosmetology and hairstyling or as massage and bodywork therapist. | An Act concerning requirements for teaching in certain professions and amending and supplementing P.L.1984, c.205 and amending P.L.1999, c.19. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3474 | Appropriates $10,067,905 to DEP from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues for grants to certain nonprofit entities to acquire or develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes, and for certain administrative expenses. | An Act appropriating $10,067,905 from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax revenues to provide grants to assist qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organizations to acquire or develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes, and for certain administrative expenses. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4478 | Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend certain sums to make loans for transportation infrastructure projects for FY2025; makes appropriation. | An Act authorizing the expenditure of funds by the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank for the purpose of making loans to eligible project sponsors to finance the cost to construct transportation infrastructure projects, and making an appropriation. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3384 | Appropriates funds to DEP for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2025. | An Act appropriating moneys to the Department of Environmental Protection for the purpose of making zero-interest loans or principal-forgiveness loans to project sponsors to finance a portion of the costs of environmental infrastructure projects. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4705 | Increases annual assessment on net written premiums of HMOs from five percent to six percent. | An Act concerning the annual assessment on health maintenance organizations and amending P.L.2004, c.49. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4558 | Establishes Next New Jersey Program for artificial intelligence investments. | This bill establishes the "Next New Jersey Program" within the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) and modifies certain provisions of the "New Jersey Economic Recovery Act of 2020," P.L.2020, c.156 (C.34:1B-269 et al.). The purpose of the Next New Jersey Program would be to attract new investment to New Jersey in the artificial intelligence (or "AI") industry and AI-related industries, create new jobs and economic opportunities, and to position New Jersey as a leader in the innovation economy. Under the program, the EDA would provide tax credits to eligible businesses, following approval of an application by the EDA, to eligible AI businesses. Eligible AI businesses would include a business or division that is primarily engaged in the artificial intelligence industry or large-scale artificial intelligence data center industry. A business would be considered primarily engaged in such an industry if at least 50 percent of the business's employees are engaged in AI-related activities, or at least 50 percent of the business's revenue is generated from AI-related activities. The bill defines "artificial intelligence" or "AI" to mean the development of software and hardware, and the end-use application of technologies that are able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, including, but not limited to, visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, translation between languages, and generative artificial intelligence, which generates new content in response to user inputs of data. The bill provides that an eligible business that executes a project agreement with the EDA pursuant to the provisions of the Next New Jersey Program may receive tax credits as authorized under the project agreement. The bill defines "project" to mean a capital investment at a qualified business facility and an employment commitment specified in the eligible business's project agreement. The bill defines "qualified business facility" to mean any building, complex of buildings, or structural components of buildings, and all machinery and equipment located therein, used in connection with the operation of an eligible business. Under the bill, the amount of the tax credit allowed for a particular project would equal to the lesser of: (1) the product of 0.1 percent of the eligible business's total capital investment multiplied by the number of new full-time jobs; (2) 25 percent of the eligible business's total capital investment; or (3) $250 million. The bill provides that up to $500 million in tax credits, originally allocated for the New Jersey Aspire Program and the Emerge Program, be made available to eligible AI businesses under the Next New Jersey Program. Additionally, the bill provides that if the EDA awards less than the annual limitation of tax credits under the New Jersey Aspire Program and the Emerge Program, then the uncommitted credits would also be made available to eligible AI businesses under the Next New Jersey Program. | In Committee |
| A4448 | Revises various provisions of film and digital media content production tax credit program. | Revises various provisions of film and digital media content production tax credit program. | In Committee |
| AR141 | Urges generative artificial intelligence and content sharing platforms to make voluntary commitments to prevent and remove harmful content. | This resolution urges generative artificial intelligence platforms to make voluntary commitments to remove harmful content from their websites. "Deepfake" and "cheapfake" media involve artificially produced content which often manipulate public understandings of evidence and truth. This resolution defines deceptive audio or visual media as "any video recording, motion picture film, sound recording, electronic image, photograph, or any technological representation of speech or conduct substantially derivative thereof that appears to authentically depict any speech or conduct of a person who did not in fact engage in the speech or conduct and the production of which was substantially dependent upon technical means, rather than the ability of another person to physically or verbally impersonate the person." Cheapfakes are any software-generated audiovisual alteration. Examples of such content include face-swapping imagery, voice synthesis, and altered videos. These audiovisual manipulations have become easier to produce, with open-source animation technology allowing even inexperienced creators to forge media. With available software, authors may create convincingly realistic depictions of individuals saying or doing things they never actually did. Generative artificial-intelligence platforms may anticipate and prevent the creation of harmful content. The proliferation of social media and other digital communication platforms increase viewership of tailored deepfakes and cheapfakes, furthering the spread defamatory information. Social media and other content sharing forums may take steps to remove harmful media. Deepfakes and cheapfakes have led to impersonation, fraud, blackmail, harassment, and political misinformation. Such depictions of individuals in compromising or harmful situations can lead to significant reputational damage. Artificial intelligence and its products also offer immense promise if used responsibly. Audiovisually altered media may advance frontiers of learning, technology, and social engagement. Responsible commercialization of artificial intelligence systems requires security testing, threat protection, and monitoring of potential harms. Reports catalogue the impact of high-fidelity synthetic media on public information and understanding. Policymakers recommend collecting a library of deepfake imagery to train detection models, building tracking systems, and utilizing content provenance for AI- and human-generated content. Deliberate oversight would increase the credibility and opportunity of artificial intelligence generation. The federal government and twelve other states have drafted accountability and transparency standards for artificial intelligence companies and in some circumstances have arranged such voluntary commitments for secure artificial intelligence use. In following suit with these national legal trends, New Jersey could establish itself as a pioneer of responsible media technology. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| AR138 | Designates June 2024 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in New Jersey. | This Assembly resolution designates June 2024 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in New Jersey, in recognition of the achievements, contributions, struggles, and humanity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual, non-binary, and pansexual (LGBTQIA+) individuals. Public officials and citizens of New Jersey are respectfully urged to commemorate LGBTQIA+ Pride Month 2024 with appropriate activities. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| SCR110 | Approves FY2025 Financial Plan of NJ Infrastructure Bank. | The passage of a concurrent resolution by each House is the means for the Legislature's approval of the Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Plan of the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank. The consolidated Financial Plan is required by law to be submitted to the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the General Assembly on or before May 15, 2024 to implement financing of clean water and drinking water projects on the eligibility lists developed by the Department of Environmental Protection. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| ACR139 | Approves FY2025 Financial Plan of NJ Infrastructure Bank. | The passage of a concurrent resolution by each House is the means for the Legislature's approval of the Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Plan of the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank. The consolidated Financial Plan is required by law to be submitted to the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the General Assembly on or before May 15, 2024 to implement financing of clean water and drinking water projects on the eligibility lists developed by the Department of Environmental Protection. | In Committee |
| A4623 | Concerns law protecting residential tenants from lead-based paint hazards. | Concerns law protecting residential tenants from lead-based paint hazards. | In Committee |
| A4570 | Appropriates $10,067,905 to DEP from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues for grants to certain nonprofit entities to acquire or develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes, and for certain administrative expenses. | The bill appropriates $10,067,905 to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), of which $9,588,905 is to provide grants to various nonprofit entities to acquire or develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes, and $479,000 is to be used by the DEP for associated administrative costs. 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. The "Preserve New Jersey Act," P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-43 et seq.), implements the constitutional dedication of CBT revenues for open space, farmland, and historic preservation. The "Preserve New Jersey Green Acres Fund" was established by section 6 of the "Preserve New Jersey Act." 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 funds to be used to provide grants to nonprofit entities to acquire or develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes. Further, of the funding allocated for acquisition and development projects by nonprofit entities, a certain percentage is to be used to fund stewardship activities undertaken by nonprofit entities. A "stewardship activity" is defined in the "Preserve New Jersey Act" as an activity, which is beyond routine operations and maintenance, undertaken to repair or restore lands acquired or developed for recreation and conservation purposes for the purpose of enhancing or protecting those lands for recreation and conservation purposes. Of the amount appropriated by the bill to provide grants to various nonprofit entities: $5,701,800 is allocated for 11 acquisition projects; $3,578,105 is allocated for four park development projects; and $309,000 is allocated for two stewardship activity projects. In addition, the bill appropriates $479,000 to the DEP for the purposes of paying administrative costs associated with administering the applicable provisions of the "Preserve New Jersey Act." The projects listed in the bill have been approved by the DEP and the Garden State Preservation Trust. The bill also would allow the DEP to re-distribute certain other moneys, which have been returned to the department due to project withdrawals, cancellations, or cost savings, for the purpose of providing additional funding, for recreation and conservation purposes, to previously approved and funded projects of nonprofit entities, subject to the approval of the Joint Budget Oversight Committee. This additional funding, if provided from a Green Acres bond act, may include administrative costs. | In Committee |
| A4426 | Appropriates funds to DEP for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2025. | This bill appropriates certain federal and State moneys to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for the purpose of implementing the State Fiscal Year 2025 New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Financing Program (NJEIFP). The bill would appropriate these funds for the purpose of making loans to local governments and privately-owned water companies (project sponsors) for a portion of the costs of water infrastructure projects. A companion bill, Assembly Bill No. 4425 of this session, would authorize the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (NJIB) to execute loans using the funds appropriated to the DEP by this bill to finance a portion of the costs of the clean water and drinking water projects enumerated by the bill. The bill would authorize the DEP to use the moneys appropriated by the bill to fund the following projects: (1) in subsection a. of section 2 of the bill, a list of six projects to improve water discharge and treatment systems that had previously received a loan and require supplemental loans, representing $77.3 million in estimated total loan amounts; (2) in subsection b. of section 2 of the bill, a list of two projects to improve drinking water systems that had previously received a loan and require supplemental loans, representing $26.5 million in estimated total loan amounts; (3) in paragraph (1) of subsection a. of section 3 of the bill, the "Storm Sandy and State Fiscal Year 2025 Clean Water Project Eligibility List," a list of 156 projects to improve water discharge and treatment systems, representing $1.9 billion in estimated total loan amounts; (4) in paragraph (2) of subsection a. of section 3 of the bill, a list of four projects in the Pinelands area that are receiving funding under the "Pinelands Infrastructure Trust Bond Act of 1985," P.L.1985, c.302, to improve water discharge and treatment systems, representing $15.3 million in estimated total loan amounts; and (5) in subsection b. of section 3 of the bill, the "Storm Sandy and State Fiscal Year 2025 Drinking Water Project Eligibility List," a list of 72 projects to improve drinking water systems, representing $714.9 million in estimated total loan amounts. The bill would also appropriate the unexpended balances from various funds to the DEP, and allow the DEP to transfer moneys between various State funds, for the purpose of funding the NJEIFP and providing the State match for federal funding provided under the federal laws, including the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, as detailed in subsection a. of section 1 of the bill. In addition, the bill would appropriate to the DEP funds deposited in the "Clean Water State Revolving Fund" and the "Drinking Water State Revolving Fund" pursuant to the federal "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act," Pub. L. 117-58. The bill would authorize loans to certain project sponsors to include zero interest or principal forgiveness, subject to certain funding limits and restrictions detailed in subsections b. through e. of section 1 of the bill. Projects designated for zero interest or principal forgiveness loans include projects that reduce or eliminate discharges from combined sewer overflow outfalls, water quality restoration projects, water and energy efficiency projects, and emerging contaminant projects. The bill would establish certain requirements on loans to project sponsors made by the DEP pursuant to the bill, as enumerated in section 4 of the bill. The bill would also establish additional restrictions, described in section 5 of the bill, for "Sandy financing loans," which are those loans that utilize federal funding provided pursuant to the federal "Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013," Pub.L. 113-2. Under the bill, the project lists and the DEP's authorization to utilize the funds appropriated by the bill would expire on July 1, 2025. The bill would also authorize the NJIB to utilize repayments of loans made using moneys from various State funds, enumerated in subsections a. and b. of section 10 of the bill, to recoup trust bond repayments and administrative fees that have not been paid by project sponsors instead of redepositing the money into the funds. However, the bill would also require the NJIB to make a compensatory deposit into certain State funds, enumerated in subsection c. of section 10 of the bill, when the NJIB receives the deficient payments or fees from the project sponsor. Finally, the bill would appropriate to the NJIB, from repayments of loans, interest payments, certain federal funds, and any earnings received from the investment of those funds, as enumerated in sections 12 and 13 of the bill, such amounts as the chairperson or secretary of the NJIB certifies are necessary and appropriate for deposit into one or more reserve funds established by the NJIB. | In Committee |
| S3519 | Provides monies for EDA to purchase certain properties from NJT to maximize development potential; appropriates $65 million. | An Act concerning the purchase of certain properties owned by the New Jersey Transmit Corporation, amending P.L.1992, c.16, supplementing Title 34 of the Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4709 | Provides monies for EDA to purchase certain properties from NJT to maximize development potential; appropriates $65 million. | This bill provides the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) with monies to be used to purchase properties from the New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJT) that the EDA identifies as suitable for, among other purposes, development, rehabilitation, and leasing opportunities that maximize the development potential of the properties. Under the bill, the EDA would be permitted to access funds from the EDA's economic growth account in an amount not less than $35,000,000. Purposes for which these funds may be used under the bill would include construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, improvements, alterations, equipping, maintenance, and repairs of certain properties that are identified as suitable to economic growth potential. The EDA would also be permitted to award and enter into construction contracts, purchase orders, and other contracts with respect to such properties. Additionally, the bill appropriates an amount not to exceed $65 million from the General Fund to the EDA for the purpose of purchasing properties from NJT that are identified by the EDA to maximize the development potential of such properties. Under the bill, the EDA would be required to purchase the properties at a price based on appraisals obtained by the EDA of the highest and best use value of the properties, and NJT would be required to maintain a participation interest in each property. The bill also provides that if the EDA sells or leases any of these properties to a public or private entity, the EDA would be required to pay no less than 33 percent of the proceeds of the sale or lease, as applicable, to NJT. The bill requires the EDA to notify the Joint Budget Oversight Committee (JBOC) that properties have been identified, but before the purchase of any land, in order for the EDA and NJT to provide JBOC with a joint presentation regarding details of the proposed conveyance. The bill further requires the EDA to notify JBOC before developing, redeveloping, constructing, reconstructing, rehabilitating, renovating, selling, leasing, subleasing, or contributing as an investment the properties acquired from NJT. This EDA presentation would detail the intended actions to be taken with respect to the properties. | In Committee |
| A3697 | Appropriates $500,000 from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues and "2009 Farmland Preservation Fund" to State Agriculture Development Committee for municipal planning incentive grants for farmland preservation purposes. | This bill would appropriate $500,000 to the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) for a municipal planning incentive grant, pursuant to a program established by P.L.1999, c.180 (C.4:1C-43.1), for farmland preservation purposes. Of the $500,000 provided in section 1 of the bill, $200,000 is to be provided from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax (CBT) revenues received pursuant to Article VIII, Section II, paragraph 6 of the State Constitution, approved by the voters of New Jersey in November 2014, and $300,000 is to be provided from the "2009 Farmland Preservation Fund," made available due to the reallocation of monies previously appropriated to the SADC. The "Preserve New Jersey Act," P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-43 et seq.), implements the constitutional dedication of CBT revenues for open space, farmland, and historic preservation. The "Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund" was established pursuant to section 8 of the "Preserve New Jersey Act." The "2009 Farmland Preservation Fund" was established pursuant to section 18 of the "Green Acres, Water Supply and Floodplain Protection, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2009," P.L.2009, c.117. Under the bill, Washington Township, in Warren County, will receive a "base grant" of $500,000, as specified in the bill. In addition, this municipality would also be eligible to compete for an additional grant from the SADC's competitive grant fund, to be financed with monies previously appropriated to the SADC pursuant to P.L.2019, c.450 and P.L.2020, c.139. The maximum amount of such competitive grant funding award would be $1 million, including up to $500,000 in funds appropriated under P.L.2019, c.450 and up to $500,000 in funds appropriated under P.L.2020, c.139. The allocations and projects listed in the bill have been approved by the SADC and the Garden State Preservation Trust. | In Committee |
| A3748 | Establishes right of sexual assault victim to notification of certain developments in criminal case. | This bill requires sexual assault victims to be notified of certain developments concerning the evidence in their cases. Specifically, the bill expands the State's Sexual Assault Victim's Bill of Rights to give sexual assault victims the right to be informed if: (1) a DNA profile of an assailant was obtained from the processing of evidence in the sexual assault case; (2) a DNA profile of an assailant has been entered into any data bank designed or intended to be used for the retention or comparison of case evidence; (3) there is a match between the DNA profile of an assailant obtained in the sexual assault case and a DNA profile contained in any data bank designed or intended to be used for the retention or comparison of case evidence; and (4) sexual assault evidence is submitted to a forensic laboratory, if that evidence is compared against any data bank, and the results of the comparison. Additionally, under the bill, upon a victim's request, the law enforcement agency with the primary responsibility for investigating a sexual assault case is required to inform the victim of the status of the processing of all evidence collected in that case. The bill authorizes the victim to designate another person of the victim's choosing to receive information requested by the sexual assault victim or any notice required by the bill. The victim is responsible for keeping the law enforcement agency informed of the name, address, telephone number, and electronic mail address of the person to whom the information should be provided, and of any changes in this information. | In Committee |
| A3698 | Appropriates $1.723 million from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues and "2009 Farmland Preservation Fund" to State Agriculture Development Committee for grants to certain nonprofit organizations for farmland preservation purposes. | This bill would appropriate $1.723 million to the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) for farmland preservation purposes. Specifically, the bill would appropriate funds for grants to one qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organization for projects for five farms. The grants provided by the bill are for up to 50 percent of the cost of acquisition of development easements on farmland for farmland preservation purposes, or up to 50 percent of the cost of acquisition of fee simple titles to farmland for resale or lease with agricultural deed restrictions approved by the SADC. Of the total appropriated, $896,678.23 is 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," P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-43 et seq.), implements the constitutional dedication of CBT revenues for open space, farmland, and historic preservation. The "Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund" was established pursuant to section 8 of the "Preserve New Jersey Act. In addition, of the total appropriated, $826,321.77 is from the "2009 Farmland Preservation Fund," established pursuant to section 18 of the "Green Acres, Water Supply and Floodplain Protection, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2009," P.L.2009, c.117. All the funds in the bill are made available due to the reallocation of previously appropriated monies. The allocations and projects listed in this bill have been approved by the SADC and the Garden State Preservation Trust. | In Committee |
| A4127 | Designates State Highway Route 42 and Interstate Highway Route 295 interchange as "Ensign John R. Elliott Memorial Interchange." | Designates State Highway Route 42 and Interstate Highway Route 295 interchange as "Ensign John R. Elliott Memorial Interchange." | In Committee |
| A4303 | Requires DOE to establish working group on student literacy; mandates universal literacy screenings for kindergarten through grade three students; requires professional development for certain school district employees. | Requires DOE to establish working group on student literacy; mandates universal literacy screenings for kindergarten through grade three students; requires professional development for certain school district employees. | In Committee |
| A4061 | Establishes working hours for certain minors employed as professional athletes. | Establishes working hours for certain minors employed as professional athletes. | In Committee |
| A4081 | Establishes penalties for employers who disclose or threaten to disclose employee's immigration status for purpose of concealing violation of State wage, benefit or tax laws. | Establishes penalties for employers who disclose or threaten to disclose employee's immigration status for purpose of concealing violation of State wage, benefit or tax laws. | In Committee |
| A3537 | Revises certain requirements concerning eligibility for reimbursement from "Emergency Medical Technician Training Fund." | Revises certain requirements concerning eligibility for reimbursement from "Emergency Medical Technician Training Fund." | In Committee |
| A3582 | Limits availability of Child Care Facilities Improvement Program grants funded through Child Care Revitalization Act to licensed child care centers. | This bill amends the Child Care Revitalization Act, P.L.2021, c.144, to remove language requiring that the $54.5 million of federal resources, appropriated under the act for use by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to provide facilities improvement grants to licensed child care providers, fund such grants for registered family child care homes. The Child Care Revitalization Act appropriates federal funds, allocated to the State from the federal "Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund" established pursuant to the federal "American Rescue Plan Act", Pub.L.117-2, as the funding stream for the child care facilities improvement grants. The Economic Development Authority is currently developing a facilities improvement grant program, to be funded with State resources that have already been appropriated to the authority, for family child care providers. Both the sponsor and the authority believe that a State-funded program will provide a less burdensome application, implementation, and compliance experience for family child care providers. The initial phase of the Child Care Facilities Improvement Act provides grants, in an amount ranging from $50,000 to $200,000, for qualifying facilities improvement projects undertaken by child care centers licensed by the Department of Children and Families prior to June 4, 2021. Family Child Care providers are not eligible for the first phase of the grant program. | In Committee |
| A2027 | Establishes One-Year State Work First New Jersey Menstrual Hygiene Benefit Pilot Program and State Work First New Jersey Diaper Benefit Pilot Program; appropriates $2.5 million to DHS. | An Act concerning a monthly State benefit for menstrual hygiene products and diaper products under the Work First New Jersey Program, supplementing P.L.1997, c.38 (C.44:10-55), and making an appropriation. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A2784 | Authorizes school district that moves its annual school election to November to submit separate proposals for additional spending for budget year and subsequent budget year. | Authorizes school district that moves its annual school election to November to submit separate proposals for additional spending for budget year and subsequent budget year. | Crossed Over |
| A2369 | "New Jersey Works Act"; concerns businesses and pre-employment training programs; provides tax credit to businesses supporting pre-employment training programs; appropriates $1 million. | "New Jersey Works Act"; concerns businesses and pre-employment training programs; provides tax credit to businesses supporting pre-employment training programs; appropriates $1 million. | In Committee |
| A4561 | Includes Sikhs as protected class in bias intimidation law; appropriates $100,000. | This bill amends N.J.S.A.2C:16-1, the crime of bias intimidation,to specifically include Sikhism in the protected classes set forth in the statute. Sikhism is the monotheistic religion founded in India in the 15th century by Guru Nanak. New Jersey is home to approximately 100,000 Sikhs, which is one of the largest Sikh populations in the United States. On October 16, 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") released its annual report of hate crime statistics, which recorded 198 anti-Sikh hate crime incidents. According to the FBI report, Sikhs remain the second-most targeted group in the nation for religiously-motivated hate crime incidents. Current law enumerates the protected classes of race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, and ethnicity in the bias intimidation statute. Under the provisions of the bill, a person is guilty of the crime of bias intimidation if he commits, attempts, conspires, or threatens the immediate commission of certain specified offenses with a purpose to intimidate an individual or group because of their membership within a protected class, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ethnicity, or Sikhism, or knowing that the conduct would cause an individual or group to be intimidated on that basis or under circumstances in which the victim believes he was targeted on that basis. Pursuant to this bill, all local, county, and State law enforcement entities in New Jersey are to report all violations under the statute to the State and federal law enforcement agencies responsible for preparing bias crime reports. Further, this bill sets forth that the Office of Attorney General, in consultation with the Department of Education, is to: (1) develop training, for the dissemination to county and local law enforcement agencies, on Sihkism, which shall include, but not limited to, visible Sikh identity features, including turbans, bracelets, moustaches, beard, and physical attire, and the classification of bias intimidation cases as anti-sikh, to prevent the misclassification of hate and bias incidents. (2) coordinate with other State agencies and departments in the creation of a public awareness campaign and educational initiatives on Sikhism; and (3) annually report to the Governor and the Legislature on the public awareness campaign,educational initiatives on Sikhism executed through the public awareness campaign across different public platforms, and on the steps taken to include Sikhism education across curriculum standards in different grades across township boards of education within this State. Pursuant to this bill, the New Jersey Office of Attorney General, in consultation with the New Jersey field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, shall develop a transnational repression recognition and response training program that is to include how to identify different tactics of transnational repression and best practices for appropriate county, local and state law enforcement prevention, reporting, and response tactics. Current law establishes within the Division of Purchase and Property in the State Department of the Treasury, the position of Chief Diversity Officer. This bill expands the Chief Diversity Officer's responsibilities to include: ensuring that each public entity of this State incorporate the definition for anti-Sikh hate into the bias intimidation policy of the public entity; and ensuring that the definition of anti-Sikh hate is incorporated into the diversity, equity, and inclusivity promotion policies in any program offered by the State or any political subdivision of the State. This bill appropriates $100,000, for three consecutive years following enactment, from the General Fund to the Office of the Attorney General to fund Sikh awareness educational initiatives and outreach efforts to the Sikh community. | In Committee |
| A4536 | Provides that contracts between subscribers and attorney in fact are not a related party transaction. | This bill amends the law concerning reciprocal insurance and interinsurance contracts. The bill provides that contracts between subscribers and the attorney in fact, and any fees charged pursuant to those contracts or arising out of those contracts, are not to be considered a related party transaction. | In Committee |
| A4432 | Establishes Governor's Survivor Leader Advisory Council in DOH; requires council to create report on human trafficking and 2026 FIFA World Cup; appropriates $1 million. | Establishes Governor's Survivor Leader Advisory Council in DOH; requires council to create report on human trafficking and 2026 FIFA World Cup; appropriates $1 million. | In Committee |
| A2356 | Establishes advertisement grant program for emerging businesses in science and technology. | This bill requires the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (authority) to establish a "New Jersey Emerging Business Advertising Grant Program" to provide funds to emerging businesses in science and technology to support advertising and marketing expenses. The bill defines "emerging business in science and technology" to mean a company with fewer than 225 employees, of whom at least 75 percent are filling a position in New Jersey, which company is doing business, employing or owning capital or property, or maintaining an office in this State. An "emerging business in science and technology" is additionally a business that conducts technology commercialization in this State in at least one of the following industries: advanced computing, advanced materials, biotechnology, electronic device technology, information technology, life sciences, medical device technology, mobile communications technology, or renewable energy technology. To qualify for the grant program, the business is required to be an emerging business in science and technology. The authority may establish any other eligibility requirements that it deems appropriate. The authority is required to determine the amounts of each grant awarded under the program. The bill also requires grant recipients to submit an audited financial statement to the authority to demonstrate compliance with the terms and conditions of the grant program on a yearly basis until all monies have been expended. If a recipient improperly uses the grant, the authority is required to convert the grant to a loan. | In Committee |
| A1144 | Waives certain professional and occupational licensing fees for veterans and spouses of veterans. | This bill provides that the professional and occupational licensing boards in the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety will not charge a fee for an initial application and issuance of a license, certificate of registration, or certificate to a veteran or the veteran's spouse, domestic partner, or civil union partner if that individual resides in New Jersey and is seeking issuance of a credential on the basis of reciprocity. In each such instance, the board has determined that the veteran, spouse, or partner holds a current license to practice the profession or occupation in another jurisdiction with licensure requirements that are equivalent, or substantially equivalent, to those adopted by the board. The bill defines "veteran" as a person who received an honorable discharge at any time from a branch of the active or reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard of any state. | In Committee |
| A1134 | Establishes Women Veterans Coordinator in DMVA. | This bill requires the Adjutant General of the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to appoint a veteran to serve as the Women Veterans Coordinator. The coordinator will help women veterans who have been discharged or released under other than dishonorable conditions from the United States Armed Forces, or a Reserve component thereof, including the New Jersey National Guard. At a minimum, the coordinator will: work to assist women veterans with issues including, but not limited to, employment, education, counseling, housing, social and medical services, and other areas of concern to women veterans; identify, develop, plan, organize, and coordinate Statewide programs and services to meet the needs of women veterans; develop and distribute informational materials regarding benefits and programs that provide services and resources to women veterans and their families; and make recommendations to the Adjutant General to ensure compliance with existing polices and regulations pertaining to the needs of women veterans on the State and federal level, and make recommendations regarding the improvement of benefits and services to women veterans. The coordinator will hold quarterly meetings, and make annual recommendations to the Legislature and Governor concerning existing or proposed programs, or legislation to further the objectives of the bill. | In Committee |
| A4000 | Establishes Office of Professional Corporate Guardians. | Establishes Office of Professional Corporate Guardians. | In Committee |
| A3753 | Imposes time constraints on submission and analysis of rape kits. | Imposes time constraints on submission and analysis of rape kits. | In Committee |
| A3532 | Provides gross income tax credit to active members of volunteer emergency service organizations for use of personal motor vehicle in performance of active duty. | This bill establishes a refundable gross income tax credit to provide reimbursement to active members of volunteer fire departments and first aid squads for the use of their personal vehicle in the performance of active duty. The amount of the credit is determined by multiplying the business standard mileage rate set by the Internal Revenue Service for transportation or travel expenses by the number of miles the taxpayer actually and necessarily traveled by the taxpayer in the tax year using their personal vehicle in the performance of active duty. The maximum amount of the credit would be $500. If married individuals filing a joint return both qualify, they would be allowed a joint credit of up to $1,000. To be eligible for the credit, a taxpayer would, in the taxable year for which the credit was claimed, have to: (1) have been an unpaid member in good standing of the organization; and (2) have completed "qualifying service" with the organization. The bill defines "qualifying service" as: (a) for a volunteer who does not have duty hours, (i) active participation in at least 60 percent of the regular alarms or other calls to active duty to which the organization responds during the taxable year, (ii) recorded attendance at not less than 60 percent of the organization's mandatory meetings during the year, (iii) participation in all of the organization's mandatory meetings during the year, and (iv) performance during the year of not less than 60 percent of any other miscellaneous duty required by the organization; or (b) for a volunteer who does have duty hours, performance of at least 400 duty hours during the year, of which no more than 50 percent could be for drills or other training classes or exercises. The bill requires each volunteer emergency services organization to certify to the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury, on or before January 15 of each year, a list of the active members of the organization during the prior tax year. The certification will assist the Division of Taxation in verifying a taxpayer's eligibility for a gross income tax credit under the bill. | In Committee |
| A500 | Requires telecommunications companies to provide prorated refunds for service outages of longer than 72 hours. | Requires telecommunications companies to provide prorated refunds for service outages of longer than 72 hours. | In Committee |
| A2364 | Establishes Deepfake Technology Unit in DLPS; appropriates $2 million. | Establishes Deepfake Technology Unit in DLPS; appropriates $2 million. | In Committee |
| A1679 | Requires health insurers, SHBP, and SEHBP to cover mammograms for women over 35 and women under 35 under certain circumstances. | 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, and the State Health Benefits Program) to provide coverage for mammograms for women age 35 or older, rather than age 40 and older as is required under current law. In addition, the bill also adds a new requirement for health benefits plans issued pursuant to the School Employees' Health Benefits Program to provide mammogram coverage under the same circumstances. | In Committee |
| A4161 | Establishes Stabilized School Budget Aid Grant Program to restore certain portions of State school aid reductions; permits certain school districts to exceed tax levy growth limitation in 2024-2025 school year; appropriates $44.7 million. | An Act concerning school district finances and making an appropriation. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A2318 | Establishes requirements for State to enter into contract for purchase of menstrual products. | This bill requires the Director of the Division of Purchase and Property (director) in the Department of the Treasury to review all State purchasing arrangements, contracts, and initiatives, and consider options to maximize the State's bargaining power with regard to menstrual products, which may include recommending appropriate statutory, administrative, or executive actions as may be necessary to reduce the cost of purchasing menstrual products to State programs and entities. The bill further provides that the director will, at the request of a State department, division, office, or agency, advertise for and award a contract for the purchase of menstrual products. This contract will be available for use by all executive branch entities and cooperative purchasing participants. The bill additionally permits, at the director's discretion, a non-profit entity to purchase menstrual products under any contract awarded for the purchase of menstrual products on behalf of the State by the director, subject to any rules the director may establish. The director may establish limitations with respect to the menstrual products available for purchase and impose other appropriate conditions upon purchasing as deemed necessary to protect the State's purchasing interests. A non-profit entity that purchases menstrual products under such contracts will file reports as the director may require setting forth the expenditures on such contracts. | In Committee |
| AJR172 | Designates April 9 of each year as Dr. James Still Day in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates April 9th of each year as Dr. James Still Day in New Jersey. Dr. James Still overcame prejudice and poverty through hard work and determination to become a successful, self-educated homeopathic healer. Dr. James Still was born into poverty on April 9, 1812, to former slaves Levin and Charity Still. Dr. Still was passionate about the medical field from a young age, however, due to his racial and financial background, he was unable to attend medical school. Despite his inability to attend medical school, Dr. Still continued to acquire medical knowledge through self-education. Dr. Still found success within the medical field when he developed a cough balm from plants and herbs. This innovative balm brought Dr. Still recognition and wealth. With this newly acquired wealth, Dr. Still purchased a home and created a medical office in Medford, New Jersey. Dr. Still's knowledge of plants and medicine allowed him to treat patients throughout the region. Despite his success within the medical field, Dr. Still's medical credentials were challenged by many local doctors. In response to these challenges, Dr. Still began treating his patients free of charge. Dr. Still continued to treat patients with homeopathic healing until his death in 1882. To honor and preserve the legacy of Dr. James Still, his medical office was purchased by the State of New Jersey in 2005. In 2013, the property and nearby grounds became the Dr. James Still Historic Office Site and Education Center which teaches and preserves the legacy of Dr. James Still. Dr. Still's dedication to the medical field and successful life should be remembered and celebrated among the citizens of New Jersey. | In Committee |
| A4317 | Allows for issuance of two-year temporary courtesy license for nonresident military spouses in certain professions. | This bill amends current law on temporary courtesy licenses for nonresident military spouses. Under the bill, a nonresident military spouse who seeks and is approved to be issued a temporary courtesy license in New Jersey from the State Board of Applied Behavior Analyst Examiners; the State Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners, including the Alcohol and Drug Counselor Committee; the New Jersey Board of Nursing; the Occupational Therapy Advisory Council; the State Board of Psychological Examiners; or the State Board of Social Work Examiners is to have the temporary courtesy license for two years, with the option, at the discretion of the specific board and submission of an application by the holder of the temporary courtesy license, for a one-year extension. Currently, temporary courtesy licenses are granted for one year, with the option for a one-year extension. | In Committee |
| A4314 | Expands definition of personal data to include use of reproductive health care services and prohibits collection of reproductive health care prescription drugs from Prescription Monitoring Program. | This bill expands the provisions of P.L.2023, c.266, which requires notification to consumers of the collection and use of personal data by certain entities, and requires those entities to provide consumers with the means of opting out of targeted advertising, location tracking, and customer profiling. Under the bill, the definitions of "personal data" and "sensitive data" are amended to include data concerning a person's use of or attempt to use reproductive health care services. Additionally, under the bill, entities that control or process personal data are prohibited from disclosing such data to the extent that disclosure would be in furtherance of imposing civil or criminal liability upon a person or entity for the provision, receipt, or seeking of, or inquiring or responding to an inquiry about reproductive health care services that are legal in this State but may not be legal outside this State. This bill also amends P.L.2007, c.244, concerning the State's Prescription Monitoring Program, to prohibit the expansion of the program to prescription drugs used for sterilization, contraception, termination of pregnancy, in-vitro fertilization, or any reproductive health care services. | In Committee |
| A4316 | Allows teaching experience to be considered for out-of-State individuals seeking licensure from New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling. | The bill allows teaching experience to be considered when an out-of-State individual applies for a license from the New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling. The teaching experience would have to be acquired in a school licensed or otherwise approved by an agency in the other jurisdiction in order to apply in New Jersey. Consideration of teaching experience, allowed at the discretion of the board and as determined by the board, is to be equivalent to all or part of three years of prior practical experience working in a licensed shop. | In Committee |
| A4315 | Concerns radon testing in certain schools and institutions of higher education. | This bill would require radon gas or radon progeny testing in buildings used by public schools, private schools, and institutions of higher education at least once every five years. If such a building has been tested for radon within the five-year period preceding the bill's effective date, the test required under the bill would need to be performed on such building within five years after that prior test and once every five years thereafter. If a building has not been tested for radon within the five-year period preceding the bill's effective date, the test required by the bill is to be performed on the building within 60 days after the bill's effective date and once every five years thereafter. The Commissioner of Education or Commissioner of Higher Education, as appropriate, in consultation with the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, would be required to determine the extent of testing required by the bill, and the superintendent of each school district in the State, the board of trustees of a charter school, the principal or chief administrator of a private school, or the chief administrator of the institution of higher education, as applicable, in consultation with the Department of Environmental Protection, would be required to identify the buildings to be tested, the locations within each building to be tested, the method of testing, and the procedures concerning notification and circulation of the testing results. This bill repeals an existing section of law that previously required radon testing in public school buildings, but that was deemed to be expired after a determination by the Council on Local Mandates that it constituted an unfunded mandate. Because this bill's radon testing requirements would be equally applicable to similarly situated government and non-government entities, it would not constitute an unfunded mandate. | In Committee |
| A3143 | Removing requirement of service during specified dates or in specified locations, thereby broadening eligibility for certain veterans' benefits. | This bill broadens the eligibility for certain veterans' benefits by eliminating the requirement that a veteran serve during specific wars or other periods of emergency, and, in certain instances, that a veteran serve in a war zone. Instead of service during specific dates or in specific locations, the bill requires a veteran to serve for at least 90 days, exclusive of certain types of initial training, in order to be eligible for any of the veterans' benefits identified in the bill. The bill also requires a veteran of a Reserve Component of the United States Armed Forces, including the National Guard, to serve the entire period to which called to federal active service, exclusive of training, in order to be eligible for the veterans' benefits. A veteran who is discharged as the result of a service-connected disability will be eligible even if the veteran has not completed the 90 day service period or the period to which called to federal active service. The benefits that an eligible veteran could apply for are (1) a civil service hiring preference under Title 11A of the New Jersey Statutes; (2) a veteran's retirement allowance under the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) or the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS); and (3) the purchase of additional military service credit in the Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS), TPAF and PERS. In addition, the surviving spouse of a veteran or of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States or a Reserve Component thereof killed while in active service is eligible in certain instances for a civil service preference. The bill also provides that an active service member of the United States Armed Forces or a member of a Reserve Component thereof, including the National Guard, who has not been discharged from service is eligible for the civil service hiring preference provided that the member otherwise qualifies as a veteran. Eligibility for civil service hiring preference is contingent upon voter approval of an authorizing amendment to the State Constitution. | In Committee |
| A2165 | Permits spouses and dependents of military service members to qualify for in-State tuition in event that service member is transferred to another state. | Under current law, United States military personnel and their dependents who are living in New Jersey and are attending public institutions of higher education in New Jersey are regarded as residents of the State for the purpose of determining tuition. This bill amends that law to provide that:? the in-State tuition classification also applies to the military service member's spouse; and? in the event that the military service member is relocated out of the State due to the service member's continued military service, the service member's spouse or dependent will not lose their in-State tuition classification provided that: (1) the spouse or dependent was enrolled in a public institution of higher education in New Jersey prior to the service member's relocation; and (2) the spouse or dependent maintains continuous enrollment at the public institution of higher education. | In Committee |
| AR129 | Urges Congress to enact "Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act." | This resolution urges Congress to enact the "Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act", which is pending before the House of Representatives as H.R. 3106. H.R. 3106 makes it a crime to intentionally disclose, or threaten to disclose, a digital depiction that has been altered using digital manipulation of an individual engaging in sexually explicit conduct and creates a right of private action for victims to seek relief. Congress is respectfully urged to enact H.R. 3106, in order to prevent the emotional, psychological and reputational harm that can result from the production or distribution of digital forgeries of intimate digital depictions of identifiable individuals. | In Committee |
| AR127 | Condemns Arizona Supreme Court ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Mayes banning abortions in the state and reaffirms New Jersey citizens' freedom to access reproductive health care services. | This Assembly Resolution condemns the Arizona Supreme Court ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Mayes, which upheld a long-dormant and outdated 1864 law banning abortions. The resolution additionally reaffirms the rights of all New Jersey citizens to have the freedom to make decisions about planning their families free from unreasonable governmental interference. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4172 | Concerns discrimination based on membership in a labor organization. | This bill extends protection under the Law Against Discrimination (LAD) to members of a labor organization. The LAD, P.L.1945, c.169 (C.10:5-1 et. seq.), provides protections for those who are members of a protected class, including protection against discrimination in employment, public accommodations, housing, land use, lending, and association membership. Under current law, a member of a protected class includes an employee who has one or more characteristics, including race, creed, color, national origin, nationality, ancestry, age, marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership status, affectional or sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy, sex, gender identity or expression, disability or atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait of any individual, or liability for service in the armed forces. This bill provides that members of a labor organization also are members of a protected class who are entitled protection under the LAD. In addition, the bill revises the definition of "labor organization" to include any organization of any kind, including a labor union or any agency or employee representation committee or plan, in which public or private employees participate and which exists and is constituted for the purpose, in whole or in part, of collective bargaining, or of dealing with public or private employers concerning grievances, terms or conditions of employment, or of other mutual aid or protection in connection with employment. | In Committee |
| A1815 | Requires DOH to conduct survey on status of antenatal and prenatal care clinics in New Jersey. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Health to conduct a survey and analysis of antenatal and prenatal care clinics for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of maternity, antenatal, and prenatal care services throughout the State. The survey includes data collected from all antenatal and prenatal care clinics in the State, including antenatal and prenatal care clinics that have closed or substantially ceased operation of any of its beds, facilities, or services, within a two-year period prior to the effective date of the bill. As used in the bill, "antenatal and prenatal care clinic" means an inpatient or ambulatory health care facility licensed by the Department of Health that provides maternity, antenatal, and prenatal care services. The purpose of the survey is to: inform policy on the certificate of need requirements as provided by P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) concerning the closure or discontinuance of all, or a component of, antenatal and prenatal care clinic's services; assess the availability of antenatal and prenatal care clinics and their ability to provide maternity, antenatal, and prenatal care services; identify where low and moderate income pregnant women receive maternity, antenatal, and prenatal care services; and collect cultural, demographic, and socioeconomic background data about the pregnant women served by antenatal and prenatal care clinics. The collected survey data is to be analyzed to: identify local and Statewide trends and developments in the provision of maternity, antenatal, and prenatal care services and disparities in the care received by pregnant women based on economic factors and the accessibility of antenatal and prenatal care clinics; and develop programs, resources, and strategies to improve access to, and the quality of, maternity, antenatal, and prenatal care services throughout the State. Survey data is to be made available through the Department of Health's website, and the commissioner is to submit a report to the Legislature concerning the results of the survey and any recommendations for legislation or other action. The bill specifies that published and reported data is not to include any personal identifying information or confidential patient information. The bill authorizes the commissioner to contract with a third party entity to administer the survey, review survey data, and produce the required report. | Crossed Over |
| A4131 | Establishes Office of Clean Energy Equity in BPU; directs establishment of certain clean energy, energy efficiency, and energy storage programs for overburdened communities; makes change to community solar program. | This bill would establish the Office of Clean Energy Equity ("office") in the Board of Public Utilities (BPU). The office would be charged with promoting, guiding, and overseeing the equitable deployment of clean energy, energy efficiency, and energy storage programs and technologies in overburdened communities, and the equitable provision of the tangible benefits of clean energy, increased energy efficiency, and energy storage at the household and community level, including clean energy asset ownership, energy cost savings, and employment and economic opportunities, to overburdened communities. The bill would require the BPU to: (1) establish onsite solar or community solar programs, which benefit 250,000 low income households or 35 percent of the low income households in the State, whichever is larger, by 2030, with the goal of reducing these households' average energy burden to below six percent of household income; and (2) require the establishment of a minimum of 1,600 megawatt hours of energy storage to benefit overburdened communities by 2030. In addition, the BPU, in cooperation with the office, would be required to: integrate workforce development training into all clean energy and energy storage programs established by the BPU; provide outreach and recruitment campaign grants to community-based organizations to increase participation in clean energy and energy efficiency programs; develop, in coordination with community-based organizations, outreach materials in multiple languages; appoint a community liaison and establish an advisory board consisting of representatives of overburdened communities to review and evaluate the clean energy and energy storage programs available to overburdened communities; and coordinate with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DLWD) and the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) concerning their responsibilities pursuant to sections 2 and 3 of the bill. The bill would require the BPU to direct no less than 10 percent of the BPU's annual total clean energy budget, or at least $50 million annually, whichever is greater, to the office for the purposes of the bill. The BPU would be authorized to allocate additional funding, staff, and resources to the office as it determines appropriate. In addition, the bill would require the office, in collaboration with the DLWD, New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA), New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation, and Technology (CSIT), and the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) to establish program guidelines for clean energy job training and workforce development grants to be issued by the EDA, Department of Education (DOE), and the DLWD. The grants would be issued to community-based, diversity-focused nonprofit organizations, community colleges, vocational-technical schools, and other organizations to develop energy efficiency or clean energy paid workforce training programs that provide training to at least 2,500 individuals from overburdened communities by 2025. Under the bill, it would be a condition of a grant award that the programs be updated every two years to ensure that they prepare participants adequately for the current job market in the solar energy or clean energy industry. The bill would also direct the DLWD, in coordination with community-based organizations, to develop programs to provide entrepreneurial training, mentoring, apprenticeships, investment capital, loans, or other training, capacity building, technical, and financial support to residents of overburdened communities to help launch new clean energy enterprises or establish careers in the clean energy workforce. The bill would also direct the DCA, in consultation with the office, to require the all new construction located in an overburdened community be solar ready, subject to any specific exemptions that the DCA and the BPU deem reasonable and necessary and that the DCA adopts as rules and regulations. The bill would also require the DCA to give preference to applications for onsite, community solar, energy storage, or other clean energy projects that are sited in overburdened communities or include minority or women-owned businesses. Lastly, the bill would amend the law establishing the Community Solar Energy Pilot Program to require that the eventual permanent community solar program provide for access to solar energy projects for low and moderate income customers, in accordance with the requirements of the bill. In addition, the bill would require that the permanent community solar program be consistent with any land use provisions of the permanent successor to the SREC program. | In Committee |
| A4082 | Increases benefit amounts and expands eligibility under New Jersey earned income tax credit program. | This bill increases the benefit amounts under the New Jersey earned income tax credit (NJEITC) program and expands eligibility for taxpayers with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITIN) and those taxpayers who have been victims of domestic abuse Currently, the program provides a tax credit equal to 40 percent of the federal earned income tax credit. The bill increases this amount from 40 percent to 45 percent over a five-year period. This bill allows taxpayers with ITINs to qualify for the NJEITC program. Under the federal earned income tax credit program, a taxpayer, including a spouse if filing a joint return, is required to have a Social Security number issued by the federal Social Security Administration in order to qualify. Eligibility for the NJEITC program is generally linked to the federal earned income tax credit program; thus, an individual taxpayer who has an ITIN does not qualify for either the federal or State programs. The bill modifies the eligibility criteria under the NJEITC program to allow taxpayers with ITINs to qualify for the tax credit. The bill also expands eligibility under the NJEITC program for taxpayers who are victims of domestic abuse. Under the federal program, if a taxpayer is married, the taxpayer is required to file a joint return with their spouse to be eligible for the federal earned income credit. However, victims of domestic abuse typically file as married filing separately, losing their federal earned income credit and NJEITC program eligibility in the process. The bill exempts a married taxpayer from the joint filing requirement if the taxpayer files as married filing separately and the taxpayer: (i) was living apart from the taxpayer's spouse on the last day of the taxable year for which the credit is claimed; (ii) was a victim of domestic abuse, as defined by the bill, within the past three years; and (iii) indicates on the taxpayer's gross income tax return that the taxpayer meets the criteria set forth in the bill. | In Committee |
| A3041 | Establishes sales and events privileges for certain alcoholic beverage manufacturers. | This bill allows craft alcoholic beverage manufacturers to hold certain events. Under the bill, a craft alcoholic beverage manufacturer is defined as a limited brewery license, cidery and meadery license, and craft distillery license. Specifically, the bill allows these craft alcoholic beverage manufacturers to hold not more than 25 off-premises special events and an unlimited number of on-premises special events and private parties. In addition, these license holders would be entitled to hold not more than 25 social affair events hosted by the holder of a social affair permit. Under the bill, a craft alcoholic beverage manufacturer would be entitled to sell and serve customers tableside utilizing servers or wait staff employed by the license holder. The license holder also would be entitled to serve the licensee's products for on-premises consumption in outdoor spaces approved by the municipality. A license holder that serves alcoholic beverages in outdoor spaces would be entitled to utilize a permanent or portable tap system located in the approved outdoor space. Pourers and servers employed by a craft manufacturer's license holder are to be certified by an industry-recognized server training program. The bill also allows the holder of a craft manufacturer's license to offer for sale or make the gratuitous offering of de minimis food items including, but not limited to, packaged crackers, chips, nuts, and similar snacks to consumers. The license holder also would be entitled to sell non-alcoholic beverages. Under the bill, a license holder also may coordinate with a food vendor, including food trucks and restaurants, for the provision of food on the licensed premises and provide menus to consumers for the sale of food. The bill prohibits a craft manufacturer's license holder from owning the food vendor. In addition, a craft manufacturer's licensed premises that is adjoining a food vendor's premises would be required to have its own entrance and exit way to and from the licensed premises and would be prohibited from having a doorway that allows direct access and egress to the food vendor's premises. Under the bill, the holder of a craft manufacturer's license would be entitled to offer discounts for promotional purposes, provide targeted discounts, and establish membership programs that offer discounts. A craft manufacturer licensee also would be entitled to show or display any televised program on televisions or other screening devices of any number or size on the licensed premises. The license holder would not be required to provide notice to or obtain a permit from the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control prior to showing or displaying any televised event. The bill also removes from current law the tour requirement for limited brewery and craft distillery license holders. Under current law, these licensees are authorized to sell their products at retail to consumers on the licensed premises for on-site consumption, but only in connection with a tour of the brewery or distillery. Under the bill, consumers would not be required to take a tour of the brewery or distillery to purchase beverages for on-site consumption. Finally, the bill increases from 10,000 to 300,000 the number of barrels that the holder of a restricted brewery license may manufacture per year. Under current law, a restricted brewery license is only issued to a person who also holds a Class C consumption license, which is generally issued to bars and restaurants. The restricted brewery license allows the licensee to brew the beer, while the Class C license allows the licensee to sell that beer directly to restaurant patrons. This bill allows the holder of restricted brewery license to manufacture more beer per year. These license holders also would be entitled to directly sell and distribute to retailers 50 percent of the beer that is produced on premises in each year. | Dead |
| A920 | Updates scope of practice of optometrists. | Updates scope of practice of optometrists. | In Committee |
| A4060 | Establishes New Jersey Forensic Science Planning Commission. | This bill establishes the New Jersey Forensic Science Planning Commission to make recommendations to establish a permanent New Jersey Forensic Science Commission. The bill establishes the following 23 members of the planning commission: the Director of the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety; the Chief State Medical Examiner; the Director of the Division of State Police Crime Laboratory; the Public Defender of the State of New Jersey; one member of the General Assembly; one member of the Senate; one New Jersey Supreme Court Justice; one New Jersey Superior Court judge; lab directors of two county crime laboratories; a statistician; an expert in cognitive bias; four members of faculty, each from a different four-year institution of higher education in the State, with expertise representing the various fields of forensic science; a representative of an organization serving the wrongfully convicted; a representative of a private forensic science laboratory; a county prosecutor; a defense attorney; an individual exonerated of wrongful conviction; and two representatives of forensic science professional organizations or societies. The bill requires the planning commission to study and make recommendations to establish a permanent New Jersey Forensic Science Commission that will have Statewide oversight of persons, laboratories, facilities, and other entities related to the field of forensic science as determined by the planning commission. Under the bill, the planning commission is required to determine elements necessary to establish the permanent commission including, but not limited to, staff and funding allocations, membership, policies, and procedures. The purpose of the permanent commission will be to improve the field of forensic science through oversight and coordination of forensic science in the State. The bill provides that within 22 months of organizing the planning commission is required to produce final recommendations for the establishment of the permanent commission. The recommendations are to include, but not be limited to the: (1) jurisdiction, scope of responsibility, duties, and authority of the commission; (2) commission membership structure and staffing needs; (3) appropriate level of funding and operational costs for the commission; and (4) frequency of the commission's meetings and its communication structure. The recommendations are required to be submitted for a public comment period of 30 days. A report containing the final recommendations is required to be submitted to the Governor and the Legislature not later than 30 days following the conclusion of the public comment period. The planning commission will expire upon submission of the report. | In Committee |
| A3726 | Establishes State Commission on Minority Affairs within Department of State. | This bill would establish the State Commission on Minority Affairs within the Department of State. The commission would be responsible for: studying matters affecting the social and economic welfare of minorities residing in the State; collecting and disseminating information on activities, programs, and essential services available to minorities in the State; studying the availability of employment for minorities in this State, and the manner in which minorities are employed; studying the ways in which minorities can be encouraged to start and manage their own businesses successfully; studying the availability of affordable housing; in cooperation with the Division on Civil Rights, promoting public information regarding State laws that prohibit discriminatory practices and procedures pursuant to which aggrieved persons may file complaints or otherwise take action to remedy such discriminatory practices; promoting the creation of networks within the business community between majority-owned and minority-owned businesses; advising the Governor on matters relating to minorities and of concern to minorities; and recommending legislation to the Governor. | In Committee |
| ACR126 | Urges President and Congress to enact legislation amending "Civil Rights Act of 1964" to protect worker's right to unionize. | This resolution respectfully urges the President of the United States and the United States Congress to enact legislation amending the "Civil Rights Act of 1964" to outlaw employer discrimination based on union organizing activities, thereby protecting a worker's right to unionize. | In Committee |
| A4054 | Prohibits motor vehicle liability insurance policy from restricting full payment of recovery amounts under covered person's policy. | This bill prohibits a motor vehicle liability insurance policy from limiting the full payment of recovery amounts under a covered person's policy. Specifically, the bill prohibits a motor vehicle liability insurance policy from restricting the amount that may be recovered by a named insured or listed driver under the policy, or a resident relative in the named insured's household, to an amount less than the maximum recovery limit provided in the policy for bodily injury liability, property damage liability, and uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. If the policy insures more than one private passenger automobile, the limits available to the named insured or listed driver under the policy, or a resident relative in the named insured's household shall be the limits associated with the vehicle used by the named insured or listed driver under the policy, or resident relative in the named insured's household when the loss occurs. The bill requires any authorized insurer that restricts the amount that can be recovered for bodily injury or death sustained by any person other than a named insured or listed driver under the policy, or a resident relative in the named insured's household, to disclose that information, including its location in the policy, prominently on the applicable policy declaration page. | In Committee |
| A3996 | Revises and updates law pertaining to guardianship to encourage ethical conduct by guardians and to provide stronger protections for wards and proposed wards. | The bill requires, in accordance with the Rules Governing the Courts of the State of New Jersey: 1) a ward or proposed ward to be represented by counsel throughout the course of guardianship proceedings; 2) counsel to personally interview the ward or proposed ward; 3) If the ward or proposed ward is, at any time, not represented by counsel and is unable to afford counsel, the court to appoint counsel for the person; and 4) prior to the hearing date, counsel to file a report with the court in such a form and include all such provisions as required by the Administrative Director of the Courts. The bill further requires a court, in establishing a guardianship arrangement, to authorize only that level of intervention that the court finds to be least restrictive of the proposed ward's rights while being consistent with the protection of the ward's welfare and safety. The bill clarifies that the court may, at any time, expand or limit the powers of the guardian or revoke or revise any previously ordered expansion or limitation of powers. Under the bill, any proposed guardian is to comply with any applicable background screening policy for proposed guardians of incapacitated adults that is required by the Administrative Director of the Courts, including, but not limited to, fingerprinting. The bill also specifies that all actions undertaken by a guardian, whether by a guardian of the person or by a guardian of the estate, are to be undertaken with due regard to, and are to be consistent with, the ward's best interests and the ward's expressed wishes and preferences, to the extent that the ward is capable of expressing those wishes and preferences. Current law also requires a "guardian" to submit reports to the court, at time intervals ordered by the court, but it only imposes specific content requirements in association with reports that are submitted by guardians of the person; not guardians of the estate. The existing law also authorizes the court to waive the reporting requirement entirely, and it does not require the court to actually review any of the submitted reports. The bill would amend the law to: 1) eliminate the court's discretion to waive the reporting requirement but allow for judicial discretion in ordering a report; 2) require a report submitted by a guardian of the estate to be made in such a form as is required by the Administrative Director of the Courts and in accordance with the Court Rules, which is to state or contain information on the assets, income, disbursements, and liabilities of the guardianship estate; and 3) require the court to review the reports submitted pursuant to the bill, on at least an annual basis, in order to ensure that each guardian is properly fulfilling the guardian's duties with respect to the ward or the ward's estate, or both, as the case may be, and is operating in a manner consistent with the ward's best interests. The bill would also authorize the court, at any time, and would require the court whenever its annual review of the submitted reports reveals that the guardian may not be properly fulfilling the guardian's duties or acting in the ward's best interests, to appoint a third-party to interview the ward and the guardian, or undertake any other investigation the court may direct. The existing law requires a guardian of the estate to consider the recommendations of the ward's parent or the guardian of the ward's person when expending and distributing funds from the ward's estate; however, an incapacitated person often does not have a living parent, and the guardian of the person may be the same as the guardian of the estate, meaning that, under existing law, there will often be no available third-party to provide recommendations to the guardian of the estate. The bill would, therefore, amend the law to require the guardian of the estate to consider the recommendations of all of the following individuals: 1) the ward, to the extent that the ward is capable of making the recommendations; 2) if the ward is a minor, the ward's parent; 3) if the ward is an incapacitated person, the spouse and any adult children of the ward or, if there are no adult children, the person or persons who are closest in degree of kinship to the ward; 4) the guardian of the ward's person; and 5) the person or persons with whom the ward resides or, if the ward resides in an institution, the chief administrator of that institution. This change will make the law consistent with the law pertaining to conservatorship, which requires a conservator to consider the recommendations of all these persons. The bill also explicitly requires that the expenditure or distribution of funds from a ward's estate to household members outside of the guardian are only to occur pursuant to order of the court. The bill also amends the existing guardianship law to modernize and clarify the existing language and paragraph and sentence structure and ensure that language is used consistently and in an active and direct voice throughout the law. | In Committee |
| A3999 | Allows municipality to establish reserved parking zone on property adjacent to disabled person's residence. | Under current law, municipalities are authorized to establish restricted parking zones in front of the home of a resident with a disability who has been issued a wheel chair license plate or hanging placard. This bill permits a municipality to establish a restricted parking zone in front of a neighboring residence if the placement of a parking zone in front of the disabled resident's home is prohibited by law or would interfere with the flow of traffic. The municipality is required to receive the neighboring property owner's consent prior to establishing the parking zone. The bill requires the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to prescribe a standard consent form which may be submitted by the neighboring property owner to the governing body prior to the establishment of a restricted parking zone. The consent form is set to expire every two years from the date of approval by the chief administrator or upon the sale of the adjacent property, at which time the restricted parking zone may be converted back to regular parking. The bill grants the adjacent property owner the option to renew the consent form and reinstate the restricted parking zone every two years. In addition this bill amends section 1 of P.L.1977, c.309 (C.39:4-197.6) to replace the outdated term "handicapped" with the preferred phrase, "person with a disability." | In Committee |
| A3995 | Establishes "Nursing Home Emergency Preparedness Study Commission." | This bill establishes the Nursing Home Emergency Preparedness Study Commission (commission). The purpose of the study commission is to analyze the ability of nursing homes to respond to public health emergencies. Specifically, the commission is to analyze whether nursing homes generally maintain traditional nursing home environments or whether nursing homes generally maintain assisted living environments; examine policies and procedures established by nursing homes in the event of a declared state of emergency or a public health emergency; analyze whether nursing homes have a sufficient number of staff to meet residents' needs during a declared state of emergency or a public health emergency; examine whether nursing homes are sufficiently funded to meet residents' needs during a declared state of emergency or a public health emergency; and make recommendations as to how nursing homes may better meet residents' needs in the event of a declared state of emergency or a public health emergency. The bill provides that the commission is to consist of consist of 15 members as follows: (1) the Commissioner of Human Services, or the commissioner's designee; (2) the Commissioner of Health, or the commissioner's designee; (3) a representative from the New Jersey Hospital Association; (4) eight members of the public with significant operational, financial, or managerial expertise in the nursing home industry, five of whom are to be representatives of entities currently operating one or more nursing homes in the State, to be appointed as follows: two members to be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; two members to be appointed by the President of the Senate; two members to be appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly; and two members to be appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; and (5) and four members of the public to be appointed by the Governor, who have a family member residing in a nursing home, and with at least one member from the northern, central, and southern regions of the State. Not later than 12 months after the initial meeting of the commission, it is to prepare and submit a written report to the Governor, and to the Legislature presenting its analysis of the current state of nursing homes in the State. The commission is to expire on the first day of the third month following the submission of its written report to the Governor and Legislature. | In Committee |
| AR119 | Urges Congress to fully fund programs and activities under federal Elder Justice Act. | This resolution urges Congress to fully fund programs and activities under the federal Elder Justice Act. The act, which was enacted in 2010 as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, P.L. 111-148, was the first time a federal law authorized a specific source of federal funds to address elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Among other provisions, the Elder Justice Act authorizes grants to support improvements to state adult protective services and long-term care ombudsman programs; authorizes grants for federal and state survey agencies for long-term care facilities andfor forensic centers to develop expertise on the issues of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The Elder Justice Act also established an Advisory Board on Elder Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation to create a multi-disciplinary plan for developing the field of elder justice, and requires abuses in long-term care facilities to be immediately reported to law enforcement. Despite the intent of the Elder Justice Act to fight elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, Congress has failed to fully fund the act's authorized programs and activities. According to a June 15, 2020 report by the Congressional Research Service, the authorizations of appropriations for most Elder Justice Act activities expired in September 2014, and most programs and activities authorized under the act have either not received funding since enactment, or have not received funding at their previously authorized levels. | In Committee |
| AR118 | Condemns Florida governor for trafficking migrants. | This resolution condemns the actions of Governor Ron DeSantis that led to the events on September 14, 2022 when 50 documented asylees were relocated via private chartered plane from Texas to Martha's Vineyard with no alert to local authorities or aid organizations. Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida, financed the enticement and transport of migrants awaiting asylum hearings in Texas onto planes bound for Massachusetts. The destination, unbeknownst to the passengers, was desolate and chosen in an effort to embarrass the labors of his political opponents regarding immigration. Governor DeSantis took credit for the operation soon after their arrival. He exploited people fleeing tyranny to demonstrate his own political dexterity. Disturbing similarities exist between the governor's actions and those of human traffickers, as defined by Department of Homeland Security. Orchestrating a multi-state scheme to identify, entice, hold, and transport vulnerable people with false promises of a better life, only to abandon them in an isolated area outside of their jurisdiction is not the job of any governor. The federal government has sole dominion over the process of immigration, a fact not lost on the governor. Deception was employed both in luring asylees onto private flights, and in financing the enterprise with Florida state taxpayer dollars. The General Assembly of New Jersey condemns Governor DeSantis for this usage of people, namely his constituents and migrants, in an effort to elevate his political profile. | In Committee |
| A4001 | Appropriates $2.5 million to DOBI to reimburse joint insurance funds for COVID-19 surveillance testing. | This bill appropriates $2.5 million to DOBI to reimburse joint insurance funds for COVID-19 surveillance testing. Under the bill, $2.5 million will be appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) for use by the department to reimburse joint insurance funds, providing contributory or non-contributory group health insurance, for the cost of providing coverage to covered workers for COVID-19 surveillance testing from August 6, 2021 to August 15, 2022. Beginning with Executive Order No. 252, signed by Governor Phil Murphy on August 6, 2021, and ending with Executive Order No. 302, signed by the Governor on August 15, 2022, certain employers in the health care industry and in high risk congregate settings were required to maintain a policy that instructed their covered workers to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or submit to surveillance testing. Per federal guidelines, joint insurance funds were not required to provide coverage for surveillance tests; however, despite federal guidance, certain joint insurance funds decided to provide coverage to covered workers. This bill aims to reimburse the joint insurance funds that covered surveillance tests during this time period. | In Committee |
| A4028 | Provides certain resources to county prosecutors for enforcement of law regarding failure to pay wages; makes appropriation. | This bill requires the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD), for purposes of supporting the enforcement of the provisions of State wage and hour laws, to provide funds and training to each county prosecutor's office for the investigation and prosecution of the abovementioned laws and worker exploitation. The bill requires the county prosecutor of each county to establish and assign an assistant prosecutor to the investigation and prosecution of violations of the State wage and hour laws. The bill makes an appropriation from the General Fund to the DOLWD, not to exceed $2,000,000, for purposes of effectuating the provisions of the bill. | In Committee |
| A3997 | Requires Commissioner of Health to establish maternity care public awareness campaign. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Health to establish a maternal health public awareness campaign to improve overall maternal and child health while ensuring equitable care among women and children of all races and ethnicities. The campaign is to disseminate information about maternal health and encourage the public to access a user-friendly website to be established and maintained by the Department of Health (department). Under the bill, the campaign will, at a minimum: (1) disseminate aggregated data to the public concerning hospital rates of: cesarean births, exclusive breastfeeding at discharge, and vaginal birth after cesarean delivery, among other information, to assist women in the selection of maternity care providers and birthing locations; (2) promote active engagement in maternity care, patient rights, making informed choices, and the use of shared decision-making models and decision-making aids; (3) disseminate information to healthcare professionals regarding how to document the patient' s preferences regarding care provided during labor and delivery, otherwise known as a birth plan, in the patient's health records; (4) disseminate information to the public on avoiding interventions that may be unneeded or that may increase pregnancy-related risks, the advantages of physiologic birth, which is a pregnancy, labor, and birth process that progresses through natural biologic processes, and the benefits of using high-value forms of care such as midwives, birthing centers, doulas, and lactation support; (5) promote the maternal and child health programs and services that are available in the State and encourage the public to contact county central intake agencies to obtain information and appropriate referrals; (6) provide information on the department' s Internet website regarding parent' s rights to family leave under State and federal law; (7) provide the public with information about breastfeeding and pregnancy discrimination rights; and (8) provide the public with information about the eligibility requirements and the application process to enroll in coverage for pregnant women under the State Medicaid program. | In Committee |
| A3998 | Prohibits sale of tobacco products and electronic smoking devices at certain pharmacies and certain businesses with on site pharmacies. | This bill prohibits 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. 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 or other business entity 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 |
| A3970 | Requires Police Training Commission to study gender disparity in police employment and issue recommendations. | This bill requires the Police Training Commission in the Department of Law and Public Safety to study and evaluate gender disparity in police employment in State, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies. Under the bill, the commission is required to consider issues including, but not limited to, recruitment, hiring practices, and retention policies. The bill requires the commission to issue a report to the Governor and the Legislature no later than six months following enactment of this bill that contains the commission's findings and recommendations concerning methods to improve Statewide gender disparity in police employment. | In Committee |
| A3730 | Revises civil remedies for victims of invasion of privacy due to unauthorized recording or disclosure of sexual or intimate images. | Revises civil remedies for victims of invasion of privacy due to unauthorized recording or disclosure of sexual or intimate images. | In Committee |
| A1939 | Creates offense for electronically sending unsolicited nude images. | Creates offense for electronically sending unsolicited nude image. | In Committee |
| A518 | Provides for expansion of county transportation services to include disabled veterans; provides funding source for expansion. | Provides for expansion of county transportation services to include disabled veterans; provides funding source for expansion. | In Committee |
| A2799 | Requires redaction and nondisclosure of home address of elected officials and candidates for elected office. | This bill prohibits the disclosure by the custodian of a government record of the primary or secondary home address of an elected official or a person seeking elective public office, or their immediate family member, except in certain circumstances. The disclosure would be prohibited if the elected official or person seeking elective public office, or the immediate family member, submits a request for redaction or nondisclosure to the Office of Information Privacy in the Department of Community Affairs. Under the bill, "elected official" any person holding elective public office, under the State Constitution or by law, that is filled by the registered voters of a jurisdiction at an election, including a person appointed, selected, or otherwise designated to fill a vacancy in such office, but does not mean an official of a political party. An "elected official" also includes any person seeking election to an elective public office. The bill defines "seeking election" as any individual who has made a filing with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission as a candidate. The bill specifies that the home address of the elected official will remain available to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission for residency verification purposes, but will otherwise be subject to redaction or nondisclosure. | In Committee |
| A1803 | Directs State Board of Education to authorize issuance of new endorsements in certain fields. | This bill directs the State Board of Education to authorize the issuance of new endorsements in the areas of special education, elementary and middle school education, and bilingual and bicultural education. The bill directs the State Board of Education to authorize the issuance of a Students with Disabilities Preschool through Grade 12 endorsement to the instructional certificate. The endorsement authorizes the holder to teach students with disabilities, with the exception of students who are blind or visually impaired or deaf or hard of hearing, in all public schools and in all grade levels. Under the bill, the holder of a Students with Disabilities Preschool through Grade 12 endorsement may provide consultative services and supportive resource programs to students with disabilities in general education programs. The bill further provides that the holder of a current students with disabilities endorsement issued administratively prior to the bill's effective date may be granted the new endorsement upon application to the board. Under current law, special education teachers may teach students classified with disabilities in only the grade levels specified on their other endorsements. The bill directs the State Board of Education to authorize the issuance of a Kindergarten through Grade 8 endorsement to the instructional certificate. The endorsement will permit the holder to teach: · students in all public schools in grades kindergarten through six; and · the specialty subjects on the face of the certificate to students in grades seven and eight in all public schools. Under current law, numerous endorsements limit the holder to teaching either only to students in elementary level grades or only to students in middle school grades. Finally, the bill authorizes the State Board of Education to issue a Bilingual and Bicultural Preschool through Grade 12 endorsement to the instructional certificate. The endorsement will authorize the holder to teach bilingual and bicultural education in all public schools and in all grade levels. Under the bill, a candidate for the endorsement is required to demonstrate oral and writing competence in English and the target language; complete an approved bilingual and bicultural education program; and meet any other requirements established by the board. Under current law, candidates for the Bilingual and Bicultural endorsement are required to have an additional endorsement for subject or grade level to be taught. | In Committee |
| A3174 | Requires counties to specify expenditures concerning veterans' services when submitting budget to Division of Local Government Services in DCA. | This bill requires a county, when submitting its budget to the Director of the Division of Local Government Services for certification, to separately and specifically state expenditures concerning veterans' services, including, but not limited to, transportation and employment counseling services. | In Committee |
| A3862 | Provides police officers may be present at senior residential center or school being used as polling place under certain circumstances; requires school to establish election day security plan. | This bill provides that one or more police officers may be present at a senior residential center being used as a polling place or school if there is a request by the center or school. This bill clarifies that the officers must be in plain clothes in both senior residential centers and schools. Under current law, police officers are permitted to be present at a senior residential center being used as a polling place. The provision of current law that prohibits any such officer from interfering with any person present at the location for the purpose of voting will remain in place. This bill also requires the center notify the district board if the center requests a police officer, the district board then will notify the county board of elections or superintendent of elections who will notify the Secretary of State. This bill requires the Secretary of the Department of Education and the Secretary of State to notify schools of the new mandate as soon as the bill becomes law. | In Committee |
| A3895 | Directs Commissioner of Education to develop sexual assault prevention training program for high school athletic directors and coaches of interscholastic sports programs. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Director of the Division of Criminal Justice, to develop an interscholastic sports sexual assault prevention training program for high school athletic directors and coaches. Under the bill, the training program is required to provide:· instruction concerning the prevention of sexual assault and the identification of signs of sexual assault; and · information concerning the services, including treatment, counseling, legal, and medical services, available to a victim of sexual assault in accordance with the standard protocols that have been developed by the Attorney General in accordance with current law. The bill also requires the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association to require each person who coaches a public school district or nonpublic school interscholastic high school sport, and an athletic director who oversees a public school district or nonpublic school interscholastic high school sports program, to complete the training program every four years. Under the bill, each newly appointed coach or athletic director is required to initially complete the training program during his first year in that position. | In Committee |
| A3722 | Requires certain State employees receive mental health first aid training. | Mental illness impacts approximately 44 million people, but many people with mental illness do not get professional help or delay getting professional help. Directors in a workplace are in a unique position to provide assistance to those dealing with mental illness, and the State, as an employer, should provide its directors with the necessary training to recognize and help those dealing with mental illness. This bill requires the Civil Service Commission to ensure that every State employee with director status receives mental health first aid training. The commission will establish appropriate requirements for the training, and each employer will provide a list of directors in need of training to the commission. The training will include, at a minimum, information regarding common mental health disorders that may arise, information to assist in recognizing early signs of mental health problems and who may need professional mental health services, and information on appropriate intervention and referral strategies. | In Committee |
| A3794 | Requires firearm transfer between members of immediate family be conducted through licensed retail firearm dealer. | This bill requires that a firearm transfer between immediate family members be conducted through a licensed retail firearms dealer. Under current law, a person who is not a licensed retail dealer and who sells, gives, transfers, assigns, or otherwise disposes of, or receives, purchases, or otherwise acquires a handgun, antique cannon, shotgun, or rifle is required to conduct the transaction through a licensed retail dealer. However, the law provides an exception for transfers that occur between immediate family members. The law defines "immediate family" as a spouse, domestic partner, partner in a civil union couple, parent, stepparent, grandparent, sibling, stepsibling, child, stepchild, and grandchild, as related by blood or by law. Under the provisions of this bill, there would be no exception for immediate family members. Firearm transfers between members of an immediate family would be required to be conducted through a licensed retail dealer. Failure to conduct transfers through a licensed retail dealer would be unlawful disposition of a firearm, which is a fourth degree crime. Fourth degree crimes are punishable by up to 18 months' imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. | In Committee |
| A3721 | Requires State Capitol Joint Management Commission display representation of Alice Paul in State Capitol building. | Alice Paul was born and raised in New Jersey. Alice Paul's vision that women and men should be equal partners in society led to enormous changes in the rights and status of American women. One of her many accomplishments include helping to secure passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, granting women the right to vote. This bill requires the State Capitol Joint Management Commission to display a representation of Alice Paul in the State Capitol building. The representation will recognize and honor Alice Paul's struggle for women's suffrage and the ratification of the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution. August 18, 2020 marked the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment. | In Committee |
| ACR122 | Acknowledges Universal Declaration of Human Rights and supports United Nations' #StandUp4HumanRights campaign. | This Concurrent Resolution acknowledges the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and expresses support for the United Nations' #StandUp4HumanRights campaign. | In Committee |
| A3741 | Provides rental and lease protections for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. | This bill would provide rental and lease protections for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Under the bill, a landlord may not terminate a tenancy, fail to renew a tenancy, or refuse to enter into a rental agreement based on the tenant's or applicant's or a household member's status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or based on the tenant or applicant having terminated a rental agreement pursuant to the "New Jersey Safe Housing Act," P.L.2008, c.111 (C.46:8-9.4 et seq.). Under the "New Jersey Safe Housing Act," a tenant may terminate a lease prior to its expiration if the tenant provides written notice that the tenant or a child of the tenant faces an imminent threat of serious physical harm from another person if the tenant remains on the premises, and provides appropriate documentation. The bill provides for the same documentation requirements as those set out in the "New Jersey Safe Housing Act." The documentation may be any of the following: (1) a copy of a permanent domestic violence restraining order; (2) a copy of a permanent restraining order from another jurisdiction, issued pursuant to the jurisdiction's laws concerning domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking; (3) a law enforcement agency record documenting the domestic violence, or certifying that the tenant or a child of the tenant is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking; (4) medical documentation of the domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking provided by a health care provider; (5) certification, provided by a certified Domestic Violence Specialist, or the director of a designated domestic violence agency, that the tenant or a child of the tenant is a victim of domestic violence; or (6) other documentation or certification, provided by a licensed social worker, that the tenant or a child of the tenant is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Under the bill, a landlord who refuses to enter into a rental agreement in violation of this section may be liable to the tenant or applicant in a civil action for damages sustained by the tenant or applicant. The prevailing party may also recover court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees. The bill amends N.J.S.A.2A:18-53 and N.J.S.A.2A:18-61.1, which concern actions by landlords to remove tenants, to provide that these sections of law shall not be construed to authorize the removal of a lessee or tenant or the assigns, under-tenants or legal representatives of such lessee or tenant from any house, building, mobile home or land in a mobile home park or tenement leased for residential purposes based upon such person's status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. | In Committee |
| A3711 | Requires New Jersey Racing Commission develop guidelines on postponement of certain events due to severe weather conditions. | This bill requires the New Jersey Racing Commission to promulgate rules and regulations establishing a severe weather and lightning protocol and require the postponement of horse races when inclement weather would pose a danger to the welfare of the drivers, jockeys, or horses. Inclement weather would be understood as, at a minimum, a condition in which: (1) there is a thunderstorm, tornado, tropical storm, or hurricane watch in effect for the county in which the track is located within one hour of the post and expected end times of the race; or (2) the heat index as defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the county in which the track is located is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit or is reasonably expected to be above 90 degrees Fahrenheit at any time during the race. | In Committee |
| ACR120 | Urges United States Congress to enact "Alice Paul Voter Protection Act." | This resolution urges the United States Congress to enact the "Alice Paul Voter Protection Act," H.R. 1583 of the 118th Congress, sponsored by Representative Andy Kim of New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District and cosponsored by Representative Donald Norcross of New Jersey's 1st Congressional District, which seeks to protect the voter registration rights of citizens. The "Alice Paul Voter Protection Act" would prohibit any person to corruptly hinder, interfere with, or prevent another person from registering to vote or from helping another person in registering to vote, and would subject any person who violates these provisions to a fine, up to five years' imprisonment, or both. The bill also requires the federal Election Assistance Commission to develop and publish recommendations for best practices for states to use to deter and prevent violations of the bill. Fittingly, the bill honors the legacy of Alice Paul, a New Jersey native of the 3rd Congressional District who, as a feminist leader of the suffragist movement, member of the National American Women's Suffrage Association and leader of its Congressional Committee, and in 1916 a founder of the National Woman's Party, was instrumental in achieving the passage of the 19th Amendment by the United States Congress in 1919 and its ratification by the states in 1920, thereby guaranteeing women the right to vote. In her lifelong fight for voting rights, Alice Paul endured scorn and imprisonment under inhumane conditions but remained undeterred and, after earning three law degrees, originally wrote the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in 1923 and rewrote it in 1943 to uphold the principle that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex," which is still to be ratified. Voting rights are a sacred foundation of our democracy and have been secured by the determination and struggle of everyday citizens and leaders like Alice Paul. | In Committee |
| A3723 | Requires revocation of parole for assaulting or threatening law enforcement officers. | This bill requires the Chairman of the Parole Board to detain a parolee and commence revocation proceedings when an offender is arrested or indicted for assaulting a law enforcement officer or when a parolee threatens to kill or cause physical harm to a law enforcement officer, or a member of the law enforcement officer's family. Under current law, the parole board is notified immediately upon the arrest or indictment of a parolee or upon the filing of charges that the parolee committed a criminal act. The board is prohibited from revoking parole on the basis of new charges which have not resulted in a disposition at the trial level. However, upon application by the prosecuting authority, the Juvenile Justice Commission or the Director of the State Parole Board's Division of Parole, the chairman of the parole board or the chairman's designee may at any time detain the parolee and commence revocation proceedings when the chairman determines that the new charges against the parolee are of a serious nature and it appears that the parolee otherwise poses a danger to the public safety. This bill requires a parolee to be detained and parole revocation proceedings to commence on the basis of an arrest or indictment of a parolee who assaulted a law enforcement officer or a report that the parolee threatened to kill or cause physical harm to a law enforcement officer, or a member of the law enforcement officer's family. In order to have parole revoked, the bill requires the threat to be made with the purpose to put the law enforcement officer in imminent fear of death or physical harm under circumstances that cause the law enforcement officer to believe the immediacy of the threat and the likelihood that it will be carried out. The bill also would apply to a parolee who assaults or threatens a retired law enforcement officer on the basis of the retired officer's former status as an active duty law enforcement officer. | In Committee |
| A3747 | Expands rights of crime victims. | This bill expands the rights of crime victims to include the right to allow certain non-victims to make an in-person statement at sentencing. The bill also allows victims and witnesses to provide testimony at certain post adjudication hearings. Current law confers upon victims of crimes the right to make, prior to sentencing, an in-person statement directly to the sentencing court concerning the impact of the crime. This bill expands this right to give the court discretion to permit a non-victim to make a statement at sentencing if the court finds the non-victim has been in a close personal relationship with the victim or in the case of homicide, the survivor of the victim. It is the sponsor's understanding that most courts in this State currently allow non-victims to present victim impact statements. For example, in the death of a child, some courts will permit statements from the victim's school teacher, friend, athletic coach, or other person who may have had a close relationship with the victim. However, other courts have denied statements from these persons claiming they do not fall within the definition of a victim. Under the bill, this practice will be consistent throughout the courts and reinforce the intent behind allowing victim impact statements. The bill also permits victims and witnesses of certain sex offenses to be present at post adjudication hearings. While current law provides that victims have the right to be present at any judicial proceeding involving a crime, it is the sponsor's understanding that victims and witnesses are excluded from hearings to determine whether a sex offender is eligible to be relieved of registration requirements after serving 15 years; hearings to determine a sex offender's risk of reoffense upon release; and what are commonly referred to as Krol hearings, during which it is determined whether a person who has been acquitted by reason of insanity should be civilly committed. The bill clarifies that a court may exclude a victim from these civil post adjudication proceedings if the court determines that the victim's presence would create an unreasonable invasion of the offender's right to privacy. | In Committee |
| A3731 | Establishes four-year pilot program in Ocean County for electronic monitoring of certain domestic violence offenders; designated as "Lisa's Law"; appropriates $2.5 million. | This bill establishes a four-year pilot program in Ocean County for electronic monitoring of certain domestic violence offenders and notification to victims. The pilot program would be designated as "Lisa's Law" in remembrance of Letizia Zindell of Toms River, a domestic violence victim murdered by her former fiancée. The pilot program would be ordered only with the victim's informed consent and would apply to defendants convicted of contempt of a domestic violence order entered pursuant to the provisions of P.L.1981, c.426 (C.2C:25-1 et al.) or P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-17 et al.). The bill provides that the court may, in making the determination whether to place the defendant on electronic monitoring, hold a hearing to consider the likelihood that the defendant's participation in electronic monitoring would deter the defendant from injuring the victim. The court would consider the following factors: the gravity and seriousness of harm that the defendant inflicted on the victim; the defendant's previous history of domestic violence and other criminal acts, if any; whether the defendant has access to a weapon; and whether the defendant has threatened suicide or homicide or has a history of mental illness or substance abuse. This bill requires that any electronic monitoring device and tracking system worn or utilized by a defendant be in compliance with "Offender Tracking Systems NIJ Standard 1004.00," issued by the National Institute of Justice in July 2016, and any successor standards adopted by the National Institute of Justice. The NIJ Standard encompasses protocols for performance, safety, software requirements, and testing of electronic monitoring devices. The National Institute of Justice is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the United States Department of Justice. Under the bill, a defendant ordered by the court to be placed on electronic monitoring may be ordered to pay the costs and expenses related to electronic monitoring and victim notification or a portion of the costs and expenses, based on the defendant's ability to pay. In addition, the defendant would be assessed a monitoring fee of $250. The court could waive the fee in cases of extreme financial hardship. The fee would be forwarded to the "Domestic Violence Victim Notification Fund" established under the bill. This fund, a dedicated, non-lapsing fund within the General Fund, would be administered by the Attorney General. The fund is to be the depository of the costs and expenses imposed on the defendant and any other monies that may be available to the fund through appropriation by the Legislature or any public or private source. All moneys deposited in the fund would be used to defray the costs of the pilot program. The bill provides that when a defendant is convicted of contempt of a domestic violence order the court may, in addition to or in lieu of any other disposition: (1) sentence the defendant to electronic monitoring with victim notification; or (2) sentence the defendant to probation or a suspension of sentence and, as a condition of such probation or suspension, order electronic monitoring with victim notification. The bill would also make it a crime of the third degree to tamper with, remove, or vandalize an electronic monitoring device. A crime of the third degree is punishable by a term of imprisonment of three to five years or a fine of up to $15,000 or both. The bill requires the victim to be given the following information before providing informed consent: (1) information concerning the victim's right to refuse to participate in electronic monitoring and the process for requesting the court to terminate the victim's participation after it has been ordered; (2) the manner in which the electronic monitoring technology functions and the risks and limitations of that technology, the operational procedures of the device and the applicable instructions regarding the device, and the extent to which the system will track and record the victim's location and movements; (3) the boundaries imposed on the defendant during the electronic monitoring; (4) the sanctions that the court may impose on the defendant for violating a court order; (5) the procedure that the victim is to follow if the defendant violates an order or if the electronic monitoring equipment fails; (6) identification of support services available to assist the victim in developing a safety plan; (7) identification of community services available to assist the victim in obtaining shelter, counseling, child care, legal representation and other assistance; and (8) the non-confidential nature of the victim's communications with the court concerning electronic monitoring and the restrictions to be imposed upon the defendant's movements. The bill also provides for the following civil penalties which would expire at the end of the fifth year following implementation of the pilot program: (1) any person found by the court in a final domestic violence hearing to have committed an act of domestic violence is to be required to pay a civil penalty of $200, similar to the monitoring fee this penalty may be waived in cases of extreme financial hardship; and (2) in addition to any other disposition, the court would impose a civil penalty of $250 on any person convicted of a crime or offense involving domestic violence, or convicted of contempt of a domestic violence order, unless the person was previously assessed the $250 monitoring fee. The bill further provides that no supplier of a product, system, or service used for electronic monitoring with victim notification in the pilot program would be liable, directly or indirectly, for damages arising from any injury or death associated with the use of the product, system or service unless, and only to the extent that, such action is based on a claim that the injury or death was proximately caused by a manufacturing defect in the product or system. The bill also amends the "Local Public Contracts Law," P.L.1971, c.198 (C.40A:11-1 et seq.), to provide that services and equipment necessary for the implementation of the pilot program could be negotiated and awarded by a governing body without public advertising for bids and bidding, and be awarded by resolution of the governing body. The bill appropriates $2.5 million from the General Fund to the "Domestic Violence Victim Notification Fund," and provides that following the expiration of the four-year pilot program, any unexpended funds are to be returned to the General Fund. The bill provides that not later than one year following the implementation of the pilot program and annually thereafter for four years, the Attorney General is to submit a report to the Governor and Legislature containing an evaluation of the pilot program with a recommendation as to whether it should be continued as a Statewide program. In addition, the bill requires the Attorney General, in consultation with the Administrative Office of the Courts, to develop procedures to determine, investigate, and report on a 24-hour-per-day basis a defendant's noncompliance with the terms and conditions of the electronic monitoring program. All reports of noncompliance would be investigated by a law enforcement officer within a reasonable period of time. | In Committee |
| A3713 | Clarifies disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients are not required to own vehicle to be exempt from municipal parking meter fees. | This bill clarifies that a disabled veteran or Purple Heart recipient is not required to own the motor vehicle for which a disabled veteran or Purple Heart recipient license plate or placard is issued in order to be exempt from paying municipal parking meter fees. Under current law, in order to be exempt from payment of municipal parking meter fees, a disabled veteran or Purple Heart recipient is required to own the vehicle being parked at the municipal parking meter. This bill allows disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients that display a disabled veteran or Purple Heart recipient placard to park at a municipal parking meter free of charge regardless of who owns the vehicle, provided that the placard is displayed and the disabled veteran or Purple Heart recipient is the driver or passenger of the vehicle. The bill further clarifies that the disabled veteran or Purple Heart recipient may lease the motor vehicle for which a disabled veteran or Purple Heart license plate is issued in order to be exempt from paying municipal parking meter fees, provided that the disabled veteran or Purple Heart recipient is the driver or passenger of the motor vehicle. | In Committee |
| A3737 | Provides for immediate issuance of marriage and civil union licenses; provides for 72 hour waiting period prior to ceremony. | This bill requires a marriage or civil union license be issued immediately upon application, but continues to require a 72-hour waiting period. Under current law, after a couple applies for a marriage or civil union license there is a 72-hour waiting period before the license can be issued by the licensing officer. The Superior Court may, by order, waive all or any part of the 72-hour period in cases of emergency, upon satisfactory proof being shown. This bill would provide that a marriage or civil union license would be issued by the licensing officer immediately upon filing the application. However, individuals would still be required to wait 72 hours before the marriage or civil union ceremony could be performed. The intent of the bill is not to change the current 72-hour waiting period before the ceremony can occur, but to save couples the additional trip to the licensing officer to pick up the license. The bill provides that all or part of the 72-hour waiting period between issuance of the license and the marriage or civil union ceremony could be waived by order of the Superior Court in cases of emergency, upon satisfactory proof being shown. The bill also provides that the 72-hour waiting period between issuance of the license and the ceremony would not apply to an applicant who is an active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard. | In Committee |
| AJR147 | Designates October 31st of each year as "Juliette Gordon Low Day." | This joint resolution designates October 31st of each year as "Juliette Gordon Low Day." On October 31st of every year, Girl Scouts across the United States celebrate Founder's Day, marking the birth of Juliette Gordon Low. Through this resolution, the New Jersey Legislature designates her birthday as "Juliette Gordon Low Day" in New Jersey. The Girl Scouts sparked a movement that encouraged girls to become leaders and make the world a better place. Through programs that develop a Girl Scout's potential in sciences, entrepreneurship, the outdoors, and other life skills, Girl Scouts learn to be go-getters, innovators, risk-takers, and leaders. | In Committee |
| A3728 | Asks Joint Committee on Library of Congress to approve replacing NJ statue of Philip Kearny in National Statuary Hall Collection with statue of Alice Paul. | The purpose of this bill is to request that the New Jersey statue of Philip Kearny in the National Statuary Hall Collection at the United States Capitol be replaced with a statue of Alice Paul. Alice Paul was a women's rights activist, suffragist, and principal leader of the early 1900's campaign for the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. She was born on January 11, 1885, in Moorestown, New Jersey. Alice Paul was instrumental in the passage and ratification in 1920 of the Nineteenth Amendment, which prohibited denying any citizen the right to vote on the basis of sex. The bill enables the State, following the procedure established in federal law, to formally ask the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress to approve the replacement of the statue of Philip Kearny the State had provided for display in the National Statuary Hall Collection. If approved by the Joint Committee, the new statue would be one of Alice Paul. The bill establishes a temporary, bi-partisan, seven-member committee made up of: (1) four members appointed by the Governor, upon recommendation of the Senate President and the Speaker of the General Assembly; (2) the Secretary of State, or a designee thereof; and (3) two members appointed by the Governor. The committee will select a sculptor for the statue and determine how to fund its completion and transportation to the United States Capitol. | In Committee |
| A3720 | Creates crime of fiscal victimization against senior citizens or disabled persons. | The bill provides that a person would be guilty of fiscal victimization if the person commits, attempts to commit, conspires with another to commit or threatens to commit a theft offense specified in chapter 20 of Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes or a violation of N.J.S.2C:21-17, identity theft, against an individual that the person knows or reasonably should know is a senior citizen or a person with a disability. Fiscal victimization is a crime of the fourth degree if the underlying offense is a disorderly persons offense or petty disorderly persons offense. Otherwise, fiscal victimization is a crime one degree higher than the most serious underlying crime. The bill also provides a conviction of fiscal victimization would not merge with a conviction of any of the underlying offenses, nor would any conviction for the underlying offense merge with a conviction for fiscal victimization. Therefore, the court would be authorized to impose separate sentences upon a conviction for fiscal victimization and a conviction of any underlying offense. The bill defines a "senior citizen" as a person 60 years of age or older. "Person with a disability" is defined as a person who by reason of a pre-existing medically determinable physical or mental impairment is substantially incapable of exercising normal physical or mental power of resistance, and includes, but is not limited to, a person determined disabled pursuant to the federal Social Security Act or any other governmental retirement or benefits program that uses substantially the same criteria for determining eligibility. | In Committee |
| A3733 | Permits notaries public to take oath before legislative members during declared state of emergency. | Presently, N.J.S.A. 52:7-14 directs that within three months of the receipt of his commission, a notary public shall take and subscribe an oath before the clerk of the county in which he resides. The oath of office of a nonresident notary public should be taken and subscribed before the clerk of the county in which he maintains his office or is employed. In the event of a declared state of emergency, such as the public health emergency and state of emergency declared by the Governor's Executive Order 103 of 2020, county level offices may not function normally, potentially resulting in delays or interruption to the vital services performed by notaries. This bill provides an additional, alternative way for a notary public to take the required oath. Under the bill, when a period of a declared state of emergency exists, a notary public may take and subscribe the oath before a member of the New Jersey Legislature for the area covered by the state of emergency. Thus, if a local state of emergency exists, a notary public may take and subscribe an oath before any legislator whose district includes that local unit; if a countywide state of emergency exists, a notary public may take and subscribe an oath before any legislator whose district includes that jurisdictional boundary, and if a statewide state of emergency exists, a notary public may take and subscribe an oath before any member of the New Jersey Legislature. The member of the Legislature before whom the oath of office is taken shall retain and, within 30 days of the end of the declared state of emergency, shall transmit the oath to the clerk of the county for filing. The bill directs the State Treasurer to provide each member of the Legislature with access to certificates of commission, and the notice concerning a notary public who is not licensed as an attorney-at-law for distribution to the applicant. The applicant remains responsible for the payment of the notary public application fee and oath of office recording fee. | In Committee |
| A3756 | Authorizes counties to establish diversionary program for juveniles to attend New Jersey Youth Challenge Academy. | This bill authorizes counties to establish a diversionary program for certain first time juvenile offenders to be referred to the New Jersey Youth Challenge Academy. Criminal charges against a juvenile who successfully completes the New Jersey Youth Challenge Academy Program are to be dismissed. The diversionary program is available to juveniles charged with a petty disorderly persons offense, disorderly persons offense, crime of the fourth degree, or crime of the third degree. Juveniles charged with a drug offense are not eligible for the diversionary program under the bill. In addition, the juvenile is required to meet the eligibility requirements of the academy. The New Jersey Youth Challenge Academy operates under the auspices of the federal "National Guard Youth Challenge Program" (NGYCP). The purpose of the NGYCP is to assist high school dropouts who have not earned a high school diploma in leading successful, productive lives. The NGYCP endeavors to improve the life skills and employment potential of participants by providing military-based training and supervised work experience. The NGYCP assists the participants in obtaining a high school diploma or its equivalent, developing leadership skills, promoting fellowship and community service, developing life coping skills and job skills, and improving physical fitness and health and hygiene. The NGYCP is administered by the federal Secretary of Defense, who may enter into an agreement with the Governor of a state to implement a state youth challenge program, such as the New Jersey Youth Challenge Academy. The federal government funds 75 percent of the operating costs of New Jersey Youth Challenge Academy; the State funds the remaining 25 percent. Federal law specifies that dropouts from secondary school are to be eligible to participate in the program. To be eligible for a NGYCP, the juvenile is required to be: (1) 16 to 18 years of age at time of entry into the program; (2) a school dropout from secondary school; (3) a citizen or legal resident of the United States; and (4) unemployed or under-employed. Further, the juvenile currently may not be on parole or probation for other than a juvenile status offense, may not be awaiting sentencing, and may not be under indictment, accused, or convicted of a felony. The program is available only to those eligible juveniles who voluntarily apply; an eligible juvenile cannot be required to participate and a parent is not authorized to enroll a juvenile. This bill provides first time juvenile offenders charged with low level offenses an opportunity to have those charges dismissed if they successfully complete the New Jersey Youth Challenge Academy program. | In Committee |
| A3736 | Requires law enforcement agencies to adopt pregnancy policy for law enforcement officers. | This bill requires law enforcement agencies to adopt a pregnancy policy for law enforcement officers. Under the provisions of this bill, every State, county, and municipal law enforcement agency is required to adopt a pregnancy policy consistent with the provisions of this bill. The policy is to apply to all female law enforcement officers who have successfully met entry level probation requirements. Under the bill, a law enforcement officer who becomes pregnant is required, upon confirmation of pregnancy and the decision to continue the pregnancy, to notify the officer's immediate supervisor, who is then required to notify the chief law enforcement executive through the chain of command. The bill also provides that upon notification of pregnancy, a law enforcement officer is to be permitted to continue to work in the officer's usual, full-duty assignment until the officer and the officer's physician deem it in the best interest of the officer and the baby to do otherwise. Except as provided for under the bill, the law enforcement agency is not to require an officer to accept a maternity duty assignment or take leave absent a compelling medical or public safety reason. However, the bill provides that if, as the pregnancy progresses, it becomes necessary for the law enforcement agency to reevaluate the officer's continuing ability to safely and effectively perform the essential functions of the officer's position, the law enforcement agency may consider whether the pregnancy creates an undue safety risk to the officer, co-workers, or the public. If the law enforcement agency determines that the officer's condition unreasonably interferes with her ability to perform in a full-duty capacity, the law enforcement agency may reassign the officer to maternity duty as defined under the bill. Except as provided for under the bill and absent a compelling medical or public safety reason, the officer is not to be required to take leave. The bill also provides that during a pregnancy, upon written recommendation of a physician, a law enforcement officer may request a temporary reassignment to maternity duty. Maternity duty may consist of, but is not limited to: nonhazardous assignments, writing police reports, operating a police radio, interviewing persons, clerical functions, or investigative functions that do not put the officer at risk of being harmed. Maternity duty assignments are not to include: alternating shift work; defensive tactics or defensive tactics training; firearms training, except simulated training; patrol duties; extensive exposure to automobile exhaust fumes; standing for more than 30 minute intervals; lifting more than 25 pounds; exposure to high concentrations of toxins, chemicals, or infectious agents or controlled dangerous substances; any contact with inmates, except in an emergency situation; or any other work that involves a high likelihood of suffering physical harm. In addition, the bill sets forth permissible uniform modifications for law enforcement officers who are pregnant. Further, the bill provides that law enforcement officers who are pregnant are exempt from the mandatory handgun qualification requirements until the officer is certified for full-duty status. If the officer is beyond the mandatory handgun qualification period, the officer is to be required to surrender the officer's department-issued sidearm and is prohibited from wearing an off-duty firearm until the officer has re-qualified. In addition, the bill provides that any evaluation made by the law enforcement agency's physician is to be limited to a review of the officer's medical records and consultation with the officer and the officer's physician. The law enforcement agency's physician is not to routinely examine the officer for pregnancy-related matters. Under the bill, a law enforcement officer is to be permitted to work as long as the officer is able to perform the duties of her job and is not to be subjected to special procedures to determine the officer's ability to work. The bill provides that if the officer becomes unable to perform the functions of her maternity duty assignment, the law enforcement agency may require the officer to take leave in compliance with the Family and Medical Leave act and any other applicable law. Finally, the bill provides for certain procedures when an officer returns to duty after maternity leave, including meeting with the officer's commanding officer, providing documentation of medical fitness for duty, assisting the officer's commanding officer in identifying her individual needs, which may include accommodations for lactation, and accomplishing all reintegration tasks as directed by the commanding officer. The bill also requires the officer's commanding officer to conduct a reintegration interview and develop a reorientation program for each officer. | In Committee |
| A3729 | "Linnette Lebron's Law"; modifies procedures for marriage or civil union where a party is terminally ill. | This bill would modify the procedures for obtaining a marriage or civil union license when a party is terminally ill. The bill is designated "Linnette Lebron's Law." Currently, persons intending to be married or to enter into a civil union in New Jersey must first obtain a marriage or civil union license from a licensing officer and deliver it to the person who is to officiate. The statutes provide for a mandatory 72-hour waiting period from the time the application is made until the issuance of the license, unless all or part of that time period has been waived by order of the Superior Court. Under the bill, the 72-hour waiting period may be waived in a case involving a hospitalized terminally ill person whose terminal illness is certified to the licensing officer by the person's treating physician. The licensing officer would attach the certification from the physician to the license application. The bill also allows the terminally ill person, or both parties, to obtain the marriage or civil union license through a power of attorney instead of appearing in person before the licensing officer. In addition, the parties could obtain the license by a telephone conference with the licensing officer. Specifically, the bill requires the attorney-in-fact to personally appear before the licensing officer with the person who is not terminally ill, and present the original power of attorney duly signed by the terminally ill person and acknowledged by a notary, except that the person who is not terminally ill may also be excused from appearing before the licensing officer if that person executes a separate power of attorney, acknowledged by a notary, permitting an attorney-in-fact to appear on his behalf as well. Each power of attorney would state the legal names of the parties to be married or enter into a civil union, and state that the power of attorney is solely for the purpose of authorizing the attorney-in-fact to obtain a marriage or civil union license on behalf of the terminally ill person and, where a power of attorney has also been executed by the person who is not terminally ill, on behalf of that person. Each power of attorney would be accompanied by a certification of the terminally ill person's treating physician. The power of attorney and accompanying certification would be a part of the marriage or civil union certificate upon registration. The bill also provides that, in lieu of the appearance of an attorney-in-fact on behalf of the hospitalized terminally ill patient or attorneys-in-fact for both parties, the parties could obtain a license by telephone. In this case the licensing officer would require the contracting parties communicating with him by telephone to subscribe and swear to an oath attesting the truth of the facts respecting the legality of the proposed marriage or civil union. The parties' testimony would be verified by a witness of legal age who is in the presence of the contracting parties. Under current law, any identifying witness, license applicant, or attorney-in-fact who knowingly makes false answers to any of the inquiries asked by the licensing officer is guilty of perjury. The bill specifies that making knowingly false answers to telephone inquiries asked by the licensing officer would constitute perjury as well. This bill is named after a Camden resident who passed away in February, 2015. While Linnette Lebron was dying in the hospital, her husband-to-be was forced to leave her side to go to court to try to obtain a waiver of the 72-hour waiting period. They were married in the hospital and she died the next day. The bill defines "terminally ill" as "having an illness or injury that can reasonably be expected to result in death in 12 months or less as determined by the treating physician." | In Committee |
| A3724 | Establishes Regulatory Improvement Commission. | This bill establishes a "Regulatory Improvement Commission" in, but not of, the Department of State. The commission will consist of nine members. Five members will be appointed by the Governor, one member will be appointed by the President of the Senate, one member will be appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, one member will be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, and one member will be appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly. The purpose of the commission is to evaluate State regulations and provide recommendations for modification, consolidation, or repeal of certain State regulations to the Governor and Legislature with the aim of reducing compliance costs, encouraging growth and innovation, and improving competitiveness, all while protecting public health and safety. The commission will: (1) give priority in its analysis of State regulations to those that impose disproportionately high costs on small businesses, impose substantial paperwork burdens, or could be strengthened in their effectiveness while reducing regulatory cost; (2) solicit and review comments from the public on State regulations from residents and businesses for the purposes of recommending relief for those regulations that conflict with the public interest in economic growth and innovation; and (3) develop a set of State regulations to modify, consolidate, or repeal to be submitted to the Governor and Legislature. The commission will initiate a process to solicit and collect written recommendations from the general public, interested parties, State department and agencies, and other relevant entities regarding which State regulations should be examined. During the public comment period, the commission will conduct public outreach and convene focus groups to better inform the members of the commission of the public's interest and possible contributions to the work of the commission. The commission will also convene to review submitted recommendations and to identify State regulations to modify, consolidate, or eliminate in preparation to issue a final report. The bill directs the commission to issue a final report of its findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature no later than the 365th day after the commission organizes. The commission would expire 30 days after submitting its final report. | In Committee |
| A3755 | The "Uniform Criminal Records Accuracy Act." | This bill establishes the Uniform Criminal Records Accuracy Act to ensure the integrity of the State's criminal history record information, which increasingly is being used for non-criminal justice purposes. Under the act, contributing justice agencies and the Division of State Police are required to create, store, and maintain a dissemination log for every request for criminal history record information. A criminal justice agency is defined in the act as a governmental entity of the State, any other state, or the federal government which performs functions pertaining to the administration of criminal justice pursuant to statute, ordinance, resolution, or regulation, and which allocates a substantial portion of its budget to the administration of criminal justice. Each dissemination log is to include: the name of the subject about whom the information is requested; the name and address of the person making the request; the name of the person disseminating the information; the date of the request; the date of dissemination; and a statement of whether the information was disseminated for a purpose other than the administration of criminal justice. Information is to be included in the log within 14 days of dissemination. The bill requires contributing justice agencies with control, authority, or jurisdiction over a person to conform to certain standards in collecting, storing, and maintaining criminal history record information for certain reportable events. A reportable event is defined in the bill as any of the following relating to a crime or offense: 1) an arrest resulting in a person being detained in a police station, lock up, or other place maintained by a municipality for the detention of offenders or the county jail or collection of biometric information; 2) disposition after an arrest without initiation of a criminal proceeding; 3) initiation of a criminal proceeding; 4) disposition of a criminal proceeding, including diversion, dismissal, indefinite postponement, acquittal, guilty plea, conviction, sentencing, and modification, reversal, and revocation of the disposition; 5) commitment to or release from a place of detention or custodial supervision; 6) commencement or conclusion of noncustodial supervision; 7) completion of a sentence; 8) expungement, sealing, or setting aside of criminal history record information; 9) grant of clemency, including pardon or commutation, or restoration of rights; and 10) finding of mental incompetence by a court at any stage of a criminal proceeding. The agency is required to submit information on a reportable event to the State Police within five days of collecting it and to otherwise conform to State Police guidelines concerning collection, storage, maintenance, submission, and dissemination of accurate criminal history record information, including biometric information, such as fingerprints. If an agency discovers inaccurate criminal history record information, it is required to correct its records, notify the State Police of the inaccuracy and correction, and within one year of discovery, notify each agency that received the information of the inaccuracy and correction. The State Police are required by the act to receive, store, maintain, and disseminate accurate criminal history record information in compliance with procedures adopted by the Attorney General. The State Police have 14 days after a person requests his or her criminal history record information to search its records and disseminate that information to the requester. The requester is to receive conspicuous notification that the information is provided for the requester's review only and may not be relied on or considered current for use by any other person. If one person authorizes another person to receive the person's criminal history record information, the State Police are to determine whether the information contains a disposition after an arrest without initiation of a criminal proceeding or a disposition of a criminal proceeding. If a disposition is not found, the State Police are to try to determine if there was a disposition and if so, include it in the relevant records. The State Police are to remove the notation of an arrest or initiation of criminal proceedings if 18 months have elapsed since the date of the arrest or initiation of criminal proceedings, whichever is later; no disposition has been identified; there is no outstanding warrant; and there is no pending proceeding that may result in a conviction. The State Police have five days to disseminate the information to the person and the requester and 14 days to correct inaccurate records. The bill also requires the State Police to inform the public of the existence and accessibility of criminal history record information collected, stored, maintained, and disseminated by contributing justice agencies and the superintendent and to provide agencies with appropriate training. The bill further requires the State Police to create and maintain a mistaken identity prevention registry consisting of information voluntarily provided by a victim of mistaken identity or a person whose name or other identifying characteristic is similar to that of another person who is the subject of criminal history record information. The purpose of the registry is to prevent inaccurate criminal history record information, inaccurate modification of criminal history record information, mistaken arrest, and confusion of one person with another person when criminal history record information is searched. The act sets forth procedures for a person to follow to have criminal history record information corrected by an agency or the State Police. The State Police are required to approve or deny a request for correction within 40 days. Upon approval of a request, the State Police have 14 days to correct its records and give notice of the inaccuracy. The person is to be provided a free certified, corrected copy of the accurate information. If the request is denied, the person has the right to appeal. The Attorney General is responsible under the bill to establish procedures to protect the confidentiality and security of criminal history record information and to conduct annual audits of a sample of contributing justice agencies and a triennial audit of the State Police. The Attorney General, the State Police, or a person may commence an action to compel compliance with or enjoin a violation of the provisions of the bill. Reasonable fees, attorneys' fees, and court costs may be awarded. Civil fines also may be imposed. According to the National Conference of Commissioners on State Laws, there have been numerous developments concerning criminal records over the past 20 years, including the creation of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) in 1993, the establishment of criminal history repositories in all states, and the increasing use of criminal record checks in connection with eligibility for employment, professional and occupational licenses, credit worthiness, and other non-criminal justice purposes. Recent studies have demonstrated that criminal records accessed for these purposes may be inaccurate or incomplete which may be attributable to lack of information concerning dispositions after an arrest or other charge that has been entered in a database; data entry errors resulting in an incorrect listing of the offense; multiple listings of the same offense; attribution of an offense to a wrong person; criminal identity theft; and searches for criminal record information resulting in one person's criminal record information appearing in search results initiated for a different person. This bill is modeled on the conference's recommendations to improve the accuracy of criminal history record information. | In Committee |
| A3749 | Permits municipality to establish restricted parking spaces for certain volunteer firefighters. | This bill would permit a municipality that has a volunteer fire department to adopt an ordinance, resolution, or regulation permitting the establishment of restricted parking spaces in front of volunteer firefighters' homes. The designation of restricted volunteer firefighter parking spaces would only be permitted if it would not interfere with the normal flow of traffic. A municipality that designates such parking spaces would issue permits to volunteer firefighters. The permits would identify the specific motor vehicle and the location where the vehicle may be parked. The permit would need to be displayed prominently within the vehicle when it is parked so as to be seen from the middle of the street. | In Committee |
| A3743 | Requires sexual assault forensic evidence to be preserved for 10 years. | This bill would require every custodian of sexual assault forensic evidence to preserve any sexual assault forensic evidence secured in relation to an investigation or prosecution of a crime for 10 years from the date the evidence was collected, and where the alleged victim is a minor, for not less than 10 years after the alleged victim reaches the age of 18. Currently, under Attorney General Guidelines, sexual assault forensic evidence is to be preserved by the county prosecutor for at least five years. After five years, the Attorney General's Office may take possession of the evidence and continue to preserve it. The provisions of this bill apply to all sexual assault forensic evidence collected and retained for its potential evidentiary value in the investigation of a rape or sexual assault, including any forensic evidence collected and retained before the effective date of this act. The bill also requires the custodian of sexual assault forensic evidence to notify the alleged victim within 30 days after the evidence is collected that the evidence may be discarded after 10 years. The bill further requires that the custodian make diligent efforts to notify the alleged victim more than 30 days prior to the sexual assault forensic evidence being discarded. It is crucial that sexual assault forensic evidence be appropriately preserved so that it can be used to solve old crimes, enhance public safety, settle claims of innocence, and allow victims of sexual assault to report the crime to a law enforcement agency when they are mentally and emotionally prepared to do so. | In Committee |
| AJR144 | Designates June of each year as "Gun Violence Awareness Month." | This joint resolution designates June of each year as "Gun Violence Awareness Month" in New Jersey. Firearm violence is an epidemic in the United States and has a negative effect on society. According to 2019 CDC data, almost 40,000 people in the United States died from firearm-related injury. Americans are more likely than those in other developed countries to be murdered as the result of firearm violence. Firearm violence is the leading cause of death of women in United States instances of domestic violence and adversely affects children as well. Firearm violence has a devastating effect on communities within the United States, for instance, in the form of increased healthcare costs, increased criminal justice costs, increased costs to employers, and lost wages of gunshot victims. Communities can also experience lowered property values, neighborhood flight due to safety concerns, and lost business opportunities due to crimes committed by individuals with firearms. | In Committee |
| A3719 | Reduces threshold for filing annual disclosure statement with ELEC from $50,000 in public contracts to $17,500. | This bill reduces the threshold for filing an annual disclosure statement with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) from $50,000 in public contracts to $17,500. Currently, any business entity that has received public contracts in an amount equaling or exceeding $50,000 in the aggregate over the course of a calendar year is required to file an annual disclosure statement with ELEC if the entity has made certain political contributions. The bill would reduce that amount to $17,500. Under current law, a business entity that has received in any calendar year $50,000 or more in the aggregate in public contracts must file an annual disclosure statement with ELEC if the entity has made a political contribution to a candidate for public office, or a sitting public official, responsible for awarding public contracts, or to a political party committee, legislative leadership committee, political committee, or continuing political committee. The report must include all contributions made by the business entity during the preceding 12 months. State agencies may not enter into a contract in an amount over $17,500 with a business entity that has solicited or made any contributions to a candidate for or holder of the public office of Governor or of Lieutenant Governor, or to any State or county political party committee in the preceding 18 months. This bill will more closely align the reporting requirements to that threshold by requiring annual disclosure statements for contracts that exceed $17,500 in the aggregate over the course of a year. The bill also requires ELEC to publish on its Internet site a link to the official Internet site of the Division of Purchase and Property in the Department of the Treasury, along with a notice that procurement information specific to the award of public contracts by State agencies may be accessed thereon. The Department of the Treasury is to publish notice of the new threshold amount on its website and on the webpage for the Division of Purchase and Property. | In Committee |
| A3727 | Asks Joint Committee on Library of Congress to approve replacing NJ statues of Richard Stockton and Philip Kearny in National Statuary Hall Collection with statues of Harriet Tubman and Alice Paul. | The purpose of this bill is to request that the New Jersey statues of Richard Stockton and Philip Kearny in the National Statuary Hall Collection at the United States Capitol be replaced with statues of Harriet Tubman and Alice Paul. Harriet Tubman was an abolitionist, Civil War scout, emancipator, and suffragist. Tubman was born into slavery, and after risking her life to escape to the north, she embarked on numerous missions to liberate dozens of other enslaved people. Tubman was instrumental during the Civil War as a scout and spy and was the first woman to lead an armed expedition during the war. Tubman's legacy has extended throughout the United States, including the Harriet Tubman Museum of Cape May, which is set to open this year. Alice Paul was a women's rights activist, suffragist, and principal leader of the early 1900's campaign for the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. She was born on January 11, 1885, in Moorestown, New Jersey. Alice Paul was instrumental in the passage and ratification in 1920 of the Nineteenth Amendment, which prohibited denying any citizen the right to vote on the basis of sex. The bill enables the State, following the procedure established in federal law, to formally ask the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress to approve the replacement of the statues of Richard Stockton and Philip Kearny the State had provided for display in the National Statuary Hall Collection. If approved by the Joint Committee, the new statues would be of Harriet Tubman and Alice Paul. The bill establishes a temporary, bi-partisan, seven-member committee made up of: (1) four members appointed by the Governor, upon recommendation of the Senate President and the Speaker of the General Assembly; (2) the New Jersey Secretary of State, or a designee thereof; and (3) two members appointed by the Governor. The committee will select a sculptor or sculptors for the statues and determine how to fund its completion and transportation to the United States Capitol. | In Committee |
| A3725 | Establishes State Seal Task Force to review the State seal. | The New Jersey State seal was adopted in May of 1777. The State has significantly changed since that time, and some believe that the seal no longer provides an accurate representation of the State. This bill establishes a task force to be known at the State Seal Task Force. The task force will consider changing the State seal to update it to be more reflective of New Jersey today. At a minimum, the task force will: review the history of the State seal; review the history of the design of the State seal; analyze the population makeup and industrial sectors of the State at the time the seal was created and compare that with the current population makeup and industrial sectors of the State; assess the inclusiveness and representation of the State seal; consider possible changes to the State seal to make it more reflective of the State; consider the advantages and disadvantages of changing the State seal; and make recommendations as to whether or not the State seal should be redesigned. The task force will consist of 11 members, five of whom will be appointed by the Governor, including at least two high school students. The students appointed by the Governor who are under the age of 18 will be required to provide written permission from a parent or guardian to participate in the task force. The task force will report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature and the Governor within 18 months of its initial organizational meeting. The task force will expire after the submission of its report. | In Committee |
| A3744 | Permits, under certain circumstances, person adjudged juvenile delinquent to expunge record for act which would have constituted robbery if committed by adult. | This bill would permit a person who was adjudged a juvenile delinquent to expunge a juvenile record for an act which if committed by an adult would have constituted the crime of robbery (either under N.J.S.2C:15-1 or the robbery statute pre-dating the 1978 adoption of the "New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice" (Title 2C)), so long as the juvenile act did not involve the infliction of bodily injury or use of force upon another, or was not committed while using or armed with a firearm or other deadly weapon. Generally, for purposes of expungement, an act is classified as if it had been committed by an adult, and an act of robbery committed by an adult is ineligible for expungement; thus, under current law a juvenile act constituting robbery is ineligible for expungement. The bill would establish an exception with respect to the classification of a juvenile act constituting robbery that did not involve the infliction of bodily injury or use of force, or was not committed while using or armed with a firearm or other deadly weapon, so that a juvenile adjudication for such an act could be expunged. | In Committee |
| A3709 | Prohibits persons convicted of criminal animal cruelty offenses from owning domestic companion animals and from working or volunteering at animal-related enterprises; designated as "Moose's Law." | This bill, to be designated as "Moose's Law," would prohibit a person who has been convicted of a criminal animal cruelty offense in this State, or in any other state or jurisdiction, from: (1) commencing, operating, applying for employment, being employed, or volunteering at, or participating in any capacity in, an "animal-related enterprise" (enterprise), as that term is defined in the bill; or (2) acquiring or owning any domestic companion animal for a definitive period of time, as specified by a court. Any person who violates the bill's prohibitions would be guilty of a disorderly persons offense. This bill further specifies that no owner or operator of an animal-related enterprise may employ, or may allow to volunteer, at the enterprise any person who has been convicted of a criminal animal cruelty offense, and the bill requires certain actions to be undertaken to ensure such employment or volunteering does not occur. This prohibition would apply only to persons who are responsible for the care or handling of, or in direct contact with, any animal during the course of the person's employment, volunteering, or participation with the enterprise. The bill authorizes a court, upon a person's conviction for a criminal animal cruelty offense, to order the forfeiture of any domestic companion animal owned by the offender, or, if determined to be appropriate, to appoint a receiver to whom ownership and custody of the animal would be transferred. The bill specifies, however, that the court may not appoint as a receiver, any person who shares a place of residence with the offender. The bill further authorizes the court to issue an order prohibiting the offender from acquiring or owning any domestic companion animal for: (1) a period of not less than two years following the date of the offender's conviction for the present offense, or following the date of the offender's release from incarceration for the present offense, whichever is later; (2) the duration of the probationary period imposed by the court for the present offense, if that period will last for two years or longer; or (3) any more extended period of time, which the court, in its discretion, determines to be appropriate based on the nature and severity of the offense, the offender's prior history of animal cruelty offenses, and any other relevant factor. The bill provides for the owner or operator of the enterprise to determine that a person does not have a relevant criminal conviction by: (1) requesting and receiving, in writing, a determination by the Commissioner of Health that the person is not identified on the list, established pursuant to section 3 of P.L.1983, c.525 (C.4:19-15.16a), of persons who are ineligible to be certified animal control officers, or, if the person is identified on the list, that the person was not convicted of a criminal animal cruelty offense; and (2) performing, having performed, or requesting the Commissioner of Health to perform, a criminal background check confirming the employee, volunteer, or applicant for employment or a volunteer position has not been convicted of a criminal animal cruelty offense. The owner or operator of the enterprise would be allowed to provisionally employ a person or allow a person to provisionally volunteer for no more than 90 days pending the results of the criminal background check and the commissioner's determination concerning the list of persons who are ineligible to be certified animal control officers. Furthermore, the owner or operator of the animal-related enterprise would be authorized to: (1) determine the person's eligibility for employment, or for volunteer work, based on a criminal background check only, and without waiting for the commissioner to certify the person's eligibility for service as an animal control officer, provided that the criminal background check is completed no later than 90 days after the effective date of the bill for existing employees and existing volunteers, and for a provisional employee or provisional volunteer, no later than 90 days after receiving an application for employment or to volunteer; or (2) request that the Commissioner of Health perform a complete State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) criminal background check, at the owner's or operator's expense, within 30 days of the bill's effective date for existing employees and existing volunteers, and within two weeks of employment or volunteering for provisional employees and provisional volunteers. The owner or operator of an animal-related enterprise would be required to perform a criminal background check, or to request a Commissioner of Health criminal background check, only once for any employee or volunteer; however, the enterprise owner or operator would be directed to annually request and review an updated list, from the commissioner, of persons who are ineligible to be certified animal control officers, in order to confirm that the enterprise's employees and volunteers are still eligible to work or to volunteer for the enterprise, as applicable. The Commissioner of Health would be authorized to perform a complete State Police and FBI criminal background check if requested to do so under the bill. The bill would also specify that all names, addresses, and other information, which are submitted to the Commissioner of Health to complete a criminal background check, and any records developed therefrom, are to be considered criminal investigatory records for the purposes of compliance with P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.), commonly known as the open public records act, and may not be disclosed as a government record. Any employee or volunteer of an enterprise refusing to cooperate with the bill's background check requirements may be immediately dismissed. Any person who is considered ineligible to apply because of a criminal animal cruelty offense conviction may re-apply for employment, or for volunteer work, with the enterprise if the conviction is reversed. The bill would exempt, from its provisions: (1) any farm, livestock operation, or other business where domestic livestock are raised, kept, treated, marketed, or sold, and any owner, operator, or employee thereof; and (2) any academic research institution and any owner, operator, or employee thereof. | In Committee |
| A3740 | Bars enforcement of provision in decedent's will that would require euthanasia of healthy domestic companion animal. | This bill would bar the enforcement of any provision in a decedent's will that would require the euthanasia of a healthy pet. The bill was prompted by reports in March 2019 that a healthy Shih Tzu in Virginia was euthanized pursuant to her late owner's will. Reportedly, a local animal shelter had offered to hold the dog for adoption, but the executor declined. The executor brought the dog to a vet, where she was euthanized. Under the bill, any provision in a will that directs the fiduciary to euthanize a healthy domestic companion animal is against public policy and is void and unenforceable. The bill's definition of "fiduciary" is identical to that in N.J.S.3B:1-1: the term includes includes executors, general administrators of an intestate estate, administrators with the will annexed, substituted administrators, substituted administrators with the will annexed, guardians, substituted guardians, trustees, substituted trustees and, unless restricted by the subject or context, temporary administrators, administrators pendente lite, administrators ad prosequendum, administrators ad litem and other limited fiduciaries. The bill defines "domestic companion animal" as any animal commonly referred to as a pet or one that has been bought, bred, raised or otherwise acquired, in accordance with local ordinances and State and federal law, for the primary purpose of providing companionship to the owner, rather than for business or agricultural purposes. | In Committee |
| AJR148 | Designates September 11th of each year as "Heroes Day." | The attack on the United States on September 11, 2001 resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people, injury to countless others, and the disruption of innumerable lives. The events of September 11, 2001 brought to the forefront the courageous deeds performed by members of the Armed Forces, police officers, firefighters, and emergency services personnel, and caused the citizens of the State of New Jersey to take notice of their acts of heroism. Members of the Armed Forces, police officers, firefighters, and emergency services personnel throughout the State are called upon to serve and protect their fellow citizens. They are routinely subjected to dangerous situations and called away from their families and loves ones to save the lives of others in spite of the clear danger to their own lives. Since the terrorist attacks on this nation on September 11, 2001, members of the Armed Forces, police officers, firefighters, and emergency services personnel throughout the State have been called upon to make even greater sacrifices to ensure the safety and security of Americans. It is fitting and proper that the State of New Jersey recognize September 11th of each year as "Heroes Day," to salute the contributions of members of the Armed Forces, police officers, firefighters, and emergency services personnel to the security and well-being of this State. | In Committee |
| A3718 | Requires municipalities and boards of education record public meetings and post recordings on Internet. | This bill revises the "Senator Byron M. Baer Open Public Meetings Act" to require municipalities and boards of education to video record each meeting and to post the recordings on their Internet sites. The bill also provides that the minutes of a meeting of a municipality or board of education will include the video recording of the meeting. Portions of the recordings that correspond to the minutes that are accessible to the public shall be released to the public at the time the meeting minutes, or portions thereof, may legally be released to the public, and posted on the official Internet site of the municipality or board of education. | In Committee |
| AJR149 | Designates August of each year as Radon Awareness Month; designates August 2 of each year as Radon Action Day. | This resolution recognizes the risk of long term exposure to elevated levels of radon in contaminated indoor air. Radon is an odorless and colorless radioactive gas released from the Earth by the natural breakdown of uranium. Radon is a known carcinogen, killing over 21,000 Americans each year. It seeps upward into the air from exposed ground, through foundation cracks and other structural gaps. Radon levels fluctuate based on temperature, weather and other factors. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection classifies the majority of the State as having moderate to high risk potential for elevated levels of radon exposure. The U.S. Surgeon General recommends that a home be tested every other year, upon sale, whenever a structural change is made, and in newly occupied areas. Radon testing is simple and can be performed by certified professionals. Mitigation of exposure is immediate upon venting and sealing the foundation and any structural gaps. This resolution recognizes the importance of testing indoor air for elevated levels of radon, and the importance of remediation in New Jersey through a campaign of awareness each month of August, and a day of action each August 2. | In Committee |
| A3750 | Prohibits sale of crib bumpers. | This bill bans the sale of crib bumpers in the State by defining them as an unsafe children's product, pursuant to the consumer fraud act (CFA). The CFA provides that it is an unlawful practice for a commercial user to knowingly remanufacture, retrofit, sell, contract to sell or resell, lease, sublet, or otherwise place in the stream of commerce a children's product deemed unsafe. The CFA currently provides that a product is deemed unsafe if it: (1) has been recalled for any reason by a federal agency or the product's manufacturer, distributor, or importer and the recall has not been rescinded; or (2) a federal agency has issued a warning that a specific product's intended use constitutes a safety hazard and the warning has not been rescinded. This bill provides that a crib bumper additionally would be deemed an unsafe children's product. The bill defines a crib bumper to mean any material that is intended to cover the sides of a crib to prevent injury to a crib occupant from impacts against the side of a crib or to prevent partial or complete access to openings in the sides of a crib to prevent a crib occupant from getting any part of the body entrapped in an opening. The definition specifically includes a padded crib bumper, a supported and unsupported vinyl bumper guard, and vertical crib slat covers, but does not include a non-padded mesh crib liner. An unlawful practice under the CFA is punishable by a monetary penalty of not more than $10,000 for a first offense and not more than $20,000 for any subsequent offense. In addition, violations can result in cease and desist orders issued by the Attorney General, the assessment of punitive damages, and the awarding of treble damages and costs to the injured party. Current law further provides that licensed child care centers in the State are prohibited from using or having on premises a children's product deemed unsafe in accordance with the CFA. Accordingly, this bill would ensure that crib bumpers purchased prior to its effective date would not be used in child care centers. | In Committee |
| AR109 | Establishes Prison Gang Violence Task Force to study security and safety in State correctional facilities. | This Assembly Resolution establishes the Prison Gang Violence Task Force to study security and safety issues in the State's correctional facilities. The task force is to consist of 11 members appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, as follows: two members of the General Assembly, no more than one of whom shall be from the same political party; three State correctional police officers currently serving in State correctional facilities; two retired State correctional police officers; an expert in gangs or gang-related activities; two experts in correctional facility safety and security; and one expert in correctional facility operations and administration. Among the topics and issues the task force is to study are: the availability and utilization of administrative segregation for dangerous and disruptive inmates; the availability and utilization of safety equipment and apparel for and by State correctional police officers; the adequacy of training and preparedness, particularly the level and effectiveness of Correctional Emergency Response Training (CERT); the prevalence of gangs and gang-related activities in the State's correctional facilities and the adequacy and appropriateness of the State's programs and tactics for addressing the problem; the intelligence gathering methods currently being used to uncover and thwart threats to the efficient and tranquil operation of the facility; and the State's policies and procedures for investigating incidents, disruptions, riots, and other occurrences which pose a danger or risk to the safety, security, or well-being of the employees and inmates of that facility. The task force may conduct public hearings in furtherance of its general purpose. The task force is to report its findings, along with any recommendations, to the Speaker and the members of the General Assembly no later than one year after it organizes. While the task force members are to serve without compensation, they may be reimbursed for any expenses they incur in the performance of their duties, if funds are made available. Any vacancies in the membership are to be filled by appointment in the same manner as the original appointment. The final report of the first Assembly Prison Gang Task force found a number of serious issues concerning gang violence in the State's correctional facilities that compromise the safety and security of State correctional police officers and civilian employees. In addition, a subsequent report by the State Commission of Investigation found that the number of gang-affiliated inmates continued to rise, and that these inmates utilized increasingly sophisticated methods for exploiting the security vulnerabilities of correctional facilities. These issues continue to raise serious questions about the safety and security in our State correctional facilities. This task force is being established to study these issues. | In Committee |
| A3752 | Authorizes special plate for holders of "Combat Action Ribbon." | This bill amends the law authorizing a "Combat Infantryman Badge" plate so individuals who have been awarded a Combat Action Ribbon are eligible to receive the plate. Under current law, this plate is only available to the holder of a Combat Infantryman Badge. This requirement prevents Marines from obtaining the special plate, as they are awarded a Combat Action Ribbon and not a Combat Infantryman Badge. This bill amends the law so Marines are eligible to possess the plates. | In Committee |
| AJR146 | Urges Congress enact legislation granting statehood to Washington, D.C. | This joint resolution urges Congress to enact legislation granting statehood to Washington, D.C. Residents of the District of Columbia share all the responsibilities of United States citizenship, including paying more federal taxes than residents of 22 states, serving on federal juries, and defending the United States as members of the United States Armed Forces, yet they are denied full representation in Congress. The residents of the District of Columbia themselves have endorsed statehood. In 2016, a referendum was passed favoring statehood by 86 percent. | In Committee |
| A3757 | Requires DLPS to establish training program to prepare law enforcement to interact with autonomous vehicles. | This bill requires the Attorney General, in consultation with the Commissioner of Transportation, to establish a training course to prepare law enforcement to interact with autonomous vehicles. The bill requires every law enforcement officer appointed prior to the effective date of this act to complete the training course no later than December 31, 2020. Prior to being appointed to permanent status as a law enforcement officer, an individual is required to complete the training course. While autonomous vehicles are currently prohibited from being tested or operated on public highways in New Jersey, this bill will ensure that law enforcement will be prepared in emergency and traffic enforcement situations when autonomous vehicles begin operating on public highways. | In Committee |
| A3758 | Conforms Megan's law to requirements of federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. | This bill revises New Jersey's Megan's Law in response to requirements of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), enacted as part of the federal "Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006." SORNA created standards for state sex offender registration and community notification. In response to SORNA, this bill revises the scope, manner, and format of the disclosure to the general public of information pertaining to the identity, specific and general whereabouts, physical characteristics, and criminal history of persons found to have committed a sex offense. Under the SORNA scheme, information about adult sex offenders would be made available to the public through the Internet for the duration of the person's registration obligations under the law. In consideration of the circumstances of juvenile sex offenders and the interest in their rehabilitation, this bill requires them to register but does not include their information on the Internet registry unless the juvenile was tried as an adult. Under the bill's provisions, the offender will be classified as a 15-year, 25-year, or lifetime registrant based upon the offense committed. This bill, as does current law, requires sex offenders to verify their addresses with the appropriate law enforcement agency. The SORNA verification requirements implemented under this bill are based upon the offender's classification as a 15-year, 25-year, or lifetime registrant. A 15-year registrant will be required to verify his or her address with the appropriate law enforcement agency every 365 days; a 25-year registrant, every 180 days. A lifetime registrant is required to verify his or her address every 90 days. Under current law, New Jersey uses a risk-based tier classification process. The county prosecutors conduct a risk assessment for each convicted sex offender to determine the offender's risk of committing future offenses; the offender's tier classification for purposes of registration and the type of notification to the community are based upon the risk assessment. SORNA, however, bases the offender's obligation to register upon the sex offense committed, which allows a more expedient process. This bill requires that the offender be classified at the time of sentencing, which eliminates a potential gap in time between a registrant's release from custody or relocation and actual notification while awaiting completion of the risk-based tier classification process. The bill also requires the information to be provided to the National Sex Offender Registry and to be exchanged with other states when registered sex offenders relocate to or from or travel to this State. Utilizing a system of offense-based classification also permits New Jersey to avoid a 10 percent reduction annually in the State allocated share of federal Edward Byrne law enforcement grant funding. The Internet publication scheme envisioned by SORNA, which this bill implements, provides the public with information about a greater number of sex offenders than the information provided under current law. SORNA employs geographically-based Internet searches and electronic notification rather than the cumbersome and resource-intensive process of hand-delivery of notification fliers. This bill provides for a more efficient, uniform, and fiscally prudent system of registration and notification that promotes public safety by: (1) providing access to relevant information about sex offenders, and (2) enabling responsible organizations and individuals to take appropriate precautions to protect themselves and those in their care from the risk posed by sex offenders. The bill requires offenders to notify law enforcement of any international travel at least 21 days in advance. Any offender who fails to notify law enforcement or provides false information concerning international travel is guilty of a crime of the third degree. In 2007, the Legislature noted questions concerning whether Megan's Law is consistently applied in the 21 counties. The system of registration and notification created in this bill provides for a more uniform and consistent classification scheme, regardless of the registrant's county of residence. Sex offender registration and notification will be more effective in today's mobile society if laws are consistent among the states and other jurisdictions and cannot be evaded by moving between jurisdictions to take advantage of potential time gaps and loopholes. | In Committee |
| A3738 | Imposes mandatory forfeiture of public office, position or employment upon conviction of certain offenses. | This bill would require that persons convicted of certain offenses must forfeit their public office, position or employment. These persons would also be permanently barred from holding public office, position or employment in the future. Under current law, set out in N.J.S.2C:51-2, a person must forfeit his public office, position or employment and be barred from holding any future office or position of honor, trust or profit under this State or any of its administrative or political subdivisions if, among other grounds, he is convicted of an offense involving or touching on the office, position or employment. The statute provides that the phrase "involving or touching on his public office, position or employment" means that "the offense was related directly to the person's performance in, or circumstances flowing from, the specific public office, position or employment held by the person." This definition was added to the statute by P.L.2007, c.49, which increased the penalties for public corruption crimes. As noted in that bill statement, the definition was in accordance with a ruling by the New Jersey Supreme Court, McCann v. Clerk of the City of Jersey City, 167 N.J. 311 (2001), that interpreted the "involving or touching" language in N.J.S.2C:51-2. However, it is the view of the sponsor that the definition in McCann and in the 2007 enactment is not expansive enough and does not encompass certain situations where public employees' abuse of the public trust should warrant their dismissal from employment. For example, in State v. Hupka, 203 N.J. 222 (2010), the New Jersey Supreme Court held that forfeiture of office and disqualification from future public employment were not warranted in a case where a sheriff's officer, who also worked part-time as a police officer, pled guilty to criminal sexual contact, a crime of the fourth degree. He had originally been indicted for aggravated sexual assault, a crime of the first degree, and sexual assault, a crime of the second degree, after a female friend alleged that he had sexually assaulted her in her apartment. (A crime of the fourth degree is punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to 18 months or a fine of up to $10,000, or both; a crime of the second degree, by a term of five to 10 years or a fine of up to $150,000, or both; and a crime of the first degree, by a term of 10 to 20 years or a fine of up to $200,000 or both.) In a 3-2 decision, the Supreme Court held that Mr. Hupka's conviction was not sufficiently related to his position as a law enforcement officer to trigger the forfeiture and disqualification provisions of the statute, because he was off-duty at the time of the incident, in a private home with a person that he knew. In a dissenting opinion, Chief Justice Rabner wrote that, in his view, Mr. Hupka's actions did warrant forfeiture and disqualification, as they directly related to his performance as a law enforcement official. The Chief Justice wrote that the decision in an older Supreme Court case, Moore v. Youth Correctional Institute, 119 N.J. 256 (1990), set out the appropriate standards for review. In that decision, the court held that in determining whether an offense involves and touches on employment, "there is a need to assess the gravity of the crime as revealed by its nature, its context, and the identity of the victim ... [and] .... to assess the qualifications required of the employee's public employment." This bill would add the language in Moore to the provisions of N.J.S.2C:51-2. Under the bill, the "involving or touching on his public office, position or employment" definition would include the following new language: "In determining whether the offense was so related, the court shall assess the gravity of the offense as revealed by its nature, its context, and the identity of the victim, and shall assess the qualifications required of the specific public office, position or employment." In addition, the bill specifies that the court may make a determination that an offense was related directly to the person's performance in, or circumstances flowing from, the specific public office, position or employment held by the person notwithstanding the fact that the offense did not take place during employment hours or on employment grounds. | In Committee |
| A3707 | Requires certain doctors and nurses to ask patients questions regarding menstrual cycles, previous tampon use, and toxic shock syndrome. | This bill requires nurse practitioners who practices nursing in emergency medicine, family medicine, general obstetrics, or gynecology and physicians who practice emergency medicine, family medicine, general obstetrics, or gynecology to ask patients questions regarding menstrual cycles, previous tampon use, and toxic shock syndrome. Under the bill, a nurse practitioner or physician is to ask each female patient who is exhibiting symptoms associated with influenza or viral gastroenteritis if the patient has an active menstrual cycle or the date of the last menstrual cycle if the female patient does not have an active menstrual cycle at the time of the medical visit. A nurse practitioner or physician is to ask a female patient with an active menstrual cycle or a recently active menstrual cycle, when the patient most recently used a tampon and if the patient experienced symptoms associated with influenza or viral gastroenteritis while using the tampon or soon thereafter. A nurse practitioner or physician is to inform a female patient who is exhibiting symptoms associated with influenza or viral gastroenteritis about signs and symptoms of menstrual toxic shock syndrome. In addition, a nurse practitioner or physician is to offer to test a female patient for toxic shock syndrome if: (1) the patient is exhibiting symptoms associated with influenza or viral gastroenteritis; (2) the patient has an active or recently active menstrual cycle; and (3) the patient began experiencing symptoms associated with influenza or viral gastroenteritis while using a tampon or soon thereafter. | In Committee |
| A3754 | Requires 9-1-1 call takers and dispatchers to receive certain certification. | This bill requires 9-1-1 call takers and dispatchers to receive standardized training and to be certified in emergency medical dispatch and emergency fire dispatch. The bill provides that, in addition to any other training or certification requirements prescribed by the Office of Emergency Telecommunications Services, each call taker or dispatcher employed by a public safety answering point (PSAP) would be required to be certified through the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) in Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) and Emergency Fire Dispatch (EFD). | In Committee |
| AJR145 | Designates month of March as "Military and Law Enforcement Working Dogs Month." | This resolution designates the month of March as "Military and Law Enforcement Working Dogs Month" to honor the service and sacrifice of military and law enforcement working dogs and their handlers. The resolution also respectfully requests that the Governor issue an annual proclamation calling upon public officials and citizens of this State to engage in appropriate activities and programs throughout the month of March. Military and law enforcement working dogs continue to play an important role in protecting our nation from both foreign and domestic threats. Although dogs had been used by the military for quite some time, the month of March marks the first time a formal dog-training program was established by the United States Army. March 13th is known as "National K9 Veterans Day" because on March 13, 1942, the United States Army announced creation of the War Dog Program or the "K-9 Corps." Dogs from a number of acceptable breeds including German Shepherds, Belgian Sheep Dogs, Doberman Pinschers, Collies, Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, and Eskimo Dogs underwent basic obedience training before entering one of four specialized programs focusing on either sentry work, scouting, messaging, or mine detection. Since then, over 16,000 dogs have served in armed conflicts overseas and have played a critical role saving lives and preventing battlefield injuries to American service members. The Army's decision to train dogs for military purposes was done after organizations like the American Kennel Club formed "Dogs for Defense," a civilian organization whose mission was to train dogs to perform sentry duties along the coastal United States. After becoming aware of this program and recognizing the strategic advantages dogs could provide, Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson approved formation of the K-9 Corps. Dogs possess a number of character traits, such as intelligence, loyalty, dependability, and adaptability, which make them particularly suited for military use. In addition, dogs have strong vision, a powerful sense of smell, and can subdue enemy combatants with the use of non-lethal force. After the successful launch of the K-9 Corps, local law enforcement began using working dogs to help in their own operations beginning in the 1970s. These dogs were used to assist in the apprehension of suspects; detection of drugs, explosives, or other evidence in a criminal investigation; and performance of search and rescue operations during bombings, natural disasters, or missing persons cases. Not every dog is suitable for a role with military or law enforcement. Those selected to participate in a training program join an elite group of dogs that have exhibited proper temperament and decision making abilities. Today, German Shepherds are considered the most suitable for training programs because they consistently display the proper combination of intelligence, dependability, predictability, and adaptability. Unleashing the potential of a working dog to carry out military and law enforcement objectives would not be possible without their handlers. Similar to the animals they work with, handlers go through a rigorous training program integrating classroom instruction, first aid, and real world simulations. This curriculum leaves them able to understand how a canine learns new behaviors, how to care for a dog, and how to operate with a dog in different environments. The State of New Jersey is proud to recognize the contributions of this extraordinary group of military and law enforcement personnel by dedicating a month in their honor. | In Committee |
| A3746 | Clarifies that encouraging another person to cause bodily injury, by filming, photographing, or otherwise recording injury-causing act, is form of crime of endangering injured victim. | This bill amends the existing crime of endangering an injured victim to clarify that encouraging another person to cause bodily injury to a victim, by filming, photographing, or otherwise recording the injury-causing act, is a form of such crime. This crime is graded as a crime of the third degree, ordinarily punishable by a term of imprisonment of three to five years, a fine of up to $15,000, or both. The current law already makes it a crime for a person to "encourage" another who causes bodily injury to any person and then leaves the scene of the injury knowing or believing that the resulting injured person is physically helpless, mentally incapacitated, or otherwise unable to care for himself. The bill is intended to address recent incidents of particularly heinous assaults in New York City in which bystanders recorded violent attacks against Asian Americans without rendering aid or calling for medical assistance. | In Committee |
| A3715 | Provides certain health care benefits to surviving dependents of accidental disability retiree who participated in 9/11 WTC rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations; clarifies eligibility criteria for recalculation of retirement allowance for such participation. | This bill provides certain health care benefits to surviving dependents of an accidental disability retiree who participated in 9/11 World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations. The bill also clarifies the eligibility criteria for recalculating a retiree's pension if that person participated in rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations. Under current law, the surviving spouse of a retiree of the State Police Retirement System (SPRS) may elect to continue receiving health coverage through the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) as long as the spouse was covered by the retiree's health plan at the time of death. The surviving spouse is responsible for the cost of the coverage. The surviving spouse of a member of the Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS) or the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) is only eligible for continued coverage pursuant to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) for up to 36 months after the death of the retiree. This bill provides that a surviving spouse or dependent child of a member of the SPRS, PFRS, or PERS who was receiving an accidental disability retirement allowance based upon participation in World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations, and whose death resulted from a qualifying condition or impairment of health, is eligible for continued health care coverage. The bill also provides that the majority of the cost of the health care coverage would be covered by the State; the surviving spouse would be responsible to pay a percentage of the cost based upon the amount of retirement allowance the spouse is receiving. The bill would not apply to any surviving spouse or dependent child who is already eligible for continued health care benefits pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement in effect on the date of enactment of the bill. The bill also clarifies that a member who participated in World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations and who subsequently retired on a service retirement or ordinary disability retirement is eligible to have the retirement recalculated as an accidental disability retirement, regardless of whether the disability due to cleanup operations manifested prior or subsequent to the original retirement. The bill also provides that a retiree may apply for the recalculation within two years of the effective date of "The Bill Ricci World Trade Center Rescue, Recovery, and Cleanup Operations Act," P.L.2019, c.157, July 8, 2019. After that time, a retiree must apply for the recalculation within 30 days of the date that the retiree knew or should have known of the existence of the disability and its relation to the rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations. Finally, the bill clarifies that the benefits provided under this bill and under P.L.2019, c.157 apply to persons who become members of the SPRS, PFRS, or PERS later than two years after the effective date of P.L.2019, c.157. It provides that those members must file a written and sworn statement with the retirement system indicating the dates and locations of cleanup efforts within 30 days of becoming a member of the system. | In Committee |
| A3717 | Requires DMVA to partner with National Guard Association of New Jersey to offer State-sponsored life insurance for members of New Jersey National Guard. | This bill requires the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) to partner with the National Guard Association of New Jersey (NGANJ) to offer State-sponsored life insurance for the New Jersey National Guard (NJNG). The NJNG currently consists of over 8,300 dedicated servicemembers committed to protecting New Jersey, the United States, and the rest of the world. Members of the National Guard live in the community and are ready to assist civilian emergency management before, during, and after emergency situations. New Jersey is committed to caring for the servicemembers and families of the National Guard. Currently, members of the NJNG do not benefit from a low-cost State-sponsored life insurance program. This is due to several perceived federal legal and ethical issues associated with a State-sponsored life insurance benefit for National Guard servicemembers. However, the United States Congress has provided that a member of the National Guard may enroll in a group life insurance program sponsored by the military department of the state in which such member holds his or her National Guard membership or by the National Guard Association of such state. This bill designates the NGANJ the provider of State-sponsored life insurance products offered through insurers licensed to transact insurance business in New Jersey for military members and dependents of the NJNG. The program will be known as the "New Jersey National Guard State-Sponsored Life Insurance Program." The DMVA, through the Adjutant General, is designated as the official departmental sponsor of the program. The department will allow, facilitate, and coordinate all efforts to make the program available to all members of the NJNG, and will allow, facilitate, and coordinate requested allotments with the appropriate United States Property and Fiscal Office. This bill will not add any fiscal responsibility for the State. | In Committee |
| A3710 | Requires each State agency make State forms, applications, and other documents available in certain languages, including Gujarati, Korean, and Punjabi. | This bill requires all forms, applications, or any other written or electronic documents furnished to the public for official business by a State agency to be made available in at least the five most commonly spoken languages in this State, based on the most recent federal decennial census data. A State agency is also required to furnish forms, applications, or any other written or electronic documents in Gujarati, Korean, and Punjabi, upon request. As used in bill, "State agency" means any principal department in the Executive Branch of State government, and any division, board, bureau, office, commission or other instrumentality within or created by such department, and any independent State authority, commission, instrumentality or agency. | In Committee |
| A3745 | Authorizes VCCO to make payments to dependents of deceased victims in cases of strict liability for drug-induced deaths. | This bill amends current law to add the crime of strict liability for drug-induced deaths to the list of crimes for which the Victims of Crime Compensation Office (VCCO) may order the payment of compensation for personal injury or death. Under the provisions of the bill, the VCCO would be authorized to order the payment of compensation for the benefit of the dependents of the deceased victim. The crime of strict liability for drug-induced deaths provides that any person who manufactures, distributes, or dispenses certain controlled dangerous substances is strictly liable for a death which results from the injection, inhalation or ingestion of that substance, and is guilty of a crime of the first degree. Under the bill's provisions, the payment only would be permitted to be ordered in cases in which a defendant has been charged. | In Committee |
| ACR121 | Urges Congress to add Ireland to nonimmigrant visa program. | This concurrent resolution urges the United States Congress to add Ireland to the E-3 nonimmigrant visa program. The E-3 nonimmigrant visa program currently allows highly skilled Australian nationals expedited entry to live and work in the United States. E-3 visa recipients bring highly advanced and specialized knowledge to specialty occupations which otherwise would remain vacant in the United States. The program allocates a total of 10,500 visas to be awarded each year, but half of these visas go unused on an annual basis. Potential legislation in the United States Congress would allow for any unused visas to be awarded to Irish nationals who could fill current vacancies in a historically tight American labor market. Irish immigrants have long contributed to growth and development of the United States and the State of New Jersey in particular. The passage of the suggested legislation would further strengthen the special bond that exists between the United States and Ireland, and provide for greater workforce development at the state and national levels. | In Committee |
| A3714 | Requires Firefighter 1 certification of candidate who completes military firefighter training and at least 12 months active duty military service in lieu of training course requirements. | This bill provides that a person who completed at least 12 months of active duty military service and has satisfactorily completed military firefighter training is eligible to receive Firefighter 1 certification. Under current law, a candidate for Firefighter 1 certification is required to meet the eligibility, training, and examination requirements established by the Division of Fire Safety in the Department of Community Affairs. Under the bill, a person who has not completed the training program requirements established by the division, but meets the other eligibility and examination requirements required for certification, is to receive a Firefighter 1 certificate if the person has completed at least 12 months of active duty military service and has satisfactorily completed military firefighter training during the period of active duty military service. | In Committee |
| A3712 | Exempts handwritten signature from public disclosure; requires redaction when posted on Internet. | This bill exempts handwritten signatures from public disclosure and requires redaction when documents containing handwritten signatures are posted on the Internet. The bill mandates that any public agency that posts or makes available on the Internet a document that contains the handwritten signature of any person is to redact the signature prior to making the document available on the Internet. The original document may not be altered pursuant to this bill. Upon written request by a person whose signature appears on a document that was posted on the Internet before enactment of the bill, the public agency is to redact that person's signature within seven business days from receipt of the request. The bill does not apply to signatures on a petition related to elective public office or for any ballot question. It also does not apply to the signature of any person holding a public office, employment, or position when the signature is on a government record required to be made or maintained within the scope of that person's office, employment, or position. The bill requires the Department of Community Affairs to publish notice of the requirements of this bill on its Internet website. The bill also exempts handwritten signatures from disclosure under the open public records law and requires redaction from a public record when issued pursuant thereto. | In Committee |
| A3708 | Revises certain requirements concerning reported cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult. | This bill revises the "Adult Protective Services Act," P.L.1993, c.249 (C.52:27D-406 et seq.), to: expand the mandatory reporting requirement; establish penalties for failure to make a mandatory report, for interfering with an evaluation of a report, and for interfering with the provision of protective services; and establish a public registry of substantiated acts of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable adults. Current law requires health care professionals, law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians who have reasonable cause to believe that a vulnerable adult is the subject of abuse, neglect, or exploitation to report the information to the county adult protective services provider. For all other people, reporting is permissive. The bill revises these requirements to make reporting abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult mandatory for every person in the State. A person who has reasonable cause to believe a vulnerable adult is being abused, neglected, or exploited who fails to make a report will be guilty of a crime of the fourth degree, which is punishable by imprisonment for up to 18 months, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. The person will additionally be liable to a civil penalty of up to $500. Current law establishes requirements for county adult protective services providers to evaluate reports of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult, which include the ability to obtain a court order to compel compliance with an evaluation. The bill provides that anyone who willfully interferes with or prevents an evaluation from being conducted after a court has issued an order to conduct the evaluation will be guilty of a crime of the fourth degree, which is punishable by imprisonment for up to 18 months, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. Current law provides that, if a county adult protective services provider determines that a vulnerable adult is in need of protective services, and the vulnerable adult or the vulnerable adult's guardian consents, the provider is to provide, arrange for the provision of, or make formal referrals for, appropriate protective services. The bill provides that any person who willfully interferes with the provision of those services is guilty of a crime of the fourth degree. The Department of Human Services currently maintains a central registry of all reports of suspected abuse, neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable adults, which includes demographic data on vulnerable adults, Statewide statistics related to abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and other information submitted by county adult protective services providers. The bill requires the department to make available on its Internet website a publicly available registry of substantiated acts of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable adults, which will include, at a minimum, the name of each individual found to have abused, neglected, or exploited a vulnerable adult, along with a description of the nature of the offense and whether the individual has committed other substantiated acts of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult. The publicly available registry will not include any personal or identifying information concerning the vulnerable adult. | In Committee |
| AR110 | Urges President and Congress to enact "Humane Cosmetics Act of 2023." | This bill urges the President and Congress to enact the "Humane Cosmetics Act of 2023," which would prohibit testing cosmetics on animals, as well as the sale or transport of a cosmetic in interstate commerce, if any component of the cosmetic was developed or manufactured using animal testing. The bill was introduced in the 118th Congress as H.R.5399. Every year, countless animals are poisoned and killed in tests that attempt to evaluate the hazards of consumer products and their ingredients. Despite the widespread availability of effective alternatives to animal testing, many cosmetics companies still conduct testing on animals. By banning animal testing in the United States, and prohibiting the sale of products that have been tested on animals, the enactment of this legislation would help reduce animal cosmetics testing worldwide, and bring the United States' cosmetics policy in line with more than 30 countries that have already implemented bans on the sale of animal-tested cosmetics, including the European Union, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, and India. The "Humane Cosmetics Act of 2023" is endorsed by over 370 companies in the cosmetics industry, and is supported by both Republican and Democratic cosponsors. By enacting this legislation, the United States can show moral leadership without compromising product safety or business profitability. | In Committee |
| A3716 | Establishes permanent task force to review and guide implementation of process improvement programs for government entities based on Lean Six Sigma management approach. | This bill establishes a permanent task force to review and guide implementation of process improvement programs for government entities based on the Lean Six Sigma management approach in order to improve the delivery of services and the efficiency and effectiveness of government operations. Lean Six Sigma, developed in the private sector, is a disciplined process improvement methodology that can benefit government agencies when implemented with leadership, planning, communication, cooperation, and training. Over the long term, this approach will result in enhanced performance, cost savings, and a change in the public sector's infrastructure and culture. It has been reported that the Lean Six Sigma management approach has been used with success by the federal Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, the cities of Fort Wayne, Indiana and Hartford, Connecticut, and the Florida Department of Revenue and Washington State Department of Licensing. The bill establishes within, but not of, the Department of the Treasury, a Process Improvement Program Task Force to provide leadership and guidance for the implementation of process improvement programs in government processes for the State, counties, municipalities, and school districts. The purpose of the task force would be to: (1) conduct a comprehensive review to identify, assess, and select those government processes of the State, a county, a municipality, or a board of education of a local school district that would benefit from utilizing the Lean Six Sigma management approach; (2) develop a priority order for the implementation of process improvement programs utilizing the Lean Six Sigma management approach; (3) develop recommendations and guidelines for the manner of implementation of a process improvement program for each government process selected; and (4) provide guidance and monitoring on a continuing basis for each process improvement program. The task force would be comprised of: (1) the head of each State department in the Executive Branch of State government, serving ex officio; (2) such other State officers or employees as the Governor shall deem appropriate; (3) three members of the public appointed by the Governor as follows: one member upon the recommendation of the New Jersey Association of Counties, one member upon the recommendation of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, and one member upon the recommendation of the New Jersey School Boards Association; and (4) three members of the public appointed by the Governor with education, training, or experience in the management approach called Lean Six Sigma, preferably with some education, training, or experience in the application of the approach in the public sector. The bill also requires the task force to hold meetings and issue reports according to the schedule specified in the bill. After due consideration of each report, the Governor, a board of county commissioners, a governing body of a municipality, or a board of education of a local school district, as appropriate, must: (1) direct the head of the government department, agency, commission, or board to proceed with the development and implementation of a process improvement program for each government process selected by the task force to the extent possible within the requirements of existing rules, regulations, codes, ordinances, and statutes; (2) by executive order, ordinance, or resolution, and as necessary and appropriate, proceed with the development and implementation of a process improvement program for each government process selected by the task force; and (3) seek from the Legislature or other governing body changes in a statute, code, ordinance, rule, or regulation to adopt, revise, or eliminate those requirements as may be necessary and appropriate to proceed with the development and implementation of a process improvement program. | In Committee |
| A2386 | Establishes Firefighter Critical Mental Health Assistance Grant Program; appropriates $1 million. | This bill establishes the Firefighter Critical Mental Health Assistance Grant Program. Due to the nature of firefighting, with its associated risks, danger, and stress, firefighters face a high probability of developing post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental illnesses. Firefighters commonly feel that disclosure of mental illness will result in negative professional consequences up to and including job loss, creating a culture in which firefighters often do not divulge mental health struggles and do not seek appropriate and necessary treatment. Family members of firefighters often face unique stressors related to their loved ones' employment and may have an elevated need for mental health services. To address these concerns, the bill establishes the Firefighter Critical Mental Health Assistance Grant Program in the Department of Human Services. The purpose of the program is to award grants to mental health providers to provide confidential mental health services to firefighters and members of their immediate families who are in a mental health crisis or suicidal. Under the bill, the Commissioner of Human Services is required to develop an application by which a mental health services provider may apply for a grant for funding to provide mental health services pursuant to the provisions of the bill. The commissioner is required to establish selection criteria for the awarding of grants under the program. The bill provides that consideration is to be given, to the greatest extent possible, to the geographical location of mental health providers and the areas where they provide services in order to facilitate patients traveling less than one hour to receive mental health services. Under the bill, the commissioner is to provide notice of the availability of funding for this program and make the application available on the department's Internet website. Upon receipt of an application, the commissioner is required to review the application and, subject to the availability of funds, award a grant to each approved grant applicant. Additionally, under the bill, the commissioner is required to publish a list of approved mental health providers on the department's Internet website. | In Committee |
| ACR113 | Urges Congress to amend the "Communication Decency Act of 1996." | This bill respectfully requests that the Congress of the United States amend 47 U.S.C. section 230(e)(1) of the "Communication Decency Act of 1996," 47 U.S.C. section 230 (the "CDA") to the following language: "Nothing in this section shall be construed to impair the enforcement of section 223 or 231 of this Act, chapter 71 (relating to obscenity) or 110 (relating to sexual exploitation of children) of title 18, or any other Federal or State criminal statute." Currently, the CDA, which immunizes internet service providers and users from liability for tortuous acts committed by third parties, effectively thwarts the enforcement of state criminal laws intended to investigate and prosecute those who promote child prostitution and child sexual exploitation. | In Committee |
| A441 | Exempts experienced volunteer firefighters from certain requirements. | Exempts experienced volunteer firefighters from certain requirements. | In Committee |
| A2225 | Requires certain standards for professional and occupational boards considering applicants with criminal history records. | This bill requires professional and occupational boards in the Division of Consumer Affairs, when determining whether a person is disqualified from certification, registration or licensure because of a prior conviction of a crime, to consider whether the crime directly relates to the profession or occupation regulated by the board. Current law permits a board to refuse to admit a person to an examination or refuse to issue or to suspend or revoke any certificate, registration or license issued by the board upon proof that the applicant or holder of such certificate, registration or license has been convicted of, or engaged in acts constituting, any crime or offense involving moral turpitude or relating adversely to the activity regulated by the board. The bill amends this standard of proof in current law to delete the reference to a crime or offense involving moral turpitude, and requires that the crime or offense be directly related to the activity regulated by the board, rather than adversely related. In addition, the bill supplements current law to provide that no person will be disqualified from obtaining or holding any certificate, registration or license issued by a board solely because of a prior conviction of a crime, unless the crime directly relates to the profession or occupation regulated by the board. In determining whether a crime or offense directly relates to the activity regulated by the board, a board must consider the following: (1) the nature and seriousness of the crime and the passage of time since its commission; (2) the relationship of the crime to the purposes of regulating the profession or occupation regulated by the board; (3) any evidence of rehabilitation of the person in the period of time following the prior conviction; and (4) the relationship of the crime to the ability, capacity, and fitness required to perform the duties and discharge the responsibilities of the profession or occupation regulated by the board. The bill provides that a board may not disqualify a person from obtaining or holding a certificate, registration or license issued by the board because of a person's prior conviction of a crime unless it provides the person with a written notice that the board has determined that the conviction may disqualify the person, demonstrates the connection between the conviction and the profession or occupation regulated by the board, and affords the person an opportunity to be heard before the board prior to the board making a final decision on whether to disqualify the person. If the board's final decision is to disqualify the person, the board must notify the person in writing as to the grounds and reasons for the disqualification, the earliest date upon which the person may reapply, and that evidence of rehabilitation may be considered upon reapplication. The bill also provides that a person's prior conviction for any sex offense that would qualify the person for registration under "Megan's Law," or under an equivalent statute of another state or jurisdiction, creates a rebuttable presumption that a direct relationship exists between the prior conviction and the profession or occupation regulated by the board. Finally, the bill requires the division to obtain data concerning the number of, and reasons for, disqualification by any board pursuant to the provisions of the bill, and annually submit a report to the Legislature that provides the disqualification data for each board. | In Committee |
| A1832 | Requires financial institutions to release records to adult protective services when suspecting fraud of vulnerable adult or senior customer; allows adult protective service to release same records to law enforcement agency if necessary. | This bill amends existing law to require financial institutions to release financial records regarding a customer's account to a county adult protective services provider when suspecting fraud of a vulnerable adult or senior customer. Under the bill, the adult protective services provider is then authorized to release the same records to a law enforcement agency, if deemed necessary. Under the existing law, a financial institution is authorized, but not required, to release financial records regarding a customer's account to a law enforcement agency, a county adult protective services provider, or both under the same circumstances. As such, this bill mandates financial institutions to release such records and provides that adult protective services is the first point of contact. As defined under the existing law, a "senior customer" means a natural person, who, to the financial institution acting in good faith, appears to be at least 60 years of age, who utilized or is utilizing any service of a financial institution, or for whom a financial institution is acting or has acted as a fiduciary, in relation to an account maintained in the person's name. A "vulnerable customer" means a natural person, who is at least 18 years of age, resides in a community setting, and, to a financial institution acting in good faith, appears to have a physical or mental illness, disability or deficiency, or lacks a sufficient understanding of, and the capacity to make, communicate or carry out decisions concerning, the management of the customer's savings or resources, who utilized or is utilizing any service of a financial institution, or for whom a financial institution is acting or has acted as a fiduciary, in relation to an account maintained in the person's name. | In Committee |
| A3607 | Requires public school instruction in suicide prevention to be provided in grades kindergarten through 12 and include certain elements. | Current law requires that instruction in suicide prevention be included in an appropriate place in the curriculum of elementary school, middle school, and high school students. This bill provides that the instruction in suicide prevention will also include mental health as it relates to suicide prevention, and the instruction will be provided to students in each of the grades kindergarten through 12. The instruction must incorporate evidence-based standards and be adapted to the age and understanding of the students. The bill also specifies the following minimum elements that must be included as part of the instruction: (a) the concept of wellness including self-care and personal responsibility for one's own mental health and wellness; (b) the concept of mental health as an integral part of health; (c) recognition of the warning signs of suicide; (d) awareness of the risk of suicide and self-harm; (e) the relationship between mental health, substance abuse, and other negative coping behaviors; (f) the negative impact of stigma and cultural attitudes toward mental illness; (g) the implications of risk factors, protective factors, and resiliency on mental health and wellness; and (h) identifying appropriate professionals, services, and family supports for suicide prevention. | In Committee |
| A3629 | Establishes Task Force on Institutional Discrimination in Health Care. | This bill establishes the Task Force on Institutional Discrimination in Health Care (task force). Under the bill, the task force is to study and evaluate aspects of the institution of health care that may contribute to unequal health outcomes for patients of different races and socioeconomic classes. The task force is to: (1) review existing research, studies, and data concerning unequal health outcomes for patients of different races and socioeconomic classes; and (2) identify specific policies for diminishing unequal health outcomes for patients of different races and socioeconomic classes, including, but not limited to, institutional analyses of hospitals and other facilities and training on racism in the medical profession. | In Committee |
| A3600 | Increases the frequency of permanency hearing from every 12 months to every six months. | This bill increases the frequency of permanency hearings for children placed outside their homes from every 12 months to every six months. Specifically, the bill amends section 34 of P.L.1974, c.119 (C.9:6-8.54) to require a permanency hearing for a child placed in the custody of a relative, other suitable person, or the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP), after a finding that the DCPP has made reasonable efforts to prevent placement or that reasonable efforts to prevent placement were not required, be held no later than six months after placement in cases in which the court has determined that efforts to reunify the child with the parent or guardian are required. Current law requires that permanency hearings take place no later than 12 months after placement in such cases. The bill also amends section 50 of P.L.1999, c.53 (C.30:4C-61.2) to require that a permanency hearing providing for court review and approval of a placement plan be held no later than six months after a child has been in placement. Current law requires that this hearing be held no later than 12 months after the child has been in placement. | In Committee |
| A3622 | Requires replacement of the terms "mother" and "father" with the terms "parent or guardian" on all State blanks, forms, documents, and applications. | This bill requires all blanks, forms, documents, and applications furnished to the public for official business by every State department, commission, committee, council, or agency using the terms "mother" and "father" be replaced with blanks, forms, documents, and applications using the term "parent or guardian." | In Committee |
| AJR140 | Designates second full week in November of each year as "School Psychology Awareness Week." | This resolution designates the second full week in November of each year as "School Psychology Awareness Week." The State of New Jersey has long been recognized as a national leader in education for the quality of its educational system. An important component of a comprehensive education is attention to mental health. Students today face many challenges to their mental, emotional, and social well-being that can impact their academic performance. Ensuring students have access to mental health resources is critical for New Jersey and its future. School psychologists have an important role in the education system by providing the mental health support that students need to succeed. They have rigorous professional standards with a commitment to the health of students and their families. Children cannot learn if they do not feel physically and psychologically safe, and school psychologists are in a unique position to provide support to students. It is important to recognize and promote the vital work being done for New Jersey students by school psychologists. Their continued efforts will help to ensure a stronger future for the education of children and youths across the State. | In Committee |
| A3601 | Makes supplemental appropriation of $1 million to New Jersey Library Network for continuation of services. | This bill appropriates $1 million from the General Fund to the Department of State to support the continuation of services of the New Jersey Library Network. The New Jersey Library Network is made up of approximately 2,500 libraries across New Jersey that provide vital services to communities within the State. The purpose of the network is to promote cooperation among the various types of libraries in New Jersey and provide the State's residents with full and equal access to library materials and programs. This bill appropriates additional funds to defray the rising costs of providing library services. | In Committee |
| A3640 | Authorizes Assistant Commissioner of Division of Developmental Disabilities to establish exception rates, and programmatic and staffing requirements, for individuals with highly acute needs. | This bill would allow the Assistant Commissioner of the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) in the Department of Human Services to create an exception rate for individuals who are identified thereby as having highly acute needs, and to mandate specific clinical and staffing requirements in association with that rate for each individual. The rate and programmatic requirements will be established on an individual basis in order to ensure that funding is directly tied to true costs based on the programmatic requirements outlined in each case. There is a small sub-population of individuals with developmental disabilities in New Jersey who are not able to be safely served in the current developmental disabilities system, due to inadequate staffing and clinical supports. This sub-population exhibits extremely intense self-injurious behavior, aggression towards others, or a combination of both, which significantly increases the risk of injury to these individuals, their families, facility staff, and anyone else around them. The fee-for-service system recently implemented by the DDD does not account for this sub-population of individuals, and because these individuals represent such a small percentage of the overall population, and can be seen as outliers, the current rate structure was designed without these individuals in mind. As a result, even the highest rates do not account for the staffing ratios and clinical supports that are required to safely support these individuals. The policies associated with the new fee-for-service system also do not ensure the safety of these individuals, as there are no requirements for mandated staffing ratios or specific clinical supports. This can lead to the dangerous placement of these individuals with service providers who are not clinically equipped to support someone with such intense needs. This bill would attempt to alleviate the system's shortcomings in this regard. | In Committee |
| A3604 | Requires lactation rooms be made available at certain PANYNJ airports. | This bill requires the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (Port Authority) to provide a lactation room at all airports maintained or operated by the Port Authority that have 1,000,000 or more enplanements per year. Airports that are maintained or operated by the Port Authority that have fewer than 1,000,000 but more than 10,000 enplanements per year are required to provide lactation rooms upon the completion of construction of a new passenger terminal or the replacement, expansion, or renovation of an existing passenger terminal. All lactation rooms are required to include, at minimum, a chair and an electrical outlet and be located outside of the confines of a public restroom. Lactation rooms that are provided following the completion of construction of a new passenger terminal, or the replacement, expansion, or renovation of an existing passenger terminal, are required to include a sink. | In Committee |
| AJR136 | Designates December of 3rd of each year as "International Day of Persons with Disabilities." | This joint resolution designates December of 3rd of each year as "International Day of Persons with Disabilities" in New Jersey to State promote the public understanding of the inequalities that exclude people living with disabilities, mobilize support for the dignity, rights, and well-being of persons with disabilities, and increase awareness of the gains derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. The joint resolution respectfully requests the Governor to annually issue a proclamation recognizing December of 3rd as "International Day of Persons with Disabilities" in New Jersey and calls upon public officials and the citizens of New Jersey to observe the day with appropriate activities and programs. | In Committee |
| A3630 | Codifies certain regulatory provisions regarding controlled dangerous substances and prescription monitoring. | This bill codifies into statute certain regulatory provisions regarding controlled dangerous substances and prescription monitoring. Specifically, the bill provides that a physician is to: 1) require a patient who is prescribed a controlled dangerous substance for chronic pain management to undergo random urine screens at least once every 12 months and conduct baseline urine drug testing for new patients; 2) advise the patient, or the patient's parent or guardian if the patient is under 18 years of age and is not an emancipated minor, of the availability of an opioid antidote; and 3) refer the patient to a pain management or addiction specialist for independent evaluation or treatment in order to achieve treatment objectives, if those objectives are not being met. The bill amends the definition of "chronic pain," consistent with existing regulations, to mean pain that persists for three or more consecutive months, and which continues, either continuously or episodically, after reasonable medical efforts have been made to relieve the pain or its cause. The bill also codifies the regulatory provision that permits a physician to prescribe a 90 day supply of an implantable infusion pump that is utilized to achieve pain management for patients suffering from cancer, intractable pain, or terminal illness. | In Committee |
| ACR112 | Proposes constitutional amendment to provide that disabled veterans may have served at any time in order to receive benefits provided by Constitution or by law. | This proposed constitutional amendment provides that disabled veterans who served in the armed forces at any time to receive certain State benefits. Currently, a disabled veteran is required to have served in time of war or other emergency to receive these benefits. These benefits include, but are not limited to, hiring preferences for civil service jobs and some property tax deductions or exemptions. | In Committee |
| ACR116 | Expresses support for establishment of "Farmers Bill of Rights." | This concurrent resolution expresses the support of the Legislature for the agricultural community and supports the establishment of a Farmers Bill of Rights, recognizing that farmers should have the right to: access a competitive open marketplace to buy seeds, fertilizer, and other goods, and to sell produce, livestock, and meat; feed their community; access fair capital; protect natural resources and preserve land-based agricultural resources; food security and access to domestic farmland; repair their own tractors and equipment; accurately inform consumers of a product's origin using transparent labeling; access basic services in rural communities; and preserve a diverse community of farmers and farming practices. The resolution urges the United States Congress to pass legislation similar to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 36 of 2020 supporting a Farmers Bill of Rights, and further urges all relevant federal and State agencies to take any available action to support the agricultural community. | In Committee |
| AJR131 | Permanently designates the first Friday in February as "Give Kids a Smile Day" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution permanently designates the first Friday in February as "Give Kids A Smile Day" in New Jersey in order to educate families on the importance of oral health care, improve the health of communities by connecting underserved children and their families with dentists, and raise public awareness about the lack of access to dental care in this country and the need to provide oral health care to children in underserved communities. | In Committee |
| A3643 | Prohibits use of electronic smoking devices and tobacco products by food delivery drivers while engaged in food delivery. | This bill prohibits the use of electronic smoking devices and tobacco products by food delivery drivers while engaged in food delivery. Under the bill, an individual employed by a delicatessen, grocery store, supermarket, food or grocery delivery service, restaurant, or similar business, who is delivering food or groceries to a customer in the course of the individual's employment with the business, is prohibited from using an electronic smoking device or tobacco products while delivering, handling, or transporting the customer's food or groceries. The bill defines "electronic smoking device" to mean any electronic device that can be used to deliver nicotine or other substances to the person inhaling from the device, including, but not limited to, an electronic cigarette, cigar, cigarillo, hookah, or pipe. "Tobacco product" means any product containing, made, or derived from any tobacco, nicotine, or other chemicals or substances for consumption by a person, including, but not limited to, cigarettes, cigars, little cigars, cigarillos, pipe tobacco, or smoking tobacco. A person who violates the bill's provisions will be liable for 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, to be collected in a summary proceeding before the municipal court having jurisdiction. | In Committee |
| A3631 | Provides that persons between 18 and 21 years of age with disabilities are eligible to receive direct support professional services from DHS. | This bill would provide that any person with a physical, intellectual, or developmental disability who is between 18 and 21 years of age or older is eligible to receive direct support professional services from the Department of Human Services. A direct support professional provides direct, non-medical supportive assistance, on a daily basis, to a person who has a physical, intellectual, or developmental disability, with the aim of helping the person to: become better integrated into the community or the least restrictive environment; more effectively understand, communicate, and advocate for, the person's individual needs and desires; identify and participate in positive employment, job coaching, and training opportunities; make informed choices, and better understand the options and possible consequences of choices relating to physical health, safety, and emotional well-being; address challenging behaviors through a person-centered approach; successfully engage in the basic activities of daily living; identify and participate in activities that promote a healthy lifestyle; and otherwise lead a self-directed and autonomous life. Currently, individuals are not eligible for benefits from the Department of Human Services, including services from direct support professionals, until they reach the age of 21. Before the age of 21, it is assumed that individuals will receive necessary services at school, through the Department of Education. This bill would ensure that individuals who graduate high school earlier than age 21 are eligible for direct support professional services. The bill would require the Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Children and Families and the Assistant Commissioner of the Division of Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Human Services, to adopt rules and regulations to implement the bill's provisions. | In Committee |
| A3633 | Establishes School Plastics Upcycling Grant Program in DEP to provide proportional awards to eligible schools based on pro rata share of plastics collected, by each school, for upcycling purposes; appropriates $5 million. | This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), commencing at the end of the school year next following the bill's effective date, to establish and operate a School Plastics Upcycling Grant Program, the purpose of which would be to annually provide proportional grant funding to each eligible applicant school in the State, consistent with, based on, and in proportion to, each such school's annual, pro rata share of school-collected plastics, in order to enable each such school to purchase and acquire a fair, equitable, and proportional pro rata share of school-appropriate furnishings being annually produced, by authorized upcyclers, through the upcycling of school-collected plastics. The bill would appropriate $5 million, from the General Fund, to finance initial grant awards issued under the program. Pursuant to the bill's provisions, the School Plastics Upcycling Grant Program would be operated, by the commissioner, for an initial pilot period lasting for three years or until the funds appropriated under the bill are fully expended or are no longer sufficient to enable the issuance of proportional grant awards to all eligible applicant schools in any pilot year. Upon the conclusion of the pilot period and the commissioner's submission of a report, to the Governor and Legislature, recommending continuation of the program, the commissioner would be authorized to continue the program, in each year thereafter, within the limits of funds newly appropriated or otherwise made available for the program's purposes, and to the extent that such available program funds are sufficient, in each year of program operations, to provide for the issuance of proportional grant awards to all eligible applicant schools. In any year where the amount of available program funding is insufficient to enable all eligible applicant schools to receive a share of funding that is proportionate to each such school's pro rata share of collected plastics, the commissioner would be required to temporarily discontinue the program and suspend the issuance of grant awards thereunder in the current year. A school would be eligible for a program grant, in any year of program operations, if it establishes, in its grant application, that: (1) the school's students or staff were engaged in plastic collection activities, either at or on behalf of the school, during the school year immediately preceding the submission of the school's grant application; and (2) the plastics collected by school students or staff, during the immediately preceding school year, either have been or will be donated, by the school, to an authorized upcycler for upcycling purposes, consistent with the program's purposes. The commissioner would be required to develop and publish a list of authorized upcyclers to which school-collected plastics may be donated, and from which school-appropriate furnishings may be purchased, by eligible schools, for grant program purposes. The dollar amount of each grant award issued to an eligible applicant school, in each year of program operations, would be determined in accordance with a funding formula developed by the commissioner. The funding formula is to be designed to ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, the fair and equitable apportionment and distribution of available grant funds to all eligible applicant schools, in each year of program operations, based on each such school's pro rata share of school-collected plastics. To that end, the funding formula would be required to provide for each eligible applicant school to receive: (1) a minimum program grant award, in each year, in an amount that is sufficient to enable the school to purchase and acquire at least one piece of school-appropriate furniture produced by an authorized upcycler through the upcycling of school-collected plastics; and (2) a proportional increase in the grant funding being awarded thereto under the program, in each year, above and beyond the minimum funding amount required by the bill, if, and to the extent that, the commissioner determines that the eligible applicant school's pro rata share of school-collected plastics is proportionately higher than that of other similarly sized or similarly situated schools. The amount of enhanced grant funding authorized under the grant program may vary by eligible applicant school, but, in each case, is to be based on, proportional to, and consistent with, the school's pro rata share of school-collected plastics. A school receiving a program grant award, in any year, would be required to use at least 80 percent of the awarded grant funds to finance the costs incurred thereby in purchasing, from one or more authorized upcyclers, the school's pro rata share of school-appropriate furnishings produced through the upcycling of school-collected plastics. Up to 20 percent of the awarded grant funds may be used to finance the administrative or other incidental costs being incurred, by the school, either in association with its purchase of school-appropriate furnishings or in association with its successful acquisition of such purchased furnishings from an authorized upcycler, including, but not limited to, the costs associated with: (1) the temporary storage of plastics collected, or of school-appropriate furnishings purchased, by the school; (2) the transfer, between the school and authorized upcyclers, of any such collected plastics or school-purchased furnishings; or (3) the school's acquisition, maintenance, repair, replacement, or updating of equipment, vehicles, storage facilities, or supplies, or its employment and training of relevant staff, as may be necessary to ensure the school's cost-effective and efficient use of grant program funds. Each school receiving a program grant award, in any year, would be required to regularly submit, to the department, a grant fund expenditures report detailing the eligible costs being financed thereby with grant program funds. The commissioner would be required to adopt rules and regulations that, among other things, specify the procedures for the filing of such reports and the requisite information to be included therein. The commissioner would also be required to annually submit a written report, to the Governor and the Legislature, evaluating the success and effectiveness of the grant program and providing findings and recommendations regarding the necessity, appropriateness, and feasibility of continuing program operations on a permanent, ongoing, or year-to-year basis, within the limits of funds or otherwise made available to the department for the program's purposes. | In Committee |
| A3632 | Requires State employees to be trained in disability law and etiquette. | This bill would require the State Treasurer (who has the authority, under law, to establish training programs for State employees) to work in consultation with the Commissioner of Human Services to: 1) develop a training program to inform all State employees about the laws, and the rules of etiquette, that are applicable to the treatment and accommodation of individuals with intellectual, developmental, or other mental or physical disabilities; and 2) regularly revise and update the training program in order to maintain consistency with current law and practice in this area. At a minimum, the bill would require the training program to include instruction on: 1) the import and substance of the "Americans with Disabilities Act," 42 U.S.C. s.12101 et seq.; 2) the methods and approaches that can be used to reasonably accommodate the needs of individuals with disabilities; and 3) the proper etiquette that is to be used by State employees when working or otherwise interacting with individuals with disabilities. The training program is to be made available to, and implemented by, each State government employer no later than one year after the bill's effective date, and each State government employer is to administer the training program to all of its employees. Individuals who are employed prior to the implementation of the training program will be required to complete the training no later than 180 days after the training program is implemented, and biennially thereafter. Individuals who become employed after the training program is implemented will be required to complete the training no later than 180 days after hiring, and biennially thereafter. Each employee will be required to file a certification with the employer stating that the employee has completed the training, and the employer will be required to retain those certifications and forward them to the State Treasurer or the Commissioner of Human Services, upon request. | In Committee |
| A3617 | Provides State recognition of Sandhill Indian Tribe for certain limited purposes. | This bill provides that the State of New Jersey officially recognizes the Sandhill Indian Tribe as an American Indian Tribe for the limited purpose of assisting the tribe in: establishing eligibility for federal education, job training, and housing benefits and federal protection for the sale of artwork; qualifying for public and private grants for which Indian tribes or groups, or members thereof, may be eligible; protecting the ability to engage in traditional religious practices and ceremonies and to preserve and protect burial sites and artifacts; and ensuring that handicrafts made by tribal members may be sold as "Indian made." Under the bill, its provisions would not be construed as conferring recognition for any other purpose or used as evidence that a tribe has a State compact or State approval for the purposes of the federal "Indian Gaming Regulatory Act," or to engage in the sale of motor fuels or tobacco. The limited State recognition accorded to the tribe would not be construed to affect in any way a tribe or group's case for federal recognition, confer the right upon any tribe, group, or individual to conduct gambling of any kind, or constitute an acknowledgement of any claim by any tribe, group, or individual to any ancestral, tribal or other public or private lands. | In Committee |
| AJR137 | Designates May of each year as "Better Hearing Month." | This joint resolution designates May of each year as "Better Hearing Month" in New Jersey to help increase awareness and public knowledge of the problems affecting persons dealing with hearing loss. Hearing loss can affect every area of a person's life, including physical health, mental health, career success, social life, personal relationships, and overall quality of life. An estimated 48 million Americans have a significant hearing loss, as do an estimated 850,000 New Jersey residents. Those affected by hearing loss seek treatment from audiologists who are healthcare professionals who provide patient-centered care in the prevention, identification, diagnosis, and evidence-based treatment of hearing, balance, and other auditory disorders for people of all ages. Audiologists commonly recommend that their patients use hearing aids because hearing aids can provide dramatic improvement for most people with hearing loss, yet people with hearing loss wait an average of 7 years before seeking help and 15 million people in the United States with hearing loss avoid seeking help. Since 1927, audiologists all across New Jersey, observe and celebrate "Better Hearing Month" May of each year to raise awareness and promote understanding of hearing health and encourage New Jersey residents to undergo hearing loss screenings, promote hearing loss prevention, and motivate people to seek treatment for hearing related issues. | In Committee |
| A3623 | Establishes requirements for incentive-based value payment system for home health agencies and health care service firms. | This bill requires the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services in the Department of Human Services (DHS) to establish an incentive-based value payment system to reward home health agencies and health care service firms for achieving improved performance outcomes in providing services to NJ FamilyCare recipients enrolled in a Fully Integrated Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan. Participation in the incentive-based value payment system will be mandatory for any home health agency or health care service firm providing services to these individuals. The division will be required to establish a system to measure improved performance outcomes and rank participating home health agencies and health care service firms based on how well the agencies or firms meet performance targets and realize improvements in certain "Outcome and Assessment Information Set" measures, including: acute care hospitalization and emergent care; patient bathing; patient ambulation or locomotion; patient transfers, including discharge planning and maintaining continuity of care; collaboration between primary care providers and other health care providers; medication management; status of surgical wounds; and adverse events. The division will establish performance targets, a formula for determining the baseline data for making performance comparisons, and the amount of the incentive payments, which may include payments scaled to absolute performance level and to the level of improvement achieved in each measurement. The performance targets, formula for determining baseline data, amounts of incentive payments and ranks of participating home health agencies and health care service firms will be made publicly available on the division's Internet website. Home health agencies and health care service firms participating in the incentive-based value payment system will be required to: designate, for each patient, a single health care professional who is responsible for establishing a plan of care for that patient and for coordinating person-centered services throughout the continuum of care; develop protocols for immediate follow up after discharge from a hospital, including a comprehensive risk assessment; establish protocols to facilitate collaboration with hospitals and other health care providers to coordinate patient care throughout the continuum of services; establish protocols and procedures to reconcile patient medications; and establish standards, requirements, and programs to educate patients, families, and caregivers regarding individualized plans of care and goals to address the unique needs of each patient, family member, and caregiver. The incentive-based value payment system is to be administered by managed care organizations (MCO) that have contracted with home health agencies and health care service firms to provide home health services to Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare recipients. The DHS and each MCO in the State will be required to provide the division with any data necessary for the purpose of establishing and evaluating the incentive-based value payment system. The division will be permitted to authorize an administrative fee to be paid to MCOs to offset the cost of reporting any data that is in addition to data the MCO currently reports to the State. The division will provide these data and any data reported by home health agencies and health care service firms concerning their participation in the system to the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy for the purposes of evaluating the system with regard to patient outcomes, quality of patient care, cost savings, and such other metrics as the division requires. The division will be required to report to the Legislature concerning the status of the incentive-based value payment system, including: the costs of implementation; the number and size of participating home health agencies and health care service firms; the number of clients served by each agency and firm; the total cost savings realized and the proportion of cost savings attributable to each agency and firm; the individual amounts and the proportion of total incentive-based value payments made to each agency and firm; an analysis of quality improvement and cost savings by type of service; the division's recommendations, if any, concerning revisions to the incentive-based value payment system; and any other information as may be necessary to evaluate the system. Commencing two years after the effective date of the bill, an annual audit of the incentive-based value payment system by an independent third party auditor will be required. The results of the audit will be included in the annual report. The DHS may appropriate up to $10 million for the purposes of establishing and making payments under the incentive-based value payment system. Less any administrative costs to the division, 60 percent of the appropriated funds are to be distributed to home health agencies and health care service firms which are ranked by the division in the top 20 percent for absolute performance level, and 40 percent of the appropriated funds are to be distributed to those home health agencies and health care service firms which are ranked in the top 20 percent for improvement in performance relative to base year. The bill establishes the Home Health Services Value Payment System Advisory Board, which is to provide the Director of the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services with recommendations concerning the regulations which are to be adopted under the bill. The board will comprise eight public members appointed by the Governor. The members will serve without compensation, and the board will submit its recommendations no later than six months after the effective date of the bill. The division will be required to adopt regulations to implement the incentive-based value payment system, consistent with the advisory board's recommendations, within one year after the effective date of the bill. The board will expire upon the adoption of those regulations. | In Committee |
| AJR138 | Designates 22nd day in October of each year as "Stuttering Awareness Day" and second full week in May of each year as "Stuttering Awareness Week." | This joint resolution designates the 22nd day of October of each year as "Stuttering Awareness Day" and the second full week of each year in May as "Stuttering Awareness Week" in New Jersey. This day and week will promote the available help available to those who stutter and raise awareness of the disfluencies associated with a stutter. In observation of the day and week, the State will also account for the ways that stuttering affects the speakers' life and inform the public on how to become an ally to those who feel uncomfortable or embarrassed by a stutter. Observation of the day and week will act as the platform to remind the community about available resources to assist people with stutters and more importantly, that help is always available for anyone who wants it. This joint resolution promotes the support, education, and advocacy for people who stutter, the family member of a person who stutters, and any ally to a person who stutters. | In Committee |
| A3614 | Establishes Chief Executive Nurse position in DOH. | This bill establishes a Chief Executive Nurse position within the Department of Health (DOH). Under the bill, the Commissioner of Health (commissioner) is to appoint a Chief Executive Nurse within the DOH who is to serve at the pleasure of the commissioner during the commissioner's term of office and until the appointment of the chief executive nurse's successor. The Chief Executive Nurse is to devote his or her entire time to the duties of the position. The Chief Executive Nurse is to hold a master's degree in nursing or higher and have significant work experience as a nurse. The bill provides that the duties of the Chief Executive Nurse will include: assisting the commissioner as necessary on matters pertaining to nursing; collecting data and other information on nursing as determined by the commissioner; consulting with nurses and health care facilities to determine which current or proposed regulations aide or impede nurses' ability to provide adequate health care; and evaluating current trends in nursing. | In Committee |
| A3616 | Permits certain State employees to receive unpaid and paid leave to be census enumerators. | This bill permits certain State employees to receive an unpaid and paid leave of absence to be census enumerators. Under the bill, up to five State employees in each State agency shall be granted, upon request, a leave of absence to be census enumerators during that employee's normal work hours. Upon approval of the request, a leave of absence with pay for no more than 10 work days during the federal decennial census year and an additional leave of absence without pay for no more than 10 work days during the federal decennial census year would be granted to those State employees to participate in census outreach as a census enumerator. As used in the bill, "State agency" means any of principal departments in the Executive Branch of State government, and any division, board, bureau, office, commission or other instrumentality within or created by such department, and any independent State authority, commission, instrumentality or agency. | In Committee |
| A3642 | Permits pharmacists to dispense certain drugs in emergency without prescription. | This bill permits a pharmacist to dispense or sell an emergency supply of a chronic maintenance drug without a current, valid prescription from a practitioner, under certain conditions. To dispense or sell an emergency supply of a drug under the bill: · the pharmacy at which the pharmacist is practicing must have a record of a prescription for the drug in the name of the patient who is requesting the emergency supply, but the prescription does not provide for a refill or the time permitted for providing the refill has passed;· the pharmacist must attempt but fail to obtain authorization to refill the prescription from the practitioner who issued the prescription or another practitioner responsible for the patient's care;· the pharmacist must determine, in the pharmacist's professional judgment, that refusal to provide an emergency supply of the drug would endanger the health or welfare of the patient;· the drug must not be a controlled dangerous substance;· the amount of the drug dispensed must not exceed a 30-day supply as provided in the most recent prescription or, if the standard unit of dispensing for the drug exceeds a 30-day supply, the amount dispensed must not exceed the standard unit of dispensing;· the pharmacist may not have provided an emergency supply of the particular drug pursuant to this subsection to the same patient in the previous 12-month period; and· the pharmacist must fulfill all documentation and other requirements for dispensing established by the Board of Pharmacy by regulation. The bill provides civil immunity for pharmacists and their employers for acts or omissions in connection with the dispensing of an emergency supply of a drug pursuant to this bill unless the act or omission constitutes gross negligence, recklessness, or willful or wanton misconduct. The bill also states that it would not preclude a pharmacist from dispensing an emergency supply of a drug under other authority granted by regulations promulgated by the Board of Pharmacy. Currently, N.J.A.C.13:39-7.4 permits emergency dispensing of a 72-hour supply of a drug, under conditions that are more permissive than the conditions for dispensing a longer-term supply established under this bill. | In Committee |
| A3610 | Prohibits State agency from entering into certain State contracts that limits ability of State agency to install or run certain software. | This bill provides that if a State agency enters into a State contract for the licensing of software applications designed to run on generally available desktop or server hardware, the software cannot limit the ability of the State agency to install or run the software on the hardware of the State agency's choosing. | In Committee |
| AJR134 | Permanently designating January 18th as "Alexandra 'Alex' Scott Day" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution permanently designates January 18th as "Alexandra 'Alex' Scott Day" in the State of New Jersey in order to raise public awareness about childhood cancer, commemorate the anniversary of the Alex's birth, and to celebrate her inspiring legacy through the continuing work of the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. | In Committee |
| A3605 | Prohibits administration of assessments developed by Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. | This bill prohibits the Department of Education from administering assessments developed by the consortium of states known as the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers ("PARCC") after the 2015-2016 school year. The bill directs the Commissioner of Education to develop and implement a Statewide assessment program that does not include PARCC assessments by the 2016-2017 school year. | In Committee |
| A3628 | Requires assessments prior to laboratory and diagnostic testing of persons undergoing mental health screening. | This bill amends the mental health screening law, P.L.1987, c.116 (C.30:4D-27.1 et seq.), concerning assessments of persons believed to be in need of involuntary commitment to treatment. The bill requires that an assessment be performed prior to the performance of routine laboratory and diagnostic testing. If, as a result of the assessment, involuntary commitment to treatment seems necessary, then the routine laboratory and diagnostic testing is to be performed. (Laboratory and diagnostic testing may currently be completed and submitted to screening services before the assessment, so this bill seeks to avoid such testing expenses if the person does not need commitment, and to reduce hospital emergency room waiting times because staff would not have to wait for test results to be reviewed before the assessment is performed.) In addition, the bill amends the definition of "mental health screener" to refer to regulations adopted by the Department of Human Services concerning "certified screeners" at N.J.A.C.10:31-3.3, and clarifies that the definition of this term includes any person who meets the criteria for certification as a mental health screener prescribed by regulation of the Commissioner of Human Services. Lastly, the bill specifies that it does not alter the requirements of section 1 of P.L.2009, c.242 (C.30:4-177.61) concerning the use of standardized admission protocols and medical clearance criteria for transfer or admission of a hospital emergency department patient to a State or county psychiatric hospital or a short-term care facility. | In Committee |
| A3627 | "New Jersey Predatory Alienation Prevention and Consensual Response Act." | This bill would establish a predatory alienation prevention and consensual response system in the State. Predatory alienation occurs whenever a person or group uses predatory behaviors, such as entrapment, coercion, and undue influence (persuasion that overpowers a person's will), to establish a relationship with a victim and isolate the victim from existing relationships and support systems, with the goal of gaining and retaining sweeping control over the victim's actions and decisions. Predatory alienation tactics and other forms of undue influence are commonly used by cults, religious sects, gangs, extremist groups, human traffickers, sexual predators, domestic abusers, and other similar persons and groups, as a means to recruit members, carry out crimes, spread their belief systems, advocate their political agendas, or simply impose their will on, and exert power, control, and supremacy over, victims. Nevertheless, because compulsive third-party influence and control are difficult things to measure, it is often hard to prove that an individual is being victimized by coercive or compulsive third-party tactics and is not making their own independent life decisions in that regard. By establishing a system that focuses on front-line prevention efforts, and that provides for consensual (as opposed to mandatory and involuntary) counseling and treatment in response to victimization, the State can better protect individuals from predatory alienation and undue influence without questioning the legitimacy of their personal decisions or otherwise infringing upon their personal liberty or autonomy. Specifically, under the bill, the Commissioner of Human Services would work to lessen the effectiveness of predatory alienation tactics and other methods of undue influence through the use of extensive public education, proactive screening, and the facilitation of consensual counseling and treatment for victims and concerned third parties (i.e., the family members or friends of people who are susceptible to, or victims of, predatory alienation or undue influence). The bill requires the commissioner's public awareness campaign to include two components: 1) the dissemination of targeted information to vulnerable populations, concerned third parties, professional actors, and the general public; and 2) the provision of in-person training on predatory alienation, undue influence, and healthy relationship building at facilities that serve vulnerable populations. The bill defines "vulnerable population" to include children, young adults, senior citizens, veterans, individuals with developmental disabilities, and incarcerated individuals, as well as any other population group whose members are deemed by the Department of Human Services (DHS) to be inherently vulnerable to predatory alienation or other undue influence, due to age, physical or mental incapacity or fragility, or other distinguishing characteristics that are held in common by all, or the majority of, the group's members. The bill also requires the DHS to operate a predatory alienation counseling referral system, which would be accessible by phone, in person, or over the Internet. The counseling referral system would be designed to: 1) assist concerned third parties by connecting them to legal experts, health care and mental health care practitioners, and support groups who would be able to assess the situation of concern and identify avenues that can be pursued by the concerned third party to prevent further harm to, or further alienation or undue influence of, the victim; and 2) assist victims of predatory alienation or other undue influence both by connecting them to legal experts, health care and mental health care practitioners, and support groups that can provide consensual, culturally sensitive counseling and health care to address the victim's trauma, and by connecting them to shelters, financial aid resources, and other resources and services that are available for trauma survivors. Finally, the commissioner would be required to develop a comprehensive screening and assessment tool to facilitate the identification of, and the provision of consensual assistance to, individuals who are personally susceptible to, or are being victimized by, predatory alienation or undue influence. The screening and assessment tool would be used to evaluate individual clients, patients, or residents, as appropriate, at hospital emergency rooms and private medical offices; retirement homes and senior centers; nursing homes and other long-term care facilities; group homes, community care residences, and day programs serving individuals with developmental disabilities; churches, synagogues, mosques, and other religious institutions; educational institutions and child care facilities; law enforcement agencies; veterans' affairs agencies and associations; correctional institutions; and other appropriate facilities serving vulnerable populations. If the predatory alienation screening and assessment tool indicates that an individual is personally susceptible to predatory alienation or other undue influence, the DHS-certified screener would be required, under the bill, to: 1) notify the individual and the individual's authorized family members of this determination and the factors that support the determination; 2) provide the individual and the individual's authorized family members with appropriate informational materials on predatory alienation, undue influence, and healthy relationship building, which have been developed by the department pursuant to the bill; and 3) refer the individual to an in-person training session on predatory alienation and healthy relationship building, which is offered either at the facility where the screening was performed or at another facility that is located within the individual's county of residence. If the predatory alienation screening and assessment tool indicates that an individual is the victim of predatory alienation or other undue influence, the screener would be required to: 1) notify the individual and the individual's authorized family members of this determination and the factors that support the determination; 2) provide the individual and the individual's authorized family members with appropriate informational materials on undue influence, predatory alienation, and healthy relationship building, which have been developed by the department; 3) refer the individual and the individual's authorized family members to the State's predatory alienation counseling referral system, and, to the extent practicable, offer to provide the individual and the individual's authorized family members with direct access to the counseling referral system while they are still present at the facility; and 4) as appropriate, and based on the capabilities of professionals employed at the facility, offer to immediately provide the individual with consensual counseling or treatment at the facility, in order to begin addressing the trauma suffered thereby. Each facility performing screening assessments under the bill would be required to annually submit a screening report to the DHS, which includes aggregate and de-identified information about the results of screening assessments performed at the facility. The DHS would similarly be required to annually submit a written report on predatory alienation to the Governor and Legislature. This report would include: 1) a de-identified aggregate summary of the annual screening data reported by facilities; 2) an indication of the number and location of in-person training sessions that were offered in each county during the reporting period and the total number of distinct individuals who participated in those training sessions; and 3) an indication of the number and type of referral requests that were submitted through the predatory alienation counseling referral system and the average and mean amount of time that elapsed between the submission of a request and the issuance of associated referrals. The report would also include a representative sample of informational materials prepared by the department; information showing the frequency of victimization occurring among members of various vulnerable populations; an analysis of trends in the data; an evaluation of the reach and effectiveness of the predatory alienation prevention and consensual response system; and recommendations for executive, legislative, or other action necessary to improve the system. | In Committee |
| A3599 | Amends "Law Against Discrimination" to provide every person engaged in raising a dog for guide or service the right to access public facilities. | This bill would amend the New Jersey "Law Against Discrimination," P.L.1977, c.456 (C.10:5-29 et seq.), to provide every person engaged in raising a dog for guide or service, the same rights and privileges with respect to access to public facilities as a person with a disability, for dog training purposes. Under current law, professional service and guide dog trainers, who typically begin training dogs at 18 to 20 months of age, have the same rights and privileges with respect to access to public facilities as persons with disabilities. However, there are volunteers who often raise service and guide dogs prior to their entering formal training, from approximately eight weeks to 18 months, who do not have the same rights as persons with disabilities or professional trainers. This bill would extend the rights and privileges of persons with disabilities with respect to access to public facilities, to persons who volunteer to raise service or guide dogs, subject to them meeting the requirements in this bill. This bill requires that in public facilities a service or guide dog in training must (1) wear a collar, leash, or other appropriate apparel or device that identifies the dog as a participant in a training program with an accredited service or guide dog training program; and (2) be held on a leash, and under the control of the person raising the dog for an accredited program. The bill also requires that the volunteer have in his possession, and available for inspection, credentials from an accredited program identifying him as a participant in a service or guide dog training program. | In Committee |
| A3625 | Requires separate entrance for certain child care services located in public school facilities and clarifies licensure requirements and DCF enforcement authority for services. | This bill amends the provisions of P.L.2019, c.426, which was approved on January 21, 2020. Under that law, the Commissioner of Children and Families, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, is to establish a three-year pilot program to study the impact and effect of community providers operating in public school facilities for the purposes of providing child care services for children younger than school age. A community provider includes a for-profit child care center, a nonprofit child care center, or a local government unit. While that law requires a community provider operating in a public school facility to be licensed under the "Child Care Center Licensing Act," P.L.1983, c.492 (C.30:5B-1 et seq.), this bill clarifies the following issues in regard to licensure: (1) The community provider operating in a public school facility under the pilot program must meet all of the licensing requirements applicable to child care centers that are not located in a public school facility, including all environmental licensing requirements established pursuant to P.L.2007 c.1 (C.52:27D-130.4 et seq.) and regulations promulgated by the Department of Children and Families at N.J.A.C.3A:52-5.3(i); and (2) The Commissioner of Children and Families must enforce the provisions of the "Child Care Center Licensing Act" in regard to a community provider operating in a public school facility under the program in the same manner and to the same extent as those provisions are enforced in regard to child care centers that are not located in a public school facility. The bill also provides that a public school facility in which a community provider is providing child care services under the pilot program must have a separate entrance and exit to the area of the facility in which the child care services are provided to prevent persons entering or exiting that area from any contact with school-age children who attend the public school facility. The public school facility must also have an area in which the parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the child care services program may visit and interact with the child that is separate from the general area in which the child care services are provided. Under the law as enacted, the tuition charged for child care services under the pilot program is required to be within the range of tuition amounts charged for such services by licensed child care centers located within the same county in which the school district is located. This bill provides that the tuition charged must be within the range of tuition charged by licensed child care centers located in the same municipality or municipalities in which the school district is situate. The bill also specifies certain costs that the commissioner must evaluate when he is comparing the cost of a community provider providing child care services in a school district under the pilot program compared to the cost of providing child care services at child care centers located in the same municipality or municipalities in which the school district is situate. These costs would include but not be limited to, total payroll costs, employee-related costs such as health insurance and retirement contributions, building costs such as repair and maintenance, general business expenses, insurance, and office supplies. | In Committee |
| A3603 | Extends validity of and eliminates issuance fee for temporary instructional certificate issued to military spouse; requires expedited processing of military spouse application for NJ instructional certificate and eliminates fee to obtain certificate. | Current law, P.L.2013, c.68 (C.18A:26-2.14), provides a process whereby an individual who is licensed to teach in another state and is married to an active duty member of the military who has been transferred to New Jersey, may obtain a temporary instructional certificate to be employed as a teacher in New Jersey on a temporary basis while completing any additional requirements for a New Jersey instructional certificate. The temporary instructional certificate is valid for 180 days and may be extended by the State Board of Examiners for another 180 days. This bill amends current law to provide that the temporary instructional certificate will be valid for 365 days and may be extended by the State board for another 365 days. The bill also prohibits the State board from charging a nonresident military spouse a fee for the issuance of a temporary instructional certificate. In addition, this bill supplements existing law to require the Department of Education to establish procedures to expedite the processing of an application submitted by a nonresident military spouse for a New Jersey instructional certificate. The bill prohibits the department and the State Board of Examiners from requiring a nonresident military spouse to pay a fee for the issuance of an instructional certificate. | In Committee |
| ACR118 | Amends Constitution to prohibit denial of coverage by certain health insurers based on preexisting conditions. | This amendment to the Constitution prohibits health insurers from denying benefits because of a preexisting condition. A preexisting condition is a health condition that existed before the person was insured. The amendment only applies to health insurers that the State may regulate. As used in the amendment, "health insurance carrier" means an entity that contracts or offers to contract to provide, deliver, arrange for, pay for, or reimburse any of the costs of health care services under a health benefits plan issued in this State, including: an insurance company authorized to issue health benefits plans; a health maintenance organization; a health, hospital, or medical service corporation; a multiple employer welfare arrangement; or the State Health Benefits Program and the School Employees' Health Benefits Program. "Carrier" does not include an entity providing or administering a self-funded health benefits plan. The amendment applies only to health benefits that the State has authority to regulate - insured health benefits plans offered by private carriers and the two State health benefits programs. Self-funded health benefits plans, which are governed exclusively by federal law pursuant to the "Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974," are not covered by the amendment. | In Committee |
| ACR117 | Urges Congress and President to reauthorize "Family Violence Prevention and Services Act." | This concurrent resolution urges Congress and the President of the United States to reauthorize the "Family Violence Prevention and Services Act" (FVPSA). A federal law enacted in 2010 reauthorized, or allowed for formal continued federal funding of, the FVPSA until 2015, but the FVPSA has not been reauthorized since. Bipartisan legislation, pending before the United States Senate and House of Representatives as S.2784 and H.R.6014, would reauthorize FVPSA funding from 2019 to 2023. FVPSA provides the primary federal funding stream in support of victims of domestic and dating violence and their dependents. Each year, the FVPSA, through various grants, helps fund over 1,600 community-based programs that provide emergency shelter, counseling, legal assistance, crisis intervention, and domestic and dating violence prevention education to 1.3 million victims nationwide. The law also funds the National Domestic Violence Hotline, which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and has a staff of trained operators and advocates who, in fiscal year 2017, answered 323,081 total phone calls, text messages, and online chats. A study conducted by the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) revealed that in just one day in 2017, 72,245 victims of domestic violence across the United States, 1,288 of whom were from New Jersey, received crucial services supported by the FVPSA. Despite the volume of services that FVPSA-funded shelters and programs provide daily, the NNEDV study noted that 11,441 requests for services, 131 of which were in New Jersey, went unmet due to lack of funding and resources. During a time in which domestic violence shelters overwhelmingly report that they struggle to meet demand for critical services, reauthorization of the FVPSA will help ensure protection against significant future funding cuts. | In Committee |
| A3638 | Revises eligibility requirements for NJ Workability Program and Personal Assistance Services Program. | This bill revises eligibility requirements for the NJ Workability Program and the Personal Assistance Services Program. The NJ Workability Program is a Medicaid buy-in option for employed, permanently-disabled individuals, authorized under the federal "Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999," Pub.L.106-170. The bill expands the eligibility for this program in various ways. First, the bill removes the upper age limit for eligibility, providing that any individual who is older than 16 may qualify. The current age requirement is between 16 and 65 years of age. Second, the bill requires that the premium contribution established by the commissioner is to be based solely on the applicant's earned and unearned income. In doing so, the income of the applicant's spouse cannot be considered in this determination. Third, the bill increases the program's existing income eligibility limit of 250 percent of the federal poverty level to 450 percent of the federal poverty level, and explicitly provides that a qualified applicant is not to be subject to any eligibility requirements regarding the earned or unearned income of the applicant or the applicant's spouse, except when the spouse's earned or unearned income is over $250,000. Finally, the bill permits that an eligible applicant for the program is to remain eligible for Medicaid for up to a period of one year if, through no fault of the applicant, a job loss occurs. The Personal Assistance Services Program is a State-funded program that provides up to 40 hours per week of non-medical personal care assistance to those individuals with permanent physical disabilities who work, seek educational advancement, or volunteer in the community for a minimum of 20 hours per month. Currently, only individuals 18 through 70 years of age can qualify for this program. Under the bill, the age cap is removed, providing that anyone over the age of 18 may be eligible for these services. | In Committee |
| AJR126 | Designates April 18 of each year as "Worker Safety Day." | This joint resolution designates April 18 as "Worker Safety Day" in New Jersey. Workers have a right to a safe environment that is free from danger while at work. Currently, there are almost 6,400 deaths globally every day as a result of an occupational accident or disease, which is almost 2.3 million deaths every year due to unsafe working conditions. Additionally, 313 million people worldwide suffer from non-fatal occupational injuries every year. In New Jersey, there were approximately 101 fatal work injuries in 2016 and thousands of other non-fatal injuries. Furthermore, there are negative consequences for both workers and employers when a worker sustains an injury at work. Workers who sustain occupational injuries face consequences such as loss of life, loss of income, loss of career, and increased health care costs. Employers must contend with difficulties such as a reduction in productivity, increased workers' compensation insurance costs, decline in worker morale, and decline in product quality. A safe and healthy workplace provides benefits to both workers and employers. It is important to raise public awareness about the importance of worker safety so that employers and workers will ensure that the workplace is safe. By declaring April 18 to be "Worker Safety Day," the State of New Jersey encourages employers, workers, government agencies, and communities to work together to ensure that the workplace is safe and healthy. | In Committee |
| AJR132 | Designates April 22 of each year as Girl Scout Leader Appreciation Day in NJ. | This joint resolution designates April 22 of each year as "Girl Scout Leader Appreciation Day" in New Jersey. The Girl Scouts program has been positively impacting the lives of girls since its inception in 1912. The Girl Scouts program seeks to empower and challenge girls. Girl Scouts involves activities, volunteer opportunities, and lessons on various academic and personal subjects that altogether set young girls up for success in the future. Girl Scouts helps to create strong, confident women who embody self-awareness, leadership, courage, and respect. The success of the Girl Scouts program relies on the hard work and contributions of its volunteer Girl Scout Leaders. Girl Scout Leaders serve as mentors and role models for girls, in the Girl Scout program, as they approach womanhood. Girl Scout Leaders share their time, energy, love, and expertise with the girls in their Girl Scout troops serving as chaperones and mother figures to girls on overnight trips and overseeing their participation in activities Without the selflessness, dedication, and hard work of Girl Scout Leaders, the mission of the Girl Scouts program would not be possible. The month of April is recognized, within the Girl Scouts program, as volunteer appreciation month and April 22 as "Girl Scout Leader Appreciation Day". The contribution Girl Scout Leaders make to the development of young women should be celebrated by all of the residents of the state of New Jersey. For this reason, April 22 of each year should be designated as "Girl Scout Leader Appreciation Day" in New Jersey. | In Committee |
| AR106 | Urges Congress enact Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act. | This House urges Congress to enact the Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act. The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity is purchased insurance and the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is paid for service-caused death. The offset has been an unfair penalty that cuts earned benefits to military survivors. Currently, the surviving spouse of a military member who dies on active duty or of a service-connected illness or injury in retirement is entitled to survivor's benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs' DIC fund. However, if they had also voluntarily paid into the Department of Defense's SBP in addition to the DIC, their survivors' benefits can be subtracted by as much as $15,828 per year. Essentially, the SBP is subtracted from the total survivor's benefit, rather than added to it. This offset is a substantial burden for many surviving military families. Our nation's military personnel risk their lives to defend our nation and our freedoms. They should be able to trust that the benefits they designate for their families will be provided. | In Committee |
| A3626 | Requires licensed providers of long-term skilled nursing care to establish permanent morgue for use in non-emergent periods and supplemental morgue space for use in public emergencies. | This bill would require each nursing home in the State, in compliance with a long-term plan adopted pursuant to the bill's provisions, to: 1) designate or establish a permanent morgue for the storage of the dead bodies of patients or residents who die during non-emergent times; and 2) designate, establish, acquire, or contract with a third-party to provide a refrigerated vehicle, mobile cold storage unit, or other makeshift facility or area, or a combination thereof, for use by the nursing home as supplemental emergency morgue space in times of public emergency. The bill would require emergency morgue space to be deployed on the premises of the nursing home and placed into service within 72 hours after the declaration of any public emergency or, if a public emergency is ongoing on the effective date of this bill, within 72 hours after this bill's effective date. The emergency morgue space is to remain in service on the premises of the nursing home until the public emergency is declared to be over, unless the space is mobile and is temporarily moved off-site for the purposes of directly transporting dead bodies for autopsy or final disposition. Emergency morgue space is to be deployed, in accordance with these requirements, regardless of whether the nursing home has adopted a long-term plan for the temporary on-site storage of dead bodies, as provided by the bill; however, any emergency morgue space deployed before a plan is adopted will need to be reevaluated by the nursing home at the time of the plan's approval or conditional approval and modified as necessary to comply with the provisions of the approved or conditionally approved plan. The long-term cold storage plan developed by a nursing home under the bill is to be used to guide the nursing home's ongoing temporary storage of dead bodies during non-emergent periods and times of public emergency. The long-term plan is to: 1) provide for the establishment of, or designate an existing area of the nursing home as, a permanent morgue. If the nursing home does not currently have a room or other area that can be designated and used as a permanent morgue, the plan is to describe how the nursing home will satisfy the bill's requirements, whether through the construction of a new building, the construction of an addition to an existing building, the modification of an existing room or building, or the ongoing and uninterrupted use of a refrigerated vehicle or other mobile cold storage unit as authorized by the bill; and 2) describe, and identify the current location of, any emergency morgue space that has been designated, established, acquired, or contracted for use during public emergencies pursuant to the bill's provisions; identify the third-party provider, if any, who will provide or who is currently providing the emergency morgue space; and describe the means, methods, and procedures that will be used by the nursing home and any contracted third-party provider to ensure that the supplemental emergency morgue space is deployed, remains in service, and is removed from service in accordance with the timeframes specified by the bill. A permanent morgue established under the bill is to be capable of safely, humanely, and simultaneously storing the dead bodies of at least two of the nursing home's patients or residents. The size of any emergency morgue space is to be determined based on the individual needs of the nursing home, but is to be sufficient to ensure the safe and humane temporary storage of the dead bodies of patients or residents who die at the nursing home during times of public emergency. If, at any time during a public emergency, a nursing home's emergency morgue space becomes insufficient to safely and humanely store the dead bodies of patients or residents who have died during the public emergency, the nursing home will be required to make every reasonable effort to promptly expand its emergency morgue space as necessary to ensure that its emergency morgue capacity is sufficient for its needs. The nursing home's long-term cold storage plan is to identify the maximum number of dead bodies and the percentage of the nursing home's total patient or resident capacity that can be safely, humanely, and simultaneously stored within the confines of the nursing home's permanent morgue and within the confines of the nursing home's emergency morgue space, and is to further describe the means, methods, and procedures that will be used by the nursing home to ensure that its emergency morgue space remains sufficient for its needs. The long-term plan would additionally be required to identify the means, methods, and procedures that will be used by nursing home administrators and staff to ensure: 1) that dead bodies are handled, stored, and transferred in a safe, sanitary, respectful, and humane way, in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations; 2) that each dead body is properly identified at the time of placement into cold storage, throughout the duration of the time kept in cold storage, and at the time of the body's transport out of cold storage; and 3) that each dead body is kept in cold storage for as short a time as is necessary before being safely and humanely transferred to other parties for the purposes of autopsy or final disposition. A permanent morgue or emergency morgue space operating on the grounds of a nursing home may not be used for any purpose other than the storage of the dead bodies of the nursing home's patients or residents. The facility will not be deemed to be a public morgue, and will not be required to accept the dead bodies of any persons who are not patients or residents of the nursing home. The bill would require the Commissioner of Health to adopt rules and regulations, on an emergency basis, to implement the bill's provisions. The rules and regulations are to be adopted within 30 days after the bill's enactment, notwithstanding the provisions of the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) to the contrary. A nursing home operating in the State on the effective date of this bill will be required to prepare and submit its long-term plan to the department, as soon as is practicable, but not more than 30 days, after the bill's effective date, regardless of whether emergency rules and regulations have been adopted pursuant to the bill's provisions. A nursing home commencing operations in the State after the bill's effective date will be required to prepare and submit its long-term plan to the department as part of its application for licensure as a long-term care facility or skilled nursing care provider. The plan is to be revised and reapproved following the commissioner's adoption of emergency rules and regulations, if those rules and regulations were not adopted at the time of the plan's initial submission, and also on at least a biennial basis after the plan is initially approved or conditionally approved. Any revised plan is to be submitted to the department within 10 days after material changes are made thereto. The department will be required to review an initial or revised plan submitted pursuant to the bill and approve or conditionally approve the plan either within 30 days after receipt thereof or, if the plan is submitted as part of an application for licensure, upon the department's issuance of a license to the applicant. If the plan is conditionally approved, the nursing home will be required to adopt and implement the plan in accordance with any mandatory revisions identified by the department. If the department does not respond to the submission, the plan will be deemed approved on a non-conditional basis, and the nursing home may proceed to implement the plan without change. A nursing home will be required to ensure that its permanent morgue is fully constructed or otherwise made functional, and is placed into service in accordance with the nursing home's plan, within one year after the plan is approved or conditionally approved or within any extended period of time, as authorized by the commissioner, which may be necessary to ensure proper construction of the permanent morgue. Any request for an extension of the 180-day statutorily mandated timeframe is to be submitted by the nursing home as an addendum to its initial plan; however, a nursing home will not be eligible for an extension of time if it is planning to use a mobile morgue space as a permanent morgue. Any area used as a permanent morgue and any vehicle, cold storage unit, or other makeshift area used as emergency morgue space under the bill is to: 1) be located on, or immediately adjacent to, the premises of the nursing home at all times during use, except that a mobile morgue space may be temporarily moved off-site when transporting dead bodies for autopsy or final disposition; 2) be closed-off and isolated from public view and removed, to the greatest extent practicable, from patient or resident living quarters and common areas; 3) be fully refrigerated or contain refrigeration or freezer drawers or other cold storage areas where dead bodies will be stored; 4) be of suitable construction, contain appropriate equipment, and be of sufficient size, as provided by the bill, to ensure the lawful, safe, respectful, and humane handling and storage of dead bodies; 5) have lockable doors; 6) be equipped with alarms to signal intrusion and unacceptable temperature variations; 7) have surfaces and flooring constructed of nonporous materials; and 8) be equipped with a working sink or other hand sanitizing station. The bill would prohibit eating, drinking, smoking, and the application of cosmetics or contact lenses in any permanent morgue or emergency morgue space, and it would require personal protective equipment (PPE) to be worn by staff while handling dead bodies for the bill's purposes. The bill would require a nursing home to ensure that each dead body is transferred to another party for the purposes of autopsy or final disposition, during non-emergent periods, as soon as possible, but not more than five days, after the body is placed into cold storage or, if a public emergency is ongoing or is declared while the body is in storage, as soon as may be practicable in the context of the public emergency. When moving a dead body into or out of cold storage, the nursing home is to ensure that the dead body: 1) is placed in a secure, closed container or is otherwise isolated from public view; and 2) is moved in a manner, and using equipment, that protects the health and wellbeing of the other patients or residents of the nursing home, and of nursing home staff, to the greatest extent practicable. The bill also requires a nursing home to maintain certain records in association with is storage and transfer of dead bodies under the bill, and it authorizes the commissioner to: 1) inspect permanent morgues and emergency morgue spaces; 2) investigate complaints about the maltreatment or inappropriate storage of dead bodies by nursing homes; 3) order nursing homes to cease and desist unlawful activities and undertake corrective actions; and 4) seek injunctive relief and recover civil monetary penalties in association with any violation of the commissioner's orders. Any nursing home that fails to comply with an order of the commissioner will be liable to a civil penalty of not more than $1,000 for a first offense and not more than $5,000 for a second or subsequent offense, to be collected in a summary proceeding. | In Committee |
| A3615 | Requires adult day health care facilities to establish hybrid model for provision of adult day health care services under certain circumstances. | This bill stipulates that the Department of Human Services (DHS) is to require every adult day health care services facility in the State licensed by the DHS to establish a hybrid model which allows for the provision of services to an adult day health care beneficiary when the beneficiary is unable to receive such services in person. Specifically, the bill mandates that an adult day health care services facility is to allow for the provision of services to an adult day health care beneficiary under the following circumstances: (1) as a result of a hospitalization or an illness or injury to the beneficiary, or a hospitalization, an illness or injury, or a personal issue involving the beneficiary's caregiver that would prevent the beneficiary from receiving in person adult day health care services; (2) in order to prevent an infectious disease outbreak or to reduce the risk of spread of disease to beneficiaries receiving in person adult day health care services; or (3) any other reason that may prevent a beneficiary from receiving in person adult day health care services. The bill further requires that the services offered by an adult day health care facility to an adult day health care beneficiary is: (1) to be provided through the use of telehealth; (2) to include, but not be limited to, clinical assessment, preventive, diagnostic, nursing, dietary, meal delivery, pharmaceutical, social work, therapeutic, rehabilitative, and habilitative services; (3) to be documented in the beneficiary's plan of care; and (4) not to be provided to any beneficiary in excess of the facility's licensed capacity. As used in the bill, "telehealth" means the use of information and communications technologies, including telephones, remote patient monitoring, or other electronic means, to support the provision of adult day health care services to an adult day health care beneficiary when the beneficiary is unable to receive such services in person. The bill's provisions specify that an adult day health care facility seeking reimbursement for the provision of services under the hybrid model is to: (1) include information on the scope and type of services provided to an adult day health care beneficiary on the prior authorization request form submitted by the facility to the DHS in accordance with N.J.A.C.10:164-1.3 for each beneficiary to whom the facility provides such services; and (2) be reimbursed for remote services provided under the hybrid model at the same contracted rate charged by the facility for all other adult day health care services a beneficiary receives from the facility. | In Committee |
| AJR133 | Designates February 4th of each year as "Women and Girls in Sports Day" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates February 4th of each year as "Women and Girls in Sports Day" in New Jersey. Opportunities in sports were traditionally only open to men, and women were discouraged from taking an interest in, or participating in, athletics. In the 20th and 21st centuries, women and girls increasingly strove to participate in sports. However, gender disparities in sports still remain, with less support and resources available for women's sports programs, in comparison with men's sports. This lack of investment has contributed to gender pay disparities for female athletes and the unequal allocation of facilities and equipment for women's and girls' sports. Despite these inequities, inspiring female athletes, such as New Jersey natives Carli Lloyd and Laurie Hernandez, have made significant contributions to sports and have served as excellent role models for fans of all ages and genders. Women and girls deserve recognition for their contributions to sports and public awareness of their fight for gender equality in athletics. It should be further acknowledged that sports are essential in the lives of girls, since participation in sports teaches important life skills that empower girls to stand up against gender inequities, both in sports and in daily life. Participation in sports, moreover, encourages women and girls to become and remain physically active, which is essential to achieving and maintaining good physical and mental health throughout life. | In Committee |
| A3618 | Requires DEP to conduct public awareness campaign about hunting, and requires posting of orange flag at entrances to State parks and forests when hunting is permitted. | This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to take certain actions to inform the public about hunting in the State. The bill would require the DEP, in conjunction with the Fish and Game Council, to conduct a public awareness campaign concerning hunting in the State. The purpose of the public awareness campaign would be to educate residents of the State, and in particular residents living in areas in close proximity to areas where hunting is allowed, concerning hunting seasons, and the rules therefor, and to inform the public about hunting on State-owned lands. In addition, the bill would require the DEP's Director of the Division of Parks and Forestry to provide for the display of an orange flag at each entrance of a State park or forest on any day on which hunting is permitted in the park or forest. | In Committee |
| ACR111 | Urges Congress to reauthorize "Violence Against Women Act." | This concurrent resolution urges the United States Congress to reauthorize the "Violence Against Women Act" (VAWA) to allow the VAWA's programs to continue to impact the way law enforcement agencies, the courts, legal professionals, and victim services organizations respond to, and meet the needs of, victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, while holding perpetrators responsible for their actions, and to provide additional protections for victims of these crimes. | In Committee |
| AJR141 | Designates October of each year as "Walk to School Month." | This resolution designates October of each year as "Walk to School Month." Walking and biking to school are beneficial for children, their families, their schools, and their communities. Walking and biking bring physical and health benefits to children and their families by providing regular exercise. This reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, making the whole family healthier. The more families who walk to school, the fewer vehicles there are on the road which reduces traffic and air pollution. The benefits also extend to the school and community with lower road maintenance costs. In order to fully realize the benefits of more children walking to school, communities and schools must do their part in planning safe routes for families to walk. This can mean placing or repairing sidewalks along busy roadways, introducing traffic calming measures near schools, or installing pedestrian signals at intersections. It is important that parents, school officials, and community leaders work together to ensure safe walking and biking routes to schools for families in their community. By recognizing "Walk to School Month," the State encourages all schools and communities to promote the benefits of walking or biking to school. | In Committee |
| A3650 | Establishes minimum Medicaid reimbursement rate of $200 for basic life support emergency 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 |
| A3664 | Requires boards of education to post on website information summarizing payroll, total accounts payable, and weekly accounts payable. | This bill requires each board of education to post for public inspection on its website a summary of its payroll, total accounts payable, and weekly accounts payable. The bill also requires each board to post a summary document that outlines in a user-friendly manner the board's major categories of expenditures and identifies the vendors selected through competitive bidding or competitive contracting to provide goods and services. Under the bill, the information must be posted in a prominent and easily accessible location and in a format approved by the Commissioner of Education. | In Committee |
| A3673 | Permits cosmetology and hairstyling students with at least 60 hours of course instruction in cosmetology and hairstyling to receive student permit to wash hair. | This bill permits a cosmetology and hairstyling student with at least 60 hours of course instruction in cosmetology and hairstyling to receive a student permit to shampoo hair. Presently, in order to obtain a student permit to practice cosmetology and hairstyling, beauty culture, barbering, manicuring or skin care, as appropriate based on the course of instruction in which the student is enrolled, an applicant is required to be a senior student with at least 600 hours of course instruction. Under this bill, a junior student in a course of instruction in cosmetology and hairstyling would be eligible to obtain a student permit to shampoo and rinse hair if the student submits to the Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling satisfactory evidence that the student has completed at least 60 hours of relevant course instruction, and does not have a communicable, contagious or infectious disease which could reasonably be expected to be transmitted during the course of rendering shampoo and hair rinsing services | In Committee |
| A3675 | Directs DOLWD to establish advertising campaign to attract candidates to health care professions; appropriates $1 million. | This bill directs the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, in consultation with the Department of Health and the Department of Human Services, to establish a multimedia advertising campaign to attract candidates to health care professions. The health care field experienced shortages due to working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign will promote health care professions as presenting engaging, dynamic, and rewarding career opportunities. The campaign shall use a combination of digital outlets, television, radio, print, and other media for its purposes. The department, in developing and administering the general advertising campaign, is also required to create targeted advertising to increase the recruitment of health care professionals: (1) from underrepresented racial groups; and (2) into high-demand fields, as identified by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development in consultation with the Department of Health and Department of Human Services. The bill appropriates to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development the sum of $1 million from the funds received by the State under the federal "American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act," Pub.L.117-2 to effectuate the provisions of the bill. | In Committee |
| A3654 | Requires Higher Education Student Assistance Authority to consider combined income of all cosigners on application for participation in New Jersey College Loans to Assist State Students (NJCLASS) Loan Program. | In order to be eligible for a loan under the New Jersey College Loans to Assist State Students (NJCLASS) Loan Program, an applicant must meet all the eligibility criteria, including the income requirement, for a loan. Most students, lacking sufficient income to meet this requirement, have one or more cosigners on their application. In some cases, a student who has two parents cosign a loan is ineligible to participate in the NJCLASS loan program because neither parent meets the minimum income requirement, even though their combined income exceeds the requirement. This bill directs the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, when setting a minimum income requirement to determine the eligibility of a prospective borrower, to consider the combined incomes of all cosigners on an application for participation in the NJCLASS Loan Program. | In Committee |
| A3661 | Permits persons who are hearing impaired to apply for vehicle identification placards. | This bill permits any person who has been issued a driver's license with the numerical code designating hearing-impairment to apply to the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (chief administrator) for a corresponding windshield placard for use on a vehicle owned or operated by the applicant. The windshield placard is to bear the international symbol of the deaf, be posted or attached to the motor vehicle in a place and manner to be determined by the chief administrator, and be free of charge to applicants. Under the bill, a person who uses the windshield placard is not permitted to receive parking privileges reserved for persons with disabilities, unless the person is otherwise qualified and authorized to receive those parking privileges. | In Committee |
| A3656 | Requires certain school security measures to be incorporated into new school construction and existing school buildings. | This bill amends section 1 of P.L.2016, c.79 (C.18A:7G-5.2) to require that new public school construction and existing public school buildings include certain items that under the original 2016 law were only required under certain conditions. The items that will be required under the bill are:· one way driveways that lead to a clearly marked visitor parking area;· an access control system with remote unlocking features, an intercom, and fixed cameras at the school's main entrance and for other entrances;· a guard shack and gate on the school campus as an effective perimeter control; and· secure vestibules at the main entrance of the school building. | In Committee |
| A3647 | Enters New Jersey into Emergency Medical Services Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact. | This bill enters New Jersey into the Recognition Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact (otherwise known as REPLICA). This compact is intended to facilitate the day-to-day movement of EMS personnel across state boundaries in the performance of their EMS duties as assigned by an appropriate authority and authorize state EMS offices to afford immediate legal recognition to EMS personnel licensed in a member state. This compact recognizes that states have a vested interest in protecting the public's health and safety through their licensing and regulation of EMS personnel, and that such state regulation shared among the member states will best protect public health and safety. REPLICA is the nation's first and only multi-state compact for the EMS profession. REPLICA provides qualified EMS professionals licensed in a "home state" a legal "privilege to practice" in "remote states." Home states are states where an EMT is licensed; while remote states are other states that have adopted the REPLICA legislation. | In Committee |
| A3653 | Permits school districts to define excused absences from school to include illness based on student's mental or behavioral health and requires Commissioner of Education to develop guidelines for defining excused absence for this reason. | This bill provides statutory authority for a school district, in developing, adopting, and implementing its policies and procedures regarding attendance of students at school, to define an excused absence from school to include an absence for an illness of the student based on the mental or behavioral health of the student. The bill requires the Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, to develop guidelines on defining an excused absence from school for a student's illness based on the mental or behavioral health of the student. The guidelines will include the supporting documentation that may be required by the school district upon the student's return to school after an absence for an illness based on the mental or behavioral health of the student for the absence to be considered an excused absence. | In Committee |
| A3651 | Establishes "College Child Care Advisory Commission" to examine issues and develop recommendations on providing programs and services for college students who require child care services. | Establishes "College Child Care Advisory Commission" to examine issues and develop recommendations on providing programs and services for college students who require child care services. | In Committee |
| A3657 | Establishes the "School District Shared Services Task Force." | This bill establishes the "School District Shared Services Task Force" to study how school districts are utilizing shared services and to develop recommendations that improve upon the efficiency and delivery of shared services for school districts. The task force will include the following 9 members: the Commissioner of Education; the Commissioner of Community Affairs; one public member appointed by the President of the Senate; one public member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; one public member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; one public member appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly; and three members appointed by the Governor including one member upon the recommendation of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, one member upon the recommendation of the New Jersey Association of Counties, and one member upon the recommendation of the New Jersey School Boards Association. The task force will study and consider issues including, but not limited to: - the current shared services arrangements school districts have with other school districts, municipalities, and counties; - the implementation challenges that school districts currently face in attempting to expand the scope and capacity of their shared services; - the funding necessary for school districts to use shared services more often and more efficiently; - the impact, if any, with improving shared services among school districts and potential consolidation of school districts; - recommendations for school districts to adopt and implement to improve the efficiency and delivery of their shared services. The task force is required to issue a final report to the Governor and the Legislature within one year of its organization, which contains the task force's findings and recommendations regarding school districts improving the efficiency and delivery of their shared services. The task force would expire upon the submission of this report. | In Committee |
| A3655 | Provides tuition benefits at public institutions of higher education to New Jersey residents who are members of reserve component of Armed Forces of United States. | This bill provides tuition benefits at public institutions of higher education in this State to New Jersey residents who are members of a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States and to certain children and surviving spouses of those members. Under current law, a member of the New Jersey National Guard is permitted to attend regularly-scheduled courses at a public institution of higher education and receive up to 16 credits per semester tuition-free. The law also provides a tuition benefit to a child or surviving spouse of a member of the National Guard who was or is killed in the performance of his or her duties, if available classroom space permits and the tuition-paying students constitute the minimum number required for the course. This bill amends current law to extend these tuition benefits to a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States who is a resident of New Jersey, and to a child or surviving spouse of such a member of the reserves who was or is killed in the performance of his or her duties. The bill requires the child or surviving spouse to be a resident of New Jersey for the tuition benefits to apply. For purposes of the bill, the reserve components of the Armed Forces of the United States include the Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Reserve, Air Force Reserve, and Coast Guard Reserve. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment and is first applicable to the academic year following enactment. | In Committee |
| A3652 | Establishes "Supporting Educational and Entrepreneurial Development (S.E.E.D.) Program" in Office of Secretary of Higher Education. | This bill establishes a "Supporting Educational and Entrepreneurial Development (S.E.E.D.) Program" in the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education. The purpose of the S.E.E.D. Program will be to support original student-led projects through the awarding of grants. Awards made through the program will provide the initial funding necessary to support the development of promising new concepts, products, or companies led by the next generation of researchers. Under the bill, the S.E.E.D. Program will be implemented by a seven member board that includes the Secretary of Higher Education, or a designee; a representative of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association; and five public members. The board will establish a competitive application process for receipt of a S.E.E.D. grant that considers objective factors which include, but need not be limited to: the intellectual merit of the proposed project; the overall feasibility of the proposal; and the qualifications of the applicant. The bill directs the board to award S.E.E.D. grants from the fund to qualified applicants enrolled in each public institution of higher education, within the limits of available funds. The board will determine the amount of each grant awarded under the program and may award multi-year grants. The bill creates a special fund in the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education entitled the "S.E.E.D. Fund," consisting of all moneys appropriated by the State for the purposes of the program and all interest and investment earnings received on moneys in the fund. The fund will be used to provide S.E.E.D. grants. The bill provides that in each of the first three years of the S.E.E.D. Program, the State must appropriate to the S.E.E.D. Fund for each public institution of higher education an amount equal to $2,500 per each 500 full-time student cohort and $2,500 per each 1,000 part-time student cohort. In the event that the funds available to an institution are not awarded as S.E.E.D. grants in any of the first three years of the program, the board may either allocate those funds to the institution in subsequent years or reallocate those funds to other institutions of higher education. Under the bill, in each subsequent year, the State appropriations to the S.E.E.D. Fund for each institution will be determined with consideration of the outcomes of the projects of prior years' grantees. In the event that an independent institution of higher education opts to participate in the program, a State appropriation must be made to the fund in accordance with the guidelines established herein. Finally, the bill directs the board to submit a report to the Governor, and the Legislature four years after the establishment of the S.E.E.D. Program on its implementation and outcomes. | In Committee |
| A3658 | Requires State to reimburse school districts for costs of transporting homeless students. | Under current law, a homeless student's district of residence is responsible for paying for any costs of transporting the student to and from school. This bill provides that the State will reimburse the school district for these costs. | In Committee |
| A3646 | Increases maximum age for pediatric long-term care facility residents to 26. | This bill provides that pediatric long-term care facilities may admit and provide services to residents who are age 26 or younger. Currently, the maximum age for pediatric long-term care residents is age 19. | In Committee |
| A3634 | Transfers administration of certain nutrition programs to Department of Agriculture. | This bill would transfer primary administration of the WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children from the Department of Health to the Department of Agriculture. These programs were established through the United States Department of Agriculture. Additionally, the bill would transfer all grants and other moneys made available to the programs to the Department of Agriculture. Finally, any employees of the Department of Health deemed necessary for the proper administration of these programs would be transferred to the Department of Agriculture. | In Committee |
| A3621 | Prohibits excessive increases in prices charged for essential off-patent and generic prescription drugs and biological products. | This bill prohibits manufacturers and wholesale distributors of prescription drugs biological products from excessively increasing the price of certain prescription drugs and biological products without justification. Specifically, manufacturers and wholesale distributors may not engage in price gouging in the sale of an essential off-patent or generic drug or biological product. Price gouging is defined to mean an increase in the price of a drug or biological product that: (1) is excessive and not justified by the cost of producing the drug or biological product or expanding access to the drug or biological product to promote the public health; and (2) results in consumers having no alternative but to purchase the drug or biological product at an excessive price because of the importance of the drug or biological product to their health and insufficient marketplace competition. Under the bill, wholesale distributors will not be found to have violated this prohibition if the distributor increases the price of a drug or biological product in direct response to additional costs for the drug or biological product imposed on the distributor by the manufacturer. The bill defines "essential off-patent or generic drug or biological product" to mean any prescription drug or biological product, including any drug-device or biological product-device combination product for the delivery of the prescription drug or biological product: (1) that is made available for sale in the State; (2) for which all exclusive marketing rights granted under federal law have expired; (3) that is actively manufactured and marketed by three or fewer manufacturers; and (4) that appears on the current Model List of Essential Medicines adopted by the World Health Organization or has been otherwise designated as an essential medicine by the Commissioner of Health. The Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety may notify the Attorney General of any increase in the price of an essential off-patent or generic drug or biological product whenever: (1) the price increase, individually or in combination with other price increases, would result in an increase of 50 percent or more in the wholesale acquisition cost for the drug or biological product or in the price paid for the drug or biological product by the State Medicaid or NJ FamilyCare programs within a one-year period; and (2) the wholesale acquisition cost of the drug or biological product is more than $80 for a 30-day supply or a full course of treatment. At the request of the Attorney General, the manufacturer of an essential off-patent or generic drug or biological product identified in a notice provided under the bill will be required to submit, within 45 days of receiving the request, a statement to the Attorney General: (1) detailing the cost of producing the drug or biological product; (2) identifying the circumstances and timing of any cost increases in the preceding year; (3) identifying the circumstances and timing of any expenditures made by the manufacturer to expand access to the drug or biological product, and explaining any resulting improvements in public health; and (4) any other information the manufacturer determines to be relevant to a determination as to whether a violation of the provisions of the bill has occurred. The Attorney General may require a manufacturer or a wholesale distributor to produce any records or documents that may be relevant to a determination as to whether a violation of the bill has occurred. The Attorney General may additionally petition for a court order compelling submission of any required statement or records; restraining or enjoining a violation of the bill; restoring to any consumer, including any third party payor, any money acquired by the manufacturer or wholesale distributor as a result of a price increase that violates the bill; requiring a manufacturer that has engaged in price gouging to make the drug or biological product available in the State, for a period of up to one year, at a price that does not exceed the price immediately prior to the violation; and assessing a civil penalty of up to $10,000 against a manufacturer or wholesale distributor who has violated the provisions of the bill. For the purposes of assessing the civil penalty, each sale of a drug or biological product at a price that constitutes price gouging will be deemed a separate violation. It will not be a defense to an action brought by the Attorney General that a manufacturer did not sell the essential off-patent or generic drug or biological product directly to a consumer in New Jersey. The Attorney General may not commence an action seeking a court order for any relief, other than an order compelling submission of required statements or records, unless the Attorney General has provided the manufacturer or wholesale distributor the opportunity to meet with the Attorney General to provide a justification for the price increase. Any information provided by a manufacturer or wholesale distributor under the bill will be confidential and may not be disclosed to the public or otherwise subjected to public access, inspection, or copying, unless the manufacturer or wholesale distributor waives confidentiality. | In Committee |
| A3635 | Provides for spaying and neutering stray or feral cats and establishes fund therefor; designated as "Compassion for Community Cats Law." | The bill, designated as the "Compassion for Community Cats Law," provides for the spaying and neutering of stray or feral cats. In particular, the bill provides, with limited exceptions, that: (1) no cat may be released for adoption from an animal rescue organization facility, shelter, pound, or kennel operating as a shelter or pound unless the cat has been spayed or neutered by a licensed veterinarian; and (2) any community cat trapped and impounded at a shelter, pound, or kennel operating as a shelter or pound, or trapped and taken to an animal rescue organization facility, must be spayed or neutered, ear-tipped, and vaccinated against rabies before being returned to the location where the community cat was trapped or given to a person assuming ownership of the community cat. The spaying and neutering requirements do not apply to a cat or a community cat that: (1) is less than two months old; (2) a licensed veterinarian determines cannot be spayed or neutered for other health reasons affecting the cat; (3) is placed in a foster home or transferred to another shelter, pound, kennel operating as a shelter or pound, or animal rescue organization facility by a shelter, pound, or kennel operating as a shelter or pound; or (4) is to be euthanized in accordance with the provisions of section 16 of P.L.1941, c.151 (C.4:19-15.16) and R.S.4:22-19, which provide for humanely euthanizing animals after a shelter, pound, or kennel operating as a shelter or pound has offered the animal for adoption for at least seven days. The bill authorizes an animal rescue organization facility, shelter, pound, or kennel operating as a shelter or pound to charge the cost of spaying or neutering the cat to the person assuming ownership of the cat. The bill also amends various sections of existing law to allow for the implementation of the new spaying and neutering requirements established by the bill and other provisions of the bill. The bill authorizes the Department of Health (DOH) to adopt regulations necessary to implement grant programs and fund the spaying and neutering requirements established in the bill. The bill establishes the "Compassion for Community Cats Fund" in the DOH to provide grants to municipalities and counties to establish programs to humanely trap community cats, and sterilize, ear-tip, and vaccinate them against rabies, and return each feral cat to the location where the cat was trapped. The "Compassion for Community Cats Fund" is to be credited with the monies collected for violations of the bill, the surcharge on dog licenses imposed by section 1 of P.L.1983, c.181 (C.4:19-15.3c), any moneys appropriated by the Legislature, and any return on investment of moneys deposited in the fund. Finally, the bill repeals sections 2 and 3 of P.L.2011, c.142 (C.4:19-15.30 and 4:19-15.31), known as the "Pet Sterilization Pilot Program." Feral cat populations have existed in the State since the time of the first European settlements and they continue to exist primarily due to a lack of effective management in the form of spaying and neutering. To a lesser but still important extent, cats are abandoned, stray from their owners, or are allowed to roam unsupervised, and, if sexually intact, will reproduce. Feral cats are known as "community cats" because they live outdoors and are not owned by anyone but may be cared for by members of the community. The practice of "catch and kill," whereby community cats are trapped and subsequently euthanized, has failed to effectively manage feral cat populations and the continued use of "catch and kill" is an inhumane practice that is incompatible with the moral values of this State. "Trap, neuter, vaccinate and return," also known as "TNVR," is the most effective, compassionate, and humane method of managing these populations of community cats. TNVR is a nonlethal population control method in which community cats are humanely trapped, vaccinated against rabies, and spayed or neutered by licensed veterinarians, and then returned to the location where they were trapped. TNVR is also the most effective method of reducing the burden of community cats on the State's animal shelters. The Office of Veterinary Public Health in the Department of Health reported that cats accounted for more than half of the animals impounded and nearly 80 percent of the animals that were euthanized in the State's animal shelters in 2017. The TNVR method of managing community cat populations is also cost effective for the State's taxpayers, the most beneficial to public health, and results in improved quality of life for the residents of the State. Five counties and more than 150 municipalities in the State and the National Animal Care and Control Association, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the Humane Society of the United States endorse TNVR for managing community cat populations. This bill would promote the use of TNVR by enabling municipalities and counties to implement this effective, compassionate and humane method of managing community cat populations through provision of municipal startup grants and by appropriately aligning the use of the Animal Population Control Fund with spraying and neutering services in the State to manage community cat populations. | In Committee |
| AJR139 | Designates last Friday in March of every year "Social-Emotional Learning Day." | This joint resolution designates the last Friday in March of every year as "Social-Emotional Learning Day" to encourage the study and integration of social-emotional learning ("SEL") within every school, organization, and community in the State. SEL is the process through which individuals acquire and apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. The core competencies of SEL promote the cultivation of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making, all of which are essential to the success and stability of every school, workplace, family, and community in the State. These competencies, which can be developed during childhood, adolescence, and beyond, foster individuals who strive to make meaningful contributions to society. However, the engagement of schools, families, and community leaders is needed to promote the acquisition of SEL competencies by children, adolescents, and all other residents of the State. Given the long-term social and economic benefits achieved through SEL, it is altogether fitting and proper for this State to dedicate its public resources to the advancement of evidence-based SEL. | In Committee |
| A3624 | Requires DCPP to implement policies and procedures to ensure caseworker safety; "Leah's Law." | This bill, designated as "Leah's Law," requires the Division of Child Protection and Permanency in the Department of Children and Families to implement a caseworker safety intervention plan. The bill provides that the plan is to, at a minimum: establish specific procedures to follow when a caseworker is faced with, and responding to, a situation that poses a threat to the safety and well-being of the caseworker, whether in the local office, in the field, or when making an emergency removal of a child; specify when to request the assistance of the Human Services police officer assigned to the local office and how to initiate such requests; and be posted in a conspicuous place in the local office and a copy of the plan would be provided to every staff member assigned to that office. The bill requires the division to implement policies and procedures to ensure the safety of every caseworker employed by the division. The policies and procedures are to address issues of safety when a caseworker receives a threat of violence from a client, or is presented with a potentially dangerous situation while working in a local office, investigating a report of child abuse or neglect in the field, or making an emergency removal of a child pursuant to section 8 of P.L.1974, c.119 (C.9:6-8.28). The bill provides that, in order to ensure the safety of a caseworker in a local office, the division is to require that: a Human Services police officer be assigned to every building where a local office is located to provide security and assistance to the caseworkers assigned to the office; each local office be equipped with a metal detector or metal detector wands operated by law enforcement officers; a panic button be installed in every meeting room in which a caseworker meets with a client; and at least one meeting or conference room in each local office be equipped with a two-way mirror located to allow for the observation of the room by the Human Services police officer assigned to the office. The bill also provides that, in order to ensure the safety of a caseworker while investigating a report of child abuse or neglect in the field or when making an emergency removal of a child, the division is to require: 1) a caseworker assigned to a home visit to be accompanied by another caseworker if certain conditions delineated in the bill are met; 2) at the request of a caseworker or the caseworker's supervisor, the Human Services police officer assigned to the caseworker's local office is to accompany and assist the caseworker when conducting an investigation or visit, or when making an emergency removal; and 3) the Human Services police officer assigned to a local office is to be available to a caseworker within 30 minutes of a request to accompany and assist the caseworker, except that in an emergency situation, the officer would be immediately available. The bill stipulates that while a caseworker, who is investigating a report of child abuse or neglect or making an emergency removal, is assigned to a home visit and is accompanied by another caseworker, nothing would prohibit the division, at the request of the caseworker or supervisor, from requiring a Human Services police officer assigned to the local office to accompany or assist the caseworker. | In Committee |
| AJR127 | Designates October of each year as "Humanities Month" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates October of each year as "Humanities Month" in New Jersey. The arts and humanities provide opportunities for learning, self-expression, and reflection and challenge individuals to obtain new perspectives. The arts and humanities help people to understand different cultures and allow people to connect across space and time. The State of New Jersey has a rich artistic history and many cultural offerings in which citizens of this State can participate and enjoy. The arts and humanities also benefit the economy and the tourism industry and provide a starting point for conversations and personal growth. | In Committee |
| A3611 | Designates blueberry muffin as State Muffin. | This bill designates the blueberry muffin as the New Jersey State Muffin. New Jersey is the home of the commercial blueberry, which was first domesticated in Browns Mills in the early 20th century by Elizabeth White and Frederick Covile. White and Coville accomplished this by selectively breeding the native highbush blueberry over the course of many years. Blueberries now make up a significant proportion of New Jersey's agricultural economy and New Jersey is consistently among the top-five producers of blueberries in the nation, producing approximately 50 million pounds of blueberries worth an estimated $70 million annually. Blueberries taste good, are high in fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants, are sodium and cholesterol-free, are low in calories, and may provide medical and health benefits, including helping to prevent cancer and heart disease. Blueberry muffins are able to highlight both the healthfulness and the great taste of the blueberry, since they can be enjoyed as a high fiber breakfast food, or as a sweet dessert. It is therefore proper and fitting for the State of New Jersey to recognize the significance of the blueberry to the State and the delightful taste of the blueberry muffin by designating the blueberry muffin as the New Jersey State Muffin. | In Committee |
| AJR130 | Designates May of each year as "Pet Appreciation Month" and third full week of May of each year as "Pet Adoption Week" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates May of each year as "Pet Appreciation Month" and the third full week of May of each year as "Pet Adoption Week" in New Jersey. Pets have been a part of American life for hundreds of years, and thousands of New Jersey households currently own and care for a variety of pets. Owning pets is shown to have numerous physical and mental health benefits, and observation of a "Pet Appreciation Month" would create an additional reason to celebrate the bonds between a pet owner and their pet. While many loving households welcome new pets to their homes each year, and, while support for animal shelters and rescues continues to increase in the State, more adopters are needed to alleviate the burden on these shelter and rescue organizations. Well-behaved and friendly animals are, too often, forced to rely upon animal shelters and rescues for reasons that are not attributable to the animal, but are due to issues under human control such as the residential movement of families, the need for families to comply with rental housing rules, or the need for families to accommodate busy work schedules or new babies. According to the Department of Health's voluntary 2019 Animal Intake and Disposition Survey, approximately 81,199 animals were admitted to animal shelters across the State in 2019 and approximately 11 percent of those animals were euthanized. Moreover, according to the Best Friends Animal Society, a national organization and leader in the no-kill animal shelter initiative, only about 57 percent of New Jersey animal shelters are no-kill shelters. Observation of "Pet Adoption Week" would raise awareness of the benefits of, and need for increased pet adoptions and pet fostering, and encourage the continued public support of, and donation of items and funds to, local animal shelters and rescues in the State. | In Committee |
| AJR129 | Designates week of February 24 through March 2 of each year as "Say Something Week." | This resolution designates the week of February 24 through March 2 each year as "Say Something Week" to help prevent youth violence in schools. The goal of the week is to train and empower students to know what to do if they hear about a potential violent incident being planned. Nearly 80 percent of school shooters told someone of their plans prior to the shooting and seven out of 10 people who commit suicide tell someone or give an indication of what they are planning. By giving students and the school community the support and training they need, New Jersey can reduce the amount of violence in schools that threaten students on a daily basis. | In Committee |
| AJR135 | Designates month of September each year as "Deaf Awareness Month" in New Jersey; designates last full week of September each year as "Deaf Awareness Week" in New Jersey. | This resolution designates the month of September as "Deaf Awareness Month" and the last full week of September as "Deaf Awareness Week" in New Jersey. There are approximately 850,000 New Jersey residents with varying degrees of hearing loss ranging from mild to profound, including individuals who are born deaf and people who encounter late-stage hearing loss. New Jersey is also home to many world-class institutions and programs for people who are deaf, including the Union Street School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Hackensack, the Bruce Street School for the Deaf in Newark, and the Marie Katzenbach School for the Deaf in Trenton. There are many misconceptions about being deaf and the challenges people who are deaf face in their everyday lives, which can only be dispelled through greater public education and awareness. Furthermore, much work remains to be done to promote the rights of people who are deaf throughout the world, including access to education, access to information and services, and the prevalence of sign language. Governments around the world have designated September as "Deaf Awareness Month," in order to commemorate the first World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf, which took place in September 1951. It is therefore proper and fitting for the State of New Jersey to celebrate the culture, heritage, and language of people who are deaf and to increase public awareness of deaf issues by designating the month of September as "Deaf Awareness Month" and the last full week of September as "Deaf Awareness Week" in New Jersey. | In Committee |
| A3613 | Exempts specialty heart hospital from 0.53 percent hospital assessment under certain circumstances. | This bill would exempt a specialty heart hospital from the .53 percent total operating revenue assessment if the hospital certifies to the Department of Health and the Department of Banking and Insurance that it waives any right to bill any patient directly for health care services provided by the hospital. In FY 2024, the State estimates that the 0.53 percent assessment will generate approximately $157 million in total revenue dedicated to the Health Care Subsidy Fund. This fund supports State expenditures to subsidize federally qualified health centers, charity care, NJ FamilyCare, and other health care programs. | In Committee |
| A3641 | Prohibits smoking in automobile when children are present. | This bill prohibits smoking in an automobile when a child 17 years of age or younger is present. As used in this bill, "smoking" means the burning of, inhaling from, exhaling the smoke from, or the possession of a lighted cigar, cigarette, pipe, or any other matter or substance which contains tobacco or any other matter that can be smoked, or the inhaling or exhaling of smoke or vapor from an electronic smoking device. A person who violates the provisions of the bill would be fined $100 for a first offense and $200 for the second or subsequent offense, and the penalty assessed would be appropriated to the Department of Health to fund anti-smoking initiatives in the State. The provisions of the bill stipulate that no motor vehicle or automobile insurance eligibility points or surcharge under the Motor Vehicle Violations Surcharge System would result from a violation of the provisions of the bill. The bill also requires the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to establish a public awareness campaign to inform the public about the provisions of the bill. | In Committee |
| A3620 | Requires that certain medical education programs give priority to certain applicants. | This bill provides that a teaching hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) that accepts State funding for graduate medical education programs is to grant priority consideration to an otherwise competitive applicant who is a resident or who is enrolled and in good academic standing at an accredited medical school in the State when considering applicants for placement in a residency or fellowship at that hospital. Failure to grant such priority consideration would result in the reallocation by the State of 20 percent of the hospital's Medicaid funding for graduate medical education programs. The bill further provides that any teaching hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-l et seq.) that accepts State funding for graduate medical education programs is to grant priority consideration for third and fourth year student clerkships at the hospital to medical students who are enrolled and in good academic standing at an accredited State-supported medical school. Failure to grant such priority consideration would result in the reallocation by the State of 20 percent of the hospital's Medicaid funding for graduate medical education programs. The bill also provides that a teaching hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-l et seq.) that accepts State funding for graduate medical education programs is to grant priority consideration to any written request made by the administration of an accredited State-supported medical school for placements in third and fourth year student clerkships at that hospital for students of that medical school. Following receipt of such a request, a teaching hospital is to either, reduce, within one academic year, the number of third and fourth year clerkships provided to students enrolled in medical schools outside of the State, as necessary to fulfill the request, or 20 percent of the hospital's Medicaid funding for graduate medical education programs would be reallocated to a teaching hospital that fulfills the request by the administration of an accredited State-supported medical school for placements for its students in third and fourth year student clerkships. The bill authorizes the Commissioner of Human Services to apply for such State plan amendments or waivers as are necessary to secure federal financial participation for State Medicaid expenditures under the federal Medicaid program. The Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, is to prescribe such procedures and forms, and take such other actions, as the commissioners determine necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act. | In Committee |
| A3637 | Provides immunity from civil and criminal liability for rescue of animal from motor vehicle under inhumane conditions. | In addition to any other immunity provided by the "New Jersey Tort Claims Act," or any other law, rule, or regulation, this bill, as amended, provides immunity from civil or criminal liability for any acts or omissions related to breaking into and entering a vehicle and rendering emergency care to a domestic companion animal when: 1) the domestic companion animal has been left unattended in a motor vehicle under inhumane conditions adverse to the health or welfare of the animal; 2) the person breaking into and entering the vehicle reasonably believes that the animal is in immediate danger of bodily injury or death from the circumstances of the inhumane conditions; and 3) prior to entering the motor vehicle the person contacted appropriate rescue personnel to report the circumstances and made a reasonable attempt to locate the owner or operator of the motor vehicle or other person responsible for the animal, unless exigent circumstances warrant foregoing such actions. The bill requires the person to immediately contact appropriate rescue personnel after removing the animal from the vehicle, if none have already been contacted. The bill also requires the appropriate rescue personnel, upon being contacted, to dispatch assistance to the scene of the animal recovery, immediately seek proper veterinary care for the animal as needed, and cause to commence any investigation necessary for a suspected violation of R.S.4:22-17 or R.S.4:22-26 (animal cruelty). The bill defines "appropriate rescue personnel" as a law enforcement officer, a member of a paid, part paid, or volunteer fire department or fire company, or ambulance, emergency, or rescue squad, a certified animal control officer, a municipal humane law enforcement officer, or a humane law enforcement officer of a county society for the prevention of cruelty to animals. | In Committee |
| A3606 | 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 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 |
| A3639 | Requires licensed child care centers to provide annual notice of emergency procedure requirements. | This bill requires child care centers licenses pursuant to P.L.1983, c.492 (C.30:5B-1 et seq.) to prepare and make available a notice of the child care center's emergency procedure requirements for ensuring children's safety and for communicating such requirements in the event of evacuation, lockdown, natural or civil disaster, and other emergencies, to every parent or legal guardian of a child attending the center. The notice would be sent annually by certified mail, return receipt requested or by receipted first class mail addressed to the parent or legal guardian at the last known address identified in the center's records. The center would also be required to post the notice on its internet website or by other electronic means. | In Committee |
| A3706 | Establishes Office of State Dental Director and New Jersey Oral Health Commission. | This bill establishes the Office of the State Dental Director. The State Dental Director will be appointed by the Governor in consultation with the New Jersey Dental Association, and will be a licensed dentist or dental hygienist who has practiced in New Jersey for at least 10 years. The State Dental Director will be responsible for developing and facilitating model public and private partnerships for oral health awareness campaigns to improve the access, acceptability, and use of oral health services in this State. The director will additionally serve as an information and resource center for specific oral health information and data concerning oral health, and will disseminate such data to interested parties. In consultation with the Commissioner of Health, the director is to review, recommend, and develop appropriate oral health education materials and disseminate the materials to local school districts throughout the State. In collaboration with appropriate State agencies and private organizations, the director is to assist in developing programs in Head Start programs and elementary and secondary schools that stress good nutrition, sound oral hygiene, healthy lifestyles, and the prevention of oral disease. The director will serve as an advocate for the adoption and implementation of effective measures to improve oral health and eliminate disparities among the various racial and ethnic populations of this State concerning access to high-quality oral health care, utilization of oral health care services, and oral health status. The director will develop recommendations for the most effective means of providing community outreach to ensure maximum participation in publicly-funded oral health programs, evaluate oral health programs in other states to assess their efficacy and potential for replication in this State, and make recommendations regarding the adoption of such programs. The director will be in charge of all dental health activities and programs that are in or overseen by the Department of Health, and the director or a designee will serve as an additional, ex officio member of the New Jersey State Board of Dentistry. The director may apply for and accept any grant of money from the federal government, private foundations, or other sources, which may be available for programs related to oral health. Additionally, the bill establishes the New Jersey Oral Health Commission in the Department of Health. The commission will be required to develop and promote recommendations for policies, events, and awareness campaigns to improve the condition of oral health in this State. The commission will comprise 15 members, including the State Dental Director, who will serve as chairperson of the commission; the Commissioners of Banking and Insurance, Children and Families, Education, and Human Services, or their designees, who shall serve ex officio; and 10 public members, to be appointed by the Governor upon the recommendations of groups representing various aspects of the health care and dental care industry. The public members will serve for a term of five years, except that, of the 10 public members first appointed, the first three members appointed will serve for a term of three years, the second three members appointed will serve for a term of four years, and the next four members appointed will serve for a term of five years. A public member is eligible to be reappointed to the commission, and vacancies will be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. Members of the commission will serve without compensation, but will be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. The commission will meet at least twice per calendar year, and at such other times as the chairperson designates. The Department of Health will provide staff services and other necessary support to the commission. The director is to report annually to the Governor and the Legislature on the work of the director and the commission and on the status of oral health in the State. | In Committee |
| A3676 | Requires licensure of dog trainers. | This bill provides for the regulation and licensing of dog trainers. The bill establishes the Dog Trainer Board of Examiners in the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety, which will consist of nine members. Two members will be public members; three members will be licensed dog trainers, except for the members first appointed; two members will be veterinarians licensed in this State; one member will be affiliated with an animal protection group; and one member will be a State executive department member. The bill permits the board to establish fees for those licensed under the bill and incorporates the terms of the law on fees of professional boards, P.L.1974, c.46 (C.45:1-3.1 et seq.), and the uniform enforcement and procedure act, P.L.1978, c.73 (C.45:1-14 et seq.), for enforcement of standards and punishment of violations. To be eligible to be licensed as a dog trainer, an applicant shall: be at least 18 years of age; be of good moral character; have successfully completed high school or successfully passed a high school equivalency examination developed by the General Education Development (GED) Testing Service; have successfully completed a minimum of 300 hours in dog training under the supervision of, and documented by, a dog trainer licensed pursuant to this bill in the three years previous to applying for licensure; and pass an examination administered or approved by the board to determine the applicant's competence to practice dog training. The examination required by the bill must be held at least twice a year at the times and places to be determined by the board. The board, in consultation with the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), must adopt as the examination required of applicants for licensure under this bill any CCPDT certification examination, or any other examination that is determined by the board to be a substantially similar assessment of dog training skills and competency. The bill provides an exemption from the requirement that an applicant for licensure successfully complete a minimum of 300 hours in supervised dog training if the applicant provides proof satisfactory to the board that the applicant has engaged in the practice of dog training in this State continuously for at least one year prior to the effective date of the bill. There is also an exemption from the requirement that an applicant for licensure pass an examination administered or approved by the board if the applicant provides proof satisfactory to the board that the applicant has passed any CCPDT certification examination, or any other examination that is determined by the board to be a substantially similar assessment of dog training skills and competency, prior to the effective date of the bill. The bill provides for licenses to be issued for a three-year period, and will be renewed upon filing a renewal application. A license will not be renewed until the license holder submits satisfactory evidence to the board that during the preceding three years the license holder has completed such continuing education credits as are to be determined by the board pursuant to regulation. The board will approve, in consultation with the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), continuing education credits that build upon the basic knowledge of dog training and which enhance the competency of the license holder. The board may make exceptions from the continuing education requirement in emergency or hardship cases with the approval of an affirmative vote of a majority of the board. | In Committee |
| A3669 | Authorizes use of healthcare platforms providing discounted prices for payment of prescription and non-prescription drugs or devices and for telehealth and telemedicine services. | This bill incorporates the use of healthcare platforms such as GoodRx and SingleCare into the laws governing pharmacy benefits managers, pharmacists and telehealth. "Healthcare platform" is defined in the bill as an Internet-based service through which a consumer, who may or may not have separate health insurance coverage, may set-up an account or become a member to obtain discounts on prescription or non-prescription drugs or devices and through which other services, including telemedicine, may be provided. The bill authorizes patients to use a membership or an account with a healthcare platform and to stipulate that a licensee of the Board of Pharmacy will not be penalized for allowing a patient to use a discount from a healthcare platform as part of payment. The bill also stipulates that a pharmacy benefits manager is to not prohibit or apply any penalty or disincentive to a network pharmacy if a discounted price generated by a healthcare platform is applied to the payment made by a covered person with an account or membership to the healthcare platform for a prescription drug even if the covered person maintains health insurance coverage. Additionally, the bill allows a patient with a membership or an account in a healthcare platform to apply the membership or account towards payment of services provided as a result of telehealth or telemedicine. The patient is to notify a provider of any identification number, if given, in connection with the membership or account with a healthcare platform to ensure the preservation of a proper patient-provider relationship. | In Committee |
| A3683 | 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 |
| A3665 | Provides that student is ineligible for State financial aid upon conviction for hazing. | This bill provides that a student is ineligible for State financial aid upon a conviction for hazing or aggravated hazing under P.L.1980, c.169 (C.2C:40-3 et seq.). Recent high-profile hazing incidents, such as the death of a fraternity pledge at Pennsylvania State University in February 2017, Louisiana State University in September 2017, and Florida State University in November 2017, demonstrate that hazing continues to be a problem with severe and fatal consequences. This bill establishes an additional deterrent to hazing by making a student ineligible for State financial aid upon a conviction of hazing or aggravated hazing. | In Committee |
| A3672 | Requires insurance carriers offering dental benefit plans to provide certain level of coverage and reimbursement. | This bill requires insurance carriers offering dental benefit plans to provide covered persons with a certain level of coverage for covered services. Specifically, the bill requires dental plans offered by insurance carriers in this State to provide for a level of coverage that is designed to provide benefits that are actuarially equivalent to an amount of the full actuarial value of the benefits provided under the plan that shall be determined by the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance. The bill provides that the level of coverage of a dental plan is to be determined on the basis that the covered services are provided to a standard population, and without regard to the actual population to which the plan may provide benefits. The bill requires the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance to develop guidelines to provide for a de minimis variation in the actuarial calculations used in determining the level of coverage of a plan to account for differences in actuarial estimates. The bill also requires a dental plan offered by a carrier in this State to provide for reimbursement to a provider for a covered service at a level that is at least 75 percent of the usual and customary charge for the service provided. The bill requires the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance to develop procedures for the determination of the usual and customary charge for dental services on a regional basis within the State. Determinations for reimbursement of dental services are required to be made, at a minimum, for three areas within the State, including the northern, central, and southern portions of the State. | In Committee |
| A3670 | Provides certain employment protections for working parents due to school closure during state of emergency and public health emergency. | This bill makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer to require an employee who is the parent or legal guardian of a school aged child to be physically present for work, when that work can be performed remotely, during a public health emergency and state of emergency that requires the closure of the child's school and virtual or remote instruction, unless the employer can demonstrate that allowing the employee to work remotely would be an undue hardship on the business operations of the employer. The employer shall not in any way penalize the employee in terms, conditions or privileges of employment for requesting to work remotely or working remotely under the bill. An employer who violates this bill will be liable for a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed $1,000 for the first violation, $5,000 for the second violation, and $10,000 for each subsequent violation collectible by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development in a summary proceeding pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.). If the employer requires an employee who is the parent or legal guardian of a school aged child to be physically present for work on the basis of that employee falling under one of the enumerated protected classes in section 2 of the bill, a violation of the employer constitutes a violation of the "Law Against Discrimination," P.L.1945, c.169 (C.10:5-1 et seq.), in addition to the civil penalties for any violation. Although the parental responsibilities of educating and caring for a child may fall on a man or woman, the remote learning that occurred during the 2019-2020 school year revealed that women were disparately impacted by remote learning requirements. Additionally, analyses of the pandemic suggest that the economic impacts of the pandemic have disproportionately affected minorities, including blacks and Hispanics. Requiring members of vulnerable populations to choose between educating their children and maintaining employment will only compound the economic impact of the pandemic on these populations. While many parents rose to the challenge of educating their children while working remotely during the shutdown of the State, the reopening of businesses has coincided with employers requiring employees to be physically present at the workplace. This is so even in circumstances in which an employee's job may be performed remotely. As the 2020-2021 school year is about to commence, countless working parents, and in particular women and minorities, will be faced with the difficult choice of retaining employment or educating their children. | In Committee |
| A3644 | Requires residential psychiatric and long-term care facilities to provide certain financial information to facility residents and other individuals. | This bill expands the types of residential long-term care facilities that are required to provide quarterly financial accounting statements to a resident, the resident's next-of-kin, the resident's guardian, if any, and, if the resident is a ward of the State, an individual whom the resident identified upon becoming a ward of the State to receive the quarterly statements. Under this bill, residential long-term care facilities would be required to provide a written account of the resident's funds, an itemized list of property deposited with the facility for the resident's use, and all financial transactions with the resident, the resident's next-of-kin or authorized representative, and any guardian appointed for the resident. Moreover, these quarterly statements would report the amount of property in the resident's account at the start and end of the accounting period, as well as a listing of all deposits and withdrawals, which transactions would be substantiated with copies of receipts to be provided to the resident, the resident's next of kin or authorized representative, and any appointed guardian. Facilities affected by this new requirement are: nursing homes, assisted living facilities, comprehensive personal care homes, dementia care homes, inpatient psychiatric facilities, and continuing care residential communities. Under current law, only nursing homes, assisted living facilities and comprehensive personal care homes are required to provide quarterly accounting statements, and only to the resident or the resident's guardian. By requiring these residential care facilities to provide regular, detailed accounting statements to a resident, the resident's next-of-kin, and a trusted representative named by a resident who is a ward of the State, the bill's sponsor intends to make it more difficult for unscrupulous guardians or relatives to siphon money or other financial resources from a vulnerable individual who has become a ward of the State. It is the hope of the sponsor that, by providing a clear financial accounting to the resident and the resident's trusted advisors, any financial improprieties would be more readily identified and thwarted. | In Committee |
| A3660 | Concerns parking spaces restricted for persons with disabilities located near youth athletic fields. | This bill requires a municipality or board of education that restricts a parking space for use by persons with disabilities on land owned or leased and maintained by the municipality or board of education that is adjacent to an athletic field used for a youth sports activity, to locate the restricted parking space or spaces so that the driver and front seat passenger of the vehicle within a restricted parking space or spaces are able to view youth sports activities on the athletic field, provided that the activities on the athletic field are visible from the parking area. The bill's requirement applies when a municipality or board of education of a school district constructs, expands, resurfaces, or repaints a parking area adjacent to an athletic field used for a youth sports activity. | In Committee |
| A3659 | Establishes tuition reimbursement program for certain advanced practice nurses who provide home health care services. | This bill establishes a tuition reimbursement program for certain advanced practice nurses who provide home health care services in the State. The program established under this bill will provide reimbursement of a portion of tuition expenses incurred from attending an accredited advanced practice nurse program to advanced practice nurses who agree to provide home health care services in the State for a period of one to four years. A program participant must: be a State resident; be certified by the New Jersey Board of Nursing as an advanced practice nurse; have specialized education or training in providing home health care services; and apply for the program within one year of obtaining certification as an advanced practice nurse. Program participants will enter into a contract with the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) for a specified number of one-year periods of service, up to four years, in which the participant agrees to engage in the full-time practice of providing home health care services in the State. In return for this commitment, a portion of the participant's tuition expenses in attending an accredited advanced practice nurse program will be reimbursed. Tuition reimbursement will equal 25 percent of the participant's eligible tuition expenses for the one academic year of an advanced practice nurse program in which tuition was the lowest, in return for each full year of service under the program. The maximum total tuition reimbursement for a participant for four years of service will be 100 percent of the participant's eligible tuition expenses for the one academic year of an advanced practice nurse program in which tuition was the lowest. Under the bill, participants in the program will be required to adhere to certain terms and standards, including charging for professional services at the usual and customary rates, allowing patients who are unable to pay that charge to pay a reduced rate or receive care at no charge, and not discriminating against any patient on the basis of ability to pay. Participants will also be required to maintain their State residency and certification to practice as an advanced practice nurse, remain current with payments on any student loans, maintain satisfactory performance of services, and report to HESAA on the performance of services rendered prior to receiving tuition reimbursement. | In Committee |
| A3649 | Expands Medicaid coverage regarding assistive devices for hearing impaired under certain circumstances. | This bill requires Medicaid coverage for hearing aids and other assistive devices for hearing impaired under certain circumstances. Specifically, the bill provides that coverage under the Medicaid Program includes expenses for unilateral or bilateral hearing aids, cochlear implants, or auditory osseointegrated devices, as well as any related accessories or services, provided that the devices, accessories, and services are deemed to be medically necessary and are prescribed or recommended by a licensed physician or audiologist. Under the bill, a "hearing aid" means an ear-level or body-worn electroacoustic device for amplifying sound whose basic components are a microphone, amplifier, and receiver; a "cochlear implant" means a device that is implanted under the skin that picks up sounds and converts them to impulses transmitted to electrodes placed in the cochlea; and an "auditory osseointegrated device" means a device implanted in the skull that replaces the function of the middle ear and provides mechanical energy to the cochlea via a mechanical transducer. Furthermore, "bilateral" means relating to or involving both ears, while "unilateral" means relating to or involving one ear. Currently, the State's Medicaid Plan provides that hearing aids are a covered benefit for eligible participants of the Medicaid Program if the hearing aid is determined to be medically necessary. This bill codifies this existing provision, and expands upon the benefit to include cochlear implants and auditory osseointegrated devices, as well as any related accessories or services. | In Committee |
| A3666 | Requires local units of government to provide access to "user-friendly" budget information through link included on home page Internet site. | This bill requires that a budget adopted by a county, municipality, or school district be made available in a user-friendly format and accessible through a link that is prominently displayed on the home page of the Internet site if one exists. | In Committee |
| A3662 | Requires NJT to adopt nondiscrimination policy and requires annual training on nondiscrimination policy. | This bill requires the New Jersey Transit Corporation (corporation) to adopt a written nondiscrimination policy that complies with federal and State laws and regulations prohibiting unlawful employment discrimination and harassment. Under the bill, the corporation is required to distribute the nondiscrimination policy to each employee of the corporation who is employed by the corporation on the effective date of the bill and to each employee who commences employment with the corporation after the effective date of the bill within certain time frames established by the bill. Each employee of the corporation is to acknowledge receipt of the nondiscrimination policy in writing within 10 business days following receipt of the nondiscrimination policy, which is to be retained by the director of the corporation's human resources office. The corporation is required to make the written nondiscrimination policy available to each employee upon request. Under the bill, the corporation is to require each employee to complete training on the written nondiscrimination policy at least once in each calendar year. | In Committee |
| A3612 | Extends eligibility for tuition benefit to dependents of members of United States Armed Forces who died while on active duty. | Under current law, the child or surviving spouse of a member of the New Jersey National Guard who died while on active duty may attend regularly-scheduled courses at any public institution of higher education in this State and receive up to 16 credits per semester tuition-free provided that certain conditions are met. This bill extends the tuition waiver benefit to the dependents of members of the Armed Forces of the United States who died while on active duty. The bill further provides to dependents of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States or the New Jersey National Guard who died while on active duty a monetary award equal to 10 percent of the cost of tuition at the public institution of higher education at which the student is enrolled. This award will be made available to the student for use on non-tuition education costs, including but not limited to housing, dining, fees, or supplies. | In Committee |
| A3608 | Establishes pilot program to study feasibility of regionalization of certain school districts; appropriates $150,000. | This bill directs the Commissioner of Education to establish a school district regionalization pilot program. The purpose of the program is to study the feasibility of establishing a grade K-12 all purpose regional school district through the consolidation of an existing grade 9-12 limited purpose regional school district and the grade K-8 school districts of its constituent municipalities. The pilot program will consist of a one-year Phase I planning stage, a five-year Phase II implementation stage, and an Evaluation Component. The bill directs the commissioner to select three pilot sites to participate in the program, including one in a northern, central and southern region of the State. Under the bill, if a board of education of a grade 9-12 limited purpose regional school district and the boards of education of the grade K-8 school districts of its constituent municipalities determine to participate in the pilot program, the boards must jointly submit an application to the commissioner. The bill requires that selected school districts conduct a feasibility study to determine the educational and financial impact of forming a grade K-12 regional school district. The districts may apply to the commissioner for a planning grant in an amount not to exceed $50,000 to cover costs associated with its participation in the pilot program including, but not limited to, the collection of data, public relations activities, and the organization of public meetings. In addition to the planning grant, any costs associated with the feasibility study will be paid by the State. The commissioner may extend the Phase I planning stage through a second year if he determines it to be advisable. The bill specifies that the voters of each constituent municipality of the proposed grade K-12 regional school district must approve the participation in the Phase II implementation stage. The commissioner will provide incentive State aid to school districts that participate in the Phase II implementation stage in an amount as is necessary to equalize the apportionment of costs of the grade K-12 regional school district among the constituent municipalities and to support the initial costs associated with regionalization. Incentive State aid will be provided for each of the five years of the Phase II implementation stage. The bill also directs the commissioner to appoint an independent evaluator to work in each of the pilot sites to design and implement the evaluation of that site. The design would address issues such as the impact of the establishment of a grade K-12 regional school district on student achievement, school district finances, parent and student satisfaction with educational programs and athletic and other extra-curricular school programs, staffing, facilities, and governance. | In Committee |
| A3674 | Provides right of action for individuals alleging denial of professional credential by State is result of policy or process causing disparate impact on basis of race or ethnicity. | This bill creates a private right of action for an individual who was denied a professional license, certification, registration or other authorization by an entity created under Title 45 or Title 52 of the Revised Statutes, or by a principal department of the Executive Branch of State government, an entity within a department or any entity created to license or otherwise regulate a profession and who claims the denial is the result of a policy or process promulgated or otherwise effectuated by the State entity that causes a disparate impact on the issuance of a license, certification, registration or other authorization on the basis of race or ethnicity. Under the bill, the individual has a right to file a verified complaint in writing with the Division of Civil Rights in the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety or the New Jersey Superior Court. An individual must follow the provisions of the law against discrimination in order to bring an action pursuant to the bill. Additionally, under the bill, the individual filing a complaint has the burden of demonstrating, by a preponderance of the evidence, that an application for licensure was denied by a licensing entity as a result of a policy or process that causes a disparate racial impact. The Division on Civil Rights or New Jersey Superior Court is to consider if the individual demonstrates that a disparate impact is caused by: (1) a policy or process that has a disproportionate impact on individuals of a certain race or ethnicity; (2) a policy or process that is applied inconsistently or unreasonably by a licensing entity; or (3) factors considered by a licensing entity that are unrelated to the profession in which the individual seeks a license. In the bill, it is considered a defense for a licensing entity if the rationale for a policy or process justifies the policy or process having an identifiable disparate impact on the basis of race or ethnicity. The rationale can be justified if the licensing entity demonstrates that: (1) the disparate impact is based on one or more legitimate, bona fide factors, such as training, education, experience, or examination, or the quality of services provided; (2) the factor or factors are not based on, and do not perpetuate, a disparate impact based on race or ethnicity; (3) each of the factors is applied reasonably; (4) one or more of the factors account for the entire disparate impact; and (5) the factors are related to the license being sought. The bill provides that a factor shall not apply if it is demonstrated that there are alternative policies or processes that would serve the same purpose without producing the disparate impact. | In Committee |
| A3668 | Requires health benefits coverage for buprenorphine and buprenorphine/naloxone for pain treatment without step therapy or fail-first protocols. | 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) to provide health benefits coverage for any expenses incurred by a covered person for the prescription and purchase of buprenorphine or buprenorphine/naloxone for the treatment of pain. The bill provides that coverage is not subject to step therapy or fail-first protocols. Buprenorphine and buprenorphine/naloxone, are medications that are used to treat chronic pain. This bill seeks to make these medications more readily available for people with chronic pain by prohibiting health insurers from applying step therapy or fail-first protocols as a condition for coverage. These protocols are a type of prior authorization which currently may be used by health insurers to require patients to use riskier, more addictive drugs for the treatment of pain, before using buprenorphine and buprenorphine/naloxone, which are less addictive and less likely to be abused by patients. | In Committee |
| A3671 | Allows interment of cremated pet remains in certain cemeteries. | This bill allows cremated pet remains to be interred alongside human remains in a cemetery. The interment of cremated pet remains shall take place simultaneously with the interment of human remains, and a cemetery company must provide written approval for the interment of cremated pet remains to the lot owner authorizing the interment of cremated pet remains. The cemetery is required to provide a list of any charges related to the interment to the customer. Cremated pet remains may not be interred in a columbarium or public mausoleum. The bill defines "cremated pet remains" as the recoverable bone fragments and container residue resulting from the process of cremation of a pet. The bill allows a cemetery company to deny the interment of cremated pet remains in the cemetery. | In Committee |
| A3663 | Permits youth-serving patriotic societies to speak with public school students during regular school hours. | This bill requires the principal of a public school to permit a representative of a patriotic society that is intended to serve young people under the age of 21 to speak to students during regular school hours in the first quarter of the school year. A patriotic society interested in speaking with students must provide the school principal with verbal or written notice of the society's intent to speak to the students to inform the students about the civic involvement of the society, and to explain how students may participate in or join the patriotic society. The bill provides that a patriotic society cannot solicit personal information from students during the visit. Under the bill, a school principal has discretion over the time, place, and manner of the representative's visit. As used in this bill, "patriotic society" means an organization listed in Title 36 of the United States Code. | In Committee |
| A3648 | Establishes three-year Medicaid demonstration project to pay for certain drugs according to value-based system. | This bill establishes a three-year Medicaid demonstration project to pay for certain drugs according to a value-based payment system. Under the bill, the Department of Human Services will establish a three-year demonstration project to employ value-based payment systems for a limited number of prescription drugs covered under the program. The department will enter into purchasing or rebate agreements with the manufacturers of at least three different prescription drugs, which will provide that the total reimbursement paid by the State for such drugs will be based in some part on observed outcomes of the drug's use in patients. The drugs selected for the demonstration project will have specific therapeutic purposes with outcomes that are readily measurable with existing data systems, and will be among the highest-cost drugs in the New Jersey Medicaid program in aggregate spending. The department and the manufacturer of each drug selected for the project must agree to the best terms to accommodate the chosen value-based purchasing or rebate agreement based on other value-based agreements with manufacturers that take into consideration observed outcomes of the drug's use in patients. The department will require that Medicaid managed care organizations participate in the demonstration project, and will specify the obligations of the managed care organizations under the demonstration program in the contract between the department and the managed care organizations. After the expiration of the three-year demonstration project, the Commissioner of Human Services will report to the Governor and Legislature on the results of the demonstration project, along with the commissioner's recommendations on the advisability of re-establishing, expanding, or otherwise modifying the project. The report shall include specific performance test results, which have been aggregated and de-identified as necessary to protect patients' identities and health information protected by State and federal law. | In Committee |
| A3588 | Provides for certain pediatric NJ FamilyCare beneficiaries to maintain private duty nursing hours when transitioning to Managed Long Term Services and Supports; codifies and expands appeals provisions for private duty nursing services. | This bill provides that a NJ FamilyCare beneficiary transitioning from the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) program for children under age 21 to the Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) program for people of all ages with long-term care needs will automatically receive coverage under the MLTSS program for no less than the number of weekly private duty nursing service hours that the beneficiary was eligible to receive pursuant to the most recent nursing assessment completed under the EPSDT program. Moreover, the bill requires that such beneficiaries will be allowed to carry forward unused private duty nursing service hours from week to week. A managed care organization may decrease the number of covered private duty nursing service hours for such a beneficiary only based on a change in medical necessity, as determined by an authorized provider. The MLTSS program currently limits the number of weekly private duty nursing hours to 16. By contrast, there is no cap on such services under the EPSDT program. Furthermore, the bill directs the Department of Human Services to review the records of all beneficiaries who have transitioned from the EPSDT program to the MLTSS program in the five years preceding the bill's enactment to determine if any beneficiaries may be eligible for coverage of an increased number of private duty nursing services hours pursuant to the provisions of the bill. The bill also codifies and expands certain provisions in the contract between the Medicaid managed care organizations and the State for all private duty nursing services appeals. Under the bill, a managed care organization is required to automatically continue a beneficiary's provider-authorized private duty nursing services benefits during an appeal of a change of previously authorized private duty nursing services, provided that the appeal request is made by an eligible entity within 30 calendar days of the date of notification of the adverse benefit determination. These provisions reflect existing contract elements, except that currently an appeal request must be made within 10 calendar days, rather than 30. The bill also requires managed care organizations to continue the beneficiary's private duty nursing services benefits while an appeal is pending until 30 days after either the beneficiary withdraws the appeal or the appeal results in a decision adverse to the beneficiary. Currently, the managed care organizations can discontinue benefits upon the date of either of these two events. | In Committee |
| AJR117 | Designates September as "Neighborhood Month" and September 28th as "Neighborhood Day" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates the month of September of each year as "Neighborhood Month" and September 28th of each year as "Neighborhood Day" in New Jersey to promote the neighborhood relationships that are fundamental to the State's communities. An annual "Neighborhood Month" and "Neighborhood Day" in this State would help inspire, build, and sustain the neighborhood relationships that provide the foundation for civic action and the building of stronger, more caring, and more effective communities. The joint resolution also respectfully requests the Governor to issue an annual proclamation calling upon public officials and citizens of this State to observe the month and day with appropriate activities and programs. | In Committee |
| AJR115 | Designates May of each year as Military Spouse Appreciation Month in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates May of each year as Military Spouse Appreciation Month. The men and women in the Armed Forces courageously defend our Nation and State, and keep its citizens safe. As they make heroic sacrifices for their county, their husbands and wives are often left to deal with the strains of relocation and deployment. Though most military spouses do not wear a uniform themselves, they serve and strengthen our Nation and State every day be providing our brave troops with support, comfort, and love. They are the rock on which their families, our military community, and our security depend. They deserve recognition for the contributions and sacrifices they make. This State recognizes the selfless and extraordinary service and sacrifices of military spouses, and designates May of each year as Military Spouse Appreciation Month in New Jersey. | In Committee |
| AR99 | Urges U.S. Department of Treasure to place Harriet Tubman on $20 bill without delay. | This resolution urges the President of the United States and the Secretary of the Treasury to place the likeness of Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill without delay. Currently, plans to place Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill have been delayed until at least 2026. Harriet Tubman remains one of the most famous women in American History. Through her work as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, as a scout and spy for the Union Army, and as a supporter of women's suffrage, Tubman dedicated herself to the cause of freedom and equality for all individuals regardless of race or gender. Given the extraordinary life she led, this House believes Harriet Tubman is worthy of being depicted on this nation's currency and efforts to place her likeness on the $20 bill should be done without delay. | In Committee |
| AJR114 | Establishes "New Jersey Technology Task Force." | This joint resolution establishes the "New Jersey Technology Task Force" (task force). The purpose of the task force is to conduct a study of potential technology upgrades to State computer systems, networks, software, and hardware across all departments, commissions, councils, boards, authorities, offices, and other agencies of the executive and judicial branches of State government, with a determination of which technology upgrades are critical and which may be implemented incrementally, with a focus on computer system and network interoperability, for the efficiency and security of State government operations. The task force is to consist of 11 members as follows: (1) the Chief Technology Officer of the Office of Information Technology, who is to serve ex officio; (2) the Director of the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell in the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, who is to serve ex officio; (3) the Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, who is to serve ex officio; (4) four public members who are to be appointed by the Governor, including two representatives with an expertise in government information technology, one representative with an expertise in emergency management, and one representative with an expertise in cybersecurity; (5) one public member appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the President of the Senate, with an expertise in government information technology; (6) one public member appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly, with an expertise in government information technology; (7) one public member appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the Senate Minority Leader, with an expertise in emergency management; and (8) one public member appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the Assembly Minority Leader, with an expertise in cybersecurity. Within 90 days after the effective date of this joint resolution, a majority of the task force's authorized membership is to be appointed and the task force is to hold its initial meeting. The task force is to organize upon the appointment of a majority of its authorized membership and it is to elect a chair from among the members. The members of the task force, other than those serving ex officio, are to serve for the duration of the existence of the task force. Any vacancy is to be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. The task force members are to serve without compensation, but are to be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. Not later than 180 days after the initial meeting of the task force, the task force is to issue a report to the Governor and to the Legislature that is to include, but not be limited to, recommendations on needed technology upgrades to State computer systems, networks, software, and hardware across all State-level departments, commissions, councils, boards, authorities, offices, or other agencies, with emphasis on critical technology upgrades, any cost benefit analyses concerning all needed technology upgrades, a summary of the benefits of computer system and network interoperability, any other information relevant to the subject of the report, and any draft legislation the task force deems appropriate to implement the purposes of the task force. The task force will expire upon the submission of this report. The Office of Information Technology is to assist the task force in the performance of its duties and provide the task force with studies, data, or other materials in the possession of those entities, to the extent that such are relevant to the purposes of the task force. | In Committee |
| AJR116 | Designates first week of March as "Civic Learning Week" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates the first full week of March as "Civic Learning Week" in New Jersey to encourage schools and civic organizations to hold educational programs regarding civic duty and urge New Jersey citizens to reflect upon the importance of their civic duty and responsibilities. Research has shown the importance of engaging and educating the youth of their civic duty and responsibility. Students involved in school or community based civic activities have elevated psychological well-being, increased academic engagement, and have displayed more involvement in activities than peers who were not involved in these activities. Communities are more united when their youth participate in civic engagement activities and philanthropy. Service learning projects, civic duty educational outreach programs, class discussions, and extracurricular civic activities are some of the many ways that students can learn the importance of civic engagement. This joint resolution would designate the first week of March of each year as "Civic Learning Week" to encourage schools and civic organizations to hold educational programs regarding civic duty and urge residents of New Jersey citizens to reflect upon the importance of their civic duty and responsibilities in order to uphold the democratic values of this state and nation. | In Committee |
| ACR108 | Urges Congress to pass legislation that exempts military retirement pay from federal income taxation. | This resolution respectfully urges Congress to enact legislation that exempts military retirement pay from federal income taxation. Members of the Armed Forces and of the Reserves dedicate years of their lives to the service of this country, often being separated from their families for extended periods, forgoing more lucrative employment, and facing life-threatening dangers. Generally, 20 years or more of service on active duty in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps may qualify an individual for military retirement pay. Military retirees face unique challenges, including reassimilating into civilian life, finding affordable housing, re-entry into the civilian job market, and possibly dealing with issues such as post-traumatic stress. In light of their considerable sacrifice, and in recognition of their years of service to the United States and its people, individuals who have served in the Armed Forces or Reserves should be relieved of the burden of federal income taxation of their military retirement pay. | In Committee |
| A3482 | Requires BPU to hold monthly in-person or virtual seminars to provides customers with certain information concerning electric power and gas suppliers. | This bill amends existing law concerning electric power and gas supplier consumer protection provisions to require the Board of Public Utilities to conduct monthly in-person or virtual seminars for the purpose of enabling customers to make informed choices among available electricity and gas services and suppliers and the communication of consumer protection standards. | In Committee |
| A3463 | Lowers age of eligibility for surviving spouse under homestead property tax reimbursement program. | This bill lowers the minimum age for a surviving spouse of an eligible claimant to maintain their eligibility to receive a homestead property tax reimbursement upon the death of the eligible claimant. The current minimum age is 65. The bill changes the minimum age to 62. The bill is retroactive to January 1, 2020. Informally known as the "senior freeze," the homestead property tax reimbursement provides eligible senior citizens and disabled persons with a benefit to compensate for increases in property taxes. | In Committee |
| A3465 | The New Jersey Battlefield to Boardroom Act; provides corporation business tax credits and gross income tax credits for qualified wages of certain veterans. | This bill is entitled "The New Jersey Battlefield to Boardroom Act." The bill provides a corporation business tax credit and gross income tax credit for qualified wages of certain veterans. The two credits established by this bill provide an employer with a credit in the amount of 10% of the wages paid to a qualified veteran. The credits may not exceed $1,200 for each qualified veteran per tax year. The bill defines a qualified veteran as a resident of this State initially hired by the taxpayer on or after January 1, 2010 that has been honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active service, occurring on or after January 1, 1965, in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States. The bill requires that for purposes of the credits' availability the wages of a qualified veteran must be subject to the gross income tax and paid on or after January 1, 2018 but before January 1, 2022. To be creditable, wages must also arise from employment of a qualified veteran for at least 185 business days of the applicable tax year. To qualify for a credit, the bill imposes a series of conditions on a taxpayer as an employer. For a tax year that the credit is claimed, the bill requires that 25 percent of the taxpayer's new employees be qualified veterans. For tax years immediately subsequent to a prior credit year, the bill further requires that 50 percent of the qualified veterans hired in that prior tax year must remain employed by the taxpayer. In addition to employment criteria, the bill conditions credit qualification on other aspects of veteran employment. The bill requires a taxpayer to provide veteran support services that are accessible in the workplace. The bill further conditions credit qualification on a taxpayer's regular recruitment efforts to hire qualified veterans and their nuclear family members while providing support to outreach efforts of veteran support organizations. The bill also conditions credit qualification on compliance with the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act and the provision of privileges in excess of the rights protected by that act. In addition to providing the terms of credit qualification, the bill contains provisions aimed at preventing potential misuse of the credit. The bill prohibits taxpayers from simultaneously using the wages or employment of a qualified veteran to qualify for the credit and any other generally available employment incentive that comes in the form of a State tax credit or grant. The bill also empowers the Director of the Division of Taxation to recapture credit, plus an additional 50% penalty, if the Director determines that the employer displaced employees to replace them with qualified veterans for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the credit. The credits established by this bill are limited in duration in that they are available for tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2018 but before January 1, 2022. | In Committee |
| A3477 | Requires certain accessible public restroom facilities be equipped with signs reserving use for persons with disabilities. | This bill would require that certain public restroom facilities have signs indicating that they are reserved for use by persons with disabilities. Far too often, people who do not need accessible public restroom facilities use them. Sometimes, this leads to an uncomfortable situation in which an individual with a disability who needs such a facility is forced to wait for it to become vacant. This bill seeks to prevent this situation from arising by requiring signage on a limited number of accessible public restroom facilities indicating that they are reserved for the exclusive use by persons with a disability. This bill would apply to places of employment and public accommodations that have a multiple-user public restroom with an accessible toilet compartment and at least one other toilet compartment, and those places that have an accessible single-user public restroom and at least two other single-user public restrooms. Under the bill, a construction permit application for a new building that contains an applicable restroom facility could not be approved unless it provides for the placement of signs as required by the bill. For existing buildings, a construction permit application for any alteration or improvement could not be approved unless compliance is demonstrated. Existing buildings may also be subject to inspections to determine compliance. If a violation is found, the building owner is given 30 days to correct the violation. If a violation still exists after this 30-day period expires, then the owner may be subject to a $150 civil penalty. An owner may be subject to a $300 civil penalty for a subsequent violation on the same property. The bill requires the Commissioner of Community Affairs, in consultation with the Commissioner of Human Services, to adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the provisions of the bill. | In Committee |
| A3460 | Requires federal funding to be made available to Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse to support Alliance to Prevent Alcoholism and Drug Abuse if needed to offset unanticipated decrease in dedicated revenues. | This bill requires federal funding to be made available to the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse ("GCADA") to support the Alliance to Prevent Alcoholism and Drug Abuse ("alliance") if such monies are needed to offset unanticipated decreases in dedicated State revenues during fiscal years 2024 and 2025. Under current law, the GCADA administers the alliance, which is a network of community-based coalitions that are dedicated to fighting alcoholism and drug abuse. Through the alliance, the GCADA awards grants to participating municipalities and counties to help develop: (1) coordinated efforts involving schools, law enforcement, and community organizations to reduce alcoholism and drug abuse; (2) comprehensive drug abuse education programs for students and parents; (3) procedures for the intervention and treatment of students who abuse alcohol or drugs; and (4) comprehensive alcoholism and drug abuse community awareness programs. The State currently dedicates monies from the "Drug Enforcement and Demand Reduction Fund" to support the activities of the alliance. The monies deposited into this fund are collected as surcharges from persons convicted of any crime or offense in this State. The State also requires all monies collected under the "Alcoholic beverage tax law," R.S.54:41-1 et seq., from the holders of a restricted brewery license to be dedicated to the GCADA for the support of the alliance. During fiscal years 2024 and 2025, this bill provides that if these dedicated revenues are insufficient to support activities of the alliance, then to the extent permitted by federal law and subject to appropriation by the Legislature, the Governor would be required to make available such federal funding as is necessary to the GCADA, from the monies allocated to the State under the federal "Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act," Pub.L.116-136, the federal "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021," Pub.L.117-2, or any other financial assistance provided by the federal government to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, to support the alliance. | In Committee |
| A3475 | Requires certain public utilities to provide customers notice of certain utility work that could impact traffic. | The bill provides that a public utility providing electric, gas, sewer, telephone, or water service is to provide written notice in a customer's utility bill, of upcoming, scheduled utility service work, which is not the result of an emergency, that could impact traffic within a three-mile radius of the customer's residence. Under the bill, "emergency" is defined as any condition constituting a clear and present danger to life, health, or property caused by a sudden natural or man-made disaster or related event. | In Committee |
| A3481 | Requires electric, gas, and water public utilities to provide bill credits to volunteer fire companies, first aid, rescue, and emergency squads, and nonprofit homeless and domestic violence assistance organizations. | This bill requires electric, gas, and water public utilities that provide service to facilities operated by volunteer fire companies, first aid, rescue, or emergency squads, or nonprofit homeless or domestic violence assistance organizations, to provide a credit in each periodic bill for the electric, gas, or water public utility's distribution service charges, as appropriate, to that facility. The amount of the bill credit, to be established by the Board of Public Utilities, is a percentage of the amount of the public utility's distribution service charges. | In Committee |
| A3479 | Establishes "Art in Storefronts" initiative within the Main Street New Jersey program. | This bill would require the Commissioner of Community Affairs to establish the "Art in Storefronts" initiative within the "Main Street New Jersey" program, providing local New Jersey artists opportunities to display their artwork in windows of vacant storefronts. This initiative would promote local art while providing Main Street municipalities seeking to reinvigorate their downtowns with a new economic development tool. The economic downtown has caused commercial vacancies in many Main Street business districts. This initiative would turn those vacancies into a focal point of interest and draw shoppers into downtown business districts. The bill encourages the commissioner, in developing the "Art in Storefronts" initiative, to consult and coordinate efforts with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, colleges and universities, economic development nonprofit organizations, and private investors. The commissioner would provide Main Street municipalities that are interested in participating in the "Art in Storefronts" initiative with technical support and guidance, including but not limited to: recruitment of property owners and artists, liability issues, selection processes, budgeting, and contracting. | In Committee |
| A3470 | Provides gross income tax credit to certain totally and permanently disabled veterans for rent constituting property taxes. | This bill provides a gross income tax credit to certain totally and permanently disabled veterans for rent constituting property taxes. Pursuant to N.J.S.A.54:4-3.30, a citizen and resident, as well as a surviving spouse in certain circumstances, of this State who has been honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances, from active service, in time of war, in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, who has been declared by the United States Veterans Administration to have certain service-connected disabilities is eligible for a property tax exemption on the person's principal residence and the lot on which that residence is situated. However, a similar exemption does not exist for persons who occupy a unit of a residential rental property and pay rent. In order to create parity between disabled veterans who own their principal residence and those disabled veterans who occupy a unit of a residential rental property, the bill provides a refundable gross income tax credit in an amount equal to rent constituting property taxes, as defined in section 2 of P.L.1996, c.60 (C.54A:3A-16), for those disabled veterans, or their spouses in certain circumstances, who rent or lease a unit of a residential property, as also defined in section 2 of P.L.1996, c.60 (C.54A:3A-16). For the purposes of this bill, rent constituting property taxes is considered to be 18 percent of the rent paid by the taxpayer for occupancy during the taxable year of a unit of residential rental property which the taxpayer occupies as a principal residence. Lastly, the bill requires the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury to make a separate application available for those disabled veterans who, pursuant to N.J.S.A.54A:2-4, are not subject to the gross income tax. | In Committee |
| A3474 | Authorizes special "We Support the Arts" license plates with proceeds to New Jersey State Council on Arts. | This bill authorizes a "We Support the Arts" license plate, with proceeds dedicated to the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. The design of the license plate would be chosen by the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) after conducting a Statewide contest. The design would include the slogan "We Support the Arts." There is a $50 initial fee in addition to the registration fees required by law, with a $10 annual fee in addition to the renewal fees required by law. The monies raised, after reimbursement to the MVC, would be deposited into the "Support the Arts Fund," also established by this bill. Under the bill, the MVC is prohibited from using State or public funds for the initial cost of designing, producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of support the arts license plates, or for any computer programming changes which may be necessary to implement the support the arts license plate program. The New Jersey State Council on the Arts (the council), or an individual or entity designated by the council, would be required to contribute non-public monies in an amount to be determined by the chief administrator, not to exceed $25,000, to be used to offset these initial costs or computer programing changes. The council, or designated individual or entity, would also be required to provide the commission with not less than 500 completed applications for support the arts license plates, along with the initial fee for each application, constituting the initial order for support the arts license plates. The bill would take effect immediately, but would remain inoperative until the first day of the seventh month following the date on which the specified non-public moneys and initial applications are delivered to the MVC. The bill would expire if these requirements are not met by the last day of the 12th month following the date of enactment. | In Committee |
| A3473 | Permits municipalities to establish affordable housing preference for first responders. | This bill permits municipalities to establish an affordable housing preference for first responders. Under the bill, a municipality would be authorized to enter into agreements with developers to provide affordable housing occupancy preferences for low and moderate income first responders, who meet certain service requirements, of up to 50 percent of the affordable units in a particular project. Current law does not provide any preference for first responders who otherwise qualify for affordable housing. For the purposes of the bill, "first responder" is defined as a law enforcement officer; paid or volunteer firefighter; paid or volunteer member of a duly incorporated first aid, emergency, ambulance, or rescue squad association; or any other person who, in the course of the person's employment, is dispatched to the scene of a motor vehicle accident or other emergency situation for the purpose of providing medical care or other assistance; and who, in the case of all the foregoing, has served in that capacity for at least two years. | In Committee |
| A3485 | Eliminates requirement under veterans' gross income tax exemption that taxpayer serve in active duty status or federal active duty status to qualify for exemption. | This bill eliminates the requirement that a veteran taxpayer serve in active duty status or federal active duty status in order to qualify for the $6,000 veterans' gross income tax exemption. Under current law, a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, or a reserve component thereof, who has been honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances, is required to have served in active duty status in order to qualify for the veterans' gross income tax exemption, pursuant to N.J.S.A.54A:3-1(b)(7). Likewise, a member of the National Guard of New Jersey, who has been honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances, is required to have served in federal active duty status in order to qualify for the same. This tax credit may be claimed by the veteran taxpayer for each tax year in which the veteran so qualifies. This bill changes the law to remove the respective active duty requirements. Accordingly, pursuant to the bill, a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States, a reserve component thereof, or a member of the National Guard of New Jersey, who has been honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances, may claim the veterans' gross income tax exemption, irrespective of whether he or she served in active duty or federal active duty status. | In Committee |
| A3458 | Requires creditors to maintain interior of vacant and abandoned residential property under foreclosure. | This bill would require creditors to maintain the interior of vacant and abandoned residential property under foreclosure. Current law only requires creditors to maintain the exterior of vacant and abandoned residential property under foreclosure. The interiors of vacant and abandoned residential properties present a host of serious maintenance issues to neighbors. For instance, mold, vermin, and fire hazards can easily affect neighbors, particularly in the case of attached housing. This bill would extend creditors' responsibility to maintain vacant and abandoned residential property under foreclosure to include the interior of such property in order to protect neighbors and to prevent municipalities from bearing such maintenance costs. The bill would also allow municipalities to adopt ordinances providing for a fine of $1,500 for each day a maintenance violation concerning the interior of a vacant and abandoned residential property under foreclosure goes uncorrected following a 30-day window to correct, or a 10-day window to correct in the case of an imminent threat to public health and safety. Current law only allows municipalities to adopt ordinances providing for such penalties with respect to the exterior of vacant and abandoned residential property under foreclosure. Under the bill, the deadlines for correcting interior violations may be extended if a court order is needed to enter a property to make such corrections. | In Committee |
| A3483 | Requires certain customer identification to be presented to electric power or gas supplier if customer switches services. | This bill requires that a residential customer who consents to switching between an electric power supplier and a basic generation service provider or between electric power suppliers, or a residential customer who switches between a gas supplier and a gas public utility or between gas suppliers, is to do so by providing either government-issued photo identification or government issued non-photo identification accompanied by a secondary method of identification. Under the bill, a secondary method of identification would include, but not be limited to, a telephone number in the customer's name, a current utility bill, bank statement, government check or pay check, or a credit or automatic teller machine card displaying the person's name. The electric power supplier and gas supplier are to attest to the appropriate public utility that identification authorized by the bill was provided along with the residential customer's service address. A residential customer is not to be required to provide an electric or gas public utility account number or point of delivery identification number if a form of authorized identification was provided. The bill prohibits a residential customer from switching between these suppliers, providers, and utilities without providing a written or electronic signature authorizing the switch. The bill does not prohibit an electric power supplier, basic generation service provider, gas public utility, or gas supplier from utilizing any methods allowing a customer to switch electric power suppliers or gas suppliers. | In Committee |
| A3480 | Requires municipalities to accept complaints and provide certain municipal announcements by electronic means. | This bill would require municipalities to have electronic systems in place to receive complaints and to provide certain municipal announcements. The complaint system required by the bill would allow an individual to fill out and transmit a complaint form on the Internet website of the municipality. The notification system would allow an individual to sign up to receive electronic announcements of certain municipal information through e-mail, text messages, social media, or other electronic means. While many municipalities already have such systems in place, many do not. This bill would require all municipalities to have these systems in order to ensure that all residents of the State receive the benefits of these transparency measures. In light of the unfunded mandate provisions of the State Constitution, under which a State law may be declared unconstitutional if it does not authorize resources other than the property tax to offset the additional direct expenditures required for its implementation, this bill would only require the implementation of these electronic systems if funding is made available for those purposes through State appropriations, grants, or otherwise. | In Committee |
| A3476 | Requires MVC to administer electronic transaction system for used motor vehicle sales within certain time period; authorizes use of same system for private motor vehicle sales. | This bill requires the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to implement an electronic transaction system for used motor vehicles within 24 months of the effective date of P.L.2021, c.462. The bill also authorizes the MVC to use the same electronic transaction system for private motor vehicle sales and private motor vehicle sales transaction documents. | In Committee |
| A3468 | Requires DMVA conduct outcomes and efficacy study of veteran to veteran peer support helpline. | This bill requires the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to conduct a study on the outcomes and efficacy of the veteran to veteran peer support helpline, commonly referred to as the vet to vet hotline, and to submit a report of its findings to the Legislature, and permits the Adjutant General to submit a proposal for legislation that improves the laws of this State regarding the efficacy of the veteran to veteran peer support helpline. The study will be for a two-year period and will be based on an analysis of national suicide data and data collected from the helpline. The study will include, but not be limited to: (1) the efficacy of the helpline in leading veterans to sustained mental health regimens and suicide prevention; (2) the helpline's visibility; (3) the role of the helpline as part of the department's mental health care services; (4) whether receiving sustained mental health care services affects suicidality and whether veterans previously receiving department mental health care services use the helpline in times of crisis; (5) the helpline's effectiveness in assisting veterans at risk for suicide when contacted by a non-veteran; (6) the helpline's overall efficacy in preventing suicides and whether the number of contacts affects such efficacy; (7) the lines long-term efficacy in preventing repeated suicide attempts and when such efficacy is temporary; (8) when referral to mental health care services affects the risk of suicide; and (9) the helpline's efficacy in promoting continued mental health care for those veterans who are at high risk for suicide and whose suicide was prevented. | In Committee |
| A3454 | Requires Business Action Center to establish "Entrepreneur Learner's Permit Pilot Program" for certain designated industries. | This bill requires the Business Action Center (BAC) within the Department of State to establish an "Entrepreneur Learner's Permit Pilot Program" (pilot program) to reimburse participating new business entrepreneurs for fees related to the establishment of certain new businesses. Under the bill, the BAC is required to establish the pilot program within six months after the effective date of the bill. The pilot program is required to be administered by the BAC over a period of two consecutive fiscal years and is intended to assist first-time entrepreneurs in starting new businesses in designated industries by providing reimbursements to qualifying entrepreneurs for State filing, permitting, or licensing fees associated with the formation of a business in the State. Under the bill, in operation with existing law, designated industries include the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, financial services, transportation and logistics, advanced computing, advanced materials, electronic device technology, environmental technology, and medical device technology. The bill requires the BAC to establish criteria for the review and approval of pilot program applications, including criteria to give priority to women's and minority businesses and to prohibit approval of applications by persons who are not first-time business owners in designated industries. The bill further provides that the BAC is to determine the manner in which to provide reimbursements to participating entrepreneurs and limits the aggregate amount of reimbursements under the pilot program to not more than $500,000 in any one fiscal year. The bill requires the BAC to adopt rules to administer the pilot program and to complete a review of the pilot program. The bill further requires the BAC to compile a report based on its review and to submit the report to the Governor and to the Legislature. | In Committee |
| A3462 | Allows corporation business tax and gross income tax credits to businesses employing certain persons with developmental disabilities. | This bill allows corporation business tax and gross income tax credits to businesses that employ qualified persons with developmental disabilities. The amount of each credit would be equal to 40 percent of the first $6,000 of wages paid to the qualified person with a developmental disability, a maximum of $2,400 per qualified person with a developmental disability. A qualified person with a developmental disability is defined in the bill as a person who: (1) has a severe, chronic disability, which: (a) is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of mental or physical impairments; (b) is manifest before age 22; (c) is likely to continue indefinitely; (d) results in substantial functional limitations in an area of major life activity; and (e) reflects the need for a combination and sequence of special interdisciplinary or generic care, treatment, or other services which are of lifelong or extended duration and are individually planned and coordinated; or (2) has severe disabilities attributable to an intellectual disability, autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, spina bifida, or other neurological impairments. These State tax credits are modeled on the federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), which encourages employers to hire targeted groups of employees, including certain persons with developmental disabilities. Under the federal WOTC, employers may claim a federal tax credit of up to 40 percent of the first $6,000 earned by the employee, or $2,400. According to the sponsor, the tax credits allowed under this bill would encourage businesses to employ qualified persons with developmental disabilities, who often face barriers to employment. | In Committee |
| A3455 | Permits municipalities to publish legal notices in certain newspapers. | This bill permits municipalities to publish legal notices in certain qualified newspapers. Under the bill, a municipality, municipal agency, or any municipal officer or employee may satisfy legal notice publication requirements by publishing the legal notice in a qualified newspaper. The bill provides that a "qualified newspaper" means a newspaper that is published at least weekly, as specified in the bill, with at least 25 percent of the newspaper's words in English, is generally available to the public in the municipality, and contains information of interest to the public in the municipality. | In Committee |
| A3467 | Expands DCA oversight over common interest communities; establishes trust fund, advisory council, and ombudsman office. | This bill enhances the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) regulatory powers over owner-controlled governing boards found within common interest communities; creates an Advisory Council on Common Interest Communities; establishes the Office of Ombudsman for Common Interest Communities; and creates Common Interest Community Homeowners' Association Trust Fund. Additionally this bill requires DCA to prepare and publish and distribute a booklet that serves a general guide to community associations to owners in common interest communities. Lastly, the bill provides funding for grants and loans to homeowner associations maintaining common property in inclusionary common interest communities containing units reserved for low and moderate income families. Under this bill common interest communities would include condominiums, cooperatives, and any other real estate development composed of individually owned property units and common property jointly owned and managed by the unit owners as an association. Under the bill DCA would have the power to initiate, receive, hear and review complaints, adopt rules, hold hearings, make findings and impose sanctions. Additionally, DCA would have the power to issue subpoenas for the production of documents and the attendance of witnesses with respect to the investigation of any complaint; to forward to the appropriate governmental officials any information that may indicate violation of any statute, criminal or otherwise, or any rules of court or professional conduct; to render advisory opinions as to whether a given state of facts or circumstances would constitute a violation of any statute or rule applicable to associations; to enforce all statutes and regulations imposing any duty upon associations; to remove from office, after notice and the opportunity for a hearing, any governing board member or officer who fails to comply with any order issued by the commissioner to cease and desist from violating any statute, rule, court order or proper vote of the owners; to set standards and procedures for dispute resolution at the association level; and to select, assign and provide trained and impartial volunteer mediators for the purpose of resolving disputes in conjunction with the Office of the Ombudsman of Common Interest Communities. These new authorities provided to DCA would only apply to common interest communities with over 100 units. The bill also creates an Advisory Council on Common Interest Communities to assist DCA in formulating and revising its regulations and policies regarding common interest communities. Additionally, the advisory council would recommend improvements to DCA, if needed, in the education or other current programs impacting common interest communities. The advisory council would consist of nine members appointed by the Governor, and would contain representative members for owners, board members, governmental entities and a nonpartisan voting rights group. This bill creates a new entity within DCA, known as the Office of the Ombudsman for Common Interest Communities. This office would assist homeowners in understanding their rights and responsibilities and the remedies available to them, as well as assist governing board members and officers of associations in receiving appropriate training to allow them to properly discharge their functions and duties. Additionally, this office would function as a liaison between associations and any entity concerning disputes regarding code compliance or inspections. The costs associated with the Office of the Ombudsman for Common Interest Communities under the bill would be met by a registration fee required to be paid annually by each unit owner assigned a vote as a member of a common interest community. The fee is not subject to being increased by the commissioner. Under the bill, 90 days after enactment all homeowners associations are required to register with DCA, and pay an annual registration fee. The fee would not exceed three dollars for each unit to which a vote as a member of the association is allocated within the common interest community. This fee would not be adjusted annually by the commissioner. Associations would collect the fee on a per voting unit basis and report the fee paid in their financial documents separate from any other assessment or association charges. All registration fees and penalty moneys received by DCA would be deposited in an interest bearing, non lapsing revolving fund, entitled the "Common Interest Community Homeowners' Association Trust Fund," to be held by the State Treasurer. Moneys held in this non-lapsing revolving fund would be continuously appropriated to DCA for the purposes of making grants to associations comprised, in part or in whole, of low and moderate income households for assistance to those households in the payment of the common maintenance expenses. As well as, used by the Center for Government Services, Rutgers University; for the purposes of providing educational training or training materials for board members; the Center for Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Rutgers University for the purposes of providing conflict resolution training for board members, property managers and owners; the Association Regulation Unit in DCA for the purpose of providing arbitration services and for training of volunteer mediators; and the purposes of defraying administrative costs of the department for the booklet and Advisory Council expenses, if any. Under the bill, DCA is required to prepare and publish a booklet, which is to be made available at cost to the general public, to associations and to unit owners in common interest communities to serve as a general guide to community associations. The booklet would be distributed by the association to each unit owner free of charge initially, and at cost as required for distribution to purchasers; it will be the duty of each selling unit owner to provide a copy of the booklet to a purchaser of the unit at or before the time of signing of the sales contract. Under the bill, funding for grants and loans to homeowner associations maintaining common property in inclusionary common interest communities containing units reserved for low and moderate income families, would be supported by a set-aside of a portion of the registration fees now charged developers of such communities. | In Committee |
| A3472 | Establishes "Common Interest Community Task Force." | This bill creates a 13-member task force, to be known as the "Common Interest Community Task Force." The purpose of the task force is to study the laws governing common interest communities regarding their functions, responsibilities, assessment collection practices, election practice, financial decisions and contractual relationships with community association managers. As their study concludes, the task force would make recommendations for legislation to create more effective and efficient policies regarding common interest communities. In 1998, the Assembly Task Force to Study Homeowners' Associations released a report recommending various statutory changes to enhance homeowner protection, but the document's recommendations are generally unfulfilled. This bill would establish a similar task force to revisit many of the same issues surrounding common interest communities, a term that encompasses condominiums, cooperatives, and homeowners' associations. The task force would consist of two members each of the Senate and General Assembly, of whom one would be appointed by the Senate President, the Senate Minority Leader, the Speaker of the General Assembly and the Assembly Minority Leader respectively. The Commissioner of Community Affairs, or their designee, would serve ex officio, and the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court also would appoint one member. Finally, seven public members would be appointed by the Governor, as follows: a representative of community association managers; a representative of builders of planned real estate developments; a representative of condominium associations; a representative of cooperative associations; a representative of homeowners' associations other than condominiums or cooperatives; a member with general knowledge of common interest communities and their functions, but who is not a member of a common interest community's governing board; and a member with general knowledge of common interest communities and their functions, who is also a member of a common interest community's governing board. The bill provides that vacancies in task force membership would be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. The members of the task force would serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for traveling and other miscellaneous expenses. The bill directs the Commissioner of Community Affairs to provide professional and clerical staff to the task force as necessary. The bill directs the task force to complete its first meeting, and appoint a chairperson, within 60 days of enactment, and present a report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and Legislature by the first day of the sixteenth month next following its organization. The task force would dissolve following the presentation of the report. | In Committee |
| A3471 | Requires forest stewardship plan for certain lands acquired for recreation and conservation purposes. | This bill would require the preparation and implementation of a forest stewardship plan for certain lands acquired for recreation and conservation purposes by the State, local government units, or qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organizations with funding provided through the State's open space preservation program, commonly referred to as the "Green Acres Program." The bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to prepare and implement a forest stewardship plan when it acquires lands for recreation and conservation purposes that contain 25 acres or more of forested area. This plan would be required within two years after the date the DEP acquires the property. In addition, the bill would require the DEP, within five years after the date the bill is enacted into law, to prepare and implement a forest stewardship plan for all lands that contain 25 acres or more of forested area owned in fee simple by the State for recreation and conservation purposes on the date the bill is enacted into law. The bill would also require local government units and qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organizations to prepare and implement forest stewardship plans when they acquire lands for recreation and conservation purposes that contain 25 acres or more of forested area. Local government units and qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organizations would be required to submit their plans to the DEP for review and approval. The DEP would be required to approve, approve with changes, or disapprove the plan within 30 days after receipt. If the DEP disapproves a plan, the local government unit or qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organization would be required to work with the DEP to develop a mutually acceptable plan. A forest stewardship plan prepared and implemented pursuant to the bill would be required to conform with the DEP's rules and regulations adopted pursuant to section 8 of P.L.2009, c.256 (C.13:1L-36) designed to ensure the sustainability of forest lands. Lastly, the bill directs the DEP, when prioritizing applications submitted by local government units or qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organizations for funding for the acquisition or development of lands for recreation and conservation purposes, to give a higher weight to any application submitted by a local government unit or qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organization, as applicable, that implements a forest stewardship plan on lands owned for recreation and conservation purposes by that entity for which a forest stewardship plan is not required pursuant to the bill. This additional weight would be in addition to any other criteria and ranking procedures established by the DEP pursuant to law. | In Committee |
| A3464 | Establishes a manufacturing reinvestment account program to incentivize capital investment and workforce training in New Jersey with income tax rate reductions, deferrals, and accelerated deductions. | This bill would establish the manufacturing reinvestment account program for the purpose of making it easier for New Jersey's small manufacturing businesses to invest in manufacturing machinery and equipment, and in workforce development. The bill would incentivize capital investment and workforce training in New Jersey through the use of tax reductions, deferrals, and deductions. The program would be available to manufacturing businesses that are current on their State tax obligations and which have 50 or fewer employees. The bill establishes three types of incentives for qualified businesses through the gross income tax and the corporation business tax: (1) a tax deduction for amounts deposited in a manufacturing reinvestment account for future use on qualified capital purchases and workforce training; (2) deferred taxation on account earnings; and (3) a rate reduction for the earnings on account deposits, upon distribution. Under the program, a small manufacturing business may deposit up to $100,000 in a manufacturing reinvestment account annually for up to five years. Earnings in an account are not taxed until withdrawn. For withdrawals made during an account's five-year life for spending on New Jersey based manufacturing equipment, machinery, or workforce development, the business would receive a one-half rate reduction on the withdrawn account earnings. Nonqualified withdrawals are included in whole in taxable income without the rate reduction on earnings. | In Committee |
| A3469 | Makes various changes to membership and financial practices of New Jersey Historic Trust. | This bill would make various changes to the membership and financial practices of the New Jersey Historic Trust (trust). Specifically, the bill would remove the Executive Director of the New Jersey Historical Commission from the trust, and add the Commissioner of Community Affairs or a designee. The bill would also expand the types of experience required for a citizen to serve as a trustee. Citizens with five years' experience in fundraising, redevelopment and financing, architecture, planning, archaeology, cultural nonprofit management, or any combination thereof would be eligible to serve as a trustee, under the bill. The bill would clarify that the trust is required to report on its fee collection from conferences, seminars, exhibitions, symposia, or similar meetings. The bill would permit the trust to collect fees from distributing any digital content that has been authored or commissioned by the trust for the purpose of promoting the preservation, improvement, restoration, rehabilitation, or acquisition of historic properties in the State. The bill would also require the trust to report on its collection of those fees. Under current law, the trust is required to deposit annual excesses from the accounts it uses to fund events and the distribution of promotional materials in the General Fund. This bill would remove this requirement and allow the trust to keep excess funds to be used for the same purposes in subsequent fiscal years. Finally, the bill would remove a $100 limit on the fee that the trust is permitted to charge for loan applications from the "Historic Preservation Revolving Loan Fund." The bill would allow the trust to determine the amount of the fee. The bill would also allow the trust to require loan applicants to pay for closing costs associated with the loan. | In Committee |
| A3461 | Establishes "Support for Victims of Domestic Violence Program"; incentivizes certain businesses to provide support to individuals who are victims of domestic violence. | This bill establishes the "Support for Victims of Domestic Violence Program" (program), to be administered by the Division on Women (division) in the Department of Children and Families. The purpose of the program is to incentivize businesses in New Jersey to offer support in goods and services to individuals who have been recent victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or attempted domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking (eligible individuals). The program allows the division to award tax credits, to be applied against the Corporation Business Tax or the New Jersey Gross Income Tax, to an eligible business in exchange for the eligible business's commitment to provide certain goods or services to eligible individuals. The bill requires the division, in consultation with Advisory Council on Domestic Violence (advisory council), to establish at least three support regions in New Jersey and adopt a domestic violence safety net plan for each region. The regional plans are required to give consideration to the existing governmental and nonprofit resources available to eligible individuals in a region and set priorities for which goods and services are still needed in that region, and consider how the public and private safety nets in each region can best be enhanced by the availability and provision of goods and services by eligible businesses. Under the bill, the division is required to consider, in developing each regional plan, the provision of: household essentials and clothing; technology security devices and services; communications devices and services; and housing and emergency accommodations. Under the bill, the division is required to accept program applications and awarding tax credits to eligible businesses that commit to providing goods or services to eligible individuals, consistent with an applicable regional plan. The value of all credits awarded by the division pursuant to the program in any State fiscal year is not to exceed $25,000,000. In addition to the annual $25,000,000 cap, the bill prohibits the division from approving the award of more than: $15,000,000 in tax credits related to housing and emergency accommodations; $10,000,000 in tax credits related to household essentials and clothing, technology security devices and services, and communications devices and services, combined; and $3,000,000 in tax credits related to other goods or services. The bill requires the division to develop tax credit allocation formulas to establish separate tax credit award goals for each category of support in each region of the State. The bill also establishes program application requirements and application review requirements. The bill requires that program agreements include certain provisions, as specified in the bill. The bill also requires the division, in consultation with the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury, to develop standards for the award of tax credits to eligible businesses consistent with each program agreement, and develop procedures for the content and issuance of tax credit certificates to be awarded under the program. The director of the division, in consultation with the advisory council and the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury, is required to adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of the bill. The bill requires the division to regularly collect and analyze information related to the efficacy of the program in supplementing the government and nonprofit safety net of support for individuals who are recent victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The bill further requires the division to submit annual program reports to the Governor and to the Legislature. Each annual report is required to include recommendations to the Legislature for any changes to the program that would allow the division or eligible businesses to better support individuals who are recent victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Under the bill, the amount of the credits allowed against the taxes imposed are prohibited from exceeding 50 percent of the taxpayer's liability for tax, and may be carried over, if necessary, to the seven privilege periods or taxable years. | In Committee |
| A3478 | Requires owners of certain multiple dwellings of three or more floors to provide priority status to senior citizens and disabled residents moving to lower floors. | This bill would require the owner of a multiple dwelling consisting of three or more floors to provide priority treatment, for the purposes of moving to a unit on a lower floor with the same number of bedrooms, to senior citizens and persons with disabilities that hinder or limit mobility. Qualifying residents will be given the right of first refusal over outside applicants seeking to move into the multiple dwelling and over other non-qualifying residents who are seeking to move to a lower floor. The requirements of the bill are not to displace any existing affordability requirements, targeting requirements, and income restrictions in place for the multiple dwelling, unless the tenant agrees to a smaller or larger unit. This bill also requires the owner of a multiple dwelling to post a sign that contains information regarding the priority status granted to qualifying residents seeking to move into a unit on a lower floor. | In Committee |
| A3484 | Prohibits dumping dredge spoils on and around islands without municipal approval. | This bill would prohibit the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) from approving any dumping of dredge spoils on any portion of a Delaware River island owned or controlled by the State or a political subdivision of the State, including riparian land, located on a Delaware River island controlled in whole or in part by a Board of Island Managers established by the Legislature. This prohibition would not apply if: (1) the DEP petitions each municipality owning land on that island to authorize the dumping of dredge spoils on or around the island; and (2) each municipality petitioned by the DEP adopts an ordinance authorizing the dumping of dredge spoils on or around the island. The bill would be applicable to all dumping of dredge spoils, including any proposed dumping on an existing dredge spoil bank. | In Committee |
| A3466 | Establishes certain exclusions and credits under gross income and corporation business taxes for contributions to lifelong learning accounts. | This bill establishes certain tax exclusions and credits for the use of lifelong learning accounts (account) in order to finance worker training and education. Generally, the bill consists of four parts: gross income tax (GIT) exclusions for employer-provided account contributions and account earnings; a GIT credit for personal account contributions; GIT and corporation business tax (CBT) credits for employers making account contributions for their employees; and administrative provisions concerning the maintenance of the accounts. The bill allows a taxpayer to exclude from taxable gross income, employer contributions to the taxpayer's account of up to $2,500 per year and earnings on account balances. Generally, distributions from an account are treated as taxable income under the GIT, except in the case of certain account rollovers and account adjustments made due to excess contributions. The bill provides a GIT credit for a taxpayer's own contributions to the taxpayer's account. Generally, the credit is for 50 percent of a taxpayer's first $500 of account contributions, or $1,000 for taxpayers filing jointly, and 25 percent for the taxpayer's account contributions exceeding $500, or $1,000 for taxpayers filing jointly. The maximum creditable contribution amount varies based on the taxpayer's filing status and annual income level. Generally, individual filers are allowed a maximum creditable contribution of $2,500, which is reduced by $1 for each $8 earned over $100,000. Creditable contributions are not allowed for individual filers with $120,000 of annual income or more. Generally, joint filers are allowed a maximum creditable contribution of $5,000 in the case of married individuals each of whom contributes to a lifelong learning account, which is reduced by $1 for each $8 earned over $200,000. Creditable contributions are not allowed for joint filers with $240,000 of annual income or more. Maximum creditable contributions are reduced by the amount of any employer-provided account contributions, which are excluded from the taxpayer's taxable income by this bill. Generally, the maximum credit amount is $750 for individuals and $1,500 for joint filers. Depending upon a taxpayer's liability and order of application of other potential credits, the GIT credit for taxpayer account contributions is refundable. The bill grants the Director of the Division of Taxation the authority to preclude rollovers between accounts from qualifying for credit. The bill allows GIT and CBT credits for employers making account contributions for their employees in an amount equal to 25 percent of account contributions. Per employee and per tax year, annual account contributions may not exceed $2,500. Small business employers are allowed an additional credit amount for 50 percent of the administrative costs associated with the credit for the tax year, but not exceeding $500 of credit for the tax year. The bill defines a small business as a taxpayer with no more than 100 employees, each with no less than $5,000 of annual compensation. The small business administrative cost credit is allowed only for the first and second tax years for which the employer is allowed the employer-provided employee account contribution credit. Both the employer-provided employee account contribution credit and the small business administrative cost credit are nonrefundable, but the amount of an unused credit may be carried forward one tax year and used as a deduction. The bill establishes certain requirements for the maintenance and use of the accounts. Accounts must be created or organized in New Jersey and for the exclusive benefit of the account beneficiary. For a tax year, total contributions, from whatever source, to lifelong learning accounts of a taxpayer may not exceed $2,500, except as to account rollovers. Account trustees must be a bank or other entity that demonstrates to the Director of the Division of Taxation that accounts will be maintained in accordance with the bill. An account beneficiary's interest in the account balance is nonforfeitable. The bill prohibits a trustee from investing account assets in life insurance contracts or collectibles and prohibits account assets from being commingled with other property, except as to common trust or investment funds. The bill gives the Director of the Division of Taxation rulemaking authority with regard to further account requirements. Generally, the bill restricts qualified use of accounts to taxpayers that are 18 to 70 years of age. Account funds are to be distributed for qualified education expenses incurred by the taxpayer or the taxpayer's spouse. Qualified education expenses are amounts paid and required for instructional courses, training courses, and apprenticeship programs, which include, but are not limited to, books, equipment, fees, information technology devices, supplies, tools, and tuition. Qualified education expenses do not include amounts paid for courses or programs taken for recreational or leisure purposes. The bill includes a penalty for nonqualified distributions in the form of additional tax liability in the amount of five percent of the nonqualified distribution. The bill's nonqualified distribution penalty does not apply to distributions on account of death, disability, divorce, or attaining the age of 71 as of the first day of the taxable year. The bill also contains exemptions from the nonqualified distribution penalties for distributions that are rollovers between accounts and account adjustments made due to excess annual account contributions. | In Committee |
| A3457 | Provides refundable gross income tax credit for early principal payments on certain home mortgages. | This bill provides for a refundable gross income tax credit for 50% of early home mortgage principal payments that taxpayers make in addition to their required monthly mortgage payments. Extra payments made in addition to home mortgage required monthly payments are required to be credited as a payment on the principal amount of the mortgage loan amount. The annual refundable tax credit is allowed up to $1,000 per year and can be claimed for up to 10 taxable years. This bill is modeled on federal legislation referred to as the Building Equity for the American Middle-Class Act (BEAM Act) that will encourage families to build equity in their home, pay down their home mortgage more quickly, thus creating more wealth while securing the American dream of homeownership. This bill will provide a gross income tax break that rewards middle class families that chose to more quickly pay down the principal amounts of their home mortgages. Mortgages eligible for this tax credit are purchase money mortgages or refinanced purchase money mortgages that must: (1) be for a primary residence, (2) be for a term between 15 and 30 years, and (3) require payments that are each the same amount and made in equal intervals during the term of the mortgage. The $1,000 limit on the amount of the credit phases down for single taxpayers who have taxable income between $125,000 and $135,000 and for married individuals filing jointly who have taxable income between $250,000 and $270,000. No credit is allowed for single taxpayers with taxable income over $135,000 and for married individuals filing jointly with taxable income over $270,000. Married individuals must file a joint return to claim the credit. | In Committee |
| A1204 | Requires New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell to study cybersecurity infrastructure and establish cybersecurity guidelines. | This bill requires the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC) to study the State's cybersecurity infrastructure and promulgate cybersecurity guidelines. Under the bill, the NJCCIC is required to conduct a 12-month study of the cybersecurity infrastructure of public entities and private businesses that conduct business in this State for the purpose of identifying potential cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities to cyberattacks. Within 120 days of the bill's effective date, the NJCCIC is to establish parameters for the study, which are to include the requirement for public entities and private businesses that conduct business within the State to report to the NJCCIC, for a period of 12 months, any cybersecurity incident or breach of security and the results of the subsequent investigation of the cybersecurity incident or breach of security. The bill provides that within six months of the conclusion of the 12-month study, the NJCCIC is to establish cybersecurity guidelines for all public entities and private businesses that conduct business in the State based on the data collected under the bill. Public entities and private businesses that conduct business in the State are required to implement the cybersecurity guidelines within one year of the establishment of the guidelines, after which time a penalty may be imposed for failure to implement the guidelines. Further, under the bill, the NJCCIC is to monitor cybersecurity incidents and breaches of security after public entities and private businesses have implemented the required guidelines and modify the guidelines, as necessary. Finally, the Department of Homeland Security and Preparedness it to adopt, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," a schedule of civil administrative penalties to be applied for the failure of a public entity or private business that conducts business in the State to implement the required guidelines and rules and regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. | In Committee |
| A3450 | 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, psychiatric hospitals, and developmental centers. 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, State psychiatric 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, State psychiatric 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 to revise the regulations, as appropriate, to reflect safe staffing practices and assure adequate staffing at the facilities. | In Committee |
| A3419 | Requires retail health clinics to develop policies and procedures identifying services provided by the clinics. | This bill requires a retail health clinic operating in this State to develop policies and procedures concerning the services the clinic will provide to patients visiting the clinic for treatment. The clinic would submit the policies and procedures to the State Board of Medical Examiners (BME) for review and approval, and the BME would establish appropriate timelines for the clinics to follow in their development. Specifically, the policies and procedures developed by a retail clinic would include, at a minimum: requirements that the clinic accredited by an accrediting body; protocols for reporting the loss of accreditation and the reasons for the loss to the BME; guidelines for clinical practice; rules prohibiting the treatment of certain patients; the creation of a list of primary care physicians located in the clinic's geographical area who are willing to accept new patients referred by the clinic for treatment; guidelines to identify and limit the number of repeat visits by patients who present with the same medical condition; the establishment of procedures for the referral of patients to, and informing patients about, primary care physicians or other health care facilities, when appropriate; the provision of interpreting services; and requirements that the clinic provide patients and their primary care physicians, at no cost to patients, with copies of medical records and laboratory test results. Under the provisions of the bill, retail health clinics would also be required to post in a conspicuous public place, and provide to patients, at no cost, information: about the treatment services provided by the clinic; notifying patients what to do if their medical needs exceed the scope of services provided by the clinic; specifying patients' rights when purchasing prescribed medications or medical supplies if the clinic is located in a retail establishment; and about tobacco use, as determined by the Department of Health (DOH), if the clinic is located in a retail establishment selling tobacco products. The BME would be required to conduct an annual compliance review of each retail health center operating in the State and evaluate the clinic to determine whether it continues to comply with the provisions outlined in the bill. As used in the bill, "retail health clinic" means a health care facility located within a retail store, supermarket, pharmacy, or similar retail establishment that offers episodic, walk-in care, by a physician or nurse practitioner, for a limited set of acute conditions. In New Jersey, retail health clinics are organized as private physician practices rather than ambulatory care clinics, which are regulated by DOH. Private physician practices are exempt from State regulation or licensure, and as a result, retail health clinics are not regulated by DOH. Therefore, the intent of this legislation is to establish uniform and consistent standards for retail health clinics in order to ensure continuity of care and promote the appropriate use of such clinics throughout the State. | In Committee |
| A3415 | Requires board of education to directly employ certain professionals; permits board of education to contract for certain personnel; permits use of virtual or remote instruction for public school students in certain circumstances. | This bill requires a board of education to directly employ certain professionals; permits a board of education to contract for certain personnel; and permits the use of virtual or remote instruction for public school students in certain circumstances. Under the bill, a board of education, generally defined as the board of education of any local school district, consolidated school district, regional school district, county vocational school, and any other board of education or other similar body, the board of directors of an educational services commission, and the administrative board of a renaissance school project or any other local education agency, is required to directly employ all persons performing any duty, function, service, assignment, or job requiring an appropriate certificate issued by the State Board of Examiners for, or on behalf of, a board of education. Additionally, the bill permits a board of education to contract with personnel to ensure required programs and services are provided and are not required to directly employ the personnel, provided that the personnel hold an applicable certificate. Under the bill, the personnel include: (1) a substitute teacher; (2) personnel providing instruction in financial, economic, business, and entrepreneurial literacy to satisfy graduation requirements; (3) personnel providing educational services to a student who is enrolled in a school other than a public school; (4) personnel employed by other boards of education and providing services under a shared services or joint agreement; (5) personnel providing individualized student learning opportunities; (6) personnel providing special education and related services to a student who is enrolled in an out-of-district placement; (7) faculty of a public institution of higher education providing instruction under a dual enrollment agreement; (8) a business administrator who oversees the fiscal operations of a charter school or a renaissance school project and is employed by the board of trustees of the charter school or the administrative board of the renaissance school project; (9) personnel providing instruction during a summer school session of a charter school or a renaissance school project; and (10) personnel employed by a charter management organization who provide operation, management, or curriculum services to a charter school in this State including, but not limited to, instructional directors and school administrators. Additionally, the bill permits a board of education to contract for additional services provided that the personnel holds an applicable certificate on a non-emergency basis and the board contracts with specific entities. Under the bill, these services include (1) independent child study team evaluations; (2) child study team services to supplement existing district services; (3) home instruction; (4) speech-language services in certain circumstances; and (5) related services, provided that certified occupational therapy assistants, others employed in a supportive role to licensed certified providers of related services, physical therapy assistants, and specialists in behavior modification meet additional requirements, as specified in the bill. Under the bill, the Commissioner of Education is required to establish a process for case-by-case exemptions to the provisions of the bill that require a school district to directly employ certain professionals. The bill also requires instructional services provided by a school district, including a charter school or a renaissance school project, to be delivered through in-person methods unless otherwise permitted by State law. Additionally, the bill permits a school district to utilize virtual or remote instruction for a student or a class of students when equivalent instruction cannot be provided through in-person instruction, subject to the approval of the commissioner and establishes an application process for a school district to apply for individualized virtual or remote instruction for a student or a class of students. Under the bill, the commissioner is required to establish a process for notifying an individual currently providing the instructional services which are being sought to be implemented virtually or remotely, and the majority representative of the district's employees of the submission of an application and provide them with a copy of the application and notice of the right to object to, or comment on, the application prior to the commissioner's determination. Additionally, the bill requires the commissioner to establish a process to notify a school district, any individual currently providing the instructional services which are being sought to be implemented virtually or remotely, and the majority representative of the district's employees regarding a determination on the request for virtual or remote instruction and a procedure for a school district to them to appeal the determination. The bill permits a school district that has applied to utilize virtual or remote instruction pursuant to the provisions of the bill to utilize virtual or remote instruction on a temporary basis without the approval of the Commissioner of Education when equivalent instruction cannot be provided through in-person instruction during the period between the district's submission of the application and the district's receipt of the commissioner's determination on the application. The bill also permits a board of education, as part of the district's implementation of school graduation requirements for a State-endorsed diploma to provide instruction in financial, economic, business, and entrepreneurial literacy by virtual or remote instruction, either in whole or in part. Additionally, the bill permits charter schools and renaissance school projects to provide virtual or remote instruction, either in whole or in part, for summer school sessions. Finally, the bill specifies that individualized student learning opportunities that meet or exceed the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for students in grades nine through 12 include (1) independent study, (2) study abroad programs, (3) student exchange programs, (4) credit recovery programs; and (5) structured learning experiences, including, but not limited to, work-based programs, internships, apprenticeships, and service-learning experiences. Under the bill, the board is to determine if an individualized student learning opportunity may be completed by virtual or remote instruction, either in whole or in part. Pursuant to the bill, individualized student learning opportunities are required to apply toward the credit requirement for a State-endorsed diploma established under State Board of Education regulations. | In Committee |
| A3167 | Authorizes DMVA to grant preference in awarding contracts to vendors that employ veterans. | The purpose of this bill is to help alleviate the high rate of unemployment among military veterans by creating an incentive for vendors seeking contracts with the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs to employ veterans. The bill provides that in awarding contracts for the purchase of goods or services by the department, with or without public advertising for bids, the Adjutant General may grant a preference to vendors based upon the number of full-time employees of that vendor who are veterans. If the Adjutant General determines to grant such a preference for a particular contract, the Adjutant General will determine for each of the top three vendors the number of the vendor's full-time employees and the number of the vendor's full-time employees who are veterans. The contract will be awarded to the vendor having the highest percentage of such employees who are veterans. The bill defines "veteran" to include a disabled veteran. In making this determination, the Adjutant General may rely on information submitted by each vendor. However, the Adjutant General must verify that information within 30 calendar days and if it is determined that any business has knowingly and willfully misrepresented the number of its employees or the number of its employees who are veterans, the Adjutant General will immediately debar that business and its principals from contracting with the department for a period of five years. If the misrepresentation was committed by the vendor that has been awarded the contract, the Adjutant General will also terminate that contract. The department of Military and Veterans' Affairs, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq., will adopt such rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement the bill's provisions. This act will be known and may be cited as the "Boosting Rates of American Veteran Employment (BRAVE) Act." | In Committee |
| A1241 | Establishes matching grant program in DCA to support community-based nonprofit organizations that provide shelter services during Code Blue alerts. | This bill establishes the Code Blue Shelter Matching Grant Program in the Department of Community Affairs (department) to provide matching grants to nonprofit community-based nonprofit organizations that provide shelter services during Code Blue alerts. To be eligible for a matching grant award a community-based nonprofit organization is required to submit an application to the Commissioner of Community Affairs (commissioner), in accordance with application procedures and requirements prescribed by the commissioner. A grant application is required to relate to an underlying grant from a county or municipality received by the community-based nonprofit organization not more than 12 months prior to the date of application, and include information determined necessary by the commissioner, and at a minimum include information related to: (1) the identity, finances, and operations of the community based organization; (2) the amount and distribution date of the grant to the community based organization; and (3) plans for the proposed uses for the grant and the matching grant. The department is required to award matching grants based on review and analytical criteria adopted by the department. The department is further required to award matching grants to community-based nonprofit organizations in the order in which qualifying applications are received. The department is required to maintain a record of underlying grants provided by each county and municipality, and is prohibited from providing a matching grant for an application if an award of the amount requested would result in the department awarding matching grants in an amount exceeding $50,000, in that calendar year, for applications related to underlying grants provided by a particular county or municipality. The bill also authorizes the department to require a community-based nonprofit organization to verify award or receipt of an underlying grant from a county or municipality in an amount equal to the requested matching grant amount. The bill also specifically prohibits the department from establishing or enforcing a cap on the total number of matching grants or the total amount that any individual community-based nonprofit organization may receive from the department as matching grants. Under the bill, the commissioner is required to submit a report to the Governor and Legislature on the effectiveness of the matching grant program in addressing the needs of individual communities, homeless persons, and at-risk persons, and any recommendations concerning continuing or expanding the matching grant program. | In Committee |
| A1689 | Authorizes issuance of electronic copies of vital records. | This bill authorizes the issuance of certified copies of vital records electronically by the State registrar or local registrar. Upon the request of an individual authorized to receive a certified copy of a vital record, including records of a birth, death, fetal death, certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth, domestic partnership, civil union or marriage, the State registrar or local registrar will make the certified copy available to the requester in both a paper form and electronically. This bill requires the Commissioner of Health to establish standards for the furnishing of certified copies of vital records electronically including, but not limited to, protocols for data sharing, authenticating the identity of a requester, establishing a method of data encryption for accessing and transmitting electronic certified copies, and ensuring data privacy and security. | In Committee |
| A2303 | Requires institution of higher education to report allegation of sexual misconduct by health care professional to licensing board for investigation. | Under this bill, if an institution of higher education receives a report of alleged sexual misconduct committed by a health care professional employed by the institution, the institution will be required to promptly notify the State licensing board that issued the license to practice to the health care professional. The bill directs the licensing board to initiate an investigation concerning the information received by the institution of higher education in order to determine if disciplinary charges should be pursued or if an application to suspend or otherwise limit the health care professional's license should be initiated. The bill provides immunity from liability to institutions of higher education for good faith notifications made to licensing boards pursuant to the bill's provisions. | In Committee |
| A2413 | Waives certain commercial driver license fees for veterans and spouses of veterans. | This bill waives certain commercial driver license fees for a veteran and his or her spouse. Specifically, under the provisions of this bill, a veteran or his or her spouse would not be charged a fee for transferring a commercial driver license from the state in which the veteran or his or her spouse previously resided. The bill defines "veteran" as a person who received an honorable discharge from a branch of the active or reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard of any state. | In Committee |
| A1199 | Establishes NJ Forensic Science Laboratory at Rutgers University-Camden; appropriates up to $500,000. | This bill establishes the New Jersey Forensic Science Laboratory, at Rutgers University-Camden. Under the bill, the purpose of the laboratory would be to provide shared, streamlined services to address the crime investigation needs of the southern region of the State. The laboratory would provide real-time testing in the areas of fingerprinting, firearms identification, forensic toxicology and chemistry, trace evidence, DNA identification, and forensic anthropology. The bill provides that the laboratory would collaborate with external partners to conduct research, develop public policy, and provide educational opportunities for students. Under the bill, the laboratory would be required to provide a report to the Governor and Legislature within two years summarizing its research and activities and identifying priorities for the next five years, including any additional resource needs. The bill appropriates up to $500,000 for costs incurred by the laboratory to effectuate the purposes of the bill. | In Committee |
| A2302 | Authorizes Secretary of Higher Education to impose a fine against an institution of higher education that fails to appropriately respond to a student's allegation of sexual assault by another student. | This bill requires the Secretary of Higher Education to impose a penalty of $10,000 against an institution of higher education in the event that the secretary determines that the institution failed to appropriately respond to and investigate an allegation of sexual assault made by a student enrolled in the institution against another student, and to impose appropriate disciplinary action against the perpetrator if the allegation is substantiated. | In Committee |
| ACR58 | Proposes constitutional amendment to increase amount of veterans' property tax deduction from $250 to $2,500 over four years. | If approved by the voters of the State, this proposed constitutional amendment would increase the amount of the veterans' property tax deduction from the current $250 to $2,500. The increase would occur over four years. Veterans who are honorably discharged from active service in a branch of the United States Armed Forces qualify for the deduction. A qualified veteran's surviving spouse would receive the deduction after the qualified veteran dies. The amendment would increase the amount of the deduction to $1,000 in tax year 2024, $1,500 in tax year 2025, $2,000 in tax year 2026, and $2,500 in tax year 2027, and every tax year thereafter. The voters of the State last approved an increase in the amount of the deduction in 1999, from $50 to $250, over four years. The amount of the deduction has been $250 since 2003. | In Committee |
| A943 | Allows for credit against contract cost for primary care services managed by health care provider for public employees and their dependents; allows referrals to other providers that have contractual relationship with such health care provider. | This bill provides that a health care provider that is managing a medical home, pursuant to a contract with a public employer, for its employees and their dependents, who are covered by the employer's health benefits program or plan may: (a) provide a credit to the public employer toward the cost of the contract awarded to the health care provider to manage a medical home model for health care services for the public employees and their dependents; and (b) refer covered employees and their dependents, who receive services through the medical home model to other providers with whom the health care provider has a contractual relationship. If provided, the amount of the credit permitted toward the cost of the contract must not exceed the amount of the payments received by the health care provider from the health care benefits program or plan for claims submitted for provider services. Nothing in this bill will preclude the provider from billing the health benefits program or plan on a fee-for-service basis when such payments by the health benefits program or plan are used to apply a credit toward the cost of the contract. As used in this bill, "medical home" means on-site physicians, nurses, and pharmacy and laboratory services, provided at no cost to public employees, and their dependents, when the medical staff receive salaries and services are not provided on a fee-for-service basis and when primary care, care coordination through the use of health information technology and chronic disease registries, and referrals for specialist care are provided. The provisions of this bill will apply retroactively to July 1, 2022. | Dead |
| AJR40 | Designates October of each year as "Cyber Security Awareness Month." | This joint resolution designates the month of October as "Cyber Security Awareness Month" in New Jersey to educate the citizens of the State on the risks of the Internet and the importance of being safe and responsible cyberspace users. The resolution also requires the Governor to issue a proclamation calling on public officials and citizens of New Jersey to observe October as "Cyber Security Awareness Month." Access to cyberspace has become a vital resource in our society, allowing the residents of New Jersey to better connect with family and friends, complete business transactions remotely, work more efficiently, achieve educational goals, and connect to digital resources and services. Although this access to cyberspace provides many benefits, there are also potential risks to our confidential information, personal privacy, and personal safety. This resolution will allow the State to increase awareness, education, and training to create a digital community that is safer in this State. | In Committee |
| A1197 | Requires school districts to establish procedures for online reporting of harassment, intimidation, and bullying. | This bill requires school districts to establish procedures for the online reporting of acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying. Under the "Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act," P.L.2002, c.83 (C.18A:37-13 et seq.), as amended and supplemented by P.L.2010, c.122 (C.18A:37-13.1 et al.), school districts are required to adopt a policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation, or bullying. Current law requires this policy to contain a procedure for the reporting of acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying, including a provision that permits a person to anonymously report these acts. This bill amends the "Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act" to provide that beginning on the 120th day following the enactment of the bill, each school district's policy would also be required to include a procedure that permits a person to electronically report an act of harassment, intimidation, or bullying using an online reporting form, which would be accessible through the official Internet website of the school district. In addition, the bill requires a link to the online reporting form to be prominently posted on the home page of the school district's website and distributed annually to parents and guardians who have children enrolled in the district. Under current law, the Commissioner of Education is required to develop a model policy to assist school districts in developing policies for the prevention of harassment, intimidation, or bullying. This bill also requires the commissioner to adopt amendments to the model policy to establish procedures for the electronic reporting of harassment, intimidation, or bullying using online reporting forms. | In Committee |
| A2521 | Establishes presumption of joint legal and physical custody in child custody matters. | This bill provides for a presumption of joint legal and equal or approximately equal physical custody in a child custody determination. The current law provides that the court will order any custody arrangement which has been agreed to by both parents unless it is contrary to the best interests of the child. Courts may award joint custody, which is comprised of legal custody or physical custody with the child residing either solely with one parent or alternatively with each parent according to the needs of the parents and the child, and the parents sharing in the decision-making regarding their children's health, education and general welfare; sole custody to one parent with appropriate parenting time for the noncustodial parent; or any other custody arrangement as determined to be in the child's best interest. The bill makes it a presumption that the court will award parents joint legal and equal or approximately equal physical custody of their children. Under the bill, a child will reside for an equal or approximately equal amount of time with each parent in accordance with the needs of the child, and the parents will share decision-making authority and responsibility as to the important decisions affecting the child's welfare. This presumption may be rebutted if the parent can show by clear and convincing evidence that an order of joint legal and physical custody is harmful to the child. If the presumption is successfully rebutted, then custody will be awarded according to the child's best interests. | In Committee |
| A2285 | Establishes fund for DEP for Blue Acres acquisition and relocation projects; appropriates $25 million. | This bill establishes the Blue Acres Buyout Fund (hereinafter referred to as the "fund") as a nonlapsing, revolving fund in the Department of Environmental Protection and appropriates $25 million from the General Fund for the purposes of the fund. The fund would be administered by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to be used for relocation assistance for homeowners and tenants displaced by a Blue Acres acquisition, to acquire flood prone property under the Blue Acres program, and for administrative costs associated with the program. No more than five percent of the total annual revenue allocated to the fund in each fiscal year may be used by the DEP for administrative costs. | In Committee |
| A1788 | Permits DOC and DCF to award contracts for medical and dental services to vendors. | Current law requires the Department of Corrections (DOC) and Department of Children and Families (DCF) to ensure certain medical and dental services are provided by public employees. This provision limits the qualified vendors from which these services may be procured and increases costs to the State. This bill revises the State's procurement process for certain medical and dental contracts to increase efficiency and quality. This bill will provide DOC and DCF with the ability to award contracts for medical and dental services to the vendors whose proposals are most advantageous to the State, price and other factors considered, in order to reduce the State's health care costs. | In Committee |
| A1135 | Establishes "Planning for an Aging Population Task Force." | This bill would establish the "Planning for an Aging Population Task Force." The purpose of the task force would be to study and identify concerns related to the growth of the State's aging population, and develop and recommend a plan of action that is designed to prepare and enable the State to appropriately respond to the ongoing growth in this population and ensure that senior citizens in New Jersey continue to have sufficient access to necessary programs, services, and supports in both the near and long-term future. The Planning for an Aging Population Task Force will consist of 23 members, including 16 ex officio members or their designees, and seven public members, each of whom will have experience and expertise in issues related to aging. The task force may meet and hold hearings at the times and places it may designate, but will be required to hold at least one hearing in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State. The Planning for an Aging Population Task Force will have the duty to: 1) Analyze population data, demographic data, and other appropriate data points for New Jersey to: identify the current number, percentage, location, and density of senior citizens residing in the State, and estimate the extent to which the senior citizen population in New Jersey will grow or otherwise change in the near to long-term future; 2) Identify, and compile an inventory of, existing State, local, and non-profit resources, programs, and services that are available to senior citizens in the State; 3) Analyze the nature and severity of illnesses or conditions commonly suffered by senior citizens in the State, and evaluate the State's capacity to timely and humanely provide physical and mental health care, including home health care, and other necessary services to a growing population of senior citizens suffering from such ailments; 4) Consult with, and solicit and review information and data maintained by, the Department of Labor and the Department of Community Affairs, as may be necessary to identify the potential impacts on the State's labor and housing markets that may result from the ongoing growth of the State's aging population. The Departments of Labor and Community Affairs shall provide the task force with any information or data requested thereby for the purposes of this paragraph; 5) Solicit and receive testimony from senior citizens and the caregivers of senior citizens, from health care professionals and other service providers, and from representatives of relevant organizations, associations, and executive departments, on topics related to aging; and 6) Develop and propose a Statewide plan of action that will enable the State to proactively address the problems and concerns identified by the task force and be better prepared to effectively, efficiently, and humanely serve the growing aging population in New Jersey in both the near and long-term future. Not later than 18 months after the task force is organized, it will be required to prepare and submit to the Governor and the Legislature: 1) a written report of its findings and recommendations relating to the growth of the aging population in the State and the problems that may result from this growing population; and 2) a copy of the Statewide plan of action that has been proposed by the task force. The task force will dissolve on the 30th day following the submission of the written report and proposed plan of action. | In Committee |
| A2778 | Increases annual income limitation for senior and disabled citizens' eligibility for $250 property tax deduction and bases future annual income limitations on annual CPI changes. | This bill increases the annual income limit for seniors and disabled persons to be eligible for an annual property tax deduction. The income limit increase reflects an increase in cost of living. The income limit increase from $10,000 to $20,000 reflects actual inflation from 1983 to 2013, and the annual income limit change thereafter will reflect the actual cost of living change for the past year. The bill uses the Consumer Price Index to determine increases in years after 2014 to ensure that the income limits remain realistic. The bill takes effect immediately, but will remain inoperative until the voters approve a constitutional amendment authorizing an increase in the income limit from $10,000 to $20,000, and annual increases thereafter. | In Committee |
| AJR38 | Permanently designates first Monday in November as "Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Awareness Day" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates the first Monday in November of each year as "Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Awareness Day" in the State of New Jersey in order to raise public awareness about the signs and symptoms of complex regional pain syndrome, also called reflex sympathetic dystrophy (CRPS/RDS), bolster research efforts to develop treatments for, and limit the disabilities associated with, the syndrome, and support those affected with CRPS/RDS and their families. | In Committee |
| A591 | Allows certain State professional and occupational licensees to work from remote location under certain circumstances. | This bill permits certain State professional and occupational licensees to work from a remote location under certain circumstances. Only those licensees that are able to provide, from the remote location, services within the scope of practice of the specific profession or occupation in which the individual is licensed, certified, or registered, may be able to work from a remote location. Under the bill, a "remote location" is defined to mean the licensee's home or another location selected by the licensee. The bill authorizes a licensee to work from home if the licensee: (1) unless otherwise permitted by ensures that no in-person customer interactions are conducted at the remote location, and does not designate the remote location to consumers or customers as a business location; (2) maintains appropriate safeguards for licensee and consumer data, information, and records, including the use of secure virtual private networks, where appropriate; (3) employs appropriate risk-based monitoring and oversight processes of work performed from a remote location, and maintains records of the same; (4) ensures consumer information and records are not maintained at a remote location; (5) ensures consumer and licensee information and records remain accessible and available for regulatory oversight and exams; and (6) as appropriate, provides employee training to keep all conversations about, and with, consumers, conducted from a remote location confidential, as if conducted from a commercial location, and to ensure remote licensees work in an environment conducive and appropriate to that privacy. | In Committee |
| A2772 | Concerns eligibility for unemployment benefits. | This bill permits an employee to receive unemployment benefits if the employee leaves employment upon receipt of an offer of employment from another employer, but the offer is rescinded through no fault of the employee. The bill also, for purposes of benefit eligibility, increases the maximum time period between when the employee leaves work and when the subsequent work is scheduled to commence from seven days to 10 days. This bill would codify into statute the holdings of the court in McClain v. Bd. of Review, Dep't of Labor, 237 N.J. 445 (2019). In that case, the court held that an employee who leaves one job to take another job, but, through no fault of the employee, has the offer of employment rescinded before the employment begins, is entitled to unemployment benefits. | In Committee |
| A3123 | Requires public and nonpublic schools with lunch programs to provide free lunch to increasing numbers of income-eligible students and, after five-year phase-in, to provide free lunch to all students, regardless of income or federal eligibility. | This bill, would require school districts and nonpublic schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to provide free lunch to gradually increasing numbers of income-eligible students over a five-year phase-in period and, at the end of that five-year phase-in period, to provide free lunch to all students enrolled in the district or at the nonpublic school, regardless of each student's household income or federal eligibility for free or reduced price school meals. The bill would additionally clarify that both school districts and nonpublic schools that offer school breakfasts under the federal School Breakfast Program will be required, pursuant to existing law at section 12 of P.L.2022, c.104 (C.18A:33-14a), to provide such breakfasts, free of charge, to students who are federally eligible for free or reduced price school meals, as well as to students who are federally ineligible for free or reduced price school meals, but who have an annual household income amounting to not less than 186 percent, and not more than 199 percent, of the federal poverty level. However, the bill would not expand the categories of students who are eligible for free breakfast under that existing law. Under existing federal law, a student is federally eligible to receive free or reduced price school lunch under the National School Lunch Program, or free or reduced price school breakfast under the federal School Breakfast Program, only if the student is determined to be categorically eligible for such benefits (i.e., is determined to be a homeless child, a migrant child, a runaway child, a foster child, or a Head Start Child, or is a participant in certain public benefits programs) or can demonstrate that the student lives in a low-income household (i.e., a household with an annual income that is not more than 185 percent of the federal poverty level). Through the recent enactment of the "Working Class Families' Anti-Hunger Act," P.L.2022, c.104 (C.18A:33-3.2 et al.), the State of New Jersey has also provided for the expanded provision of free school lunches and breakfasts to students in the State who reside in certain middle-income families (i.e., those families having an annual household income of up to 199 percent of the federal poverty level). This bill would further expand the existing State law on this issue by providing for the continued, but gradual, expansion of subsidized school lunch eligibility (but not subsidized school breakfast eligibility) to students in higher income brackets, over the course of a five-year phase-in period, until all students are eligible for free school lunch, regardless of the students' income and federal eligibility therefor. Specifically, under the bill's provisions, school lunches are to be made available, free of charge, to enrolled students who are federally ineligible for free or reduced price meals, in accordance with the following schedule: (1) during the 2023-2024 school year, and consistent with the provisions of the "Working Class Families Anti-Hunger Act," to each enrolled student who is federally ineligible for free or reduced price meals, but who has an annual household income that is not less than 186 percent, and not more than 199 percent, of the federal poverty level (FPL); (2) during the 2024-2025 school year, to each enrolled student who is federally ineligible for free or reduced price meals, but who has an annual household income that is not less than 186 percent, and not more than 249 percent, of the FPL; (3) during the 2025-2026 school year, to each enrolled student who is federally ineligible for free or reduced price meals, but who has an annual household income that is not less than 186 percent, and not more than 299 percent, of the FPL; (4) during the 2026-2027 school year, to each enrolled student who is federally ineligible for free or reduced price meals, but who has an annual household income that is not less than 186 percent, and not more than 349 percent, of the FPL; (5) during the 2027-2028 school year, to each enrolled student who is federally ineligible for free or reduced price meals, but who has an annual household income that is not less than 186 percent, and not more than 399 percent, of the FPL; and (6) during the 2028-2029 school year, and during each school year thereafter, to each enrolled student who is federally ineligible for free or reduced price meals, regardless of the student's annual household income. All students who become newly eligible for free school lunch, under the bill's provisions, would also be eligible to continue receiving such free lunches through a summer meals program. Eligible public school students would additionally be able to continue receiving free lunches through an emergency meals distribution program that is activated during a period of school closure resulting from COVID-19. The bill would require the State to provide funding to each participating school district and nonpublic school, as may be necessary to reimburse the costs associated with the provision of free lunches thereby to expanding groups of State-eligible students who are federally ineligible for such meals under the National School Lunch Program. It would further require the Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the Department of Education, to establish a standardized means by which to review the State reimbursement amounts being allocated under the bill in order to determine whether, and the extent to which, participating school districts and nonpublic schools have received adequate reimbursement, from the State, sufficient to account for each participating school's actual costs of meal delivery, including, but not limited to, food, labor, and other related costs. The bill would require each report that is annually submitted, to the Governor and Legislature, on the State's school lunch and breakfast programs to identify, as appropriate, for each participating school district and nonpublic school in the State: (1) the number and percentage of students receiving subsidized school meals who have been determined to be, respectively, federally eligible for free school lunch or breakfast, federally eligible for reduced price school lunch or breakfast, income-eligible for free school lunch or breakfast on the basis of State-level income eligibility requirements, or statutorily eligible for free school lunch, as provided by the bill, without regard to income; and (2) the number and percentage of such students who reside in low-income families with household incomes up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level, middle-income families with household incomes between 186 and 399 percent of the federal poverty level, and upper-income families with household incomes at or above 400 percent of the federal poverty level. In addition to expanding eligibility for subsidized school lunches, the bill would also require school districts and nonpublic schools participating in the National School Lunch Program or the federal School Breakfast Program to take steps to minimize or offset program costs, to the extent that such costs can be minimized or offset without compromising the nonpublic school's or district's ability to comply with minimum nutritional standards and other program requirements. To facilitate such legally compliant cost minimization activities, the bill would require the Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the Department of Education, to: (1) monitor, inspect, and oversee school meals programs operating in the State to ensure that school meals served thereunder continue to satisfy minimum nutritional standards; (2) develop and publicize best practices, protocols, and model plans to help participating school districts and nonpublic schools effectively minimize and offset program costs without compromising the nutritional value of meals being served; and (3) work cooperatively with each participating school district and nonpublic school to review the program costs being expended thereby, identify various means and methods by which those program costs can be reduced, curtailed, or eliminated without sacrificing nutritional value or legal compliance, provide relevant financial recommendations, and undertake or recommend other appropriate actions to prevent the State's school meals programs from becoming overly bloated with unnecessary expenses and from otherwise becoming financially burdensome. | In Committee |
| A1177 | Requires sign language interpreters for sessions and committee meetings of Legislature. | The purpose of this bill is to provide access to legislative proceedings for individuals with hearing loss. This bill requires that a sign language interpreter provide simultaneous interpretation of the proceedings of each legislative session and each committee meeting and hearing of the Senate and the General Assembly of the State Legislature. | In Committee |
| A1202 | Requires State Long-Term Care Ombudsman to employ three geriatric social workers to serve New Jersey's long-term care residents and makes appropriation. | This bill requires the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman to employ three geriatric social workers to serve New Jersey's long-term care residents. The bill also appropriates the necessary funds from the General Fund to the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman to support these positions. The Ombudsman is responsible for securing, preserving, and promoting the health, safety, and welfare of New Jersey's long-term care residents, through investigations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation; legislative and regulatory advocacy; policy work; and education and outreach. Specifically, under the bill, the Ombudsman is to appoint and employ three geriatric social workers, with one social worker each dedicated to serving the long-term care residents located in the northern, central, and southern parts of the State, for the purpose of developing plans and addressing concerns regarding the legal, financial, and service needs of long-term care residents. | In Committee |
| A1190 | Requires Attorney General to establish Human Trafficking Unit in Department of Law and Public Safety. | This bill requires the Attorney General to establish a Human Trafficking Unit in the Department of Law and Public Safety. The unit is required to include one or more assistant or deputy attorneys general, one of whom is to be designated as a Human Trafficking Coordinator. Under the bill, the Human Trafficking Unit is responsible for:· prosecuting human trafficking cases;· overseeing and providing assistance to counties in the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking cases; · providing information concerning access to information and support services for victims of human trafficking;· collaborating with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, the Division of State Police, every county prosecutor's office, local government units as may be necessary or practicable, victim service providers, and the Commission on Human Trafficking to identify human trafficking victims and successfully prosecute human trafficking cases; and· conducting a public awareness campaign to educate the public on issues related to human trafficking which:o raises public awareness about the signs and consequences of human trafficking; o promotes opposition to human trafficking in all of its forms; o provides for the dissemination of information and materials concerning the signs and consequences of human trafficking; ando encourages support for victims of human trafficking. The provisions of the bill also require the Attorney General, in consultation with the Human Trafficking Coordinator, Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, Director of the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, Commissioner of Health, and Commissioner of Human Services, to develop and approve a training course and curriculum for law enforcement officials and county prosecutors, on an ongoing basis, on the handling, investigation, response procedures, and prosecution of human trafficking cases. This training course and curriculum are to be reviewed at least every two years and modified by the Attorney General from time to time as needed. Under the bill, the Human Trafficking Coordinator is required to annually report to the Governor and the Legislature on the duties of the Human Trafficking Unit, and include any recommendations for legislative changes or improvements deemed appropriate. | In Committee |
| A2103 | Establishes "Resiliency and Environmental System Investment Charge Program." | This bill establishes the "Resiliency and Environmental System Investment Charge Program" (RESIC), which creates a regulatory mechanism that enables water and wastewater utilities (utilities) to recover the costs of investment in certain non-revenue producing utility system components that enhance water and wastewater system resiliency, environmental compliance, safety, and public health. The bill authorizes a utility to petition the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) concerning RESIC activities by submitting a foundational filing. A utility that offers more than one regulated service may file a joint foundational filing for a RESIC that includes infrastructure investments for multiple regulated services or separate foundational filings to establish a separate RESIC for each regulated service offered by the utility. If a utility files separate foundational filings, each RESIC approved by the BPU would be subject to a separate revenue recovery cap. Under the RESIC program, after approval of the foundational filing, a utility may charge customers for the costs of installing, rehabilitating, improving, or replacing utility system infrastructure in accordance with the bill. However, the bill provides that the total revenues recovered through the RESIC rate may not exceed the RESIC-cap, which equals five percent of the utility's total annual revenues, as adjusted for certain approved charges. Under the bill, the utility would also be required to identify the amounts owed by each customer, based on the RESIC rate, separately on the customer's utility bill. | Dead |
| A1159 | Establishes five-year housing advisory plan. | This bill would require the Department of Community Affairs to prepare, and amend as needed, a five-year housing advisory plan. The purpose of the plan is to document the affordable housing needs of all residents in this State, especially those of homeless or near homeless persons, determine the extent to which those needs are addressed through public and private sector programs, and facilitate any necessary planning to meet the affordable housing needs of the State, thereby enabling the development of sound strategies and programs for affordable housing. The information in the five-year housing advisory plan shall include: (1) an assessment of the State's housing market trends; (2) an assessment of the housing needs for all economic segments of the State and special needs populations; (3) an inventory of the supply and geographic distribution of affordable housing units made available through public and private sector programs; (4) a status report on the degree of progress made by the public and private sector toward meeting the housing needs of the State; (5) an identification of State and local regulatory barriers to affordable housing and proposed regulatory and administrative techniques designed to remove barriers to the development and placement of affordable housing; and (6) specific recommendations, policies, or proposals for meeting the affordable housing needs of the State, especially those of homeless or near homeless persons. The five-year housing advisory plan is to be prepared and submitted to the Governor and the Joint Committee on Housing Affordability, and subsequent plans must be submitted every five years thereafter. | In Committee |
| A1200 | Provides free admission to State parks and forests, and certain historic sites and historic properties for certain veterans on Veterans Day. | This bill provides free admission for veterans on November 11 or any other date that the State may designate for the celebration of Veterans Day to: 1) State parks and forests, which also includes State owned or leased historic sites; 2) historic properties acquired or preserved by a local government unit or qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organization by using State funding; and 3) any historic site owned or operated by a county or a municipality. The bill defines "veteran" as any resident of the State who has been honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active military service in any of the Armed Forces of the United States, or reserves component thereof, or any honorably discharged member of the American Merchant Marine who served during World War II and is declared by the United States Department of Defense to be eligible for federal veterans' benefits. | In Committee |
| A899 | Establishes three-year sickle cell disease pilot program; appropriates $10,200,000. | This bill establishes a three-year sickle cell disease pilot program and appropriates $10,200,000. Under the bill, the Department of Health (department), in consultation with the Department of Human Services, is to establish a three-year sickle cell disease pilot program, under which federally qualified health centers are to be selected by the department to develop and implement comprehensive sickle cell disease treatment programs and services. The department is to select federally qualified health centers for participation in the pilot program on a competitive basis based on criteria to be established by the Commissioner of Health (commissioner). First priority is to be given to federally qualified health centers located in Jersey City, Newark, Paterson, Plainfield, Trenton, Camden, and, subject to the availability of funds, to federally qualified health centers in other municipalities which demonstrate a patient population in that geographic area that is in need of sickle cell disease care. The federally qualified health centers selected for participation in the pilot program are to be eligible for financial support from funds appropriated to the department. The purpose of the pilot program is to: (1) link outpatient sickle cell disease care to sickle cell disease care in inpatient health care settings and other health care settings, which may include, if permitted by law, telehealth services; (2) provide coordinated, comprehensive, team-based medical, behavioral health, mental health, social support, and other services under the supervision of health care professionals who have expertise in treating individuals with sickle cell disease; (3) foster outreach to individuals and families with sickle cell disease and providers of medical, nursing, and social services who serve and treat persons with sickle cell disease; (4) promote sickle cell disease education and awareness; (5) develop initiatives to build a State medical workforce of clinicians who are knowledgeable about the diagnosis and treatment of sickle cell disease; and (6) establish practices for the collection of in-State data on sickle cell disease to monitor incidence, prevalence, demographics, morbidity, health care utilization, and costs. Federally qualified health centers seeking to participate in the pilot program are to develop comprehensive sickle cell disease treatment programs and services that provide coordinated, comprehensive, team-based medical, behavioral health, mental health, social support, and monitoring services under the supervision of health care professionals who have expertise in treating individuals with sickle cell disease. The department is to coordinate with federally qualified health centers participating in the pilot program and other health care facilities and health care professionals to establish centers of excellence for sickle cell disease research and innovation, as determined by the commissioner. | Dead |
| A953 | Establishes standards for domestic violence counseling and creates "Abuse Intervention Program Advisory Committee." | This bill sets forth certain requirements governing court ordered domestic violence counseling and creates the "Abuse Intervention Program Advisory Committee" within the Department of Children and Families. Under current law, as part of a final restraining order issued by the court in a domestic violence matter, the court may order the defendant to receive professional domestic violence counseling from either a private source or a source appointed by the court and, in that event, require the defendant to provide the court with documentation of attendance. Under the bill, any domestic violence counseling program in which a defendant participates based on a court order issued in a domestic violence matter would include the following components: (1) risk assessments that identify dynamics of domestic violence and escalating risk factors, and include information provided by the courts; (2) working collaboratively with the courts to support offender accountability, requiring that offenders be held accountable for their behavior, and that offenders are provided with services geared towards behavioral change; (3) information and education concerning the tactics of power and control and the understanding of domestic violence as a domination and control issue; (4) a protocol to demonstrate the defendant's attendance in programming, and additional reporting as requested by the court to support a prompt and effective review by the court for noncompliance; and (5) regular reviews of the program and compliance by the New Jersey Advisory Council on Domestic Violence or the Department of Children and Families for Batterers' Intervention Programs funded by the Department of Children and Families. The bill creates within the Department of Children and Families, the "Abuse Intervention Program Advisory Committee." The advisory committee is to include representatives from the following: Administrative Office of the Courts, including representatives of the Municipal Court and the Family and Criminal Divisions of Superior Court; Department of Corrections; Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services; Department of Law and Public Safety; Department of Education; domestic violence advocates who represent underserved communities in rural and urban settings; practicing licensed mental health professional; community providers with experience providing treatment to domestic violence perpetrators; a person who has received abuse intervention services; community organizers providing restorative justice practices; and faith community leaders. In consultation with the committee, the Department of Children and Families would select an existing evidence-based, evidence-supported or promising Batterers' Intervention Program model. Based on strategic priorities and subject to the availability of funds, the Department of Children and Families is responsible for funding the selected abuse intervention programs. The Department of Children and Families is to access consultation and technical assistance from selected model developers or other field experts; support the development, refinement, and maintenance of the necessary implementation infrastructure including, but not limited to, model refinement, training, quality improvement, and evaluation; and provide periodic progress updates to the committee on the selected Batterers' Intervention Program model. The domestic violence counseling provisions of this bill embody recommendation 18 of the Report of the Supreme Court Ad Hoc Committee on Domestic Violence issued June 2016. | In Committee |
| A3130 | Provides for retained eligibility for members of NJ National Guard or reserve component called to active federal military service who met fire department maximum age requirement at closing date of civil service examination. | This bill provides that any member of the New Jersey National Guard or of a reserve component of the United States Armed Forces who is placed on a civil service active open competitive employment list, and who is called to active federal military service prior to the expiration of the list, would be deemed to have met that maximum age requirement on the date on which the person's name is placed on a subsequent eligible list if the person met the maximum age requirement for appointment as a member of the fire department in a municipality at the announced closing date of the civil service examination from which the first list of eligibles is or was compiled. This same provision already applies to members and officers of the police department. | In Committee |
| A2891 | Authorizes wiretap orders for investigation of luring or enticing a child, identity theft, stalking and cyber-harassment under certain circumstances. | This bill would expand the wiretap statutes to authorize wiretap orders for investigation of the following crimes or a conspiracy to commit them: luring or enticing a child, impersonation or theft of identity, stalking, and cyber-harassment. Current law authorizes wiretap orders for investigations of the following crimes or a conspiracy to commit them: murder; kidnapping; gambling; robbery; bribery; certain aggravated assault offenses; health care claims fraud; certain wrongful credit practices; money laundering; terrorism; false public alarms; causing or risking widespread injury or damage; certain damages to nuclear electric generating plants; terroristic threats; leader of a narcotics trafficking network; maintaining or operating an unlawful CDS production facility; unlawfully manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing CDS; certain violations of the Casino Control Act; human trafficking; certain prostitution offenses; arson; burglary; certain theft offenses; endangering the welfare of a child; escape; certain forgery and fraudulent practices; alteration of motor vehicle identification numbers; unlawful manufacture, purchase, use, or transfer of firearms; unlawful possession or use of destructive devices or explosives; weapons training for illegal activities; racketeering; and leader of organized crime and organized criminal activity concerning certain hazardous substances. | In Committee |
| A1937 | Requires DOH to provide information regarding spina bifida to certain parents and families of newborns; "Levi's Law." | Current law requires DOH to make information on Down syndrome available on its website to any person who renders prenatal care, postnatal care, or genetic counseling of parents who receive a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. This bill, which would be known as "Levi's Law," amends P.L.2015, c.173 (C.26:2-194 et seq.) to expand the information that DOH is required to make available on its website to include spina bifida, and to make the information available to any person who renders prenatal care, postnatal care, or genetic counseling of parents who receive a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of spina bifida. Under current law, DOH: may make information on Down syndrome available to any other person who has received a positive test result for Down syndrome; is authorized to revise the information as new information on Down Syndrome becomes available; and is required to provide the information in English and Spanish, and in a manner that is easily understandable for a woman or the family of a child receiving a postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. Under the provisions of the bill, DOH would be: allowed to make information on spina bifida to any other person who has received a positive test result from a spina bifida blood test; authorized to revise this information as new information about spina bifida becomes available; and required to provide the information in English and Spanish, and in a manner that is easily understandable for a woman or the family of a child receiving a postnatal diagnosis of spina bifida. | In Committee |
| A2901 | Requires public community water systems to provide customers with certain information regarding lead in drinking water. | This bill, to be known as the "Lead Education, Accountability, and Disclosure Act," would require public community water systems to provide customers with certain information regarding lead in drinking water. The bill would require public community water systems to include certain information on lead in drinking water in their annual Consumer Confidence Reports, prepared pursuant to the federal "Safe Drinking Water Act." This bill would require the Consumer Confidence Report to include information on: the possible sources of lead in drinking water, including, but not limited to, lead service lines, pipes, and fixtures; the health effects of lead in drinking water; and measures a customer can take to reduce or eliminate lead in drinking water. Additionally, under the bill, within 90 days after beginning water service to a new customer, a public community water system would be required to send the new customer a notice, in writing, containing the information on lead described above. If the public community water system provides for, and the new customer has requested, the ability to receive or access water bills in electronic format, the public community water system would also be required to send the notice in electronic format. As used in the bill, "new customer" includes any new residential, commercial, or institutional customer who connects, reconnects, or establishes new water service with the public community water system after the bill is enacted into law. Lastly, the bill would require public community water systems to notify all residential, commercial, and institutional customers and residents at least 48 hours prior to commencing any construction, maintenance, repair, or replacement of any lead service line or lead water main. The bill provides that, in the case of emergency work, this notice would be provided as soon as practicable, rather than 48 priors to commencing work. The notice would include, but not be limited to, the following information: (1) notification that the planned work may loosen lead-containing particles and temporarily increase lead levels in the water; (2) the estimated length of time that lead levels may remain elevated; (3) general information on the possible sources of lead in drinking water, and the health effects of consuming lead-contaminated water; (4) measures residents can take to reduce or eliminate their exposure to lead in drinking water; and (5) a recommendation that any lead service line serving the property be fully replaced, and a list of available resources to assist in any replacement. For all three notice requirements, the bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to publish a public notice on its Internet website and in the New Jersey Register specifying the information to be included in each notice. Public community water systems would not be required to provide the notices set forth in the bill until after the DEP publishes the public notices. | In Committee |
| ACR90 | Proposes amendment to Constitution establishing a right to comprehensive, affordable, and accessible health care. | This amendment to the State Constitution would provide that each person has the right to comprehensive, affordable, and accessible health care. The Legislature will be required to enact any laws that are necessary and appropriate to secure this right to health care for each person, regardless of the person's age, sex, race, pre-existing health condition, income, economic status, or ability to pay. | In Committee |
| A1843 | Requires pharmacies to sell hypodermic syringes and needles to any customer over the age of 18 and post sign concerning consumer right to purchase clean syringes and needles. | This bill requires pharmacies to sell hypodermic needles and syringes to any customer over the age of 18. Under current law, needles and syringes may be sold in quantities of up to 10 without a prescription, and in quantities of more than 10 only with a valid prescription. Current law provides that over-the-counter sales of needles and syringes is allowed, but not required. This bill will make such sales mandatory, and will additionally require pharmacies to post a sign at the pharmacy sales counter advising consumers of the right to purchase needles and syringes pursuant to the bill. The ability to purchase up to 10 hypodermic syringes or needles without a prescription first took effect in 2011, with the enactment of P.L.2011, c.183 (C.2C:36-6.2 et seq.). The 2011 law was designed both to facilitate access to individuals who use syringes or needles to administer medication, such as diabetic insulin users, as well as to help make clean syringes and needles available to intravenous drug users, thereby helping prevent the spread of bloodborne diseases such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Under the 2011 law, pharmacies selling needles and syringes are required to make information concerning the safe disposal of used syringes and needles and information concerning substance abuse treatment available to all purchasers. It is the sponsor's belief that requiring pharmacies to sell hypodermic syringes and needles to any consumer over the age of 18 and to a post a sign notifying consumers of their rights with regard to purchasing clean hypodermic syringes and needles will help promote the public health interests that the original 2011 law sought to advance. | In Committee |
| A1778 | Establishes "New Jersey STEM Scholars Grant Pilot Program" in Department of Education. | This bill would establish the four-year "New Jersey STEM Scholars Grant Pilot Program," to provide grants to assist school districts, renaissance schools, and charter schools in enhancing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education programs for students and to increase access to STEM education programs. Applications for grant awards under the pilot program would be submitted to the Commissioner of Education, who would allocate the awards on a competitive basis. The grant awards would be distributed so that school districts, renaissance schools, and charter schools can build upon existing STEM education programs or create new education programs along three distinct areas of concentration: project-based learning, afterschool STEM, and out-of-school STEM. This bill also establishes within the Department of Education a fund to be known as the "STEM Scholars Grant Fund," for the provision of grants to school districts, renaissance schools, and charter schools under the pilot program. The fund is to be annually credited with money appropriated by the Legislature and any moneys received by the State from corporate donors or other private sector support. No State funds may be used to support a grant under the pilot program unless there is an appropriation for the pilot program in the annual appropriations act for the respective fiscal year. | In Committee |
| A1157 | Requires Medicaid preferred drug lists to provide for coverage of buprenorphine for treatment of chronic pain. | This bill requires preferred drug lists under the Medicaid program, established pursuant to P.L.1968, c.413 (C.30:4D-1 et seq.), to provide for coverage of buprenorphine for treatment of chronic pain. Specifically, under the bill, a preferred drug list, drug formulary, or other authorized list of covered drugs implemented by the Division of Medical Assistance and Human Services within the Department of Human Services for the provision of pharmacy services under the Medicaid program or by a managed care organization contracted with the division to provide pharmacy services under the Medicaid program shall provide for the coverage of buprenorphine for the treatment of chronic pain, without the imposition of any step therapy requirement, provided that the buprenorphine is prescribed by a licensed medical practitioner who is authorized to prescribe that drug pursuant to State and federal law. The bill defines "chronic pain" as pain that persists or recurs for more than three months, and "step therapy requirement" as a requirement within a preferred drug list, drug formulary, or other authorized list of covered drugs for a beneficiary to use one drug before benefits for the use of another drug can be authorized. | In Committee |
| A952 | Establishes Statewide program to provide treatment services for children exposed to domestic violence. | This bill requires the Department of Children and Families ("DCF") to establish and maintain a Statewide therapeutic treatment program for the children and families of domestic violence victims. The bill requires that the department establish and maintain a Statewide evidence-based program to provide treatment services for children and their family members exposed to domestic violence. The bill provides that DCF shall provide grants to providers for developing and implementing therapeutic treatment, counseling, and supportive services to those children and their family members who have been exposed to domestic violence. The bill further provides that DCF will collect and maintain data on the program established by this bill and provide a report to the Governor and Legislature which would include (1) information on the number of counties or municipalities that have implemented the program; (2) the number of participants in the program; and (3) information on the effectiveness of the program. The bill requires DCF to assign staff to develop strategies for assisting the providers in implementing the program throughout the State. DCF would also monitor the implementation of the program by requiring the participating organizations to maintain accurate records concerning the levels of service, referral activity, and overall program management. The bill provides that there would be appropriated from the General Fund such funds as are necessary to implement the provisions and to effectuate the purposes of the bill as shall be included in any general or supplemental appropriation act. The bill embodies, in part, recommendation 8 of the Report of the Supreme Court Ad Hoc Committee on Domestic Violence issued June 2016. | In Committee |
| A1184 | Provides that law enforcement officers appointed by educational institutions, NJT, and Burlington County Bridge Commission are entitled to certain statutory rights and privileges. | This bill clarifies that law enforcement officers appointed by an educational institution, the New Jersey Transit Corporation, and the Burlington County Bridge Commission are entitled to the rights and privileges afforded to municipal law enforcement officers pursuant to the applicable provisions of chapter 14 of Title 40A of the New Jersey Statutes. The provisions of chapter 14 of Title 40A of the New Jersey Statutes, in part, govern municipal law enforcement officers. This bill clarifies that law enforcement officers appointed by educational institutions, the New Jersey Transit Corporation, and the Burlington County Bridge Commission also are entitled to the rights and privileges afforded to municipal law enforcement officers. | In Committee |
| A1169 | Establishes task force to examine public school programs and services designed to address student mental health. | This bill establishes the Task Force on Student Mental Health. Under the bill, the task force will consist of 16 members including: the Commissioner of Education; the Director of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services; one public member appointed by the President of the Senate and one public member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; one public member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and one public member appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly; and 10 members appointed by the Governor, including: a school board member, a school principal, a school administrator, an elementary school teacher, a high school teacher, a school counselor, a school social worker, and a school psychologist, all of whom are currently employed in public schools in the State; and two parents of students enrolled in a public school. The task force will study and make recommendations regarding the following:· the identification of public school students who experience depression, anxiety, stress, or other psychological or emotional tension, trauma, or disorder;· the evaluation and expansion of counseling programs and services available to students experiencing mental health difficulties, and other programs designed to address issues related to student mental health; · the relationship of student mental health to school safety and security; · the amount of funding that may be necessary for public schools to employ the appropriate staff and to establish new programs or expand existing programs necessary to address student mental health; and· an examination of other states which have implemented programs that have successfully addressed depression, anxiety, stress, or other psychological or emotional tension, trauma, or disorder among public school students and reduced the number of students experiencing such difficulties. The bill directs the task force to issue a final report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature no later than one year after its organizational meeting. The task force will expire 30 days after the submission of the final report. | In Committee |
| A2247 | Requires Corrections Ombudsperson review criminal investigations under certain circumstances. | This bill requires the Corrections Ombudsperson to review criminal investigations under certain circumstances to ensure the investigation was accurate, unbiased, and thorough. Under the bill, in order to determine whether a criminal investigation conducted by the Department of Corrections or the Special Investigations Division was accurate, unbiased, and thorough, the ombudsperson is required to inspect, examine, and analyze all aspects of the criminal investigation including, but not limited to:· the manner in which the investigation was conducted and whether the investigation adhered to best practices and appropriate standards;· evidence contained in the investigatory file; and· any other information contained in the investigatory file deemed appropriate by the ombudsperson. The bill provides an exception for ongoing investigations. Under current law, the ombudsperson is prohibited from inspecting, examining, or assessing Prison Rape Elimination Act investigations; other information, records, or investigations deemed confidential by the Special Investigations Division of the department; and the Special Investigations evidence room. This bill eliminates these prohibitions. Finally, under the bill, the ombudsperson is required to provide information to the inmate who submitted the complaint regarding the status of the inspection, examination, or assessment of the criminal investigation and an estimate for when the inspection, examination, or assessment will be complete. | In Committee |
| A2272 | Establishes Department of Early Childhood. | This bill establishes as a new principal department within the Executive Branch, the Department of Early Childhood. The bill transfers the functions of the current Division of Early Childhood Education in the Department of Education to the Department of Early Childhood. In addition, the bill transfers to the new department:· all responsibilities of the Department of Education relating to students in grades preschool through three including, but not limited to, those parts of the following programs relating to this age group: teacher licensing; IDEA part B; Title I services; regional achievement centers; migrant and homeless education services; bilingual education services; parent training and information centers; and the New Jersey Council for Young Children;· all responsibilities of the Department of Human Services relating to children from pregnancy to age eight, including but not limited to, those parts of the following programs relating to this age group: subsidized child care programs and services; child care development block grants; wraparound care; New Jersey First Steps Infant Toddler Initiative; child care resource and referral agencies; childcare workforce registry; New Jersey School-Age child care; and New Jersey Inclusive Child Care; · all responsibilities of the Department of Children and Families relating to children from pregnancy to age eight including, but not limited to, those parts of the following programs relating to this age group: New Jersey Home Visitation Program; Help Me Grow Initiative; Project LAUNCH; New Jersey Strengthening Families Initiative; Project TEACH (Teen Education and Child Health); Parent Linking Program; and Family Success Centers; and· all responsibilities of the Department of Health relating to children from pregnancy to age eight, including but not limited to, those parts of the following programs relating to this age group: Improving Pregnancy Outcomes Program; New Jersey WIC Breastfeeding Services; services for perinatal mood disorders; home visitation programs; early intervention system under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); and NJ Early Care and Education Learning Collaborative Project (NJ ECELC). The bill transfers all the functions of the Department of Children and Families regarding the licensing of child care centers and the registration of family child care providers to the new Department of Early Childhood. The bill requires the Commissioner of Early Childhood, in consultation with the Commissioners of Education, Human Services, Children and Families, and Health, to develop a schedule for the orderly transfer of programs relating to early childhood and child nutrition to the new department. | In Committee |
| A2825 | Directs Juvenile Justice Commission to establish arts education pilot program for juvenile offenders. | This bill directs the Juvenile Justice Commission to establish an arts education pilot program for juvenile offenders in the State. In establishing the pilot program, the bill requires the commission to consult with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts to oversee the development, operation, administration, and evaluation of the program. The pilot program is to involve the development of three model arts education programs to deliver innovative arts-based programming for juvenile offenders in detention and correction facilities during a five-year period. The model programs are to be developed through organizational partnerships including, but not limited to, State and local arts organizations, community-based agencies, philanthropic entities, and the private sector, and are to be self-funded. The commission is to select three programs to participate in the pilot program, based upon the organization's ability to successfully implement model arts-based programming. Under the bill, the commission is required to include an evaluation component in the pilot program. The evaluation is to be based on best practices for assessing arts-based programming for juvenile offenders and youth and, specifically, their educational outcomes and student progress in problem solving, comprehension, critical thinking and reasoning, and positive development. During the initial four years, each model program is required to undergo an annual evaluation conducted by the commission. After the program's fourth year, the commission is to submit to the Governor and the Legislature an evaluation of the pilot program and a recommendation concerning whether the program should be continued and expanded within the State. | In Committee |
| A1215 | Provides for regulation of dental therapists. | This bill provides for the licensure and regulation of dental therapists by the New Jersey State Board of Dentistry. Under the bill, the regulation of dental therapists is incorporated into various provisions of current law, including statutory requirements regarding the operations of dental clinics and continuing education. Additionally, the bill adds language regarding numerous requirements to practice as a dental therapist, including the requirements for licensure, the components of a collaborative agreement as well as the role of a dentist in a collaborative agreement, and the level of supervision a dental therapist is required to have to perform services. The bill also requires the board to promulgate regulations for dental therapists and its practice in the State within one year after the enactment of the bill. Lastly, the bill provides that dental therapists can bill or file a claim for certain services performed within the scope of practice of dental therapy. Moreover, the NJ FamilyCare Program is to provide coverage for dental therapy under certain circumstances. A state's Medicaid program, including the NJ FamilyCare Program, is required, under federal law, to cover services provided at Federally Qualified Health Centers ("FQHC"). Dental therapy services provided at a FQHC, in accordance with federal law and the provisions of this bill, will be covered by the NJ FamilyCare Program. | In Committee |
| A1860 | Increases Medicaid reimbursement rates for primary care services; appropriates $20 million. | This bill increases the Medicaid reimbursement rates for primary care and mental health services according to the Medicare payment rate for the same services. 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. Under the bill, commencing on July 1, 2023, and annually thereafter, the Medicaid reimbursement rate for primary care and mental health services is required to be no less than 100 percent of the payment rate that applies to such services under part B of the federal Medicare program. 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. Mental health services additionally include those services furnished by a health care provider with one of the following specialty designations: licensed clinical social worker, psychologist, licensed professional counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist, or psychiatrist. The provisions of the bill are not to be construed to require any decrease in the Medicaid reimbursement rate for a primary care or mental health 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 of Human Services, no later than July 1, 2024, 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 and mental health services, as well as the quality of care of these services, for Medicaid beneficiaries following any rate increases associated with the bill. | In Committee |
| A114 | Establishes Statewide database of beds in shelters for the homeless. | This bill would require the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) to allow operators of shelters for the homeless and others who place persons in homeless shelters to have access to real-time information about the occupancy status of shelter beds, as collected by the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), to determine the availability of shelter beds in the vicinity. Each homeless shelter operator would be required to update information about available shelter beds not later than one hour after a bed becomes available, or an available bed has been filled. These provisions will allow operators of homeless shelters that are currently full to ascertain whether there are available beds in nearby shelters so as to enable them to direct individuals in need of emergency shelter to locations that can accommodate them. This bill also requires a shelter for the homeless to cooperate in providing any necessary information to the database, as determined by the HMFA, the Department of Community Affairs, and the Department of Human Services, as a condition of being eligible to receive funding for the shelter from the Departments of Community Affairs and Human Services. The bill would not apply to shelters for victims of domestic violence. | In Committee |
| A2227 | Requires health benefits coverage for private duty nursing services. | 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) to provide health benefits coverage for any expenses incurred in the provision of private duty nursing services. Under the bill, private duty nursing services are subject to the same deductibles, coinsurance, and other cost sharing as apply to similar services under the contract, policy, or plan. Nothing in the bill is intended to prevent a contract, policy, or plan from requiring prior authorization for services. As used in the bill, "private duty nursing services" means nursing services for recipients who require more individual and continuous care than is available from a visiting nurse or routinely provided by the nursing staff of the hospital or skilled nursing facility. These services are provided: (1) by a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse; (2) under the direction of the recipient's physician; and (3) to a recipient in that person's own home, a hospital, or a skilled nursing facility. | In Committee |
| A2747 | Removes plenary retail distribution license limit for certain stores. | This bill increases the number of plenary retail distribution licenses that a person may obtain for use in connection with certain retail food stores and liquor stores. Under current law, a person or corporate entity is prohibited from holding more than two retail licenses to sell alcoholic beverages. The bill provides that immediately following the bill's effective date the holder of a plenary retail distribution license would not be subject to the two-license limitation when those retail licenses are used in connection with a retail food store located within an urban food desert. An urban food desert is defined in current law as a municipality, or physically contiguous urban area in the State, in which residents have limited access to nutritious foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, through supermarkets, grocery stores, and farmers' markets. In addition, the bill provides that two years following the bill's effective date, a person may own or have an interest in a maximum of four retail licenses provided that two of those licenses are used in a qualifying retail food store or liquor store located throughout the State. Six years following the effective date of the bill, a person may hold not more than a total of six retail licenses provided that four of those licenses are used in a qualifying retail food store or liquor store located throughout the State. Under the bill, a qualifying retail food store is a retail store at which the sale of groceries and other food stuffs is the primary and principal business and constitutes at least 65 percent of the store's total annual sales. A qualifying liquor store is a store at which at least 90 percent of the store's annual sales are alcoholic beverages. Individuals who acquire more than two licenses under the provisions of the bill are required to pay a license transfer fee on each additional license that they acquire. The transfer fee is set at 10 percent of the amount the entity paid for the license and is payable to the municipality in which the licensed premises is situated. This transfer fee would not apply to the holder of a plenary retail distribution license used in connection with a retail food store located in an urban food desert. This bill would not increase the number of licenses that a municipality may issue based on population but, rather, increases the number of retail license that one person may hold. | In Committee |
| A1189 | Revises requirements concerning disqualification from registration as, and duties of, a professional guardian. | This bill amends section 3 of P.L.2005, c.370 (C.52:27G-34) to expand the reasons why a person would be ineligible for registration as a professional guardian or, if registered, the reasons why the professional guardian may have their registration suspended or revoked, and to establish civil penalties to apply to a person who has engaged in any acts that disqualify the person from registering or continuing to serve as a professional guardian. Current law allows for the disqualification of a person from registering or continuing to serve as a professional guardian if the person engages in any disqualifying acts. The bill expands the list of disqualifying acts to include knowingly engaging in self-dealing including, but not limited to, taking advantage of the professional guardian's position in performing guardian responsibilities or acting for the guardian's own interests rather than for the interests of the incapacitated adult. Under current law, a person who is disqualified from registering as a professional guardian or whose registration to serve as a professional guardian has been revoked is not subject to any criminal or civil penalties other than those applicable to the disqualifying acts. This bill provides for the imposition of a supplemental civil penalty of not less than $5,000 or more than $10,000 on any person whose registration has been suspended or revoked. The civil penalty is in addition to those penalties that are applicable to any of the disqualifying acts. Current provisions of N.J.S.A.3B:12-56 and N.J.S.A.3B:12-57, which describe the powers and duties of a guardian of the person of a ward, do not indicate that the guardian has any duty to avoid engaging in the abuse, neglect, or exploitation of the ward or to act in the ward's best interest. This bill amends N.J.S.A.3B:12-56 and N.J.S.A.3B:12-57 to stipulate that a guardian of the person of a ward has an affirmative duty to take actions that are not abusive, neglectful, or exploitive of the ward, and to act in a manner that is in the ward's best interests when performing or not performing any task relating to the provision of guardianship services to the ward. | In Committee |
| A1195 | "Smart Planning Wireless and Water Public Utility Facilities Act"; incentivizes placement of wireless communications equipment on water public utility towers. | This bill allows a water public utility, as that term is defined in the bill, to provide a wireless communications service provider with non-discriminatory access to any water tower owned or controlled by the water public utility for the installation of wireless communications equipment. Consistent with federal law, a water public utility may deny a wireless communications service provider access to its water tower, on a non-discriminatory basis, where there is insufficient space and for reasons of safety and structural integrity of the water tower based on generally accepted engineering principles. The bill provides that, in approving a water public utility's tariff, the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) is to consider 50 percent of any rental income received by the water public utility for the leasing of space on its water tower to a wireless communications service provider as "above the line income." The BPU is to consider the remainder of that rental income as "below the line income." | In Committee |
| A1183 | Requires DOE to develop registry of high school student-athletes who sustain concussions or other head injuries. | This bill requires the Department of Education to develop a centralized registry for high school student-athletes who sustain concussions or other head injuries. The purpose of the registry is to collect data to determine the rates, patterns, and trends of head injuries in order to develop evidence-based injury prevention protocols. Under the bill, each person who coaches a school district or nonpublic school interscholastic sport, intramural sport, or cheerleading program must immediately notify the athletic director or other person designated by the district or nonpublic school when a student sustains a concussion or other head injury as a result of participating in the sport or cheerleading program. Each week, based on the information provided by the coach, the athletic director or other person designated by the district or nonpublic school will enter into the department's centralized registry information concerning the student-athlete's concussion or other head injury, including but not limited to:· the type of head injury;· the sport or program in which the student-athlete was participating when the concussion or other head injury was sustained;· the specific incident that occurred that resulted in the concussion or other head injury, including the specific phase of the game or cheerleading routine in which the student-athlete was engaged when the concussion or other head injury was sustained; and· the average number of days missed from practice or play before the student-athlete was cleared to return to participate in games and practices. The bill stipulates that, in establishing the registry, the department must ensure that any student identifying information is kept confidential. | In Committee |
| A2241 | Prohibits court from awarding custody of or limiting visitation with child based on certain factors. | This bill provides for the protection of the custody and visitation rights of parents based on several factors, including, disability, age, health status, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, or ethnicity. New Jersey recognizes that both parents in a child custody dispute have a constitutionally recognized equal, fundamental right to the control and upbringing of a child. The courts make the determination on custody arrangements by applying various statutory factors, such as the interaction of the child with the child's parents and the stability of the home environment, with the best interests of the child as the primary concern. This bill provides that in any child custody proceeding, the disability, health status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, or ethnicity of one or both parents is not to be the sole factor in the court's decision concerning child custody. If the court considers any of these when deciding custody or parenting time for an otherwise fit parent, the court is required to provide detailed finding of facts and conclusions of law in support of the decision. The bill does not limit the court's discretion to consider all relevant and appropriate factors pertaining to the best interest of the child in making an award for custody. The bill defines disability as having the same meaning set forth in section 3 of the "Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008," 42 U.S.C. s.12102. | In Committee |
| A2109 | Establishes the "Neighborhood Scholar Revitalization Pilot Program." | This bill entitled the "Neighborhood Scholar Revitalization Pilot Program," is intended to aid in the revitalization of declining neighborhoods in the older cities by "seeding" them with a new middle class. The bill establishes a pilot program in four older cities, one in each region of the State, to try to attract recent college graduates to enter into a two-year commitment to settle within certain targeted residential neighborhoods. The four initial cities that will participate in the pilot program are Camden, Trenton, Jersey City, and Paterson. The cities would be responsible for identifying the targeted residential neighborhoods, although those neighborhoods would have to be primarily residential in character and located in a census tract in which the median household income is 60 percent or less of the median income for the housing region in which the census tract is located, as determined for a three-person household by the Department of Community Affairs in accordance with the latest federal decennial census. Each of the four cities participating in the pilot program would be eligible to offer up to 200 qualified graduates a financial incentive to agree to maintain their primary residence within a targeted residential neighborhood for a period of at least 24 months. To qualify for participation in the program, a graduate would need a degree from a two- or four-year accredited institution of higher education, and proof of outstanding student loan indebtedness of at least $7,000. At the end of the required residency period, the program participant would be reimbursed a total $7,000 towards their student loan obligations. This pilot program would be administered by the Urban Enterprise Zone Authority because businesses located within pilot municipalities and an enterprise zone designated pursuant to P.L.1983, c.303, (C.52:27H-60 et seq.) and subject to the "Corporation Business Tax Act (1945)," P.L.1945, c.162 (C.54:10A-1 et seq.) would be entitled to receive neighborhood scholar revitalization tax credits for contributions made to the "Neighborhood Scholar Revitalization Student Loan Reimbursement Fund" established by the bill. This would assist UEZ businesses in recruiting highly educated workers by offering the student loan reimbursement program as an additional benefit. Monies from each pilot municipality's urban enterprise zone assistance fund account could be transferred into the "Neighborhood Scholar Revitalization Student Loan Reimbursement Fund" for the purpose of funding student loan reimbursements. The bill specifies that the amount of the Corporation Business Tax (CBT) tax credit allowed to a business would be equal to the amount of each annual regulated contribution by the business to the "Neighborhood Scholar Revitalization Student Loan Reimbursement Fund" established pursuant to section 3 of the bill, but limited to 50 percent of the amount of tax otherwise due by the business in a given tax year. The bill provides for the carry-forward of unused tax credits. At the end of three years, the Urban Enterprise Zone Authority, in consultation with the Commissioner of Community Affairs, would be required to report to the Governor and Legislature on the success of the pilot program, and make recommendations regarding either the expansion or termination of the pilot program. | In Committee |
| AJR90 | Urges United States Department of Defense and New Jersey Civil Service Commission to permit civil service examinations during deployment. | This joint resolution urges the United States Department of Defense and the New Jersey Civil Service Commission to work together to permit deployed military service members to take civil service examinations while deployed. The ability to participate in civil service examinations during deployment would result in service members being in the civil service system when an employment eligibility list is requested by a public employer seeking to hire, increasing their chances of finding employment after their service. Service members would still need to provide proof of veteran status no later than eight days prior to the issuance of an employment list to receive a hiring preference. | In Committee |
| A1152 | Prohibits water companies from assessing more than one charge per fire hydrant to fire departments, fire districts, or volunteer fire companies for use of fire hydrants. | This bill prohibits the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities from approving a tariff for a water company (i.e., an investor-owned water public utility) under its jurisdiction that includes more than one rental charge or fee per fire hydrant on any periodic bill of the water public utility for the use of a fire hydrant to a fire department, fire district, or volunteer fire company. | In Committee |
| A1140 | Extends eligibility for Military Dependents Scholarships to students enrolled in approved career and technical education programs and to dependents of certain military members who served in Operation Freedom's Sentinel and Operation Inherent Resolve. | This bill extends eligibility for Military Dependents Scholarships to students enrolled in approved career and technical education programs and to dependents of certain military members who served in Operation Freedom's Sentinel and Operation Inherent Resolve. P.L.2015, c.117 established Military Dependents Scholarships for the costs of undergraduate study at a public or independent institution of higher education to the spouse, child, or other eligible dependent of a New Jersey resident who is killed, officially listed as "Missing in Action" by the United States Department of Defense, or totally and permanently disabled as certified by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as a consequence of Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation New Dawn. As of November 2021, no scholarships have been awarded through this law. Additionally, the Military Dependents Scholarship Fund has not yet been established, as no State appropriations or private donations have been made for such fund. The Higher Education Student Assistance Authority will establish the fund when an initial appropriation or donation is received for the fund's purpose. This bill extends eligibility for Military Dependents Scholarships to students enrolled in a career and technical education program approved by the board of trustees of the Military Dependent Scholarship Fund. The bill updates the list of qualifying military engagements referenced in the law to include the most recent engagements, Operation Freedom's Sentinel and Operation Inherent Resolve. Several years have passed since the enactment of the law and no scholarships have been awarded in the intervening years. Accordingly, in the case of a spouse or other eligible dependent, the bill increases the eligibility period for a Military Dependents Scholarship from 15 years to 21 years from the date of death of the person, the date the person is officially listed as "Missing in Action," or the date upon which the person is certified to have been totally and permanently disabled for initial receipt of the program's benefits. Operation Noble Eagle officially began on September 12, 2001, and is the name given to military operations to support homeland security and support federal, State, and local agencies in the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Operation Enduring Freedom, the official name for the Global War on Terrorism, began in October 2001. This operation primarily refers to the War in Afghanistan, although additional missions are included in the operation. Operation Enduring Freedom was completed in 2014. Subsequent operations in Afghanistan by the United States military were completed under the official name Operation Freedom's Sentinel. Operation Freedom's Sentinel was a coalition mission to train, advise, and assist Afghan National Defense and Security Forces and to conduct counterterrorism operations against the remnants of al Qaeda. Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by a United States led coalition which overthrew the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein, and continued through 2011 as the collation forces fought an insurgency in Iraq. Operation Inherent Resolve, begun in 2014, is the name given to United States military and coalition forces united to support the Iraqi Security Force operations and to complete military campaigns in Iraq, Syria, and Libya. | In Committee |
| A1163 | Establishes guardianship monitoring program in Office of Public Guardian for Elderly Adults. | This bill establishes a guardianship monitoring program within the Office of the Public Guardian for Elderly Adults to monitor court-appointed legal guardians of elderly adults to detect abuse, neglect, or exploitation. P.L.1985, c.298 (C.52:27G-20 et seq.), which established the Public Guardian for Elderly Adults, provides for guardianship services to be provided to elderly persons when private guardianship is not feasible. Under the bill, the Office of the Public Guardian for Elderly Adults is designated as an "interested party" that must be served with the periodic reports that must be filed by a court-appointed guardian. The bill provides for review of these reports and accompanying documentation through the guardianship monitoring program. | In Committee |
| A1034 | Revises definition of child abuse or neglect to include additional perpetrators; establishes requirements concerning provision of services to children who engage in problematic sexual behaviors. | This bill expands the definition of child abuse or neglect. Specifically, the bill amends section 2 of P.L.1971, c.437 (C.9:6-8.9) and section 1 of P.L.1974, c.119 (C.9-8.21) to stipulate that a child is considered abused or neglected if certain acts of abuse or neglect are committed or allowed to be committed by a person who is not the child's parent or legal guardian, including the infliction of serious or potentially serious physical injury, acts of sexual abuse, and the use of physical restraint. Current law considers a child to be abused or neglected if the abuse or neglect is committed or allowed to be committed by a parent or legal guardian or other person having control or custody of the child, but does not consider such acts to be abuse or neglect if they are committed by other persons. The bill also stipulates that upon receipt of a child abuse report involving a child who engages in problematic sexual behaviors, and referral of the report to a county prosecutor, the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP) in the Department of Children and Families is to refer the child and the child's parent or legal guardian, as appropriate, to a regional diagnostic and treatment center, child advocacy center, or other behavioral health care provider for services, supports, and other assistance to reduce the risk of the child continuing to engage in problematic sexual behaviors. Acceptance of the services by the child or the child's parent or guardian is voluntary. However, if the DCPP determines that there will be a high risk of the child continuing to engage in problematic sexual behaviors and the child or the child's parent or guardian refuses to accept services, the services will be mandatory. As defined in the bill, "child who engages in problematic sexual behaviors" means a child under the age of 18 years who commits or facilitates the commission of an act of sexual abuse against another person. The bill's provisions require the DCPP to document the following information in the case plan of a child referred for services, supports, and other assistance: (1) the types of services, supports, or assistance offered to the child or the child's parent or guardian and the reasons why the services, supports, or assistance are necessary to reduce the risk of the child continuing to engage in problematic sexual behavior; (2) whether the services, supports, or assistance were accepted voluntarily or were mandated by the DCPP, when the services, supports, or assistance were provided, and if the services, supports, or assistance were provided to the child, the child's parent or guardian, or both the child and the child's parent or guardian; and (3) the outcomes of the services, supports, or assistance provided to the child or the child's parent or guardian in reducing the risk of the child continuing to engage in problematic sexual behavior. | In Committee |
| A2315 | Establishes "Menstrual Hygiene Products Program," appropriates $200,000. | This bill establishes the "Menstrual Hygiene Products Program" (program) in order to promote and facilitate improved access to menstrual hygiene products to low-income residents of the State. In order to promote and facilitate improved access to menstrual hygiene products to low-income residents of the State, the amended bill requires the Department of Agriculture (department), in consultation with the Departments of Health and Human Services, to develop and implement the program. The department is required to identify, on its Internet website, the food pantries participating in the program, and the times during which each food pantry will be accessible for community residents to obtain menstrual hygiene products. Under the program, the department is required to award annual grants to food pantries for the purchase of menstrual hygiene products. Any costs incurred by a food pantry in providing an adequate supply of menstrual hygiene products will be borne by the State. Pursuant to the bill, the department is authorized to: (1) coordinate and encourage partnerships between food pantries, pharmacies, and other retail stores that participate in the program, in order to facilitate the prompt and efficient delivery of menstrual hygiene products; (2) take appropriate actions to encourage participation in the initiative; (3) develop educational and informational materials for distribution to low-income individuals, which may incorporate information pertaining to the importance of proper menstrual hygiene products, or any other topic that is relevant to the work of the initiative; and (4) take such other actions, including but not limited to adopting rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), that the secretary deems necessary or appropriate to implement the provisions of this bill and any other necessary rules and regulations in consultation with the Departments of Health and Human Services. This bill appropriates $200,000 to the Department of Agriculture to support the Menstrual Hygiene Product Program. Under the bill, each food pantry may apply for a grant of up to $10,000 each year. | In Committee |
| A1178 | Requires feasibility study to examine establishment of regional medical examiner office facility in Southern New Jersey and collaborative development of new medical examiner education initiatives; appropriates $40,000. | This bill requires the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner (Office) to contract with an appropriate entity to conduct a feasibility study related to addressing the needs and enhancing the operations of the Office in the southern region of the State. Specifically, the feasibility study will examine: 1) the development of a regional Chief State Medical Examiner Office facility in the southern region of the State, including an assessment of: the anticipated need for a regional facility; the size of facility that would be needed to meet regional needs, including the size of the physical plant and anticipated staffing needs; the advantages and disadvantages of establishing morgue facilities and administrative offices in a single location; the advantages and disadvantages of constructing a new facility as opposed to adapting an existing facility for this purpose; the costs of acquiring and maintaining a computerized tomography scanner; and the advantages and disadvantages of accommodating on-site forensic testing services, as well as partnering with one or more institutions of higher education to facilitate data collection and research with the goal of informing public health policy; and 2) collaboration with one or more medical schools operating in the southern region of the State to establish a forensic medical examiner fellowship program, develop a death investigation program for medicolegal investigators and law enforcement, enhance education and training for medical students and medical residents related to forensic medical examination, establish new graduate and undergraduate courses in forensic medical examination, and invest in and expand graduate and undergraduate courses in the forensic sciences in New Jersey institutions of higher education. The feasibility study is to additionally include recommendations for legislation, administrative action, or other governmental action that may be needed to implement any recommendations included in the report of the feasibility study. The Office will be required to transmit a copy of the report of the feasibility study to the Governor and to the Legislature. The bill appropriates the sum of $40,000 to the Office from the General Fund for the purposes of contracting with an appropriate entity to conduct the feasibility study required under the bill. | In Committee |
| A1818 | Adds 9-1-1 system regionalization costs to funds appropriated from "9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account." | This bill adds the costs associated with the regionalization of the State's 9-1-1 system, including the expansion of existing regional public safety answering points, to what is to be funded by the monies appropriated from the "9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account." | In Committee |
| A1175 | Exempts Purple Heart recipients from payment of motor vehicle registration, driver's license, and identification card fees. | This bill exempts from motor vehicle registration fees one passenger motor vehicle owned by any resident who is a recipient of the Purple Heart, or its successor military honor. The bill also exempts Purple Heart recipients from driver's license and identification card fees. | In Committee |
| A1951 | Makes supplemental appropriation of $750,000 to Department of Law and Public Safety for public awareness campaign of victims' rights and VCCO assistance. | This bill makes a supplemental appropriation of $750,000 from the General Fund to the Victims of Crime Compensation Office (VCCO) in the Department of Law and Public Safety for a public awareness campaign to inform victims of the provisions of the Crime Victim's Bill of Rights and of the availability of compensation and other assistance from VCCO. | In Committee |
| A1143 | Establishes annual cost of living adjustment based on Consumer Price Index for programs providing mental health, substance use treatment, or services to persons with developmental disabilities. | This bill stipulates that on or after the effective date of the bill, the terms of a contract entered into between the Divisions of Mental Health and Addiction Services and Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Human Services (DHS) and a program providing mental health services, substance use treatment services, or services to persons with developmental disabilities include an annual increase in the cost of living adjustment received by the organization. The cost of living adjustment would be based on the Consumer Price Index for the previous 12-month period beginning October 1 and ending September 30, as published by the United States Department of Labor, and the DHS would be required to announce the rate of the increase on October 1 of each year. As used in the bill, a program providing mental health services, substance use treatment services, or services to persons with developmental disabilities shall include State programs partially funded or fully funded by Medicaid and licensed or approved by the Commissioner of Human Services or other appropriate State licensing agencies. | In Committee |
| A584 | Allows municipalities to transfer inactive alcoholic beverage retail licenses for use in certain redevelopment and revitalization areas; establishes procedure to transfer inactive retail licenses. | This bill establishes several procedures by which a plenary retail consumption license, generally issued to bars and restaurants, may be transferred for use as part of an economic redevelopment plan or in connection with premises located in a redevelopment, improvement, or revitalization area located in another municipality. The bill defines "redevelopment, improvement, or revitalization area" as an urban enterprise zone; a downtown business improvement zone; a pedestrian mall or pedestrian mall improvement or special improvement district; a transit oriented development; an area determined to be in need of redevelopment; an area determined to be in need of rehabilitation; or any improvement which is 100 percent new construction, which is an entirely new improvement not previously occupied or used for any purpose. Under current law, a municipality may issue plenary retail consumption licenses until the combined total number in the municipality is fewer than one license for each 3,000 municipal residents. This bill allows a municipality that is entitled to issue an additional plenary retail consumption license to offer the license at public sale to the highest bidding governing body of any other municipality in this State. A license transferred to a receiving municipality only is to be used in connection with a premises as part of an economic redevelopment plan or located within a redevelopment, improvement, or revitalization area. The bill requires the host municipality to provide notice of the public sale to the Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control and other municipalities at least 90 days prior to the sale. The notice to the municipalities is to specify the minimum acceptable bid and general conditions of sale including a statement that the transferring municipality reserves the right to reject all bids where the highest bid is not accepted. The funds derived from the sale are to be remitted to the municipal treasurer for the general use of the host municipality. A receiving municipality that acquires the license would be entitled to offer the license at public sale. A license issued by the receiving municipality to a qualified bidder that is not actively used in connection with the operation of a premises within two years of the issuance date is to expire and not be reissued by the receiving municipality. The receiving municipality would be prohibited from acquiring more than one license through this bidding process in each calendar year. In addition, this bill establishes two procedures for transferring an inactive plenary retail consumption license to a different municipality. Under current law, an inactive plenary retail consumption license is a license to sell alcoholic beverages for on premises consumption that is not being used at an open and operating licensed premises. A licensee is required to place the license on "inactive status" when the licensed business ceases operation and the license continues to be held by the licensee of record. Under this bill, a license that remains inactive for two license terms is to expire. Prior to the expiration of the license, an inactive license is to be actively used by the license holder or transferred to another person who intends to use the license in a private transaction for fair market value. The bill also allows the holder of the inactive license to apply to the governing body of a sending municipality that issued the license and a receiving municipality located within the same county to use the license in connection with a premises located in the receiving municipality. An inactive plenary retail consumption license used in the receiving municipality only would be used as part of an economic redevelopment plan or in connection with a premises located within a redevelopment, improvement, or revitalization area. The bill requires the transferred license to remain in the receiving municipality and prohibits the transfer of license to any other municipality. Under the bill, the sending and receiving municipalities are to submit to the director notice of the intent to transfer a license at least 90 days prior to the transfer. The bill requires the sending and receiving municipalities to adopt by majority vote identical resolutions authorizing the transfer of the license. The identical resolutions are to establish the license transfer fee agreed upon by both municipal governing bodies. A receiving municipality that acquires a license would be entitled to offer the license at public sale in accordance with current law. A license issued by a receiving municipality that is not actively used in connection with the operation of a premises within two years of the transfer date would expire and not be reissued by the receiving municipality. In addition, the bill provides that these licenses would be subject to certain restrictions. The receiving municipality would be required to issue the license to an applicant who certifies to the sending and receiving municipality that the license will be used in connection with the operation of a restaurant at which the retail sale of food is the primary and principal business. The license holder would then be required to annually submit to the issuing authority a report supported by receipts demonstrating that the sale of food constituted at least 60 percent of the store's total annual sales in the last full calendar year preceding the renewal date. A license holder who fails to demonstrate that the sale of food constituted at least 60 percent of the store's total annual sales in the last full calendar year may be subject to revocation of the plenary retail consumption license. The bill also requires the license holder to cease the sale of alcoholic beverages each day at the time that food service has ended or 11:00 p.m., whichever occurs earlier. A license holder would be entitled to transfer the license to another person in a private transaction, but the bill prohibits the license from being relocated to another premises. This bill also allows a receiving municipality that has reached the license population limitation established under current law to issue a request for proposal (RFP) to acquire an inactive plenary retail consumption license from any license holder in this State. The bill requires the receiving municipality to issue the license for use in connection with a premises as part of economic redevelopment plan or a redevelopment, improvement, or revitalization area. The RFP would specify a time and date after which no further applications from license holders will be accepted. The municipality is to publish the RFP in a newspaper circulating generally throughout the State by not less than two insertions, one week apart, the second of which is to be made not less than 30 days prior to the time and date specified in the notice as the time and date after which no further applications will be accepted. In addition, the request for proposal is to be published by the governing body on the official Internet website of the receiving municipality. The RFP is to require that all bids be sealed and remain confidential to other bidders. The holder of an inactive plenary retail consumption license is to apply for permission to transfer the inactive plenary retail consumption license from the sending municipality prior to submitting a bid in response to the RFP. The sending municipality may approve the application by resolution. The sending municipality would be prohibited from requiring the applicant to disclose the location of the proposed licensed premises. After the receiving municipality accepts a successful bid, the sending and receiving municipality are to submit to the director notice of the intent to transfer a license at least 90 days prior to the transfer. The bill requires the sending and receiving municipalities to adopt by majority vote identical resolutions authorizing the transfer of the license. The identical resolutions are to establish the license transfer fee agreed upon by both municipal governing bodies. The bill requires a license that is not actively used within two years of issuance date to expire. A receiving municipality that issued the RFP would be prohibited from acquiring more than one license through this process in each calendar year. Finally, the bill requires the director to establish a four-year timeline for the reissuance of inactive licenses based on the length of time that the license has been inactive. The plenary retail consumption licenses transferred to or acquired by a receiving municipality under the bill's provisions would not be included in the population formula used to issue new licenses. | In Committee |
| A1209 | Directs fines collected for certain prostitution crime to "Human Trafficking Survivor's Assistance Fund." | This bill provides that any fine collected for the crime of engaging in prostitution as a patron will be forwarded to the Department of the Treasury to be deposited in the "Human Trafficking Survivor's Assistance Fund" (the HTSAF) established by N.J.S.A.52:17B-238. All monies deposited in the HTSAF fund are required by the law to be used for the provision of services to victims of human trafficking, to promote awareness of human trafficking, and the development, maintenance, revision, and distribution of training courses and other educational materials, and the operation of educational or training programs. | In Committee |
| A437 | Immunizes from civil liability first responders who forcibly enter property to provide emergency assistance. | This bill provides compensated and volunteer public and private first responders, including emergency medical services personnel, law enforcement officers, and firefighters and police officers appointed by the governing body of an independent institution of higher education pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1970, c.211 (C.18A:6-4.2) with immunity from civil liability for any damages that may result from a forcible entry into a home, business, or other structure at which an emergency is reported. This immunity applies only where the first responder's decision is based upon a good faith belief that forcible entry is necessary to provide emergency medical care or to prevent imminent bodily harm and where no occupant of the property responds to the first responder's requests for entry within a reasonable period of time. | In Committee |
| AJR41 | Designates the third week of September of each year as "Forensic Science Week" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates the third week of September of each year as "Forensic Science Week" in New Jersey. Forensic scientists play a critical role in the justice system by conducting investigations and examining evidence that may become relevant to court cases. Forensic science is a wide-reaching field that includes sub-disciplines, such as crime scene investigation, biology and DNA studies, anthropology, pathology, toxicology and laboratory operations. New technologies and methodologies are changing the way investigations and trials are conducted in the New Jersey criminal justice system. Forensic science allows the authorities to narrow down and identify criminal suspects, determine when and how a crime occurred, identify victims' bodies, determine victims' cause of death and identify murder weapons. National Forensic Science Week takes place in September to recognize the contribution that forensic science makes to criminal justice and encourage the collaborative effort of the two. The State of New Jersey should recognize the contribution that forensic science makes to the justice system and honor its forensic scientists. | In Committee |
| A2815 | Establishes nonpublic school transportation program to provide funding to consortiums of nonpublic schools that will assume responsibility for mandated nonpublic school busing. | This bill establishes a nonpublic school consortium transportation program to provide funding to consortiums of nonpublic schools that will assume responsibility for participating school districts' mandated nonpublic school busing for those students. Under the program, a participating school district will disburse to the consortium an amount equal to the aid in-lieu-of transportation amount (currently set at $1,022) for each nonpublic school pupil who is attending a nonpublic school which is a part of the consortium and who is required by law to be transported by a school district. The consortium is to assume the responsibilities of transporting the pupils for whom it receives the aid in-lieu-of transportation amount. The bill provides that if the per pupil cost of the lowest bid received exceeds the aid in-lieu-of transportation amount, the parent or guardian of the student will be eligible to receive the aid in-lieu-of transportation amount from the consortium for that school year. In addition to providing transportation for students who are mandated to be transported, the consortium may provide non-mandated busing to students attending the nonpublic schools that are a part of the consortium, provided that the parents or guardians of those students pay all of the costs of that transportation. At the end of the school year, the consortium will refund to individual participating school districts a portion of the aid-in-lieu-of amount the district provided to the consortium for a nonpublic school student who did not receive transportation for the entire school year. If any unexpended funds remain, the bill requires the consortium to allocate that amount among the school districts in proportion to the number of nonpublic school pupils for whom the school district distributed funds to the consortium. The bill requires the Commissioner of Education to establish a committee to oversee the operations of each consortium in implementing the program. The oversight committee will consist of five members appointed by the commissioner, one of whom must represent a nonpublic school that is part of the consortium, and one of whom must represent a school district that is participating in the program. Under the provisions of the bill, the consortium is required to annually enter into a contract with an independent entity to audit the implementation of the program and the audit is required to be submitted to the commissioner no later than December 1 of each year. The bill provides that nothing in the bill is to be construed as altering the amount paid by the State for nonpublic school transportation costs pursuant to N.J.S.A.18A:39-1a for any school district that participates in the program. The bill takes effect immediately and provides that the program will first be applicable in the 2023-2024 school year. | Dead |
| A294 | Establishes "Commission on People with Disabilities." | This bill establishes the "Commission on People with Disabilities" (commission). Under the bill, the commission is to consist of 25 members. The purpose of the commission is to: (1) suggest policies, procedures, regulations, and legislation that help people with disabilities in New Jersey; (2) serve as the point-of-contact between the Governor, the Legislature, people with disabilities, and those providers who serve people with disabilities in order to ensure that the State government is responsive to the needs of people with disabilities; (3) work with State departments, commissions, offices, agencies, and providers to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are met regarding services and programs that are available to those individuals; and (4) work with State departments, commissions, offices, and agencies which oversee the hiring and employment of people with disabilities in the State to ensure that no discrimination takes place. | In Committee |
| A598 | Requires NJTA to implement certain roadside maintenance safety policies. | This bill requires the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (authority) to implement safety policies for roadside maintenance performed by employees of the authority. The safety policies for roadside maintenance are to include: (1) a provision that prohibits employees of the authority from using power tools in inclement weather to perform non-emergency roadside maintenance; (2) a provision that requires that all available precautions be taken to ensure the immediate safety of employees of the authority performing emergency roadside maintenance in inclement weather, including placing roadside warning signs and safety vehicles at a certain distance before the work zone and using variable message signs to inform motorists that emergency roadside maintenance is being performed ahead; (3) a provision that requires that all roadside maintenance operations involving the use of gas-powered landscaping equipment be performed during daylight hours, except in emergency situations; and (4) a provision that requires that portable roadside light towers be used during the performance of all roadside maintenance performed at times other than during daylight hours. | In Committee |
| A504 | "Vegetation Management Response Act"; concerns vegetation management related to electric public utility infrastructure. | This bill authorizes an electric public utility (electric utility) to utilize all reasonably available methods according to ANSI A300 tree care standards and pursuant to Board of Public Utilities (BPU) rules and regulations, which may include, but not be limited to, clearing, moving, cutting, or destroying to remove, replace, or maintain dangerous vegetation and to establish a program to develop effective strategies to implement the bill's provisions. Under the bill, "dangerous vegetation" is defined as a tree, shrub, plant, or any other vegetation growing in, near, or adjacent to the electric utility's right-of-way, and its distribution and transmission system, but not including a service line to an individual customer, which may fall into, touch, affect, or otherwise interfere with a distribution line, as determined by the electric utility or local government entity having control of the right-of-way. The bill requires an electric utility to notify all customers, property owners, and local and other government entities that may be affected by planned vegetation management activity near the electric utility's distribution or transmission system. The bill also requires an electric utility to conduct an annual public education program to inform its customers and local and other government entities in the electric utility's service territory of the importance of vegetation management and of the electric utility's role and responsibility in performing vegetation management. The bill prohibits the Community Forestry Council (council) and a county or municipal shade tree commission (commission) from interfering with or restricting an electric utility's removal, replacement, or maintenance of dangerous vegetation. The bill provides that, upon there being a vacancy on the council after the effective date of the bill, the State Forester is to appoint an electric utility employee who is an approved forester to represent the electric utility on the council until such time as there are at least two members serving on the council meeting that description. The bill also provides that, in order to allow any public utility or cable television company to clear, move, cut, or destroy dangerous vegetation upon any lands in which it has acquired an easement or right-of-way or upon any public right-of-way, a public utility or cable television company is not required to receive the permission of any commission to undertake that work and is not subject to any penalty imposed by any commission as provided by law. Under the bill, a public utility or cable television company is not exempt from any penalty or replacement assessment imposed as a result of damage to a tree, shrub, or plant caused by non-compliance with any rule or regulation of a commission, provided that the rule or regulation does not interfere with or restrict any vegetation management work conducted by the public utility or cable television company from complying with any federal rule, regulation, or law, any vegetation management rule, regulation, or order of the BPU, or any national or federal standard applicable to a public utility or cable television company. The bill provides that a public utility or cable television company, that is acting in good faith, with due diligence and reasonable judgment, in its performance of vegetation management pursuant to the bill's provisions and any board rules or regulations, is not to be held liable, penalized, or otherwise subject to undue hardship by a governing body of a county or municipality or a commission. | In Committee |
| A2052 | Grants authority for human resource management of employees of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority to Civil Service Commission. | This bill grants authority for human resource management of employees of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority to Civil Service Commission. The bill grants to the Civil Service Commission authority over the process for hiring the employees and for terminating their employment, and orienting, training, counseling, and appraising the employees. | In Committee |
| A1216 | Doubles amount of State child tax credit; raises age and income eligibility criteria needed to receive credit. | This bill would revise various aspects of the State child tax credit. Under current law, taxpayers with incomes of $80,000 or less and children under the age of six are eligible for an income tax credit of between $200 and $1,000 per child. The amount of the credit a taxpayer receives each year is based on the extent to which the taxpayer exceeds certain income thresholds. The credit amount gradually decreases as a taxpayer's income increases before being completely phased out once the taxpayer's income exceeds $80,000. The bill would raise the age limit of an eligible child from under age six to under age 18, raise the income limit needed to qualify for the credit from $80,000 to $150,000, and increase the amount of the credit. The bill would also make changes to the income thresholds at which a reduction in the credit occurs and change the income intervals at which those reductions would occur. Currently, a reduction in the credit occurs for every $10,000 increase in income, with the exception of those taxpayers with incomes between $60,000 and $80,000. The bill would instead have reductions in the credit occur for every $20,000 of additional income earned in excess of $30,000 to allow taxpayers to continue claiming a higher credit. Taxpayers with incomes of less than $30,000 would have their credit amount doubled from $1,000 to $2,000 with corresponding credit reductions of $200 as a taxpayer's income approaches $150,000. Under the bill, the credit is completely phased out once a taxpayer's income exceeds $150,000. A summary of the bill's proposed income and credit amounts are as follows:Proposed New Jersey Taxable Income AmountProposed Credit Amount$30,000 or under$2,000over $30,000 but not over $50,000$1,800over $50,000 but not over $70,000$1,600over $70,000 but not over $90,000$1,400over $90,000 but not over $110,000$1,200Over $110,000 but not over $130,000$1,000Over $130,000 but not over $150,000$800 | In Committee |
| AR41 | Urges American Academy of Pediatrics and New Jersey Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics to issue guidance for pediatricians and family doctors on discussing personal space and privacy with children. | This resolution urges the American Academy of Pediatrics and the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to issue guidance for pediatricians and family doctors on discussing personal space and privacy with children. Child sexual abuse is a common adverse childhood experience affecting one in four girls and one in eight boys. Children who experience sexual abuse may develop serious lifelong physical and mental health consequences. Pediatricians can provide anticipatory guidance to children regarding personal space and privacy over the course of a child's life, in developmentally appropriate ways, to increase a child's knowledge of appropriate and inappropriate touching, and to teach a child how to respond to inappropriate touching. Currently, there are insufficient resources for pediatricians and family doctors to utilize in providing children and parents anticipatory guidance on personal space and privacy for children, which reduces the potential for this dialogue to occur. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics is urged to develop materials and issue guidance to assist pediatricians and family doctors in providing children and parents anticipatory guidance on personal space and privacy for children, in order to potentially either reduce the incidence of child sexual abuse or prevent the increase of such abuse. | In Committee |
| A1532 | "Madalyn's Law"; requires school districts to incorporate age-appropriate instruction on toxic shock syndrome and requires installation of signage in certain women's rooms to enhance public awareness of toxic shock syndrome. | This bill requires each school district, beginning in the 2020-2021 school year, to incorporate instruction on toxic shock syndrome in grades 4 through 12 as part of the district's implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Comprehensive Health and Physical Education. The bill directs the Commissioner of Education to provide school districts with age-appropriate sample learning activities and resources designed to implement this requirement. This bill would also require the owner of a group A or M occupancy, that maintains a public restroom available for use by women, to ensure the installation and maintenance of a sign in the restroom alerting women to the warning signs, causes, and dangers of toxic shock syndrome. This requirement would only apply to restrooms that include two or more toilets. The bill would require the Department of Health to adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of the bill. The bill would require the toxic shock syndrome signs to be installed in the necessary restrooms on or before the first day of the sixth month following the adoption of rules and regulations by the department. Failure to comply with the provisions of this bill would result in liability for a penalty of not more than $100 for each violation. Under the bill, "group A or M occupancy" means an Assembly Group A occupancy or a Mercantile Group M occupancy, as defined in chapter 3 of the 2015 New Jersey International Building Code. Under the bill, locations within elementary schools that do not include grades above grade 5 are excluded from the "group A or M occupancy" definition. This bill is intended to enhance public awareness of toxic shock syndrome, a potentially serious illness that can develop quickly. Anyone can contract toxic shock syndrome, but women using tampons and similar devices have a higher risk. Early symptoms may include a low fever, muscle aches, chills, fatigue, and headaches. As toxic shock syndrome progresses, symptoms may include a high fever, vomiting, rashes, redness of the eyes, lips and tongue, low blood pressure, and mental confusion. Toxic shock syndrome is generally treated with antibiotics. Additionally, the bill directs the Department of Health to prepare and make available on its website informational literature concerning the signs, causes, and dangers of toxic shock syndrome. This bill is named in honor of Madalyn "Maddy" Massabni, who tragically passed away on March 30, 2017 just days after contracting Toxic Shock Syndrome. Maddy was a 2016 graduate of Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School and was just beginning her academic career at Lynn University in Florida. | In Committee |
| A115 | "New Jersey Disability Savings Act." | This bill expands the "New Jersey Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Program," P.L.2015, c.185 (C.52:18A-250 et al.) to incentivize qualified individuals with disabilities and their families to save for disability-related expenses in tax-advantaged savings accounts, known as ABLE accounts. Pursuant to current federal statute, qualified individuals who have significant disabilities with onset prior to age 26 years, and who receive Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, may contribute as much as the federal gift tax limit, or $16,000 in 2022, to a qualifying ABLE account. Individuals with disabilities, or their parent or guardian, may open an ABLE account in the individual's state of residence, or in another state. As of January 2022, there are 49 ABLE plans operating nationwide. Funds deposited into an ABLE account may only be used for qualifying disability-related expenses such as transportation, housing, education, assistive technology, legal fees, and personal support services. Distributions from a New Jersey ABLE account are not subject to federal tax, provided the distributions do not exceed the individual's disability-related expenses for the year. New Jersey statute currently limits total lifetime contributions to an ABLE account to $305,000. Once the value of an ABLE account exceeds $100,000, SSI cash benefits for the ABLE account owner are suspended until the account's value falls below this threshold. However, a qualifying individual will not lose Medicaid benefits, no matter the balance in an ABLE account. Pursuant to the bill, all contributions to a qualifying New Jersey ABLE account are fully-deductible on a New Jersey State tax return, similar to qualifying contributions to the State's Section 529 educational savings program, known as the NJBEST. As amended, the bill additionally incentivizes taxpayer savings in New Jersey ABLE accounts by providing up to $750 in dollar-for-dollar matching funds for taxpayers whose gross annual income equals $150,000 or less, and who deposit funds into a newly opened ABLE account. It is important to note, however, that the savings incentives instituted under this bill are subject to the annual appropriations process. Therefore, the bill authorizes the Department of Human Services to select a methodology for allocating these incentive funds in years in which State appropriations for these incentive payments are insufficient to fulfill the provisions of the bill. | In Committee |
| A1942 | Establishes pilot program in certain municipalities to make grants available to non-profit organizations to perform outreach regarding VCCO. | This bill requires the Department of Law and Public Safety to establish a three-year pilot program to make grants available to non-profit organizations to perform outreach in the community regarding the availability of compensation for crime victims provided by the Victims of Crime Compensation Office. Under the bill, the pilot program is to be established in the six urban municipalities with the highest crime index in this State, according to the most recent Uniform Crime Report prepared by the New Jersey Division of State Police. Finally, the bill requires the department to submit a report evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program to the Governor and the Legislature within 90 days after the completion of the pilot program. The report is to recommend whether the pilot program should be continued, expanded, or made permanent. | In Committee |
| A2455 | Requires hospitals to establish sepsis recognition and treatment protocols. | This bill requires general and special hospitals licensed in the State to establish protocols for the early recognition and treatment of patients with sepsis. Sepsis is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition caused by the body's overwhelming immune response to infection. Sometimes known as "blood poisoning," sepsis results when the immune chemicals released into the bloodstream cause widespread inflammation, leading to blood clots, impaired blood flow, and oxygen and nutrient deprivation in the organs. Sepsis can result in permanent organ damage, cognitive impairment, physical disability, or death. It is estimated that over one million Americans suffer from sepsis every year, and that the condition is fatal in 28 to 50 percent of those cases. Sepsis is the eighth-leading cause of death in New Jersey, and one of the leading causes of death in infants under one year of age in the State after congenital defect, birth injury, and unintentional injury. The protocols required under the bill would incorporate distinct components for adult and pediatric patients, and would include processes for screening, early recognition, and treatment of sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock, including specific treatment guidelines for various circumstances and procedures for screening out patients for whom treatment would be inappropriate. Hospitals will be required to ensure that appropriate staff members are periodically trained to implement the sepsis protocols. Hospitals will be required to submit proposed sepsis protocols to the Department of Health for review no later than 120 days after the effective date of the bill and implement the protocols upon receipt of department approval. Hospitals will be permitted to revise and update the protocols based on newly emerging evidence-based standards, and resubmit the protocols to the department for review no more than once every two years, unless the department identifies hospital-specific performance concerns. Hospitals will be responsible for collecting and using quality measures related to the recognition and treatment of sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock for the purpose of internal quality improvement and evaluating the implementation and adherence to the protocols. Hospitals will be required to submit to the department such data as may be necessary for the department to develop risk-adjusted sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock mortality rates, along with any other data the department may require. Hospitals will be subject to audit at the department's discretion. | In Committee |
| A2080 | Requires institution of higher education to have automatic external defibrillator on premises of each athletic facility and student center. | This bill requires an institution of higher education to place an automated external defibrillator in an unlocked location in each athletic facility and student center with an appropriate identifying sign. The defibrillator will be accessible during the normal operating hours of the athletic facility or student center and within reasonable proximity of the institution's athletic fields. Under the bill, the institution is required to ensure that: (1) at least two staff members who are trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of the defibrillator are in the athletic facility or student center during the normal operating hours; and (2) each defibrillator is tested and maintained according to the manufacturer's operational guidelines, and notification is provided to the appropriate first aid, ambulance, or rescue squad, or other appropriate emergency medical services provider regarding the defibrillator, the type acquired, and its location. An institution of higher education and its staff are granted immunity from civil liability in the acquisition and use of a defibrillator. | In Committee |
| A1188 | Creates "New Jersey Kratom Protection Act." | This bill establishes the New Jersey Kratom Consumer Protection Act. The bill regulates the safe distribution and sale of kratom products and provides the necessary definitions for purposes of effectuating the act. The bill defines "kratom" as the tropical evergreen known as the Mitragyna speciose that is native to Southeast Asia that contains the alkaloid mitragynine, which has stimulant and opioid-like properties. The bill establishes that a kratom retailer shall disclose on the label that the product is a kratom product. The information disclosed on the label shall be regulated by the Department of Health. The Department of Health may also establish fees for registration of kratom products and may establish administrative penalties for any person who sells a kratom product with out product registration. Lastly, the bill establishes penalties and prohibitions on kratom retailers. Retailers shall not distribute or sell any kratom product to an individual under 21 years of age. If a retailer so distributes to an individual less than 21 years of age, the retailer shall be guilty of a petty disorderly offense. A petty disorderly persons offense is punishable by up to 30 days in prison, or up to a $500 penalty, or both Further, a kratom retailer shall not prepare, distribute, sell, or expose for sale: (i) any kratom product that is adulterated with a dangerous non-kratom substance; (ii) any kratom product that is contaminated with a dangerous non-kratom substance, including, but not limited to, a controlled dangerous substance as defined in the New Jersey Statutes; (iii) any kratom product containing a level of 7-hydroxymitragynine in the alkaloid fraction that is greater than 2% of the overall alkaloid composition; (iv) any kratom extract that surpasses the standards in USP-NF chapter 467; (v) any kratom product containing any synthetic alkaloids; (vi) any kratom product that does not include on its package or label the amount of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine contained in such product. Violators of these rules are subject to a $500 civil penalty for the first offense, $1,000 penalty for the second offense, and in the instance of a third offense, a retailer shall be prohibited from selling kratom products for a period of 3 years. If a retailer sells kratom products during this period, the person shall be guilty of a disorderly persons offense. A disorderly persons offense is punishable by up to 30 days in prison, a penalty up to $1,000, or both. Any retailer shall have the right to request a hearing to challenge a penalty. A retailer shall not be subject to penalty or imprisonment if it is shown by a preponderance of the evidence that the retailer relied in good faith upon the representation of the manufacturer, processor, packer, or distributor that the product represented was a kratom product. | In Committee |
| A3351 | Requires DHS and DOH to submit federal waivers to cover menstrual products under NJ FamilyCare, SNAP, WIC and establishes State funded benefit if federal waiver is denied; appropriates $2 million for State benefit. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Human Services and the Commissioner of Health to submit an application for a waiver or a state plan amendment to provide menstrual hygiene products among the covered benefits available for eligible recipients through the NJ FamilyCare program, the New Jersey Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The bill stipulates that, if the federal government denies the State's waiver application or state plan amendment, the Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, is to establish a program to provide menstrual hygiene products to eligible beneficiaries, in a quantity and through a process determined to be equitable. Under the program, the Commissioner of Human Services would establish a process through which an eligible beneficiary would certify the number of menstruators in the beneficiary's household who are minors and who qualify for the menstrual hygiene products benefit. The bill additionally requires the Commissioner of Human Services to consult and coordinate with the Commissioner of Health on the establishment of an educational and public awareness campaign to inform the public about the provisions of bill and to ensure that eligible recipients of the public assistance programs covered under the bill are aware of the new benefits made available to them, and to post the information provided through the campaign on each of the departments' Internet sites. The bill appropriates $2 million to the Department of Health for the menstrual hygiene products benefit. The provisions of the bill will take effect upon any federal determination regarding the waiver application or state plan amendment submitted by the State, and the acceptance of any federal approval by the Departments of Human Services and Health; however, the departments are authorized to take any anticipatory action in advance of the federal determination as may be necessary to implement the requirements under the bill. As defined in the bill, "menstrual hygiene products" means tampons, panty liners, menstrual cups, sanitary napkins, and other similar products designed for a person's hygiene in connection with the human menstrual cycle. | In Committee |
| A3185 | Permits dogs as service and emotional support animals at State veterans' residential facilities. | This bill permits veterans to have dogs as service and emotional support animals at a State veterans' residential facility. Under federal law, service animals are permitted on federal Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) property with some restrictions. The federal regulation defines service animals as any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. The work or tasks performed by a service animal are required to be directly related to the individual's disability. The federal regulation does not include emotional support animals in its definition of service animals; therefore, emotional support animals are not permitted on VA property. Under the bill, the State law is aligned with federal standards by permitting dogs as service animals at State veterans' residential facilities. The bill further expands beyond federal law to permit dogs as emotional support animals at State veterans' residential facilities. As veterans become increasingly diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), health care providers are recommending an emotional support animal to many veterans. Under the bill, those veterans with emotional support needs will not be excluded from having a dog on State veterans' residential facility property. The bill prohibits animals other than service animals or emotional support animals on a State veterans' residential facility property unless the animal is present for law enforcement purposes or under the control of the Office of Research and Development in the Department of Veterans Affairs. The bill also requires a veteran accompanied by a service animal or emotional support animal to provide documentation with the following information: (1) the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal or emotional support animal, that lists the work or tasks the animal has been trained to perform; and (2) confirms the service animal or emotional support animal has had a current rabies vaccine as determined by State and local public health requirements, and current core canine vaccines and immunizations as dictated by local veterinary practice standards, which at minimum includes distemper, parvovirus, and adenovirus-2. Under the bill, State veterans' residential facility" means any State veterans' memorial home or Veterans Haven facility. | In Committee |
| ACR70 | Celebrates flag of Ireland, St. Patrick's Day, and 25th anniversary of Good Friday Agreement. | This resolution celebrates the flag of Ireland, St. Patrick's Day, and the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. The Good Friday Agreement was signed on April 10th, 1998, making 2023 the 25th anniversary of the historic document. The agreement was a peacekeeping measure to end several decades of violence and conflict in Northern Ireland, called The Troubles. In 1921, when Northern Ireland was created, it remained part of the UK, while the Republic of Ireland became a free state. From then on, unionists, who believed Northern Ireland should stay in the UK, and nationalists, who believed Northern Ireland should join the Republic of Ireland, clashed in violence. Almost 3,500 people were killed over 30 years due to The Troubles. The Good Friday Agreement established the Northern Ireland Assembly, a new government in Northern Ireland that represented both unionists and nationalists. The new Assembly was given control over significant areas of policy by the UK government. The agreement also allows the people of Northern Ireland to become part of the Republic through referendum, allows both Irish and British born people to reside there, and resolved weaponry and imprisonment issues that occurred during the conflict. March 17th of each year is St. Patrick's Day, a day in which people from around the world celebrate the feast day of St. Patrick. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and is said to have died on March 17th, 416 A.D., after establishing a legacy of spreading Christianity to thousands of people in Ireland. Today, the holiday is celebrated in Ireland with a day off of work and school to spend time with family and friends by listening to traditional music, dancing, attending parades, and more. It is celebrated in other countries with a variety of traditions established by the Irish diaspora. In the United States, it is common to wear green and eat corned beef, cabbage, and soda bread. The Irish flag seen today was first flown in 1848, in Waterford, Ireland by Thomas F. Meagher, making 2023 the 175th anniversary of the first flying of the vertical tricolor Irish flag. Thomas F. Meagher, a leader of the Young Irelanders, is said to have been gifted the tricolor flag by a group of French women who sympathized with Irish nationalism. Thomas F. Meagher has become a significant figure in both Irish and American history. He received a life prison sentence to be carried out in Tasmania for his participation in the Irish nationalist Rebellion of 1848, and escaped to the United States, where he served in the U.S. Army as Brigadier General in the Civil War. He is remembered in the United States for leading the Irish Brigade and motivating Irish immigrants to fight for the Union. The tri-color flag that Meagher flew was not widely recognized across the country until the Easter Rising of 1916. It was officially designated the national flag by the new Constitution of Ireland in 1937. | In Committee |
| A558 | Authorizes court to include in domestic violence restraining orders a provision making the order applicable to a pregnant victim's child upon birth of the child. | This bill would permit courts to include in a restraining order imposed when a defendant who is charged with a crime or offense involving domestic violence is released from custody before trial, or in an order imposed stating the conditions of sentencing after a defendant is found guilty of a domestic violence crime or offense, or in a final restraining order issued against a defendant whether or not there is a criminal complaint alleging such a crime or offense, a provision indicating that, if the victim named in the domestic violence order is pregnant, the order's protections would apply to the victim's child immediately upon birth, if such protection is requested by the victim. This bill is based in part on the holding in B.C. v. T.G., 430 N.J. Super. 455 (Ch. Div. 2013), in which the Superior Court, Chancery Division, Family Part held that when a victim is pregnant, the court may provide that any protections ordered under the "Prevention of Domestic Violence Act of 1991," P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-17 et seq.) automatically apply to the victim's child upon the birth of the child. The court, noting that the protections in a domestic violence restraining order apply to the victim's immediate family, stated "there is little sense in requiring the victim to have to return to court again immediately after the birth of the child for an emergent hearing in order to add the baby to her final restraining order." Id. at 466. The court additionally noted that, for various reasons, "a new parent may be either unable or unwilling to immediately return to domestic violence court immediately following childbirth." Id. at 467. | Dead |
| A2856 | Requires induction loop listening system installation in certain buildings open to public upon new construction or substantial renovation. | This bill would require the installation of induction loop listening systems in certain public spaces upon new construction or substantial renovation. An "induction loop listening system" refers to a hardwired assistive listening system in which a loop of wire around an area of a building, or hardwired countertop version, produces a signal received directly by hearing aids and cochlear implants used by persons with hearing loss. Induction loop listening systems magnetically transmit sound to hearing aids and cochlear implants that are equipped with telecoil features, and have an effect of filtering out background noise. Under the bill, induction loop listening system installations would be required in a newly constructed area of public assembly or service, unless the associated building permit application was initially submitted on or before the effective date of the bill. The bill would also require any area of public assembly or service to install induction loop listening systems during renovations that cost $40,000 or more. Additionally, the bill would require the posting of prominently-visible permanently-mounted signage to indicate to visitors that the induction loop listening system is available in an area of public assembly or service. Following initial installation, the bill would require the owner, on a biennial basis, to complete a self-certification form, attesting that the induction loop listening system continues to function. Under the bill, an "area of public assembly or service" means a building or structure, or space within a building or structure, that is regularly open for public gatherings, consisting of an auditorium, theater, meeting room, courtroom, community center, library, pharmacy counter, information desk at a medical facility, a waiting area for a medical office, bank teller area, car rental business, restaurant, bar, or other food or beverage counter service location, coat check area, grocery store check-out area, ticket payment location, or other category of space designated by the Department of Community Affairs ("DCA") as an area of public assembly or service. Under the bill, the owner of an area of public assembly or service would not be required to install and maintain an induction loop listening system if a code enforcing agency determines that the installation of the system would be impractical, following an assertion of the impracticality of the installation by the building permit applicant. The bill directs DCA to adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of the bill, including the establishment of standards for: (1) the installation of an induction loop listening system; (2) the conditions that would render installation impractical; (3) the placement and appearance of the required signage; and (4) the frequency and criteria of public access that would cause a space to be designated as open to the public, in relation to the definition of an area of public assembly or service. The provisions of the bill would be enforced as part of the "State Uniform Construction Code Act," ("UCC") P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-119 et seq.). The owner of an area of public assembly or service who violates the provisions of the bill would therefore be liable for any penalty imposed by an enforcing agency pursuant to section 20 of P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-138), or any other applicable penalty under the UCC. In order to provide DCA with time to prepare for the enforcement of the bill, the bill would take effect on the first day of the seventh month following enactment. | In Committee |
| A2152 | Authorizes grants to purchase and rehabilitate abandoned homes for homeless veterans. | This bill would amend the "New Jersey Housing Assistance for Veterans Act," P.L.2017, c.258 (C.52:27D-516 et seq.) to expand the purposes of the pilot program established by that act to include the purchase and rehabilitation of abandoned homes for homeless veterans. Currently, the pilot program established by this law authorizes grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to rehabilitate existing primary residences of disabled or low-income veterans. Under the bill, a nonprofit veterans' organization that has experience in rehabilitating housing for homeless veterans, or others, would be eligible to receive a grant to purchase and rehabilitate abandoned homes for homeless veterans. The bill would afford a preference in awarding grants to nonprofit organizations that serve communities that are in the greatest need of homeless services. The bill would allow the administrator of the current pilot program to give preferences in awarding grants in order to achieve a fair distribution among homeless veterans in different geographical regions of the State. Finally, this bill adjusts the existing law, through defining "rehabilitation" and other language changes, to clarify that pilot program funds may be expended for a broad range of project types, including repairs, renovations, reconstruction, as well as the installation of appropriate new fixtures and other alterations. | Dead |
| A1166 | Authorizes direct shipping by craft distilleries. | This bill authorizes craft distilleries to direct ship up to nine liters of distilled spirits per year and eliminates certain sales restrictions. The bill expressly authorizes craft distillery licensees to ship up to nine liters of distilled spirits per year to any person over 21 years of age for personal consumption and not for resale. The bill provides that a copy of the original invoice is to be available for inspection at the licensed premises of the distillery for a minimum period of three years. The bill removes existing statutory language: 1) prohibiting the direct shipment of distilled spirits within and outside the State; 2) requiring visitors take a tour in order to be allowed to consume distilled spirits on the premises; and 3) limiting the retail sale of the distilleries' products for consumption off the premises to five liters per person. This legislation is similar to a Kentucky law, referred to as "Bourbon without Borders," which authorizes the shipment of up to nine liters of distilled spirits per year. | In Committee |
| A1167 | Requires local recreation departments and youth serving organizations to have defibrillators for youth athletic events. | The bill requires that beginning on September 1, 2020, municipal or county recreation departments and nonprofit youth serving organizations, which organize, sponsor, or are otherwise affiliated with youth athletic events that are played on municipal, county, school, or other publicly-owned fields, must ensure that there is available on site an automated external defibrillator (AED) at each youth athletic event and practice held on the department's or organization's home field. A recreation department or youth serving organization will be deemed to be in compliance with the AED requirement if a State-certified emergency services provider or other certified first responder is on site at the athletic event or practice and has an AED available for use on site. A recreation department or youth serving organization and its employees, umpires, coaches, and licensed athletic trainers will be immune from civil liability in the acquisition and use of an AED. | In Committee |
| A2281 | Requires certain information to be included in SHBP claims experience data provided to certain public employers. | This bill can be known and may be referred to as the Public Health Transparency Act. Under current law, the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) provides upon request and not more than once in a 24-month period complete claims experience data to a public employer other than the State that participates in the SHBP. This bill changes the 24-month period to not more than once per calendar year, and adds language to allow the majority representative of the employees of public employer to be able to request and receive the claims experience data if a public employer requested the data. This bill requires information to be included in the claims experience data. The information includes, but is not limited to, medical claims summary report by classification; top 50 drugs or medicines that require a doctor's prescription by total number dispensed; top 50 drugs or medicines that require a doctor's prescription by total dollars paid; number and type of ongoing maintenance prescriptions by mail order and retail; prescription utilization summary; prescription executive summary report; prescription trend performance summary for each plan design; and a prescription key performance indicator report. Current law requires the State Health Benefits Program to issue claims experience data only in a manner that complies with the privacy requirements of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, HIPPA, and related regulations. In addition, the bill specifies that no information will be released in such form as to result in the identification of an individual or in such form as to adversely affect personal privacy rights. | In Committee |
| A3105 | Allows consumption of food on limited brewery premises. | This bill specifies that the holder of a limited brewery license may allow the consumption of food by consumers on the licensed premises of the brewery. However, the licensee may not bring on the licensed premises, for consumption by consumers, food sold or prepared by a restaurant in which that licensee has a direct ownership interest. "Direct ownership interest" means the ownership or control of more than 5% of the profits, assets, or stock of a business. Under current law, the holder of a limited brewery license is entitled to brew up to 300,000 barrels of 31 fluid gallons capacity per year of malt alcoholic beverages to sell and distribute to wholesalers and retailers. These licensees are authorized to sell their product at retail to consumers on the licensed premises for on-site consumption, but only in connection with a tour of the brewery. The licensee is prohibited under current law from selling food and operating a restaurant on the licensed premises. Under this bill, consumers would be allowed to consume food on the licensed premises of a limited brewery. The bill would allow patrons of limited breweries to purchase food from a vendor not owned by the licensee, or from a restaurant or other type of food vendor off the licensed premises, to be consumed on the licensed premises of the brewery. | In Committee |
| A2412 | Allows gross income tax deduction for amounts paid for removal of lead, asbestos, sodium, chloride, and other contaminants from taxpayer's property. | This bill would allow taxpayers, regardless of income, to deduct up to a combined $45,000 from gross income in a year for the following expenses: (1) lead-based paint hazard abatement in the taxpayer's residential property if performed by a certified lead abatement contractor; (2) asbestos hazard abatement in the taxpayer's residential property if performed by a licensed asbestos abatement contractor; (3) replacement of a water service line containing hazardous amounts of lead if the line is owned by the taxpayer, the line is on the real property of the taxpayer's residential property, and the line's replacement is necessary for abatement of the hazard in the taxpayer's residential property; (4) replacement of plumbing containing hazardous amounts of lead in the taxpayer's residential property; (5) remediation of lead and other contaminants in the soil of a taxpayer's residential property; (6) replacement of leaded windows on the taxpayer's residential property; (7) the cost of installing a water treatment by a licensed contractor or plumber if the private well water servicing the taxpayer's property is contaminated with excess sodium or chloride levels; (8) the cost of replacing any pipes connected to the water treatment system if the private well water servicing the taxpayer's property is contaminated with excess sodium or chloride levels; and (9) the cost of certain upgrades to a property's septic system of leach field if the private well water servicing the taxpayer's property is contaminated with excess sodium or chloride levels. As used in the bill, "residential property" means a taxpayer's primary residence, owner-occupied home, or rental unit. The Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury would be required to set the standards by which taxpayers are to demonstrate that they qualify for the deduction. To be eligible for the deduction for costs related to lead-based paint hazard abatement or asbestos hazard abatement, the taxpayer would be required to submit an affidavit from the municipality in which the residential property is located to the director acknowledging that the work was done and the amount paid by the taxpayer to the licensed contractor. During the first taxable year following the bill's enactment, a taxpayer would be allowed to deduct any covered expenses incurred between January 1, 2018 and that year. The provisions of the bill would expire on December 31, 2025. | In Committee |
| A3012 | Prohibits treatment, discharge, disposal, application to roadway, or storage of wastewater, wastewater solids, sludge, drill cuttings or other byproducts from natural gas exploration or production using hydraulic fracturing. | This bill prohibits, in New Jersey, the treatment, discharge, disposal, application to a roadway or other release into the environment, or storage of any wastewater, wastewater solids, sludge, drill cuttings or other byproducts resulting from hydraulic fracturing for the purpose of natural gas exploration or production in any state. | In Committee |
| A911 | Requires institutions of higher education to maintain supply and develop policy governing use of naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray for opioid overdose emergencies. | This bill requires institutions of higher education to maintain a supply of naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray for opioid overdose emergencies and permits emergency administration of naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray by licensed campus medical professionals and designated members of the higher education community. Under the bill, institutions of higher education would obtain a supply of naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray pursuant to a standing order issued by a health care practitioner to be maintained in secure and easily accessible locations throughout the campus to respond to an opioid overdose emergency. Institutions also would be required to develop a policy concerning the emergency administration of naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray for opioid overdose emergencies occurring on campus. The policy would be required to: (1) designate a licensed campus medical professional to oversee the institution's program for the maintenance and emergency administration of naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray on campus; (2) permit a licensed campus medical professional to designate members of the higher education community to administer naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray to any person whom the member in good faith believes is experiencing an opioid overdose on campus; and (3) require the transportation of an overdose victim to a hospital emergency room by emergency services personnel after the administration of naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray, even if the person's symptoms appear to have resolved. A member of the higher education community designated to administer naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray by a licensed campus medical professional would only be authorized to administer the spray after receiving required training. The bill also directs the Secretary of Higher Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Human Services and appropriate medical experts, to establish guidelines for the development of a policy by an institution of higher education for the emergency administration of naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray. Institutions of higher education would be required to implement the guidelines in developing a policy pursuant to the substitute. Specifically, the guidelines would include a requirement that a licensed campus medical professional and members of the higher education community designated by the licensed campus medical professional receive training on standard protocols for the emergency administration of naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray to a person experiencing an opioid overdose on campus. The guidelines would further specify an appropriate entity or entities to provide the training. The bill provides immunity from liability for licensed campus medical professionals, designated members of the higher education community, pharmacists, or authorized health care practitioners who issue a standing order for naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray to an institution of higher education for any good faith act or omission consistent with the provisions of the bill. The bill also provides that in the event that a licensed athletic trainer, who is designated to administer naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray, administers the spray, it will not constitute a violation of the "Athletic Training Licensure Act." | In Committee |
| A2926 | Expands crime of bias intimidation; establishes additional penalties for crimes of bias intimidation and harassment; establishes bias intimidation motivation damages. | This bill expands the State's bias intimidation law and removes an unconstitutional provision; establishes additional penalties for the crimes of bias intimidation and false public alarm; and provides for the award of bias intimidation motivation damages.Bias Intimidation Under current law, N.J.S.2C:16-1, a person is guilty of the crime of bias intimidation if the person commits, attempts to commit, conspires with another to commit, or threatens the immediate commission of certain enumerated criminal offenses with any of the following states of mind: (1) with a purpose to intimidate an individual or group of individuals because of race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, or ethnicity; (2) knowing that the conduct constituting the offense would cause an individual or group of individuals to be intimidated because of race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, or ethnicity; or (3) under circumstances that caused any victim of the underlying offense to be intimidated and the victim, considering the manner in which the offense was committed, reasonably believed either that (a) the offense was committed with a purpose to intimidate the victim or any person or entity in whose welfare the victim is interested because of race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, or ethnicity, or (b) the victim or the victim's property was selected to be the target of the offense because of the victim's race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, or ethnicity. These enumerated predicate offenses include criminal homicide, assault, recklessly endangering another person, terroristic threats, stalking, disarming a law enforcement officer, kidnapping and related offenses, sexual offenses, robbery, carjacking, arson and other property destruction, burglary, trespass, harassment, prohibited weapons and devices, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. This bill adds to these enumerated offenses computer criminal activity, initiating a false alarm, and cyber-harassment. In State v. Pomianek, 221 N.J. 66 (2015), the New Jersey Supreme Court held that paragraph (3) of subsection a. of N.J.S.2C:16-1 (above) is unconstitutionally vague and violates due process because, rather than focusing on the defendant's state of mind, the law focuses on the victim's perception of the defendant's state of mind. The bill removes this unconstitutional provision from N.J.S.2C:16-1. Under the bill, it is not a defense to a prosecution for bias intimidation that a defendant acted with a purpose, in addition to a purpose to intimidate an individual or group of individuals because of race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, or ethnicity. The bill also provides that a defendant may be convicted of bias intimidation against a person who is associated with an individual or group because of the individual's or group's race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, or ethnicity, regardless of whether the victim is the same race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, or ethnicity as the individual or group. The bill imposes additional penalties for a conviction of bias intimidation, for each offense, in the amount of: $2,000 for a crime of the first degree; $1,000 for a crime of the second degree; $750 for a crime of the third degree; $500 for a crime of the fourth degree; and $250 for a disorderly persons or petty disorderly persons offense. These penalties are to be deposited into the Bias Crime Prevention Fund, established under the bill. The monies deposited are to be used for investigating and prosecuting bias intimidation crimes; supporting community response to bias crime incidents; funding training and educational programs on bias crimes and diversity, as well as other programs designed to enhance public awareness of bias crimes and diversity.False Public Alarm Under current law, a person convicted of initiating a false public alarm is liable to a civil penalty of not less than $2,000 or the actual costs resulting from law enforcement and emergency services in response to the false alarm, whichever is higher. The bill provides for the award of a civil penalty of not less than $2,000 or treble the actual costs incurred, whichever is higher. The bill further provides that a person convicted of initiating a false alarm also is liable to a person suffering personal injury, and to the owner of property damaged as a result of law enforcement and emergency services response to the false alarm. Bias Intimidation Motivation Compensatory Damages Enhancement The bill also provides for an award of bias intimidation motivation compensatory damages enhancement. The bill defines "bias intimidation motivation" to mean with a purpose to intimidate an individual or group of individuals because of race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, or ethnicity, or knowing that the conduct constituting the offense would cause an individual or group of individuals to be intimidated because of race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, or ethnicity. The bill provides that, in addition to any other recovery authorized under current law, treble the amount of compensatory damages is to be awarded to a plaintiff if the plaintiff proves, by a preponderance of evidence, that the harm suffered was the result of the defendant's acts or omissions, and the acts or omissions were actuated by bias intimidation motivation. | In Committee |
| A3194 | Establishes testing and visitation requirements and employment restrictions for long-term care facilities in response to outbreaks of infectious disease. | This bill, establishes certain requirements concerning operational procedures and visitation at long-term care facilities, which requirements would remain in effect for the duration of the state of emergency and public health emergency declared in response to an outbreak, epidemic, or pandemic involving an infectious disease. Specifically, the bill requires that all staff employed by or providing services at a long-term care facility be tested for active infection with the infectious disease at least once per week and immediately upon showing any signs or symptoms of having contracted the infectious disease. For facilities with more than 100 authorized beds, the test is to be made available on-site. For facilities with 100 or fewer authorized beds, the test may be made available through the county board of health. County boards of health and facilities with more than 100 authorized beds will have seven days from the date a state of emergency or public health emergency, if any, is declared in response to the outbreak, epidemic, or pandemic, or as soon as rapid-result tests become available, to acquire rapid-result testing materials. With regard to county boards of health, in situations where the current or anticipated demand for rapid-result testing resources through the county board of health exceeds the current supply of test resources, the county board of health will be required to give priority to testing staff and residents at facilities with 100 or fewer authorized beds who currently exhibit signs or symptoms of the infectious disease or have been recently exposed to the infectious disease, followed by routine, weekly and medically-indicated testing of staff members of facilities with 100 or fewer authorized beds, followed by first-time visitors to the facility and members of the public, who would be tested on a first-come, first served basis. County boards of health may charge a reasonable fee for the administration of a rapid-result test, which fee may not exceed the reasonable cost to the county board of health of administering and processing the test. In the case of tests provided to staff and residents of long-term care facilities with 100 or fewer authorized beds, the county board of health may only seek reimbursement from the facility, and will be prohibited from charging any testing fee to the staff member or resident. The facility would be permitted to seek reimbursement from the staff member's or resident's health benefits plan for the costs of the test, provided that, in the case of weekly screening tests and tests for individuals showing signs or symptoms of the infectious disease or who were exposed to the infectious disease, the facility will be prohibited from charging staff or residents for any portion of the cost of a test that is not covered under a health benefits plan. The bill requires long-term care facilities to establish designated spaces for the isolation of residents who have tested positive for the infectious disease or who were exposed to the infectious disease, and further requires facilities to take appropriate steps to ensure, to the extent possible, that no more than one resident is housed in each residential room in the facility. The bill allows long-term care facility residents to designate up to two individuals who will be authorized to engage in indoor visitation with the resident. The designation will remain in effect until the outbreak, epidemic, or pandemic is no longer affecting or likely to affect the long-term care facility, a resident may not change the designated visitors during this period except in the case of the death of a designated visitor. Designated visitors will be allowed to visit the resident inside the long-term care facility once per day, at any time, day or night, for any duration of time, provided the individual schedules a visitation appointment with the facility at least 24 hours in advance. Long-term care facilities are to limit in-person visitation to one visitor per resident at a time. Visitation is to take place in the resident's room, if the resident does not have a roommate, or in a designated visitation area, if the resident has one or more roommates. Designated visitation areas are to be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized after each use. Facilities will be required to implement protocols and procedures to ensure that visitors to the facility have as little contact as possible with staff and residents of the facility, are kept away from common areas within the facility to the extent possible, and do not touch any surfaces in the facility except as may be otherwise unavoidable. All visitors will be screened for the signs and symptoms of the infectious disease prior to being allowed entry to the facility. In addition, the first time a designated visitor visits the facility, the visitor will be required to undergo a rapid-result test for the infectious disease, which may be provided by the facility or by the county board of health, depending on whether rapid-result tests for the disease are made available through the facility. The entity administering the test may charge the visitor a reasonable reimbursement fee for the test, which fee may not exceed the actual cost of administering and processing the test. For a second or subsequent visit to the facility, designated visitors will be required to submit a written attestation to the facility that, during the period between the individual's last visit to the facility and the current visit, the individual adhered to guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health, and the county or local board of health as may apply with regard to infection prevention and control, including, as applicable, maintaining social distancing, wearing a face mask or facial covering while in public, avoiding large group gatherings, and avoiding contact with others while present in indoor settings. Designated visitors will be allowed bring in food and beverage items for exclusive consumption by the visitor and the resident, which food and beverage items will be screened by the facility and may be excluded by the facility if the food or beverage item presents a risk of transmitting the infectious disease or otherwise violates facility policies concerning outside food and beverages. No visitation in a long-term care facility will be allowed unless the Department of Health has completed an in-person inspection of the facility during the current outbreak, epidemic, or pandemic, made a written determination that the facility is in compliance with the requirements of the bill and all applicable infection prevention and control requirements as are currently applicable to the facility, and expressly approves indoor visitation to take place at the facility. Additionally, residents of a long-term care facility may designate a family member or other individual who may approve the resident's personal physician or a care provider whose services are paid for directly by the resident or the resident's family, to enter the facility for up to four hours per week to provide direct care services to the resident, which care may be provided during multiple visits over the course of the week. The physician or care provider may request approval from the facility to provide more than four hours of direct care services per week, which request is to be granted based on demonstrated medical need. Designated visitors and personal physicians and care providers accessing a facility will be required to comply with current guidance issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or any other guidance required by the Department of Health concerning infection prevention and control in long-term care facilities, including any requirements concerning the use of personal protective equipment. Consistent with applicable guidance and current practices adopted in response to the outbreak, epidemic, or pandemic, the facility may require the individual to acquire the personal protective equipment at the individual's own expense, prohibit the reuse of personal protective equipment, maintain a supply of the personal protective equipment at the facility, and establish and enforce requirements concerning proper doffing and disposal of the personal protective equipment. Residents who travel outside a long-term care facility for medical or non-medical reasons are to be roomed in a separate area of the facility and subject to appropriate procedures and protocols to ensure that those residents are isolated from, and do not have contact with, residents who do not travel outside the facility. Facilities are to further establish separate rooming areas and appropriate procedures and protocols to ensure that residents who travel outside the facility only for medical reasons are isolated from, and do not have contact with, residents who travel outside the facility for non-medical reasons. All residents who travel outside the facility for any reason are to be tested for the infectious disease at least once per week, regardless of whether the resident exhibits any signs or symptoms of having contracted the infectious disease; the resident and the facility will share the costs of any portion of this weekly test that is not covered by the resident's health benefits plan. The bill additionally provides that any person employed by or providing services at a long-term care facility, other than a physician, may only be employed by or provide services at that one facility, and will be prohibited from employment with or providing professional services to any other entity. This restriction will not apply to physicians and care providers authorized to provide care to residents by an individual designated by the resident as otherwise provided under the bill. Any person employed by or providing services at a long-term care facility who exhibits signs or symptoms of the infectious disease is to be immediately removed from patient contact, tested for the infectious disease or referred for testing, and may not return to the facility until the person provides the facility with the results of two tests, administered three days apart, establishing the person is negative for active infection with the infectious disease. Any person employed by or providing services at a long-term care facility who tests positive for active infection with the infectious disease will be required to self-isolate or quarantine at home until the person's symptoms resolve and the person provides the facility with the results of two negative tests for active infection for the infectious disease, which tests are to be administered three days apart. Nothing in the bill will prohibit a person who tests positive for an infectious disease from seeking treatment in a general acute care hospital or from another licensed health care provider. A long-term care facility employing or utilizing the services of a person who is prohibited from attending work under the bill will be required to pay the person the full wages the person would otherwise have earned working at the facility during the period of mandatory exclusion. If the person does not work a regular number of hours at the facility, the wages due will equal the wages due for the average number of hours per week the person typically works at the facility. | In Committee |
| A3165 | Prohibits retaliation against inmates in State correctional facilities who report sexual abuse; criminalizes retaliation and failure to report abuse. | This bill prohibits retaliation against inmates in State correctional facilities who file a complaint of sexual assault or harassment, physical violence, or mental abuse against a corrections officer or other staff member of the facility. The bill specifically requires the Commissioner of Corrections to establish a secure, reliable, and confidential method for inmates incarcerated in State correctional facilities to report these complaints. A fee cannot be charged to file the complaint and the inmate is to have the option of remaining anonymous. Inmates are to be given the opportunity to file a complaint in their native language. Inmates are to be clearly informed on how to file a confidential complaint, including how to file a complaint with the facility's Special Investigations Division, and that the reporting of the complaint is strictly confidential. The bill requires the commissioner to prohibit any punitive measures from being taken against an inmate who files a complaint of sexual assault or harassment, physical violence, and mental abuse. This includes prohibiting the inmate's transfer to administrative segregation and temporary close custody. An inmate's job assignment also is not to be changed. Inmates are to be offered the services of a victim advocate not affiliated with the facility who has expertise in providing emotional support services. The bill requires the commissioner to institute policies and procedures to monitor retaliation by corrections officers and civilian staff members against an inmate who files a complaint. Finally, the bill establishes that it is a fourth degree crime for a corrections officer or civilian staff member to retaliate against an inmate who files a complaint. It is also a fourth degree crime for an officer or staff member to fail to report to the appropriate supervisor any known or suspected, or any evidence or information pertaining to, sexual assault or harassment, physical violence, or mental abuse of an inmate by another officer or staff member. A crime of the fourth degree is punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to 18 months, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. | In Committee |
| A3266 | Directs Commissioner of Education to develop sensitivity training program for high school athletic directors, coaches, and sports officials of interscholastic athletic sports programs. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Education to develop an interscholastic sports sensitivity training program for high school athletic directors, coaches, and sports officials. The training program is required to provide information on topics including, but not limited to:· gender and sexual orientation;· race and ethnicity;· disabilities;· religious tolerance;· unconscious bias; and· diversity and inclusion. In the development of the program, the commissioner will consult with the Division on Civil Rights in the Department of Law and Public Safety. The bill also directs the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association to require each person who coaches a public school district or nonpublic school interscholastic high school sport, and an athletic director who oversees a public school district or nonpublic school interscholastic high school sports program, to complete the training program every four years. Under the bill, each newly appointed coach or athletic director must initially complete the training program during his first year in that position. Finally, the bill provides that when an individual applies to a sports officials' chapter or association, the individual must certify that he has completed the training program. An active sports official must complete the training program every four years. | In Committee |
| A1213 | Makes supplemental appropriation of $15 million to DMVA for New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation for facilities expansion. | This bill provides a supplemental appropriation of $15 million from the General Fund to the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs for the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation for the purpose of providing financial assistance to complete facilities expansion, consisting of an additional 11,850 square feet for the Vietnam Era Museum. The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation commemorates New Jersey service members who served in Vietnam and their families through storytelling that enhances public understanding of the Vietnam War Era. The Foundation serves over 10,000 New Jersey students annually. The expansion would help the Foundation obtain critical accreditation and recognition from national bodies and public audiences, acquire State-of-the-art equipment to care for museum artifacts, and deliver a premier educational experience that would attract volunteers, tourists, and revenues to the museum and the State. | In Committee |
| AR45 | Urges Congress to establish national infrastructure bank. | This resolution respectfully urges Congress to pass H.R.3339, establishing a national infrastructure bank. American infrastructure is in dire need of investment, as outlined by the American Society of Civil Engineers and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Increasing frequency of extreme weather events further strains infrastructure approaching the end of its useful life. In New Jersey alone, less than 30 percent of the roads and bridges are in good condition. As host to a large portion of the northeast corridor, New Jersey moves national and international trade, and millions of people each day along deteriorating structures. Nationally, broadband access, modernization of the energy grid, and remediation of the water supply systems are of paramount importance. Economic vitality, national security, public safety and quality of life, are dependent on sound infrastructure. Current funding mechanisms do not address the scope of the need. Direct competitors of the United States rely on an infrastructure funding method invented and previously used by America. H.R.3339 addresses funding shortfalls for large, innovative infrastructure projects by establishing a national infrastructure bank, perpetually generating funds in a manner similar to a commercial bank. A dedicated, regenerative, nonpartisan funding mechanism is required to remedy inadequacies in our energy grid, transportation and other systems, in addition to preparing us for a future of increasing extreme weather conditions. | In Committee |
| ACR11 | Proposes constitutional amendment to give $250 property tax deduction to law enforcement officers who have sustained permanent disability. | If approved by the voters of the State, this proposed constitutional amendment would provide an annual $250 property tax deduction to law enforcement officers who have been permanently disabled as the result of their law enforcement service, and to their surviving spouses. The proposed amendment directs the Legislature to define the "law enforcement officers" eligible to receive the $250 property tax deduction. | In Committee |
| A932 | Excludes certain contributions to deferred compensation plans and provides deduction for certain individual retirement savings under the gross income tax. | This bill provides taxpayers a gross income tax exclusion in the amount of contributions made to certain retirement plans, and allows a deduction for contributions to individual retirement accounts, or premiums paid to individual retirement annuities, that qualify for federal income tax deductions. The affected types of plans are: (1) a plan established under section 401(a) or section 401(k) of the federal Internal Revenue Code; (2) amounts paid for annuity contracts under section 403(b) of the federal Internal Revenue Code, allowed to employees of governments and nonprofits; (3) a deferred compensation plan of a state or local government that meets the requirements of section 457 of the federal Internal Revenue Code; (4) a federal Thrift Savings Plan; or (5) a standard Individual Retirement Account pursuant to section 408 of the federal Internal Revenue Code. The contributions to these plans are taxed upon distribution from the account. The bill applies to contributions made or premiums paid in taxable years beginning on or after January 1 next following enactment of the bill. | In Committee |
| A2484 | 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 |
| A1155 | 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 |
| A1191 | Requires collection of deoxyribonucleic acid sample for certain crimes. | This bill amends the "DNA Database and Databank Act of 1994" to require DNA samples to be collected when a person is arrested for human trafficking, arson, or car-jacking. Any person convicted and sentenced to a term of imprisonment for human trafficking, arson, car-jacking or for any attempt made to commit these crimes on or after January 1, 2023 will be required to have blood or another biological sample collected for DNA testing. Additionally, a person convicted on or after January 1, 2023 of human trafficking, arson, or car-jacking but who is not sentenced to a term of confinement will also be required to provide a blood or other biological sample for DNA testing purposes. A person who was convicted and imprisoned prior to January 1, 2023 will be required to provide a DNA sample before being paroled or released from prison. Lastly, a person arrested, but not convicted or imprisoned, for human trafficking, arson, or car-jacking will be required to provide a blood or other biological sample for DNA testing. | In Committee |
| AJR36 | Establishes "New Jersey Domestic Violence and Legal Access Task Force." | This joint resolution establishes the "New Jersey Domestic Violence and Legal Access Task Force" for the purpose of studying the nature, extent and consequences of unmet legal needs of State residents in domestic violence matters. The task force would have 16 members. The task force would submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature within 18 months of its organization. The membership of the commission would be as follows: (1) two public members appointed by the Governor, one of whom is a representative of a pro bono program organized by a law firm located in the State, and one of whom is a State resident who has been a pro se litigant who has appeared as a plaintiff in a domestic violence matter in the New Jersey State courts; (2) two public members appointed by the Governor upon recommendation of the President of the Senate, one of whom is the representative of a non-profit organization dedicated to the services and assistance of victims of domestic violence and one of whom is a State licensed and certified family law attorney; (3) two public members appointed by the Governor upon recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly, one of whom is a director of a legal clinic program of a law school located in the State and one of whom is a State resident who has been a pro se litigant who has appeared as a defendant in a domestic violence matter in the New Jersey State court; (4) one member appointed by the Chief Justice, who is a retired judge of the Superior Court who had been previously assigned to the Family Division; (5) the Administrative Director of the Courts, or his designee; (6) the Public Defender, or the Public Defender's designee; (7) the Attorney General, or the Attorney General's designee; (8) the dean of Seton Hall University School of Law, or the dean's designee; (9) the co-dean of Rutgers Law School Newark Campus, or the co-dean's designee; (10) the co-dean of Rutgers Law School Camden Campus, or the co-dean's designee; (11) the executive director of New Jersey Legal Services, or the executive director's designee; (12) A representative of the New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence; and (13) A representative of Partners for Women and Justice. The task force would be co-chaired: one co-chair would be the Attorney General, or the Attorney General's designee, and the other co-chair would be appointed by the Governor from among the public members and would serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The task force may meet and hold hearings at the places it designates during the sessions or recesses of the Legislature. The task force would meet at the call of the co-chairs. The presence of nine members of the task force would constitute a quorum at any meeting thereof. | In Committee |
| A2248 | Requires DOT, NJT, and DHS to study and implement transportation mobility and accessibility improvements for persons with autism and developmental disabilities. | This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT), the New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJT), and the Department of Human Services (DHS) to conduct a holistic review of current infrastructure design practices for public highways and public transportation projects. Upon completion of the review, new and revised design practices are to be adopted that will result in projects that promote the ability of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and developmental disabilities to travel independently. DOT, NJT, and DHS are also to conduct a study of nationwide best practices that identifies ways to operate public roadway facilities, public transportation services, and mobility programs operated or funded under the DHS in a manner that makes transportation services and mobility programs more accessible for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and developmental disabilities The DOT is required to encourage regional and local entities that apply for funding through the local aid program to adopt infrastructure design practices and best practices that are consistent with State practices. | In Committee |
| A1961 | Expands duties of Commission on Human Trafficking to prevent human trafficking in women and children of color. | This bill expands the duties of the Commission on Human Trafficking in the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety. The bill requires the commission to study issues related to human trafficking of women and children of color, identify strategies to prevent or reduce human trafficking of women and children of color, enhance and facilitate the delivery of support services for such victims, and make recommendations for legislation, if appropriate. The bill clarifies that a majority of the members of Human Trafficking Commission (commission) constitutes a quorum for purposes of the Commission performing any duty or exercising any of its powers. The bill removes the requirement that a majority of the "authorized membership" be required for a quorum so as to prevent, in the absence or vacancy of any members, the interruption of the commission's statutory mandate. | In Committee |
| A1208 | Requires DOT to confirm availability and prioritize establishment of park-and-ride options near major warehouse facilities. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Transportation (commissioner) to prioritize the establishment of more park-and-ride lots and facilities near major warehouse facilities. Under the bill, the commissioner is required to ensure the availability of park-and-ride lots and facilities near major warehouse facilities within the State by undertaking a review of existing park-and-ride lots and facilities and major warehouse facilities. If, after such review, it is determined that no park-and-ride lot or facility exists which could relieve commuter traffic on local roads connecting the nearest interstate or major transit hubs to a major warehouse facility, the commissioner is required to prioritize the establishment of one or more. Additionally, the commissioner is required to periodically prepare and submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature that contains the number and location of park-and-ride lots and facilities available near major warehouse facilities and the establishment of new park-and-ride lots and facilities near major warehouse facilities. "Major warehouse facility" is defined in the bill as any building, room, structure, or facility of at least 100,000 square feet used primarily for the storage of goods intended for sale. | In Committee |
| A2821 | Requires boards of education, municipalities, counties, and certain other local contracting units to determine and utilize cost-saving practices when procuring goods and services. | This bill requires certain political subdivision contracting units (contracting units), including boards of education and local contracting units under the "Local Public Contracts Law," P.L.1971, c.198 (C.40A:11-1 et seq.), to determine and utilize cost-saving practices when procuring goods and services. The bill provides that a cost savings analysis prescribed by the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs is required to include, at a minimum: factors such as charges for service, materials, delivery, soft costs, costs of acquisition, and other costs of traditional bidding such as cost overruns, protest, rework, and change orders. If the purchasing agent determines that entering into a cooperative purchasing system for the procurement of goods or services will result in cost savings, the contracting unit is required to utilize a cooperative purchasing system, unless the procurement is for new building construction or expansion. Under the bill, prior to entering into a contract for the procurement of any goods or services, the contracting unit is required to ensure that the contractor and any subcontractors are compliant with existing State and federal laws, rules, and regulations including, but not limited to, employment discrimination, employment opportunity, wage requirements, and material and product sourcing. This bill also requires the Director of the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, to develop harmonized guidelines for a local contracting unit, including boards of education, to enter into cooperative purchasing systems for the procurement of goods or services. Under the bill, the cooperative purchasing system guidelines will include, but not be limited to:· the types of goods and services, including work, labor, commodities, equipment, materials, or supplies of any tangible or intangible nature, except real property, that may be procured through a contract awarded by a contracting agent under a cooperative purchasing system;· the requirements concerning the process for advertising and soliciting bids for contracts through a cooperative purchasing system, and the factors that are required to be utilized in the awarding of contracts;· provisions ensuring contracting units enter into contracts for the procurement of goods or services through a cooperative purchasing system with contractors and subcontractors that are compliant with existing State and federal laws, rules, and regulations related to employment discrimination, employment opportunity, wage requirements, and material and product sourcing, and any other standards determined by the director to be appropriate for inclusion; and· information outlining the benefits of entering into cooperative purchasing systems, including but not limited to: cost-savings for the procurement of goods and services; access to experienced and reliable contractors and subcontractors; improvements in project execution time; elimination of pre-bid costs; and guaranteed maximum pricing to eliminate unforeseen expenses. The division is required to develop a cost savings analysis template comparing the costs of cooperative purchasing systems and other methods of procurement including, but not limited to, factors such as charges for service, materials, delivery, soft costs, costs of acquisition, and other costs of traditional bidding such as cost overruns, protest, rework, and change orders. The division will: (1) distribute the template to the governing body of each municipality, county, and school district in the State; and (2) publish the cost savings analysis template on the division's Internet website in an easily accessible location and format. Under the bill, the division is required to distribute the guidelines to the governing body of each municipality, county, and school district in this State, and publish the guidelines on the division's Internet website in an easily accessible location and format. | In Committee |
| A2326 | Requires DEP and Drinking Water Quality Institute to perform study concerning regulation and treatment of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. | This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), in consultation with the Drinking Water Quality Institute, to conduct a study on the regulation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. The study would include an assessment of the feasibility of establishing a maximum contaminant level or other standard for the entire class, or for certain subclasses or mixtures, of PFAS in drinking water, rather than for each individual substance. The study would also include an assessment of treatment technologies that may be effective in removing PFAS from drinking water or wastewater. The bill would require the DEP to publish the report no later than 24 months after the bill's enactment. | Dead |
| AR44 | Urges Congress to pass "Pregnant Workers Fairness Act." | This resolution respectfully urges the United States Congress to pass the "Pregnant Workers Fairness Act" (PWFA), which would allow pregnant workers to seek reasonable accommodations in the workplace. Pregnancy discrimination is an insidious form of employment discrimination that occurs when a woman suffers negative consequences at her job after becoming pregnant. It is an unfortunately common form of employment discrimination, with 62 percent of American workers having witnessed such discrimination at some point in their lives. While the federal "Pregnancy Discrimination Act" (PDA) mandates equal treatment for pregnant workers, the PDA does not adequately address the issue of employer intransigence to make reasonable work accommodations for pregnant women. As a consequence, over 250,000 pregnant workers are denied requests for accommodations each year by their employers. Under the proposed "Pregnant Workers Fairness Act," (PWFA) employers will be required to reasonably accommodate workers experiencing a limitation due to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. This will address the PDA's flaw regarding accommodations and will allow pregnant workers to continue working without fear of health risks or cuts in pay and benefits. The PWFA will also provide guidance to employers on their obligations toward pregnant workers, which will help increase employee retention and reduce the risk of litigation. While 27 states, including New Jersey, have laws in place that require employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers, a national law to provide these protections would be a logical step towards ensuring an equal workplace for all pregnant workers. | In Committee |
| A1816 | Prohibits manufacture, sale, or promotion of consumer products containing microbeads. | This bill would prohibit the manufacture, sale, and promotion of consumer products containing plastic microbeads, beginning on January 1, 2022. The bill defines "consumer products" as products that are customarily produced for consumption by individuals for personal care or for the performance of services ordinarily rendered within the household, and which are designed to be expended in the course of such use. Microbeads are small plastic particles commonly used to exfoliate or cleanse. Although microbeads are effective abrasive agents, they end up in fresh waters and the ocean, where they are eaten by fish and other wildlife and enter the food chain. Some studies indicate that microbeads may absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment, such as harmful bacteria found in wastewater treatment plants. Microbeads also may contain chemicals left over from the manufacturing process. Current State law prohibits the manufacture, sale, and promotion of personal care products containing microbeads. In addition, the federal "Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015" prohibits the manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of rinse-off cosmetics containing microbeads. This bill would expand the prohibition to include all consumer products. | In Committee |
| AJR37 | Establishes task force on cannabis related traffic fatalities. | This joint resolution establishes a 21-member "Task Force on Cannabis Related Traffic Fatalities" to study the issue of cannabis related traffic fatalities and examine methods to prevent the incidence of cannabis related traffic fatalities. In addition, the task force is to make recommendations to enhance government services, enforcement, education, and interventions to prevent cannabis related traffic fatalities. The task force is to be comprised of the following 21 members: the Commissioner of Transportation, ex officio, or a designee; Attorney General, ex officio, or a designee; Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, ex officio, or a designee; a researcher from a college or university that engages in the study of issues related to cannabis legalization; Executive Director of the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, ex officio, or a designee; the Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety in the Department of Law and Public Safety, ex officio, or a designee; the Superintendent of State Police, ex officio, or a designee; a representative from the Fraternal Order of Police having expertise on the effects of cannabis on the operation of a motor vehicle; a representative from the Police Benevolent Association; Commissioner of Human Services, ex officio, or a designee; three members of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, to include a member from each of the southern, central, and northern regions of the State; a representative from the State Troopers Fraternal Association having expertise on the effects of cannabis on the operation of a motor vehicle; and seven member of the public whom shall have education or experience in highway traffic safety. At a minimum, the task force is to consider the following: (1) the impact of cannabis use on driving ability and traffic safety; (2) motor vehicle crash statistics before and after cannabis legalization; (3) public perception regarding the dangers of driving while under the influence of cannabis, to include the perspectives of a wide range of individuals; (4) reasons why a person would choose to drive under the influence of cannabis; (5) effective strategies to inform the public concerning the danger of driving while under the influence of cannabis; (6) the effectiveness of past public awareness campaigns to reduce incidents of driving while intoxicated; (7) any other pertinent information needed to assure the safety of the public, including persons operating motor vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists. The task force is to propose a new public awareness campaign and make recommendations regarding any action that it deems necessary to prevent cannabis related traffic fatalities and driving while under the influence of cannabis. The task force is to organize within nine months of the enactment into law of legislation legalizing recreational use or decriminalizing certain amounts of cannabis. The task force is to report its findings and recommendations, including legislative proposals, to the Governor, and to the Legislature annually for a period of five years beginning no later than 24 months following the organization of the task force. Upon the filing of its final report the task force is to expire. | In Committee |
| A2434 | Establishes one New Jersey Suicide Prevention Advisory Council in DOH. | This bill establishes the New Jersey Suicide Prevention Advisory Council in the Department of Human Services. The council would serve as the sole advisory council in the State, which deals with issues of suicide prevention. Currently, there are two such councils, the New Jersey Youth Suicide Prevention Advisory Council in the Department of Children and Families and the New Jersey Elderly Person Suicide Prevention Advisory Council in the Department of Human Services. By establishing one council, relevant information may be shared among all council members. The 25-member New Jersey Suicide Prevention Advisory Council established under the bill would examine existing needs and services for all those at risk of suicide, and would make recommendations to any suicide prevention entity operating under statutory authority. The 13 ex officio members would include the Commissioners of Health, Human Services, Children and Families, Corrections, and Education, the Secretary of Higher Education, the executive director of the Juvenile Justice Commission, the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs, the Executive Director of the Board of Directors of NJ Transit, the Chief State Medical Examiner, the assistant commissioner of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the chair of the Governor's Council on Mental Health Stigma, and the Chief Technology Officer of the Office of Information Technology, or their designees, except that if one of these members has a suitable prevention or mental health entity operating under their control, the member would be required to select a member of that entity to act as a member of the council. The Governor would appoint four public members, three of whom would be higher education faculty members with expertise in the area of mental health; and one of whom is either a law enforcement officer in the Office of the Attorney General with expertise related to suicide, or a mental health professional. The President of the Senate would appoint four public members, one of whom has experience as a mental health professional in the private sector with experience in youth suicide prevention and counseling, one of whom has experience as a psychiatrist in the private sector in the provision of services to elderly persons, one of whom identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex, and one of whom is a licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor who is also a licensed clinical social worker with experience working with individuals in crisis. The Speaker of the General Assembly would also appoint four public members, two of whom are current or former mental health professionals with experience providing services in a secondary school, one of whom is a survivor of suicide or a family member who has been affected by suicide, and one of whom has a background as a primary health practitioner. The bill would repeal sections 1 through 4 of P.L.2005, c.274 (C.26:2MM-1 through C.26:2MM-4), which established the New Jersey Elderly Person Suicide Prevention Advisory Council, and sections 1 through 7 of P.L.2003, c.214 (C.30:9A-22 et seq.), which gave certain relevant duties to the Departments of Children and Families and Human Services, since the bill is establishing a single council in the Department of Health, whose duties and responsibilities are covered under Title 26 of the Revised Statutes. | In Committee |
| A2761 | Restricts authority to terminate reciprocal personal income tax agreements with other states. | This bill requires that the authority of the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury to enter into reciprocal personal income tax agreements with other states is to be limited by restricting the termination of any such agreement to the enactment by the Legislature and the Governor of a law directing the termination of an agreement. This bill is retroactive to October 19, 1977, the effective date of the Reciprocal Personal Income Tax Agreement between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey. | In Committee |
| A1136 | Requires DCA, in consultation with Commission on Human Trafficking, to establish Statewide initiative for Red Sand Project. | The bill would establish a Statewide Initiative for the Red Sand Project. Under the bill, the Department of Community Affairs would, in consultation with the Commission on Human Trafficking, establish a Statewide initiative for the Red Sand Project. This initiative would coincide with the month of January, which is designated as Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The Attorney General, in consultation with the Commission on Human Trafficking, may provide for the expenditures of monies from the "Human Trafficking Survivor's Assistance Fund" to assist with the Red Sand Project Initiative. Under current law, the Commission on Human Trafficking is required to, among other things, develop mechanisms to promote public awareness of human trafficking, including promotion of the national, 24-hour toll-free hotline telephone service on human trafficking. This bill would require the commission to develop mechanisms to promote the Red Sand Project. The Red Sand Project was created by artist Molly Gochman and involves pouring red sand in the cracks of sidewalks to promote awareness of human trafficking and to recognize the human trafficking victims who metaphorically "fall through the cracks" of our social, economic, and political systems. | In Committee |
| A2862 | Designates drug court program as the "special probation recovery court program" in statutes. | This bill would designate the drug court program as the "special probation recovery court program." Under N.J.S.A.2C:35-14 et al., currently designated in the statutes as "special probation" and known informally as "drug court," a person convicted of a non-violent crime who is found to be dependent on drugs or alcohol may be sentenced to an intensive, five-year program in lieu of incarceration if the court finds that the person would benefit from such treatment. The program includes inpatient or outpatient substance abuse treatment, supervision, monitoring, and rehabilitation. The courts have described the program as "a critical balance of authority, supervision, support and encouragement." In the view of the sponsor, the term "special probation recovery court program" more accurately describes the purposes and goals of the program, since the person's recovery is an essential component. The program is not focused on "drugs" as such, but instead consists of a comprehensive program of treatment and rehabilitation services. The bill also makes technical changes, updating statutory references to the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services to reflect its relocation to the Department of Health under Reorganization Plan No. 001-2017. | In Committee |
| A3077 | Provides for reciprocity of certain out-of-State EMT certification; establishes criminal history record background check process. | This bill allows a person who possesses an EMT certification in good standing from another state, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to obtain a New Jersey EMT certification from the Commissioner of Health provided that the standards of the other jurisdiction exceed or are equal to New Jersey's certification standard and is not disqualified under this bill. The Commissioner of Health is required to make a determination upon candidates' applications for EMT certification within 30 days of the receipt of the complete application and criminal history records background check. The bill also provides that an EMT certified by the department prior to the bill's enactment is required to undergo a criminal history record background check following the bill's enactment upon renewal of the certification. A follow-up criminal history record background check of federal records is to be conducted at least once every three years as a condition of recertification for every EMT. The bill establishes certain crimes for which a person would be disqualified from receiving an EMT certification. Those crimes or offenses include: homicide; assault; kidnapping; sexual assault; robbery; arson; causing or risking widespread injury or damage; crimes or offenses involving forgery; crimes or offenses against the family, children or incompetents, meaning those crimes and disorderly persons offenses set forth in N.J.S.2C:24-1 et seq.; certain crimes involving theft; certain crimes involving controlled dangerous substances; and sex offenses for which a person would be required to register under Megan's Law. A person with a disqualifying criminal record would be entitled to affirmatively demonstrate to the commissioner clear and convincing evidence of the rehabilitation under certain circumstances. A person convicted of Megan's Law sex offenses would not be entitled to demonstrate evidence of rehabilitation. The commissioner shall not issue an EMT certification or shall revoke a certification of a person who refuses to consent to or cooperate in securing a criminal history background check. The bill also provides for a written notice of criminal history disqualification and a request for a hearing on the accuracy of a person's criminal history record information or on the demonstration of the rehabilitation of the person from a listed crime or offense. The Department of Health may require an EMT certification candidate to bear the costs of a criminal history record background check. | Dead |
| A1447 | Provides secondary classroom experience credit towards meeting requirements of classroom training portion of registered apprenticeship. | This bill provides that partners participating in a consortium applying for a grant under the "Youth Transitions to Work Partnership Act," P.L.1993, c.268 (C.34"15E-1 et seq.), are required to consult and gain approval from the United States Department of Labor before making agreements which provide that secondary classroom experience may count as credit toward meeting the requirements of the classroom training portion of a registered apprenticeship. This requirement applies to any school-to-apprenticeship linkage program or apprenticeship program established under the grant. | In Committee |
| A101 | Provides excused absence for public school student who participates in musical performance at military funeral, including playing "Taps." | This bill provides that any pupil of a public school who is absent from school on any day to participate in a musical performance at a military funeral honoring a veteran or a member of the United States Armed Forces or the New Jersey National Guard, including but not limited to, the playing of "Taps" in conjunction with a national veterans' organization, will have the absence recorded as an excused absence. Under the bill, the absence will be recorded as an excused absence on the pupil's attendance record or on that of any group or class of which he is a member. Any transcript, application, employment form, or any similar form on which information concerning a pupil's attendance record is requested will show only absences other than excused absences authorized under the bill. | In Committee |
| A1182 | Requires DOH to develop mobile senior citizen assistance program. | This bill provides that within 180 days following the effective date of this act, the Department of Health shall develop and implement a mobile senior citizen assistance program from available funds. The program shall consist of the periodic deployment of staffed vehicles to locations at or near nursing homes and senior citizen centers, events, gatherings, and low-income senior housing and other residences and forms of senior housing in this State to provide general assistance to senior citizens which shall include, but shall not be limited to, assistance with: completing applications, correspondence, food services, health care services, Internet access and use, legal services, making appointments, tax services, transportation, and the use of computers and mobile devices. This bill is based on the Ocean County MASH Unit-- a program implemented by the Ocean County Board of Commissioners to help seniors in that county through the use of vehicles staffed by Ocean County Senior Services. | In Committee |
| A3346 | Requires State Planning Commission to adopt model ordinance for siting certain warehouses and permits conforming updates to municipal master plans and zoning ordinances and establishes fund in DCA; appropriates $5 million. | This bill requires the State Planning Commission to prepare and adopt model ordinances detailing different regulatory options for the siting of warehouses and permits municipal master plans and zoning ordinances to be consistent and compatible with one or more of those model ordinance's provisions. Innovation within the warehousing sector of the economy has led to the development of very large warehousing facilities on sites that were zoned for smaller, traditional types of warehouses. While these types of developments are of Statewide economic importance, the unanticipated development of large-scale regional warehousing facilities has, at times, resulted in significant negative regional impacts. In order to better inform municipal governments and local planning officials of this problem and possible solutions, the State Planning Commission prepared a warehouse guidance document in September 2022. The State Planning Commission should be commended for preparing and circulating the warehouse guidance document. The guidance notes that municipalities in New Jersey are finding that their communities are particularly vulnerable to poorly sited and scaled warehousing projects after having previously zoned large areas of their communities for "light industrial" land uses, especially with respect to farmland in rural areas. The guidance also notes that public outcry over approved warehouse projects has occurred in instances where the projects largely conform to existing zoning standards. The guidance proposes that in order to systematically address warehouse development, communities should proactively plan for warehouse projects to prevent land-use conflicts that harm residents, other communities, and the environment before they materialize. Proactive planning, as described in the guidance, could allow municipalities to locate large warehouses away from residential neighborhoods, downtown commercial areas and main streets, schools, daycare centers, places of worship, hospitals, overburdened communities, scenic corridors, historic districts, important public and civic outdoor spaces, and recreational facilities. However, in order for a local government to benefit from the State Planning Commission warehouse guidance, the local government should reconsider and revise its master plan and zoning ordinances before it receives a complete application to develop a warehouse. Preparation, adoption, and dissemination of model ordinances will better enable a local government to select the model ordinance, or aspects of several ordinances, most appropriate for the individual community, and enable a local government to quickly update its land use documents to be prepared for receipt of an application to develop a warehouse. This bill requires the Commissioner of Community Affairs (commissioner) to establish within the Office of Local Planning Services a fund for the purpose of reimbursing a municipality for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in updating the municipality's zoning ordinances pursuant to the bill. A municipality may submit to the commissioner an application, in a form and manner to be determined by the commissioner, for a grant of up to $50,000 for reimbursement. This bill appropriates from the General Fund to the Department of Community Affairs the sum of $5 million for the purposes of administering this fund. | In Committee |
| A944 | 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 |
| A2324 | Requires hazard mitigation plans to include climate change-related threat assessments and hazard prevention and mitigation strategies. | This bill would require any hazard mitigation plan (HMP) that is adopted or revised on or after the date the bill is enacted into law, either by the State Office of Emergency Management (OEM) or by a county office of emergency management, to address the current and future impacts of climate change, identify the specific hazards and risks associated with climate change, and include strategies to prevent and mitigate the impacts of climate change on the natural hazards identified through the planning process. The bill would require each HMP, among other things, to: (1) identify and analyze the existing and future threats to, and vulnerabilities of, resources of value including buildings, facilities, and equipment, which result from natural hazards that are caused or worsened by climate change; (2) identify the critical facilities, utilities, roadways, and other types of infrastructure that are necessary for evacuation, for sustaining assets and systems that protect life and property during a natural disaster, or for facilitating rapid recovery after a natural disaster; (3) include a social vulnerability assessment that evaluates how, and to what extent, socially vulnerable and underserved communities may be disproportionately impacted by climate change-related natural hazards; (4) include an assessment as to whether, how, and to what extent, identified climate change-related threats and vulnerabilities will impact the State's or county's ability, over time, to successfully implement other components of its HMP; (5) describe the proactive and preventive means, methods, strategies, procedures, protocols, and design and building standards that will be used under the HMP to eliminate or reduce climate change-related threats and vulnerabilities, to mitigate the hazardous impacts of climate change, and to mitigate the impacts of climate change on socially vulnerable communities; and (6) describe the means, methods, strategies, procedures, protocols, and design and building standards that will be used under the HMP to remediate or off-set the effects of natural hazards. The bill requires the climate change-related components of an HMP to be based on the most recent natural hazard projections and best available science. Finally, the bill further requires the provisions of a floodplain management plan, emergency response plan, post-disaster recovery plan, capital improvement plan, or similar plan, which is adopted or revised by the State, a county, or a local government or other local jurisdiction on or after the date the bill is enacted into law, to be consistent with, and to reflect, the natural hazard risks of the applicable HMP. | Dead |
| A1217 | Establishes Vaisakhi and Bandi Chhor Divas as public holidays in this State. | This bill designates Vaisakhi and Bandi Chhor Divas as public holidays in this State. Sikhism is represented by the central principles of truthful living, service to humanity, and devotion to God. Founded by Guru Nanak in the Punjab region of India during the 15th century, the Sikh spiritual tradition is rooted in the belief that every person, regardless of race, gender, sex, or creed, is equal before God. Sikhism is the world's fifth-largest religion with nearly 30 million adherents. Approximately one million Sikhs call the United States home, some of whom have families that began immigrating to the United States over 100 years ago. Sikh spiritual tradition and the founding principles of the United States contain significant similarities, such as the belief of the equality of persons before God and a commitment to public service to one's neighbor and nation. Vaisakhi is a Sikh day of gathering and celebration that originated more than 300 years ago. It is a harvest festival that marks the day in which the tenth in a line of gurus, or spiritual leaders, unified Sikhs and formalized many aspects of the faith. Vaisakhi typically falls on April 13 or April 14 of each year and marks the first day of the month Vaisakh in the Sikh calendar. It was on Vaisakhi that the mandatory outward identity was established, ensuring that Sikhs may stand out and be called upon for help. Vaisakhi is often celebrated by Sikhs attending their local gurdwara to worship, meditate, and to participate in langar, which is a free community meal prepared and served by volunteers at gurdwaras. Bandi Chhor Divas, meaning liberation of prisoners day, is a Sikh day of gathering and celebration which commemorates Guru Hargobind Sahib's release from Gwalior Fort prison in the 17th century. The sixth guru refused to be released unless other innocent princes were also freed and returned to the holy city of Amritsar. Emperor Jahangir, his captor, said that those who clung to the guru's coat would be able to go free. This was meant to limit the number of prisoners who could be released. In response, Guru Hargobind had a coat made with 52 tassels attached to it so that all of the princes could leave prison with him. This story reminds Sikhs of freedom and human rights, and on Bandi Chhor Divas, these principles are celebrated. This day, which typically falls in the autumn, is celebrated by the lighting of homes and gurdwaras, a celebratory street procession called nagar kirtan, langar, and fireworks displays. Gifts, especially dried fruits and sweets, are often exchanged during this day. | In Committee |
| A2819 | Prohibits creation or disclosure of deceptive audio or visual media, known as "deepfakes," under certain circumstances. | This bill concerns the creation or disclosure of deceptive audio or visual media, commonly known as "deepfakes." The bill defines deceptive audio or visual media as "any video recording, motion picture film, sound recording, electronic image, photograph, or any technological representation of speech or conduct substantially derivative thereof that appears to authentically depict any speech or conduct of a person who did not in fact engage in the speech or conduct and the production of which was substantially dependent upon technical means, rather than the ability of another person to physically or verbally impersonate the person." The bill establishes a crime of the fourth degree if a person, without license or privilege to do so, generates or creates, or causes to be generated or created, deceptive audio or visual media for an unlawful purpose. The bill provides that the trier of fact may infer that the deceptive audio or visual media was generated or created for an unlawful purpose if the work is subsequently used as part of a plan or course of conduct to commit one or more of the following: (1) harassment; (2) cyber harassment; (3) theft by deception; (4) theft by extortion; (5) false incrimination or reports; or (6)invasion of privacy. A crime of the fourth degree is punishable by a term of up to 18 months imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. The bill also establishes a crime of the third degree if a person, without license or privilege to do so, discloses a work of deceptive audio or visual media that the person knows or should reasonably know was created in violation of the provisions of this bill without clearly identifying it as a work of deceptive audio or visual media. A crime of the third degree is ordinarily punishable by a term of three to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $15,000, or both. However, the bill provides that a court may impose a fine of up to $30,000. Under the bill, a person would be liable to the individual depicted in the deceptive audio or visual media, who may bring a civil action in the Superior Court. The bill further provides that a conviction is not to be a prerequisite for a civil action. The civil action authorized by this bill is to be in addition to, and not in lieu of any other civil action, injunctive relief, or other remedy available at law. The bill provides that it should not be construed to alter or negate any rights, obligations, or immunities of an interactive computer service provider pursuant to 47 U.S.C. s.230. The bill also provides that criminal and civil penalties imposed pursuant to the bill only apply to the news media or a news agency, if the news media or news agency broadcasts or publishes a work of deceptive audio or visual media that the news media or news agency knows was created in violation of the bill and fails to clearly identify the work as deceptive audio or visual media. | In Committee |
| A1600 | Requires school districts to take certain actions in circumstances when school meal bill is in arrears; prohibits shaming students with school meal bills in arrears; prohibits certain district actions in collecting unpaid school meal fees. | In February of 2015, the Legislature enacted P.L.2015, c.15 (C.18A:33-21) to establish a process that a school district must follow prior to denying a school breakfast or a school lunch to a student due to the fact that the student's school breakfast or school lunch bill was in arrears. The purpose of the law was to ensure that a student was not suddenly denied a school breakfast or school lunch, and that the student's parent or guardian received proper notice of the arrearage and an adequate opportunity to address the arrearage prior to the school district making a determination to deny the student school meals. This bill clarifies that nothing in section 1 of P.L.2015, c.15 (C.18A:33-21) requires a school district to deny school breakfast or school lunch to a student whose bill is in arrears, but rather to provide adequate notice and opportunity to the student's parent or guardian if the district determines to take such an action. The bill amends that same section of law to require that, if a student's parent or guardian has not made full payment of a student's school breakfast or school lunch bill in arrears by the end of 10 school days, a school district must provide notice of any action to be taken by the school district in response to a student's school breakfast or school lunch bill being in arrears. The bill also amends that section of law to include a number of provisions regarding a school district's responsibilities when a student's school breakfast or school lunch bill is in arrears. Pursuant to the bill, prior to contacting the parent to provide notice of the school meal bill in arrears, the school district is required to exhaust all options and methods to directly certify the student for the free or reduced priced meal program. If the school district is not able to directly certify the student, when the district sends the notification of the arrearage to the parent, it must include a paper copy of, or an electronic link to, an application for the school meal program and contact the parent to encourage submission of the application. The bill includes a provision that requires school districts to ensure that a student whose school breakfast or school lunch bill is in arrears is not shamed, treated differently, forced to go to the end of the food line, or served a meal that differs from what a student whose bill is not in arrears would receive. Under the bill, a district may not permit any action directed at a student to collect unpaid school meal fees. Districts may attempt to collect unpaid school meal fees from parents, but the districts are not permitted to threaten to make a child protective services report solely in regard to the arrearage. | In Committee |
| A2806 | Requires availability of accessible mail-in ballot for voters with disabilities. | This bill requires the availability of an accessible mail-in ballot for voters with disabilities. Under current law, registered voters may apply to vote by mail and may receive a mail-in ballot to be completed by hand. Although the law prohibits any person other than the voter to complete the ballot, the law allows persons who need assistance in completing the mail-in ballot to have a family member provide them that assistance. Under this bill, the county clerk would be required to provide an accessible mail-in ballot for any voter with a disability that requests one, provided the voter is registered to vote and is entitled to vote in that county in this State. The bill requires the accessible mail-ballot to contain features to enable a voter with a disability to understand the contents of the ballot, mark-up voting choices, make changes, verify the final voting choices made on the ballot, complete the ballot, and print the completed ballot and related materials such as certificates and envelopes. The bill specifies key features of the accessible mail-in ballot. These would include, but would not be limited to, electronic delivery and access; readability with guided audible prompts; readability of the ballot using a voter's own braille display device; ability to mark the ballot reflecting the voter's selections; confirmation of the voter's selections prior to final completion; ability to print the ballot and related materials or to generate an electronic file for printing and submitting to the county board of elections at a later date; ability to return the ballot by electronic means if the voter is eligible to do so; clear and comprehensive instructions; and any additional features deemed necessary. Upon completion, the voter would then submit their ballot and necessary materials by mail, in person, or using a ballot drop box in the manner provided under current law. If the voter is "electronic return eligible," the voter would be permitted to return the mail-in ballot by electronic means. Under the bill, "electronic return eligible" means a voter who, regardless of any other disability: is blind; has a visual impairment or perceptual or reading disability that cannot be improved to give visual function substantially equivalent to that of a person who has no such impairment or disability and therefore is unable to read or mark a ballot to substantially the same degree as a person without an impairment or disability; or is otherwise unable, through physical disability, to hold, mark, or manipulate a ballot or to focus or move the eyes to the extent that would be normally acceptable for reading or marking a ballot. Finally, the Secretary of State, in consultation with county clerks and county boards of elections, is directed to issue uniform guidelines for election officials to follow for implementing the accessible ballot provisions. | In Committee |
| A540 | "Ensuring Transparency in Prior Authorization Act." | The bill places certain requirements regarding the use of prior authorization of health benefits on carriers and utilization review entities acting on behalf of carriers. The bill defines "carrier" to include insurance companies, health, hospital, and medical service corporations, health maintenance organizations, and the State Health Benefits Program and School Employees' Health Benefits Program. The bill also adds a definition of "enrollee" and "medications for opioid use disorder" and adds mental health services and behavioral health services to the definition of "urgent health care service." The bill requires a utilization review entity to make certain disclosures regarding its prior authorization requirements and restrictions, on its website and in writing, including certain statistics concerning approvals and denials, as set forth in the bill. This includes data on whether prior authorization determinations were appealed, approved or denied on appeal, and the time between submission of prior authorization requests and the determination. The bill also requires that a utilization review entity ensure that a physician make any adverse determination and specifies the qualifications the physician is to meet to make the determination. Additionally, questions over the medical necessity of a health care service are to be conveyed from the utilization review entity to the physician of the enrollee who is to receive the health care service and that physician is granted the opportunity to discuss the service with the physician who will determine its authorization for the review entity. The utilization review entity is to also ensure that a physician who is to review an appeal of an adverse determination meets certain requirements delineated in the bill. The bill provides that if a utilization review entity requires prior authorization of a covered service, the utilization review entity shall make a prior authorization or adverse determination and notify the subscriber (also commonly known as a "policyholder") and the subscriber's health care provider of the prior authorization or adverse determination within one calendar day of obtaining all necessary information to make the prior authorization or adverse determination. Necessary information is considered received if it is transmitted to the utilization review entity after being sent by electronic portal, e-mail, facsimile, telephone or other means of communication. The bill provides that a utilization review entity is to render a prior authorization or adverse determination concerning an urgent health care service, and notify the subscriber and the subscriber's health care provider of that prior authorization or adverse determination, not later than 24 hours after receiving all information needed to complete the review of the requested service. The bill further adds that medications for opioid use disorder do not require prior authorization. The bill requires a utilization review entity to adhere to certain practices with respect to authorization of emergency health care services, establishes a presumption that these services are medically necessary in some situations, and deems certain services to be approved under certain circumstances. The bill also prohibits a utilization review entity from:· Requiring a health care provider offering services to a covered person to participate in a step therapy protocol if the provider deems that the step therapy protocol is not in the covered person's best interests; · Requiring that a health care provider first obtain a waiver, exception, or other override when deeming a step therapy protocol to not be in a covered person's best interests; or · Sanctioning or otherwise penalizing a health care provider for recommending or issuing a prescription, performing or recommending a procedure, or performing a test that may conflict with the step therapy protocol of the carrier. Additionally, the bill establishes requirements regarding the prior authorization of certain medications. The bill further provides that a utilization review entity is not to revoke, limit, condition, or restrict a prior authorization if care is provided within 45 business days from the date the health care provider received the prior authorization. A prior authorization is to be valid for purposes of authorizing the health care provider to provide care for a period of one year from the date the health care provider receives the prior authorization. The bill also includes a provision authorizing a utilization review entity to honor a previous prior authorization for the initial 60 days of coverage under a new health plan of an enrollee, grant the entity the right to review the prior authorization during the initial 60 days, and prohibit any change in coverage or approval criteria for prior authorization from impacting an enrollee's access to the service authorized previously if the service was authorized before the effective date of the change for the remainder of the enrollee's plan year. Any failure by a utilization review entity to comply with a deadline or other requirement under the provisions of the bill is to result in any health care services subject to review being automatically deemed authorized. Finally, the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance is to promulgate rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), including any penalties or enforcement provisions, that the commissioner deems necessary to effectuate the purposes of the bill. | Dead |
| A1180 | Prohibits surgical declawing of cats and other animals. | This bill would prohibit a person from performing, or causing to be performed, an onychectomy (declawing) or flexor tendonectomy procedure by any means on a cat or other animal, unless the procedure is deemed necessary for a therapeutic purpose by a licensed veterinarian. Any person who violates this provision would be guilty of a disorderly persons offense, which is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, a term of imprisonment of up to six months, or both. A violator would also be subject to a civil penalty of between $500 and $2,000. For purposes of the bill, the term "therapeutic purpose" means for purpose of necessity to address the medical condition of the animal, such as an existing or recurring illness, infection, disease, injury, or abnormal condition in a claw that compromises the animal's health. "Therapeutic purpose" would not include cosmetic or aesthetic reasons or reasons of convenience in keeping or handling the animal. Under the bill, whenever a licensed veterinarian determines that an onychectomy or flexor tendonectomy is necessary for a therapeutic purpose, the veterinarian would be required to file a written statement with the Department of Health, and provide a copy of that statement to the owner or keeper of the animal. A veterinarian who fails to comply with this provision would be subject to disciplinary action by the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. An onychectomy involves amputating the last bone of each toe on a cat's paw with a scalpel, guillotine, or laser. A flexor tendonectomy, involves severing the tendon that controls the claw in each toe, so that the cat keeps its claws, but cannot flex or extend them. Sometimes they are medically necessary such as for the removal of cancerous tumors. | In Committee |
| A1133 | Provides for uniform regulation of small wireless facility deployment in this State. | This bill provides for the uniform regulation of small wireless facility deployment in the State by the State government and local government units (authorities). The bill prohibits an authority from regulating small wireless facilities in a manner inconsistent with the bill, including entering into an exclusive arrangement with any person or entity for the use of the right-of-way for: 1) the collocation of a small wireless facility; 2) the mounting or installation of a small wireless facility on new or replacement poles; 3) the installation of associated antenna equipment adjacent to a structure on which a small wireless facility is or will be collocated, mounted, or installed; or 4) the installation, operation, marketing, modification, maintenance, or replacement of associated poles. The bill provides that a wireless provider, as defined in the bill, is to have the right, as a permitted use not subject to zoning review or approval, and without the need for authority consent to: 1) collocate small wireless facilities; 2) mount or install small wireless facilities on new or replacement poles; 3) install associated antenna equipment adjacent to a structure on which a small wireless facility is or will be collocated, mounted, or installed; or 4) install, modify, or replace its own poles, or, with the permission of the owner, a third party's poles, associated with a small wireless facility, along, across, upon, and under the right-of-way. The bill provides that each new, replaced, or modified pole installed in the right-of-way for the purpose of collocating, mounting, or installing a small wireless facility is to follow certain height restrictions pursuant to the bill. A wireless provider is not to install a new pole unless the wireless provider has determined it cannot meet its service objectives by collocating on existing poles or structures. An authority may adopt aesthetics requirements governing the deployment of small wireless facilities and associated antenna equipment and poles in the right-of-way, subject to certain requirements pursuant to the bill. A wireless provider is to comply with undergrounding requirements that are consistent with the bill. The bill requires a wireless provider to repair all damage to the right-of-way caused by the activities of the wireless provider and to return the right-of-way to its functional and aesthetic equivalence before the damage, pursuant to the competitively neutral, reasonable requirements, and specifications of the authority. If the wireless provider fails to make the repairs required by the authority within a reasonable time after written notice, the authority may make those repairs and charge the applicable party the reasonable documented cost of the repairs. Under the bill, a wireless provider is not required to replace or upgrade an existing pole, except for reasons of structural necessity or compliance with applicable building codes. A wireless provider may, with the permission of the pole owner, replace or modify the existing pole, but any replacement or modification is to be consistent with the design aesthetics of the pole being modified or replaced. The bill requires wireless provider to notify an authority at least 30 days before the abandonment of a small wireless facility located within the authority's jurisdiction. Following receipt of the notice, the authority is to direct the wireless provider to remove all or any portion of the small wireless facility and associated antenna equipment that the authority determines would be in the best interest of the public. If the wireless provider fails to remove the abandoned small wireless facility within 90 days after the notice, the authority may undertake to remove the small wireless facility and recover the actual and reasonable expenses of the removal from the wireless provider, its successors, or assigns. The bill allows an authority to require an applicant to obtain a permit for: 1) the collocation of a small wireless facility; 2) the mounting or installation of a small wireless facility on a new, modified, or replacement pole; or 3) the installation, modification, or replacement of a pole or antenna equipment as provided in the bill. Each permit issued pursuant to the bill is to be of general applicability and is not to apply exclusively to a small wireless facility and an authority is to receive and process applications following certain requirements pursuant to the bill. Application fees for any permit issued pursuant to the bill are not to exceed certain amounts pursuant to the bill. Under the bill, the rates, fees, and terms and conditions for any make-ready work to collocate, mount, or install a small wireless facility on an authority pole and to install associated antenna equipment are to be non-discriminatory, competitively neutral, commercially reasonable, and are in compliance with the provisions of the bill. The bill further provides that all rates and fees established pursuant to the bill are to be a reasonable approximation of the authority's reasonable costs, and are to be applied by the authority in a non-discriminatory manner. An authority may not require a wireless provider to pay any rates, fees, or compensation to the authority or other person other than what is expressly authorized by the bill for the right to use or occupy the right-of-way for the collocation, mounting, or installation of a small wireless facility on a pole in the right-of-way, or for the installation, maintenance, modification, or replacement of associated antenna equipment or a pole in the right-of-way. The bill provides that an authority is not to have or exercise any jurisdiction or authority over the design, engineering, construction, installation, or operation of a small wireless facility located in an interior structure or upon the site of a campus, stadium, or athletic facility not owned or controlled by the authority, other than to require compliance with applicable building codes. Further, except as it relates to small wireless facilities subject to the permit and fee requirements established pursuant the bill or otherwise specifically authorized by State or federal law, an authority is not to adopt or enforce any regulations or requirements on the placement or operation of communications facilities in the right-of-way by a communications service provider authorized by federal, State, or local law to operate in the right-of-way, regulate any communications services, or impose or collect any tax, fee, rate, or charge for the provision of additional communications service over the communications service provider's communications facilities in the right-of-way. The bill allows an authority to adopt an ordinance that makes available to wireless providers rates, fees, and other terms and conditions that comply with the provisions of the bill. In the absence of an ordinance, a wireless provider may install and operate a small wireless facility and any associated poles and antenna equipment under the requirements of the bill. An authority may not require a wireless provider to enter into an agreement to implement the provisions of the bill, but agreements are permissible if voluntary and non-discriminatory. The bill provides that an authority may adopt reasonable indemnification, insurance, and bonding requirements related to a small wireless facility and associated pole permits and antenna equipment. The bill requires a wireless provider that owns or operates a small wireless facility or utility pole in the right-of-way to indemnify, protect, defend, and hold the authority and its elected officials, officers, and employees, agents, and volunteers harmless against all claims, lawsuits, judgements, costs, liens, losses, expenses and fees. The bill further provides that an authority may require a wireless provider to have in effect certain insurance coverage as provided in the bill. The bill also allows an authority to impose reasonable and non-discriminatory requirements for bonds, escrow deposits, letters of credit, or any other type of financial surety to ensure removal of abandoned or unused wireless facilities or damage to the right-of-way or authority property caused by the wireless provider or its agent. The bill provides that nothing in the bill is to be construed to authorize certain actions, including authorizing a person to collocate a small wireless facility on property owned by a public utility without consent of the public utility, to impact, modify or supersede any construction standard or other obligation applicable to certain entities that are not wireless providers, or to apply to a public utility's use of its own poles, facilities, or both for communications associated with its public utility operations. The bill provides that a court of competent jurisdiction is to have jurisdiction to determine disputes arising pursuant to the bill. A dispute is to be pursued in accordance with accelerated docket or complaint procedures, where available. | In Committee |
| A1814 | Requires DOH to establish maternity care evaluation protocols. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Health (commissioner) to develop comprehensive policies and procedures to be followed by every hospital providing inpatient maternity services, and every birthing center licensed in the State pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.), in the State, for the collection and dissemination of data on maternity care. The bill would require the Department of Health (DOH) to establish a maternity care evaluation protocol that every hospital and every birthing center would be required to follow in order to collect hospital discharge data relevant to maternity care, including, but not limited to de-identified information outlined under the bill. The Department of Health is to evaluate the data collected under the maternity care evaluation protocol for the purposes of: facilitating a data-based review of the provision of maternity care services in the State in order to identify potential improvements in the provisions of such services; generating Statewide perinatal and provider-level quality metrics; establishing Statewide and regional objective benchmarks that promote improvements in maternal health outcomes and the quality of maternity care, and comparing the performance every hospital and birthing center in the State to such benchmarks; identifying data quality issues that may directly impact the performance of hospitals and birthing centers in providing maternity care services; encouraging hospitals and birthing centers that provide inpatient maternity services to participate in quality improvement collaboratives; and researching the association between clinical practices, the quality of maternal care, and maternal health care outcomes. No later than one year after the enactment of the bill, and every year after, the commissioner would report to the Governor and the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), on the findings of the evaluation required pursuant to the bill. The report would include any recommendations for legislative action that the commissioner deems appropriate. | In Committee |
| A1212 | Creates New Jersey Dog Trainer Licensure Board. | This bill creates a "New Jersey Dog Trainer Licensure Board" in the Division of Consumer Affairs, part of the Department of Law and Public Safety, to regulate the practice of dog training. The board is to consist of nine members appointed to four-year terms. No member is to serve more than two consecutive terms. Among the stipulations in the bill is that an individual is to be licensed or be issued a provisional or temporary limited permit to provide dog training, as defined in the bill. The issuance of a temporary limited permit is directed to out-of-State individuals. A provisional permit is intended for State residents who have not met all requirements for licensure. Individuals eligible for licensure are to be 18 years of age, of "good professional moral character," as defined in the bill, and hold current certification in dog training from an approved certification program or current certification as a certified applied animal behaviorist or associate certified applied animal behaviorist. The bill also provides for initial licensure of individuals without certification, if the individual demonstrates at least one year of performing dog training services continuously prior to the effective date of the bill. Additionally, compliance with policies equivalent to or more restrictive of aversive practices than industry recognized standards has to be proven and the individual has to affirm that they will remain in compliance when issued a license. Among other items in the bill is the establishment of: (1) the responsibilities of the board, which includes the development of rules and regulations for granting licensure through reciprocity; (2) a system directing the board on its responsibilities in the event of unlicensed practice; (3) the licensure renewal as every three years; and (4) the requirements for licensure renewal. | In Committee |
| A1192 | Requires placement of portable FDA-approved anti-choking devices in schools. | This bill would require public and nonpublic schools to ensure that at least one portable FDA-approved anti-choking device is made available in the cafeteria, school nurse's office, and any other similar location. The devices would be placed in an unlocked and easily accessible location during the school day and at any other time when a school-sponsored event is taking place. Under the bill, the locations of each portable anti-choking device are required to have an appropriate identifying sign. A portable anti-choking device is a device that uses manually created suction to remove blockage from a person's airway during a choking emergency. These devices may only be used in schools provided they have been approved for use by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Each board of education and the governing board or chief administrator of a nonpublic school would be required to develop policies for the use of anti-choking devices by school nurses and school employees. The policies would include a requirement that all school nurses and school employees receive training in airway management and in the removal of any obstructions from the airway using a portable anti-choking device. The Commissioner of Education would ensure that annual educational opportunities are made available for school nurses and employees of both public and nonpublic schools regarding airway management and the use of portable anti-choking devices. The Department of Education would reimburse public and nonpublic schools for the costs incurred to implement the provisions of this bill. | In Committee |
| ACR57 | Directs SCI to examine human trafficking activity at certain places of business. | This concurrent resolution directs the State Commission on Investigation to examine human trafficking activity at the places of business of persons who employ massage and bodywork therapists. This bill calls for the State Commission on Investigation to issue a report summarizing its investigation no later than two years after the resolution takes effect. The report may be delayed at the request of the Attorney General for up to an additional 120 days pursuant to section 7 of P.L.1996, c.44 (C.52:9M-8.1), due to information or evidence contained in the report showing a reasonable possibility of human trafficking or other criminal wrongdoing. The report would also include recommendations for consideration by the Governor and Legislature for further addressing human trafficking activity within these places of business. | In Committee |
| A1181 | Requires newly constructed police stations, fire stations, and hospitals to provide newborn safety device; allows affirmative defense to prosecution for abandonment if parent leaves child in device. | This bill requires newly constructed police stations, fire stations, and hospitals to contain a newborn safety device and allows an affirmative defense to prosecution for abandonment of a child if a parent leaves a child in this device. As used in the bill, "newborn safety device" refers to a secure compartment, with a functioning alarm, intended for the safe placement of a newborn child, and installed and maintained at a fire station, police station, hospital, or other appropriate facility, in accordance with the rules and regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Community Affairs. Specifically, the bill requires a newly constructed building to provide a newborn safety device if the building is intended to serve as: (1) a State, county, or municipal police station; (2) a fire station of a municipal, county, fire district, or volunteer fire department; or (3) a licensed general hospital, or an emergency department thereof. Further, under current law, it is an affirmative defense to prosecution for the abandonment of a child if the parent leaves a newborn with an adult employee of a police station, fire station, or hospital. This bill would offer a parent the equivalent affirmative defense if the parent leaves the child in a newborn safety device at a police station, fire station, hospital, or other appropriate facility. Current law provides for the Division of Child Protection and Permanency to assume responsibility for the care, custody, and control of a baby abandoned by a parent. The bill removes a requirement that the facility be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week in order to qualify for the affirmative defense, so long as the infant is left either with an adult employee, or in a newborn safety device. Finally, the bill directs the Commissioner of Community Affairs to promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate the provisions of this bill. These rules and regulations would include designation of what buildings, if any, in addition to police stations, fire stations, and hospitals, are appropriate for the placement of a newborn safety device, thereby entitling the parent to an affirmative defense to prosecution for abandonment of a child, if a newborn is placed in a newborn safety device. The rules and regulations would also designate what range of features are necessary to include in the device to ensure compliance with the bill. | In Committee |
| A1132 | Changes deadline for New Jersey Racing Commission's annual report from end of calendar year to end of State fiscal year. | This bill changes the date on which the New Jersey Racing Commission's annual report to the Governor is due from the end of the calendar year to the end of the State fiscal year. This change will make the reporting process more effective. The Racing Commission does not have access to all data needed for the commission's annual report by the end of the calendar year. As a result, the commission has to file an incomplete report at the end of the calendar year in order to meet the statutory requirement, and then file an additional, supplemental report when the additional information becomes available. Changing the date on which the Racing Commission's annual report is due will eliminate the need to file multiple and incomplete reports in order to meet statutory reporting requirements. | In Committee |
| A1640 | Requires plaintiff to obtain affidavit of merit in malpractice suit against enrolled agent. | This bill would require a plaintiff to obtain an affidavit of merit in a malpractice suit against an enrolled agent, by adding enrolled agents to the list of professionals covered under P.L.1995, c.139 (C.2A:53A-26 et seq.). Enrolled agent status is the highest credential the IRS awards, and such status gives a tax practitioner the ability to represent taxpayers before the IRS. Enrolled agents are required to have previous experience within the IRS, or to pass a three-part test that covers both individual and business tax returns. Additionally, the IRS requires enrolled agents to complete 72 hours of continuing education courses every three years, and to comply with IRS ethical standards. Affidavits of merit ensure that people providing professional services are insulated from frivolous malpractice lawsuits. An affidavit of merit provides that another professional in that field has certified that there is a reasonable probability that the actions of the defending professional fell outside the bounds of the acceptable standards in that field. New Jersey law presently requires that an affidavit of merit be submitted within 60 days after the complaint is filed or the lawsuit will be dismissed. In New Jersey, attorneys, accountants, architects, and a host of other professionals are already given this protection, and this bill would extend the same to enrolled agents of the federal Internal Revenue Service. | In Committee |
| AJR39 | Designates October 19th of each year as "Mike 'Doc' Emrick Day" in NJ. | This joint resolution designates October 19th of each year as "Mike 'Doc' Emrick Day" in New Jersey. Mike "Doc" Emrick announced his retirement from broadcasting on October 19th, 2020. At age 14, Mike "Doc" Emrick decided to have a career in hockey. After receiving undergraduate and graduate degrees in speech and radio television, Mike Emrick received a Ph.D. in Broadcasting Communications and became known as "Doc." Doc Emrick began his career broadcasting lower tier professional hockey matches and then became the play-by-play announcer for the National Hockey League's New Jersey Devils, a position he held for 21 seasons. During that time, Doc Emrick became well known for his mastery of the English language and his humor, making hockey feel more accessible to fans. Doc Emrick's career also included announcing the Stanley Cup Finals, NHL All-Star Games, and several Olympic hockey matches, as well as being a founder member and president of the National Hockey League Pronunciation Guide. This work was recognized within the industry, leading Doc Emrick to be the first broadcaster inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, as well as earning him many other awards and accolades. Doc Emrick has offered support and inspiration to a new generation of up and coming broadcasters, as well as fellow cancer survivors through his guidance, advocacy, support, and inspirational outlook on life. | In Committee |
| A1883 | Prohibits social media platforms from using certain practices or features that cause child users to become addicted to platform. | The bill prohibits the owner or operator of 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, the owner or operator of the social media platform would be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $250,000 for each violation. However, the platform would not be deemed to violate the provisions of the bill if the owner or operator of the platform hires 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, and the owner or operator of the platform demonstrates that the platform does not use a practice, design, feature, or affordance that causes, or is likely to cause, the addiction of child users to the platform. If an audit reveals that a practice, design, feature, or affordance has the potential to cause or contributes to child user addiction, the owner or operator of 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. The bill also requires that a social medial platform demonstrate that it does not use a practice, design, feature, or affordance that causes, or is likely to cause, the addiction of child users to the platform. 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 the owner or operator of a social media platform 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 |
| A1696 | Directs Commissioner of Education to appoint coordinator and regional consultants to coordinate the education of students with traumatic brain injury. | This bill directs the Commissioner of Education to appoint a Traumatic Brain Injury Education Coordinator. The coordinator will be responsible for evaluating, coordinating, and developing local, county, regional, and State educational programs and services for students with a traumatic brain injury. Under the bill, it will be the duty of the coordinator to: (1) establish a comprehensive, Statewide network of Regional Traumatic Brain Injury Consultants to aid school districts in meeting the needs of students with traumatic brain injuries; (2) develop a methodology for the systematic identification, assessment, and intervention of students with a traumatic brain injury; (3) develop and implement an annual training plan that builds the capacity of school districts to effectively support students with traumatic brain injuries; (4) develop a hospital-to-school transition protocol for the return to the classroom of students with a traumatic brain injury; (5) develop a model policy for the return to the classroom of students with concussions; and (6) develop a mechanism to collect data on the incidence of traumatic brain injuries in children. The bill also directs the commissioner to appoint a Regional Traumatic Brain Injury Consultant for each of the northwest, northeast, central, and southern regions of the State. The consultant will: (1) provide coordination, training, and technical assistance to school districts in the region; (2) aid school districts in developing a brain injury resource team; (3) conduct outreach in the region to identify and address issues related to children with traumatic brain injuries; (4) assist the coordinator in the development of an annual training plan, hospital-to-school transition protocol, and model policy for students with concussions; and (5) develop an integrated system of school, health care, and community supports for school-aged children with a traumatic brain injury. | In Committee |
| A1173 | Requires health benefits coverage of hearing aids for all ages. | This bill amends P.L.2008, c.126, "Grace's Law," by removing the specification that 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 NJ FamilyCare Program) provide coverage for expenses incurred in the purchase of a hearing aid only for covered persons who are 15 years old or younger. The bill generalizes the requirement so that health insurers must provide these benefits regardless of the covered person's age. In addition, the bill supplements P.L.2007, c.103 (C.52:14-17.46.1 et seq.) to require the School Employees' Health Benefits Commission to ensure that every contract purchased by the commission meets the same requirements for hearing aid coverage as "Grace's Law." The provisions of the bill will take effect 90 days after the date of enactment and will apply to all health benefits plans issued or renewed on or after that date. | In Committee |
| A951 | Requires uniform response procedures for all domestic crisis teams established or participated in by law enforcement agencies, and strengthens Statewide supervision over teams. | This bill concerns the training and oversight of domestic crisis teams established or participated in by law enforcement agencies. Domestic crisis teams may include social workers, clergy, or other persons trained in counseling, crisis intervention, or treating domestic violence victims, or elderly or disabled victims of neglect or abuse. The bill would require that procedures for activating domestic violence crisis teams would be included in the training course and curriculum on handling, investigating, and responding to reports of domestic violence and abuse and neglect of the elderly and disabled, that was previously prepared, and is revised from time to time as needed, by the State's Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety. With respect to the new response procedures to be developed, the bill as amended would establish greater uniformity for future domestic crisis team responses. Currently, there are inconsistencies in how and when the services of domestic crisis teams are made available to victims. The bill provides that the training course and curriculum would include procedures to be followed in activating the services of domestic violence crisis teams. Under the bill, the domestic violence crisis team would be activated in response to any incident related to domestic violence unless any of the following circumstances apply, in which case activation of the domestic violence crisis team would be in the discretion of the law enforcement agency: (a) any dispute concerning child custody or parenting time that does not result in an act of domestic violence; (b) if the victim is intoxicated, under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance, or otherwise incoherent; (c) if both parties are arrested for an offense related to domestic violence; (d) if the victim exhibits behavior that is violent, combative, or abusive and may put the responder at risk; (e) if a party is a victim of sexual assault that requires the activation of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program (SANE) or Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) at an approved SANE or SART location; or (f) if the victim will not be returning to law enforcement headquarters or another designated area. The bill would also strengthen oversight over domestic violence crisis teams by providing that law enforcement agency actions to (1) establish or participate in a domestic violence crisis team, and (2) train all individual officers participating in a team, would be done under the supervision of the State's Division of Criminal Justice. The bill provides that, in the discretion of the law enforcement agency, domestic violence crisis teams may be made available to victims whenever law enforcement responds to reports of domestic violence and to reports of abuse and neglect of the elderly and disabled related to domestic violence. The bill also correct several technical references to the teams, changing the term "domestic crisis team" to the more precise "domestic violence crisis team." This bill embodies recommendation 9 of the Report of the Supreme Court Ad Hoc Committee on Domestic Violence issued June 2016. | In Committee |
| A1151 | Requires health insurers, SHBP and SEHBP to provide coverage for diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of lymphedema. | This bill requires health insurers and health maintenance organizations, as well as health benefits plans or contracts which are issued or purchased pursuant to the New Jersey Individual Health Coverage Program, New Jersey Small Employer Health Benefits Program, State Health Benefits Program, and School Employees' Health Benefits Program, to provide coverage for expenses incurred in the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of lymphedema that is determined to be medically necessary by the treating physician. Lymphedema is caused by an abnormality of the lymphatic system leading to excessive build-up of tissue fluid that forms lymph, known as interstitial fluid. Interstitial fluid can build up in any area of the body that has inadequate lymph drainage and cause lymphedema. Left untreated, lymphedema leads to chronic inflammation, infection and hardening of the skin that, in turn results in further lymph vessel damage and distortion of the shape of affected body parts. Lymphedema is a condition that develops slowly and once present is usually progressive. Although some people are born with abnormalities in the lymphatic system, a condition known as Primary Lymphedema, most lymphedema in the United States is Secondary Lymphedema. This type of lymphedema occurs from damage to the lymphatic system, commonly from cancer and its treatment, but also from trauma to the skin such as from burns or infections. Lymphedema can occur as a result of breast cancer, melanoma, gynecologic cancer, head and neck cancer, and sarcoma. Early diagnosis of lymphedema is important since treatment is most effective when commenced at the earliest stage of the disease. Lymphedema has no cure, but can be successfully managed when properly diagnosed and treated. Every patient diagnosed with lymphedema should have access to established effective treatment. | In Committee |
| A1207 | Requires health insurance coverage of prescribed anti-obesity medication. | This bill requires health insurance coverage of prescribed anti-obesity medication. Specifically, under the bill, health insurance carriers (including insurance companies, hospital service corporations, medical service corporations, health service corporations, health maintenance organizations authorized to issue health benefits plans in New Jersey, and any entities contracted to administer health benefits in connection with the State Health Benefits Program and School Employees' Health Benefits Program) will be required to cover prescribed anti-obesity medication that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It is the intent of the sponsor of this bill that access to obesity medication be expanded and that greater attention be placed on obesity as a disease. Since 2013, the American Medical Association has recognized obesity as a disease requiring treatment and prevention efforts. According to the World Health Organization, obesity leads to a range of non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, various forms of cancer, and various mental health issues. It is estimated that almost one-third of American adults and 17% of American children ages two to 19 are obese. Globally, more than one billion people are considered to be obese, with an additional 167 million people expected to become obese by 2025. By expanding access to FDA-approved anti-obesity medication such as "Wegovy," more individuals will be able to affordably access this effective treatment. | In Committee |
| A1174 | Requires municipal accounting of abandoned properties before receiving certain State aid; establishes State database of abandoned properties; requires owners of abandoned properties to document rehabilitation efforts. | This bill requires municipalities to take certain actions relating to abandoned properties. Specifically, municipalities would be required to maintain a registry of all abandoned properties and contact the owner of each abandoned property concerning the status of rehabilitation efforts prior to receiving municipal aid. The bill also requires the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to publish a Statewide database of all abandoned properties. This bill requires every municipality to maintain a registry of all abandoned properties located within the municipality. The registry is to include the following information for each abandoned property: (1) the tax block and lot number; (2) the street address; (3) the owner or owners of the property; (4) the person or entity responsible for rehabilitating the property; and (5) the rehabilitation efforts, if any, completed on the property. The registry would be distinct from the abandoned property list currently maintained by certain municipalities, and the inclusion of a property on the registry would not confer any additional powers to the municipality. Under the bill, each municipality is required to annually submit its abandoned property registry to the Division of Local Government Services in the DCA. The division would be required to make available on its Internet website a Statewide database of all abandoned properties located in the State. The database is to include the information contained in each municipal registry submitted to the division. The database also would be searchable by municipality and by the type of entity owning each abandoned property, including financial institutions, municipalities, private residents, and other public or private entities as deemed appropriate. The bill also requires each municipality to deliver, on a quarterly basis, a notice to the owner of each abandoned property located in the municipality in order to solicit information concerning the status of any rehabilitation efforts. The owner of the property is required to respond by documenting any rehabilitation efforts completed on the property within the previous 12 month period. If the owner of an abandoned property has designated an agent to manage the property, the notice may be delivered to that agent, who may also respond on behalf of the property owner. In addition, the bill authorizes a municipality to hold a special tax sale concerning any abandoned property pursuant to the "Abandoned Properties Rehabilitation Act," if: (1) the property is eligible for tax sale pursuant to R.S.54:5-19; and (2) the owner of the property fails to verify the receipt of the notice, the owner of the property fails to respond within 30 days of the date of receipt, or the response is inaccurate or incomplete. However, an abandoned property would not be eligible for a special tax sale if the owner of the property adequately responds to the notice prior to the date of the special tax sale. In order defray the costs associated with implementing this bill, municipalities would be authorized to impose and collect an annual fee on the owner of each abandoned property. The unpaid fees would constitute a lien on the property and would be collected in the same manner as property taxes. The bill also provides that a municipality will not receive any of the following forms of municipal aid during any fiscal year in which it fails to comply with the provisions of the bill: Energy Tax Receipts Property Tax Relief Aid; Consolidated Municipal Property Tax Relief Aid; Transitional Aid to Localities, or any successor discretionary aid program for municipalities in fiscal distress. Given the deleterious effects of abandoned properties on neighboring communities, municipalities currently possess broad powers to rehabilitate abandoned properties. It is the intent of the sponsor to encourage accountability amongst municipalities and the owners of abandoned properties as it relates to the rehabilitation of those properties. | In Committee |
| A2374 | Establishes NJ State Parks and Open Space Foundation. | This bill establishes a nonprofit, educational, and charitable organization to be known as the "New Jersey State Parks and Open Space Foundation" (foundation). The foundation would be devoted to the raising of funds for: (1) improvements to natural or artificial assets, including the planning, design, construction, installation, renovation, repair, or restoration thereof, which are designed to expand and enhance the utilization of State, county, and municipal parks and open space for recreation and conservation purposes and the equitable access thereto; and (2) activities, beyond the routine operations of State, county, or municipal parks and open space, which are intended to enhance public programming and recreational and educational offerings, restore or maintain public accessibility to the natural resources of the State, or support operation and maintenance activities attendant thereto. The foundation would be incorporated as a New Jersey nonprofit corporation pursuant to N.J.S.15A:1-1 et seq. and would be organized and operated so that it would be eligible, under applicable federal law, for tax-exempt status and for the receipt of tax-deductible contributions. The New Jersey State Parks and Open Space Foundation would be governed by a board of directors, consisting of 12 members, as follows: the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Secretary of State, and State Treasurer, or their designees, who would serve as nonvoting, ex officio members; the chairperson of the Garden State Preservation Trust established pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1999, c.152 (C.13:8C-4), or the chairperson's designee, who would serve as an ex officio member; one member of the public appointed by the President of the Senate; one member of the public appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; and six members of the public, to be appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate. The public members are to have expertise in open space preservation, recreational development, natural lands management, or fundraising. Of the public members, at least three members would represent nonprofit organizations having open space preservation or environmental education as their corporate purpose, and two members would have experience advancing the causes of equity or environmental justice. The DEP Commissioner would serve as the chairperson of the board of directors. The foundation would have the power to solicit and collect monetary donations and receive gifts, grants, devises, bequests, legacies, endowments, personal property, or services from and public or private sources to be used for the purposes of the foundation. Under the bill, all funds received by the foundation, other than those necessary to pay for the expenses of the foundation, would be used exclusively for: (1) improvements to natural or artificial assets, including the planning, design, construction, installation, renovation, repair, or restoration thereof, which are designed to expand and enhance the utilization of State, county, and municipal parks and open space for recreation and conservation purposes and the equitable access thereto; and (2) activities, beyond the routine operations of State, county, or municipal parks and open space, which are intended to enhance public programming and recreational and educational offerings, restore or maintain public accessibility to the natural resources of the State, or support operation and maintenance activities attendant thereto. | Dead |
| A1940 | Requires domestic violence orders to be issued in other languages in addition to English under certain circumstances. | This bill would: (1) require law enforcement officers, after responding to a domestic violence incident, to provide information to domestic violence victims in English, Spanish, and up 10 additional high demand languages spoken in the State, regarding their right to file for temporary restraining orders and to file criminal complaints; and (2) task the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) with preparing standard templates for temporary and final restraining orders in English, Spanish, and other identified high demand languages for use by law enforcement, municipal courts, and the Superior Court when issuing such orders. Under current law, the information disseminated by law enforcement officers is provided in writing in both English and Spanish. The AOC currently implements, via its Directive #10-22 (September 30, 2022), a revised Judiciary Language Access Plan, which plan includes translating into several other languages information contained in restraining orders among other court documents, policies, and standards used when interacting with persons who are limited in their ability to speak or understand English or who are deaf or hard of hearing. Regarding the dissemination of information in English and Spanish by law enforcement officers, the current law simply states that it "shall be written" in a notice. The bill would specifically assign responsibility for the written materials to the Attorney General and, as previously mentioned, the writing would be made available in English and Spanish, and up to 10 additional "high demand languages spoken in the State." Regarding the issuance of restraining orders by courts, a domestic violence victim is currently permitted to file a domestic violence complaint seeking a temporary restraining order with the Superior Court, Chancery Division, Family Part or, at times when the Family Part is closed, with a judge of the Family Part or judge of the municipal court assigned to accept such complaints and issue a temporary order. See section 12 of P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-28). To assist these courts as well as law enforcement regarding the issuance of the orders and their service on the alleged abuser, the AOC would prepare standard templates in English, Spanish, and other high demand languages identified in its Language Access Plan, as approved by the Supreme Court, to be provided to the victim and defendant. As to any subsequently issued permanent restraining orders, which are only issued by judges of the Superior Court, Chancery Division, Family Part upon a finding of abuse by a preponderance of the evidence, see section 13 of P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-29), multiple standard templates would be prepared by the AOC using the same, above described language criteria to be provided to the victim and defendant. | Dead |
| A2358 | Requires EDA to create needs-matching website for eligible entities. | This bill requires the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) to create a website for the purpose of matching the needs and supplies of eligible entities. As defined in the bill, "eligible entity" means an entity doing business in this State in at least one of the following industries: advanced computing, advanced materials, biotechnology, electronic device technology, information technology, life sciences, medical device technology, mobile communications technology, or renewable energy technology. The EDA is required to make this website available to eligible entities including, but not limited to, businesses, real estate professionals, medical institutions, research facilities, non-profit organizations, professional associations, higher education institutions, and investors. Under the bill, the website is required to provide a platform on which an eligible entity may match its needs with a supplier for physical locations, equipment, labor, and other appropriate assets or services. The EDA is also required to provide a list of public and private funding sources and investment opportunities, including information on State and federal grant programs, which may be appropriate for an eligible entity. | In Committee |
| A2111 | Exempts customer with account for electronic toll collection system, commonly known as E-ZPass, from certain fees if motor vehicle is stolen. | This bill exempts a customer who has an account with a New Jersey electronic toll collection system, commonly known as EZPass, and reports in a timely manner the theft of a motor vehicle containing the customer's electronic vehicle identification system transponder (transponder) from liability for: 1) unauthorized charges of $50 or more incurred prior to reporting the motor vehicle as stolen; or 2) unauthorized charges incurred after the reporting of the motor vehicle as stolen. The bill prohibits a customer who reports the theft of a motor vehicle containing the customer's transponder in a timely manner and submits to the operator a copy of the police report of the theft, from being charged any fees for the stolen transponder or for a replacement transponder. Under current law, a customer who has an E-ZPass account may only be exempt from unauthorized charges and the replacement fees for a transponder if the transponder is reported stolen or lost. The bill also defines "Electronic toll collection system" as the electronic system employed or utilized by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority or South Jersey Transportation Authority to register and collect the toll required to be paid for a vehicle entering a toll plaza owned or operated by, or upon the behalf of, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority or South Jersey Transportation Authority. | In Committee |
| A2488 | The "Liberty State Park Protection Act"; establishes Liberty State Park Advisory Committee and requirements concerning DEP actions related to Liberty State Park. | This bill, to be known as the "Liberty State Park Protection Act," would preserve Liberty State Park as a public urban green open space with authority for limited privatization by establishing certain requirements concerning actions by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) related to Liberty State Park and establishing a Liberty State Park Advisory Committee (committee). The bill would prohibit the DEP from considering any proposal to commercialize, develop, or privatize Liberty State Park, except as provided in the bill. The bill would restrict the DEP from conveying, leasing, or otherwise transferring any property rights within the 235-acre natural restoration area in the interior of Liberty State Park, and at Caven Point Peninsula. The bill would require the DEP, within five years after the bill is enacted into law, and after consultation with the committee, to develop a management plan for Liberty State Park. The DEP would be required to consult the committee for review and recommendations: (1) prior to entering into any agreement for a concession, conveyance, or lease or any other transfer of property rights; and (2) prior to the extension or renewal for a term of one year or longer any lease in effect on the date the bill is enacted into law. In addition, the bill directs the DEP to develop and implement, in conjunction with the committee, a public participation process to allow public citizens and civic organizations to provide public input on any proposed changes in land use at Liberty State Park or to the management plan developed pursuant the bill, and to also, at least once each year, hold a public forum to receive input from the public concerning plans, improvements, preservation, conservation, and management of the park, in addition to any public hearings that may be required pursuant to law. The bill also directs the DEP to develop a map depicting Liberty State Park. Under the bill, the DEP would only approve an agreement for a concession, conveyance, lease, or other agreement with a private entity to provide small-scale commercial activities if the agreement enhances the experience of a visitor to Liberty State Park, such as a bicycle or kayak rental concession, food concession, temporary winter skating rink, commercial boat tour operating from an existing boat slip, and use of the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal ("CRRNJ Terminal"), and other uses identified in the management plan developed pursuant to the bill. In addition, whenever the DEP proposes to enter into a concession, lease, or other agreement for a duration of one year or longer, the DEP would be required to present the proposal to the committee for review and recommendations and provide an opportunity for public comment on the proposal, including holding two public hearings at Liberty State Park, with one hearing being held on a weekday evening and one on the weekend, and providing a 30-day public comment period. In addition, the DEP would be required to take these same actions when it intends to convey lands acquired or developed by the State with Green Acres funds, or acquired or developed by the State in any other manner and administered by the department, located within or adjacent to Liberty State Park. The Liberty State Park Advisory Committee established by the bill would be charged with assisting the DEP in conserving, preserving, protecting, and improving Liberty State Park. In carrying out its responsibilities, the committee would give due consideration to the natural, historic, cultural, recreational, and scenic resources and the local, State, and national significance of Liberty State Park. The committee's responsibilities would include: assisting the DEP in developing the management plan required by the bill, and advising the DEP on the ecological restoration of the 235-acre interior portion of the park and means to increase public access and public enjoyment of the natural, historic, cultural, recreational, and scenic resources of the park; reviewing and making recommendations concerning concessions, leases, or other transfer of property rights with a duration of one year or longer; and submitting to the DEP Commissioner any recommendations the committee deems necessary to improve, protect the park. In addition, this bill would amend the "State Park and Forestry Resources Act," P.L.1983, c. 324 (C.13:1L-1 et seq.), which, in part, allows the DEP to enter agreements with private entities for the construction, operation, and maintenance for private profit of any facility, utility, or device in State parks and forests as the DEP finds proper for the use and enjoyment of the lands by the public. This bill would amend the law to reflect the provisions of this bill concerning agreements related to Liberty State Park. Lastly, the bill would amend the "Hackensack Meadowlands Agency Consolidation Act" to delete the provision that provided the commission, i.e., the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which under current law is also referred to as the "Meadowlands Regional Commission," with certain authority concerning Liberty State Park. | In Committee |
| A1960 | Requires Attorney General to perform outreach and provide services to victims of human trafficking under certain circumstances. | This bill provides that the Attorney General is to utilize the resources of the Department of Law and Public Safety to perform outreach in the community and deliver services to victims of human trafficking in conjunction with other governmental entities, the Victims of Crime Compensation Office, and other victims' rights organizations through means as the Attorney General deems appropriate. In addition, the bill authorizes the Attorney General to establish, within the limits of available funds, a pilot program to award grants to service providers to perform outreach and deliver services to victims of human trafficking in urban municipalities with the highest crime index in this State and in municipalities that are located near major maritime transportation hubs and have significant minority populations, as determined by the Attorney General. The bill provides that upon completion, any pilot program is to be evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the pilot program, with a recommendation as to whether the pilot program should be continued, expanded, or made permanent. | Dead |
| A1137 | Requires movie theaters to provide effective communication devices for individuals with visual or hearing impairment; expands protections under "Law Against Discrimination." | This bill requires movie theaters to provide effective communication devices for individuals with a visual or hearing impairment, and expands protections under the "Law Against Discrimination" for these individuals. The devices must be provided to movie patrons at no additional fee. Movie theaters with at least one auditorium showing movies are required to provide ample closed movie captioning and audio description devices for patrons. The minimum number of required devices is dependent upon the total number of auditoriums showing digital movies at the movie theater. Movie theaters also must provide notice to the public about the availability of these devices and ensure theater staff is capable of assisting patrons with the devices. This bill imposes no other obligations onto movie theaters. Movie theaters exempt from the requirements set forth in this bill are movie theaters that show only analog movies in all of its auditoriums, as well as any drive-in movie theaters. Closed movie captioning is the written display of a movie's dialogue and non-speech information, such as the music, the identity of the character who is speaking, and other sounds or sound effects, made available only to those movie patrons who request it. When requested, the captions are delivered via individual captioning devices used by patrons at their seats. Audio description is a technology that enables movie patrons who are blind or have low vision to enjoy movies by providing the spoken narration of a movie's key visual elements, such as the action, settings, facial expressions, costumes, and scene changes. Audio description fills in information about the visual content of a movie where there are no corresponding audio elements. It involves a separate script that is recorded and synchronized with the movie as it is projected. The oral delivery of the script is typically transmitted to the user through infra-red or FM transmission to wireless headsets. | In Committee |
| A1138 | Allows issuance of temporary permits to applicants seeking licensure as teachers from New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling. | This bill allows an applicant seeking licensure as a teacher from the New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling to receive a temporary permit while waiting for the teacher licensure examination to be scheduled. The temporary permit would be valid for 120 days and is to expire when the applicant receives a license as a teacher from the board. Currently, temporary permits are only allowed for applicants for practicing licenses issued by the board. | In Committee |
| A1618 | Requires school district to report to DOE on various aspects of computer science courses. | Tracking data specific to the demographic make-up, availability, and content of computer science courses in New Jersey schools will provide insight needed to address gaps in populations that are underrepresented in computer science fields. This information will help New Jersey in its commitment to increasing the participation of female and other underrepresented students in computer science fields. This bill will require each school district to issue a report to the Commissioner of Education by April 30 of each school year on the computer science courses offered in the district. The report will include, but not be limited to, (1) the total number of computer science courses offered in each school in the district, including any advanced placement computer science courses; (2) the subject matter covered in each computer science course offered; (3) the total number of computer science teachers in each school in the district disaggregated by gender, terminal degree, and instructional certificate endorsement; and (4) the total number and percentage of students enrolled in computer science courses in each school in the district disaggregated by gender, race and ethnicity, special education status, English language learner status, eligibility for the free and reduced price lunch program, and grade level. This bill also requires the commissioner to compile the information reported by the school districts and post the information on the department's website no later than October 1 of each school year. | In Committee |
| A596 | Provides State information technology contracts will require use of software to document computer use by contractor. | This bill provides that any information technology contract entered into by a State agency, having a value in excess of $100,000 will require the information technology contractor to use software to verify that all hours billed for work under the contract for services performed on a computer are eligible charges. Every such contract must specifically provide that the State agency will not pay for hours worked on a computer unless the hours are verifiable by software or by data collected by software. The bill provides specific functions that this software must perform in order to document computer use in performance of a contract. It will apply to agencies in the Executive Branch of State government and to independent State authorities, commissions, instrumentalities, or agencies. | In Committee |
| A3273 | Establishes that law enforcement officer who chokes another utilizes deadly force. | This bill amends N.J.S.2C:3-11 to establish that the use of a choke-hold by a law enforcement officer constitutes deadly force. Under the bill, a law enforcement officer uses deadly force if he knowingly places pressure on the throat, windpipe, or carotid artery of another person, thereby hindering or preventing the ability to breath, or interfering with the flow of blood from the heart to the brain. Under current law, use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer is only justified if necessary to protect the officer or another person from death or serious bodily injury, to arrest or prevent the escape of a violent criminal, or to prevent the commission of a violent crime. This bill provides that a law enforcement officer is not justified in choking another person unless confronted with one of these dangerous situations. | In Committee |
| A3040 | Adjusts certain public contract bid thresholds. | This bill would adjust the statutory bid threshold amounts under the Local Public Contracts Law (LPCL, N.J.S.A 40:11-1 et seq.) and the Public School Contracts Law (PSCL, N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-1 et seq.). The bill would increase the statutory bid thresholds for all local units and boards of education and would allow larger local units, counties and first class cities, and boards of education located within first class cities, to authorize higher bid thresholds. The bill would allow all local units and boards of education to authorize the award of contracts of up to $50,000 without public advertising for bids, which amount may be increased to as much as $100,000 if the board or local unit employs a State-certified purchasing agent. The bill would allow counties, cities of the first class, and boards of education located within cities of the first class to authorize the award of contracts of up to $75,000 without public advertising for bids, which amount may be increased to as much as $150,000 if the board or local unit employs a State-certified purchasing agent. | In Committee |
| A2650 | Revises procedures concerning access to decedent's safe-deposit box. | This bill would establish procedures for accessing a decedent's safe-deposit box to search for the original will and burial documents. Under the provisions of the bill, an "interested person" would be authorized to open a safe-deposit box in the presence of the box's lessor provided that person furnishes a copy of the decedent's death certificate and an affidavit whereby he states that he is an interested party and would like access to the box to obtain the lessee's original will or to obtain burial documents which he believes may be contained in the safe-deposit box. An "interested person" is defined in the bill as any person who immediately prior to the death of the safe-deposit box's lessee had the right of access to the box as a deputy, any person named as executor in a copy furnished by him of a purported will of the lessee, or the spouse, an adult descendant, parent, brother or sister of the lessee. If the affidavit states that none of the persons described above is available to be present at the opening of the safe-deposit box, the term "interested person" shall also mean any other person who the lessor in its sole discretion determines may have a legitimate interest in the filing of the lessee's will or in the arrangements for his burial. Under the provisions of the bill, the lessor would be required to remove the original will from the box and deliver it (by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested) to the Surrogate of the county in which the lessee resided immediately prior to his death, or to the Surrogate of the county in which the safe-deposit box is located. The interested person would receive a photocopy of the original will, trust instrument or burial documents. This bill would take effect 180 days after the date of enactment and would apply to any safe-deposit box or other receptacle rented by any decedent dying on or after the effective date. However, the bill would allow the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance to take any necessary anticipatory administrative action necessary for the implementation of the bill. This bill also amends section 4 of P.L.1955, c.151 (C.46:39-4) (safe-deposit receptacle rentals) and R.S.17:14A-52 (safe-deposit companies) to provide the appropriate cross-references to the new procedures established by the bill. | In Committee |
| A1147 | Requires each school district to annually submit interscholastic athletic opportunity report to the Commissioner of Education. | This bill requires each school district to annually submit to the Commissioner of Education a report on interscholastic athletic opportunities provided to male and female students in middle schools and high schools in the district in the previous school year. The bill directs the commissioner to develop and distribute to each school district a reporting form for the submission of the interscholastic athletic opportunity report. The commissioner must post all submitted interscholastic athletic opportunity reports on the Department of Education's website. Under the bill, the commissioner must annually prepare a report that summarizes the information contained in the interscholastic athletic opportunity reports that were submitted by school districts on interscholastic athletic opportunity by gender. The bill provides that, upon its completion, the report will be transmitted to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Legislature. | In Committee |
| A1210 | Establishes "Enhanced Transit Village Program" to be administered by Office of Planning Advocacy in Department of State and DOT. | This bill establishes in the Office of Planning Advocacy (office) in the Department of State an "Enhanced Transit Village Program" (program), to be administered with the support of the Department of Transportation (DOT), for the purpose of incentivizing mixed-use development in close proximity to public transportation service using land use patterns based on smart growth principles. The office is to administer the review and selection of municipalities that apply to participate in the program, pursuant to the bill, and aid qualifying municipalities with the planning and zoning assessments necessary for the implementation of the program. The DOT is to be responsible for the transportation infrastructure components of the program, including infrastructure grants. A municipality may apply to the program in a form and manner to be determined by the office, including certain provisions enumerated in the bill. The office is to structure the program to provide technical assistance and financial support to improve the place-making quality of the enhanced transit village, increase the walkability and bikeability of the area, to improve walking and biking connections to transit, to reduce the dominance of automobiles and auto-centric infrastructure in the area, to increase the number, type, and range of housing opportunities, and to ensure a mix of commercial and public uses that support residents and commuters. For residential lots located within an enhanced transit village, the program is to provide for the establishment of an as-of-right residential building option with at least two densities depending on the distance from the central transit point, established for the enhanced transit village. The office is to have the discretion to set density levels outside of the parameters in the bill from location to location based on the existing development patterns of the enhanced transit village, in a way that gradually increases residential density in a context-sensitive manner that the local infrastructure is capable of absorbing. Under the bill, the office is required to develop an application process for transit village municipalities to apply to the program which is to include, but not be limited to, certain requirements enumerated in the bill. The smart growth requirements a municipality are to meet in applying to the program are to include, but not be limited to, certain criteria enumerated in the bill. The office may seek the assistance and avail itself of the services or employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board bureau, commission, or agency as the office may require and as may be available for the office's purposes, including the Transit Village Task Force. The bill provides that the costs of the planning and implementation of the program is to be funded by monies from the "Transportation Trust Fund Account," which is to be in an initial earmarked amount of $50 million to fund the first three years of the program and is to be annually adjusted as necessary thereafter. The bill also provides that any affordable housing funds are to be given priority disbursement to enhanced transit village projects to enable the project to meet the general 30 percent affordable housing threshold described in the bill. | In Committee |
| A1082 | Amends lists of environmental infrastructure projects approved for long-term funding by DEP under FY 2024 environmental infrastructure funding program. | This bill would amend P.L.2023, c.120 to amend the lists of environmental infrastructure projects for which the Legislature has appropriated funds to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for State fiscal year 2024. In July 2023, P.L.2023, c.120 was enacted into law, which appropriated funds to the DEP for the purpose of financing approximately $1.78 billion in Storm Sandy and other environmental infrastructure projects through the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (NJIB) in FY 2024. This bill would amend the lists of environmental infrastructure projects for which the DEP is appropriated funds pursuant to P.L.2023, c.120 to include new projects, remove projects, modify the priority of certain projects, and modify the loan amounts for certain projects, as enumerated in subsections a. and b. of section 3 of the bill. As amended by the bill, P.L.2023, c.120 would appropriate to the DEP up to $3.08 billion, and any unexpended balances from previous authorizations, to provide loans to project sponsors for a total of 223 eligible environmental infrastructure projects for FY 2024. This would include 137 projects on the "Storm Sandy and State Fiscal Year 2024 Clean Water Project Eligibility List" and 70 projects on the "Storm Sandy and State Fiscal Year 2024 Drinking Water Project Eligibility List." The bill would also give the DEP the explicit authority to use funds in the "Pinelands Infrastructure Trust Fund" established pursuant to section 14 of the "Pinelands Infrastructure Trust Bond Act of 1985," P.L.1985, c.302, for drinking water projects. The bill would require such drinking water projects to be funded in accordance with the regulations applicable to the financing of wastewater projects by the Pinelands Infrastructure Trust Fund, unless and until regulations specific to the financing of drinking water projects are promulgated. | Dead |
| A3195 | Establishes Mental Health Awareness Pilot Program in DOE. | This bill directs the Commissioner of Education to establish a two-year Mental Health Awareness Pilot Program, the purpose of which is to address mental health issues prevalent among middle and high school students. The school districts that are selected to participate in the pilot program will identify innovative methods to increase mental health awareness among students and provide students with coping skills necessary to manage the various life stressors that give rise to or exacerbate mental health issues. Under this bill, a school district that wishes to participate in the pilot program will submit an application to the commissioner. The application will include (1) a description of the school district including the number of enrolled students; absenteeism rates; academic performance indicators; and the percentage of enrolled students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch under the federal School Lunch Program; (2) the number of psychologists, social workers, and guidance counselors working in the school district; (3) an inventory of mental health services currently provided by the school district; and (4) any other information the commissioner deems appropriate. This bill directs the commissioner to select six school districts to participate in the pilot program. The commissioner will select school districts in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State and seek a cross section of school districts from urban, suburban, and rural areas. Under this bill, the commissioner will submit a report to the Governor and Legislature two years after the establishment of the pilot program. The report will contain information on the implementation of the pilot program and the commissioner's recommendation on the advisability of continuing or expanding the program. | In Committee |
| A1826 | Requires school districts to provide instruction on dangers of electronic cigarette usage as part of New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education. | This bill would require each school district to incorporate instruction on the dangers of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) usage into the health education curriculum for students in grades six through 12 as part of the district's implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education. The instruction would provide students with information on, at a minimum: the amount of nicotine that can be found in e-cigarettes manufactured by different companies; how the use of e-cigarettes during adolescence can lead to addiction; the physical health effects of inhaling certain chemicals that can be found in e-cigarette products; and the provisions of the "New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act." The use of e-cigarettes among middle school and high school students has become a major public health concern as the use of such devices has increased greatly over recent years. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Tobacco Surveyindicates that, in 2011, just 1.5 percent of high school students in the United States used e-cigarettes; in 2017, that number increased to 11.7 percent. Similarly, in 2011, just 0.6 percent of middle school students in the United States used e-cigarettes; in 2017, that number went up to 3.3 percent. While the use of e-cigarettes has become a popular trend among young people across the country, research indicates that using e-cigarettes during youth can have negative health effects. For one, most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is the addictive drug found in regular cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products. Reports have shown that nicotine levels in e-cigarettes are highly variable, with some reaching levels near regular cigarettes. A 2016 United States Surgeon General report asserted that using nicotine in adolescence can harm the developing brain and may increase the risk for future addiction to regular cigarettes, other tobacco products, and drugs. In addition, e-cigarettes can contain several other substances, including cannabidiol, tetrahydrocannabinol, diacetyl, and formaldehyde, which may be harmful to young users. Lastly, what many students using e-cigarettes on school grounds might not be aware of is that, pursuant to the "New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act," the use of e-cigarettes on school property is prohibited. | In Committee |
| A1176 | Permits voter registration at age 16, under certain conditions. | This bill provides that a person who is at least 16 years of age would be entitled to register to vote if that person is: a) a citizen of the United States; and b) a resident of this State who has met all the requirements as to length of residence to qualify as a legal voter. Each such registrant would be permitted to vote in an election held on or after his or her 18th birthday, provided that the registrant has not otherwise been disqualified from voting. Each registrant who has not attained 18 years of age would be designated in the Statewide voter registration system as temporarily ineligible to vote until the registrant's 18th birthday. | In Committee |
| A3151 | Concerns training of employees about access to public facilities for individuals with service or guide dogs. | This bill requires any employer who has one or more employees serving customers or other individuals in a place of public accommodation or other public facility, or otherwise has the ability to provide or deny access to the place or facility, to provide training to their employees regarding the right of an individual with a disability to have a guide or service dog in places of public accommodation or other public facilities under the relevant provisions of State and federal law. The training is to incorporate the list of topics set forth in the pamphlet to be produced by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development under the bill. An employer may satisfy the training requirement of the bill by utilizing training that may be provided at no cost by the Division on Civil Rights in the Department of Law and Public Safety, the New Jersey State Bar Association, or any other entity, or may, at its discretion, implement a training program at its own cost. The provisions of the bill require the commissioner to prepare a pamphlet that provides information concerning the rights of an individual with a disability to have a guide or service dog in a place of public accommodation or other public facility. The pamphlet is required to contain a concise list of topics that are to be included in the training required under the bill. The pamphlet is to be made available electronically on the Department of Labor and Workforce Development's website. Under the bill, an employer who is required to provide training pursuant to this section is required to distribute to each employee a paper copy of the pamphlet. The employee is required to sign and return to the employer a form acknowledging the employee's receipt of the pamphlet and the form is to be made available for inspection by the commissioner upon request. | In Committee |
| A1168 | Requires State Board of Education to include instruction on mental health first aid training as part of professional development requirement for public school teachers. | This bill directs the State Board of Education to require each public school teacher to complete eight hours of instruction in mental health first aid training within the first year of employment and to obtain recertification in mental health first aid training every three years thereafter. The training would include, but not be limited to, information on: how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health illnesses and substance use disorders; the risk factors and warning signs for mental health illnesses and substance use disorders; interventions and strategies on how to assist an individual in both crisis and non-crisis situations; and overviews of mental health illnesses that may present in children and adolescents, including depression and mood disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma, psychosis, and substance use disorders. To stay updated on the latest information regarding mental health and substance use disorders, it is recommended that recertification in mental health first aid training be completed every three years. | In Committee |
| A1811 | Requires DEP to adopt Statewide plan to reduce lead exposure from contaminated soils and drinking water. | This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection to develop and adopt, within one year after the effective date of the bill, a Statewide plan to reduce public exposure to lead in the environment. The department would be required to use existing soil testing results from site remediations that have been submitted to the department, as well as public water supply and private well testing results and any other relevant information it may have, in preparing the plan and any updates thereto. The department would be required to designate those geographic areas where lead in soils or drinking water poses the greatest danger of exposure to the public. The bill would require the department to identify public moneys that may be used to address the risks of exposure to lead and prioritize the expenditure of public moneys to remediate soils or drinking water supplies to minimize those risks. The bill would also require the department to develop a public education program to ensure the widespread dissemination of information concerning the health risks posed by lead exposure and measures that may be taken to minimize the risks. | In Committee |
| AJR16 | Permits evidence of prompt reports of sexual assault or employment discrimination be admissible as hearsay exception. | This Joint Resolution amends the Rules of Evidence to permit the jury to consider a statement by a declarant as it relates to sexual assault or employment discrimination in certain cases. The resolution permits statements by the declarant relating to sexual assault or employment discrimination when: (i) the complaint was made spontaneously and voluntarily, (ii) within a reasonable amount of time after the crime had occurred, and (iii) to a person the victim ordinarily would turn to for support. The resolution permits admission of declarant's statement for the purposes of assessing the credibility of the complainant with respect to the commission of the offense; to negate the inference that the victim's initial delay or silence means the complaint was fabricated; or when relevant, and to the extent necessary, to explain the investigative process and complete the narrative of events leading to the defendant's arrest. | In Committee |
| A2036 | Requires various State departments to provide linkages to information on "baby boxes" and safe sleep education on their websites. | This bill requires the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to prepare and make available on its Internet website, in an easily printable format, information on the program providing "baby boxes" and safe sleep education to expecting and new parents. DCF would update the information whenever new information on the program becomes available. DCF would also be required to prominently display on its website, and update as necessary, an easily accessible hyperlink to the program providing the "baby boxes" and safe sleep education. Furthermore, DCF would be required to ensure, in consultation with the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Human Services (DHS), the Department of Education (DOE), and, as deemed by the DCF to be appropriate, any other State department that provides services to parents or children, that the information posted on the DCF website is also made available, and that a website link to the program providing the "baby boxes" and safe sleep education is posted, on the websites of the DOH, the DHS, the DOE, and any other appropriate State department providing services to parents or children, and is updated as necessary. As used in the bill, "baby box" means a box made of durable cardboard, filled with essential items for newborns and expecting and new parents, such as diapers, baby wipes, and information on safe sleep techniques, that can serve as a safe sleep environment for the first few months of an infant's life, and meets all applicable tenets of the bassinet standard established by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. New Jersey's program, a partnership between the State's Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board and The Baby Box Company, provides all expecting and new parents with a free "baby box" after the parents complete an online parenting education course. The program is anticipated to distribute approximately 105,000 "baby boxes" throughout the State in 2017. | In Committee |
| A1329 | Requires annual suicide prevention training for mental health practitioners. | This bill requires annual suicide prevention training for mental health practitioners. Under the bill, mental health practitioners are to complete a minimum of two hours of suicide prevention training within one year following the effective date of this bill. Thereafter, mental health practitioners are to complete a minimum of two hours of suicide prevention training each year. Mental health practitioners are to submit proof of completion of suicide prevention training to the appropriate State Board of Examiners or Committee. The bill defines "mental health practitioner" as a clinical social worker, marriage and family therapist, alcohol and drug counselor, professional counselor, associate counselor, rehabilitation counselor, clinical mental health counselor, psychologist, or psychoanalyst who is licensed or otherwise authorized to practice pursuant to Title 45 of the Revised Statutes. The bill defines "suicide prevention training" as a training program, provided online, in person, or through telephonic means, concerning the prevention, assessment, screening, treatment, and management of suicide in the clinical context that has been approved by the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety (division). The bill provides that the Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs establish a list of approved suicide prevention training programs and a protocol by which providers of suicide prevention training may seek approval of their training programs by the division. | In Committee |
| A1139 | Establishes "Property Tax Study Commission" to examine New Jersey's property tax structure and develop recommendations for reducing residential property tax burden. | This bill establishes a 15-member "Property Tax Study Commission" in, but not of, the Department of the Treasury. The commission is charged with examining the property tax system in New Jersey and identifying ways in which the system can be improved in order to reduce the property tax burden on New Jersey residents. The commission may examine the functions, duties, and operations of local government, review current laws regarding the imposition, assessment, and collection of property taxes. The commission may also examine current property tax exemptions and deductions and other benefits that reduce or offset a taxpayer's property tax liability. The bill directs the commission to recommend amendments to the New Jersey Constitution and revisions to the statutes, which recommendations would eliminate current eliminate inequities in the current system of property taxation, ensure greater uniformity in the application of property taxes, reduce property taxes as an overall share of public revenue, provide alternatives which lessen the dependence of local government on property taxes, and provide alternative means, including possible increases in other taxes, of funding local government services. The commission membership includes the Commissioner of Community Affairs, Commissioner of Education, State Treasurer, one member of the Governor's staff (appointed by the Governor), four members of the Legislature (the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate and General Assembly), and seven public members (four appointed by the Legislative leadership and three appointed by the Governor). The bill directs the Governor to appoint one public member from the northern, central, and southern regions of the State. The bill requires the commission to issue an interim report no later than nine months following its organization and a final report no later than 12 months following its organization. The bill also directs the commission to meet at least once per year for five years following the issuance of its final report to receive updates regarding the implementation of the recommendations in its final report and such other recommendations as it may provide from time to time. The bill requires the commission to issue an annual report. The bill directs all reports to be issued to the Governor and the Legislature and to be available to the public through the Department of the Treasury's Internet website. The bill provides that the commission would expire on the 60th day following the date of the public hearing held in the fifth year following the issuance of its final report. | In Committee |
| A2228 | Includes certain armed security officers regulated by "Detective Melvin Vincent Santiago's Law" in crimes of assault and disarming an officer. | This bill would upgrade simple assault to aggravated assault if the act is committed against an armed security officer. The bill also provides that the crime of disarming a law enforcement officer would apply to armed security officers. Under N.J.S.2C:12-1, simple assault is generally a disorderly persons offense, punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. Under the bill, an act of simple assault committed against an armed security officer in the performance of the officer's duties while in uniform or because of his status as an armed security officer would be graded as aggravated assault. Aggravated assault under these circumstances would be a crime of the third degree if the victim suffers bodily injury; otherwise it would be a crime of the fourth degree. The bill also amends section 1 of P.L.1996, c.14 (C.2C:12-11), concerning disarming a law enforcement officer, to add armed security officers to the provisions of the statute. Currently, the statute provides that a person who knowingly takes or attempts to exercise unlawful control over a firearm or other weapon in the possession of a law enforcement or corrections officer, when that officer is acting in the performance of his duties or exhibiting evidence of his authority, is guilty of a crime of the second degree. It is a crime of the first degree if the person violating the statute fires the firearm, uses or threatens to use the firearm or or weapon, or if the officer or another person suffers serious bodily injury. The bill applies to armed security guards regulated by the "Security Officer Registration Act," P.L.2004, c.134 (C.45:19A-1 et seq.), and by sections 5 and 6 of P.L.2015, c.295 (C.45:19A-6.1 and 45:19A-6.2), known as "Detective Melvin Vincent Santiago's Law." A crime of the first degree is generally punishable by a term of imprisonment of 10 to 20 years or a fine of up to $200,000, or both; a crime of the second degree, by a term of five to 10 years or a fine up to $150,000, or both; a crime of the third degree, by a term of three to five years or a fine up to $15,000, or both, and a crime of the fourth degree, by a term up to 18 months or a fine up to $10,000, or both. | In Committee |
| A446 | Requires annual inspections of certain veterinary facilities. | This bill requires animal and veterinary facilities to register with the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners and to be inspected by the board on an annual basis. The annual inspection would be in addition to, and would not be deemed to be satisfied by, an inspection conducted to investigate a complaint against the facility or a suspected violation by the facility involving an unlawful act or practice. The registration and inspection requirements would apply to any fixed or mobile establishment, veterinary hospital, animal hospital, or premises wherein or whereon the practice of veterinary medicine or any part thereof is conducted. The bill will take effect 180 days after the date of enactment. | In Committee |
| A1162 | Clarifies that "Prevention of Domestic Violence Act of 1991" covers elder abuse in domestic settings. | This bill clarifies that the "Prevention of Domestic Violence Act of 1991," P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-17 et al.), covers various forms of physical and non-physical elder abuse in domestic settings. Although the existing findings and declarations to the act reference the Legislature's intention of addressing elder abuse (and abuse against disabled persons) "on an equal basis as violence against spouses and children," the bill updates the findings and declarations to expressly reference elder abuse by current or former household members in its many possible forms; that is, all such "emotional, psychological, and physical [domestic] violence" against the elderly. It also updates the existing definition of "victim of domestic violence" under the act, which currently covers "any person who is 18 years of age or older," to expressly include a reference to an elderly person in a domestic setting, who is not otherwise protected pursuant to P.L.1977, c.239 (C.52:27G-1 et seq.)as an institutionalized elderly person in a public or private facility or institution. | In Committee |
| A1332 | Supports activities of New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, Inc. | This bill would establish a permanent new source of funding of up to $1.5 million for the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, Inc., (NJMEP) or an appropriate successor from the Workforce Development Partnership Fund. The NJMEP is a private, non-profit organization that seeks to improve the profitability and competitiveness of manufacturers in this State. NJMEP helps organizations to enhance their productivity and efficiencies, reduce costs, and improve employee performance. Under current law, of the total revenues dedicated to the Workforce Development Partnership Funds, 37% is reserved for and appropriated to the Office of Customized Training. The bill reduces this allocation by $1.5 million. | In Committee |
| A1443 | Establishes procedures for disqualification from public office or employment upon conviction of certain crimes; creates registry. | This bill would amend N.J.S.2C:51-2 concerning forfeiture of public office, position or employment upon conviction of certain criminal offenses. Currently under subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:51-2 a court shall enter an order of forfeiture when the defendant is found guilty or pleads guilty in State court, or upon application of a county prosecutor or Attorney General when the criminal offense is based on another state's law or federal law. Currently under subsection d. of N.J.S.2C:51-2 any person convicted of an offense "involving or touching" his public office, position, or employment is forever disqualified from holding any office or position of honor, trust or profit in the State or any of its administrative or political subdivision. This bill would establish a procedure for disqualification in subsection d. similar to the procedure set out in N.J.S.2C:51-2 under subsection b. concerning forfeiture. The bill would require that the court order concerning the disqualification of employment set forth in subsection d. of N.J.S.2C:51-2 be entered at the same time the court enters the order of forfeiture set forth in subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:51-2. However, if the conviction is for an offense under the laws of another state or of the United States, the county prosecutor or the Attorney General would be required to make an application to a Superior Court judge designated by the Chief Justice for a disqualification order. This disqualification order would be deemed to have taken effect on the date the person was found guilty by the trier of fact or pled guilty to the offense. The Administrative Office of the Courts would be required to establish and maintain a central registry of all persons who have had disqualification orders entered pursuant to subsection d of the statute. | In Committee |
| A2224 | 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 |
| A2956 | Allows county and municipal police departments to establish designated safe areas for Internet purchase transactions; establishes public awareness campaign. | This bill allows municipal and county police departments to establish designated safe areas which may be used by members of the public to conduct sales transactions for items listed on classified websites, such as craigslist. For the purpose of ensuring public safety, the bill allows municipal and county police departments to install a video camera capable of recording a clear image of the designated safe area at all times the area is made available to the public. The bill provides that local police departments and their members would not be responsible for regulating the sales transactions or be civilly liable for crimes or offenses committed by participants to the sales transactions. Under the bill, county and municipal police departments are allowed to conduct a public awareness campaign, utilizing the Internet and any other available resources, to inform the general public about designated safe areas on their department's property. The public awareness campaign may include safety tips to decrease the risk of crime when engaging in Internet sales transactions. In addition, the bill requires the Attorney General to notify chief law enforcement officers that they are permitted to establish a designated safe area on municipal and county police department property. | In Committee |
| A2756 | Requires data collection and issuance of report on drug evidence testing by New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences. | This bill requires the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences to collect data for six months and issue a report on evidence used in prosecuting certain drug-related crimes. Specimens taken by law enforcement during the investigation of a drug-related crime are sent to forensic laboratories for testing, including four New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences laboratories, as well as county forensic laboratories. In some cases, presumptive drug field tests are performed by officers. There have been reports of cases being disposed of following a presumptive drug field test without undergoing confirmatory testing in one of the forensic laboratories. Various news reports suggest that reliance solely on drug field testing could lead to wrongful incarceration. However, data concerning the reliability of drug field tests in New Jersey which would confirm or deny this claim is currently unavailable. This bill provides for the collection of data and the issuance of a report 90 days after the data collection ends concerning the usage and reliability of drug field tests in New Jersey. The term "specimen" is defined under the bill as a substance or sample of a substance which may contain a controlled dangerous substance or a controlled substance analog that is taken by a law enforcement officer investigating a potential violation of this State's law governing controlled dangerous substances. | In Committee |
| A2540 | Permits layoff plans as substitute for employment reconciliation plans for joint meetings or shared service agreements under certain circumstances. | This bill amends sections 11 and 19 of the "Uniform Shared Services and Consolidation Act," N.J.S.A.40A:65-11 and N.J.S.A.40A:65-19, concerning the establishment of an employment reconciliation plan when a local unit agrees to participate in a joint meeting or shared service agreement that will provide a service that the local unit is currently providing itself through public employees. The bill would permit a local unit that has adopted Title 11A, Civil Service, to substitute a layoff plan for the employee reconciliation plan under certain circumstances. This bill is part of the Governor's toolkit for local units, and is intended to reduce the hurdles standing in the path of shared service agreements and joint meetings. | In Committee |
| A1205 | Requires all elected or appointed municipal and county officials to complete annual ethics training. | This bill supplements the "Local Government Ethics Law," P.L.1991, c.29 (C.40A:9-22.1 et seq.), to require all local government officers to complete training concerning the requirements of that law and any applicable municipal or county code of ethics adopted pursuant thereto. Section 3 of the law (C.40A:9-22.3) currently defines a "local government officer" as:any person whether compensated or not, whether part-time or full-time: (1) elected to any office of a local government agency; (2) serving on a local government agency which has the authority to enact ordinances, approve development applications or grant zoning variances; (3) who is a member of an independent municipal, county or regional authority; or (4) who is a managerial executive employee of a local government agency, as defined in rules and regulations adopted by the Director of the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), but does not mean any employee of a school district or member of a school board. Standard training is to be developed by the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs, and a local government agency is permitted to develop required supplemental training pertaining to any additional requirements of an applicable municipal or county code of ethics. Training is to be administered on an annual or more frequent basis by employees of that division or local government agency or by an individual, agency, organization or entity contracted by the division or local government agency to do so. In developing the training, the bill requires the division to examine similar programs in this and other states and to survey the available training resources and methods. Under the bill, upon completion of the training, each local government officer is required to sign a statement certifying that the officer has received the training and understands the requirements of the "Local Government Ethics Law," P.L.1991, c.29 (C.40A:9-22.1 et seq.), and any additional requirements of an applicable municipal or county code of ethics adopted pursuant thereto. The bill provides that the municipal attorney or county counsel, as applicable, is required to receive and maintain a file of each local government officer's signed statement for up to two years subsequent to the expiration of the officer's status of office. In the event that the officer is subsequently elected or appointed to any other local governing body or local government agency, the municipal attorney or county counsel is to maintain a file of the officer's signed statement for up to two years subsequent to the expiration of the officer's status of office. Under the bill, the Commissioner of Community Affairs is required to develop the training program's rules and regulations, which are to include an escalating fine schedule, from $1,000 to $5,000, for the failure of a local government officer to receive the training within the specified time frame. | In Committee |
| A2958 | Requires Commissioner of Human Services to request authorization for SNAP benefits to be used to pay delivery charges for online grocery purchases. | This bill directs the Commissioner of Human Services to request that the Food and Nutrition Service within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) permit "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program," (SNAP) benefits, available through a beneficiary's SNAP electronic benefits transfer card, to pay the delivery charge for home delivery of the beneficiary's SNAP-eligible grocery purchase. Currently, the USDA does not allow the use of SNAP funds to pay the fee charged for home delivery of grocery purchases. In March 2020, the USDA opened its pilot program for online grocery purchasing to New Jersey's SNAP participants. Individuals participating in New Jersey SNAP may purchase groceries online through Amazon, and at 17 participating retailers Statewide, including major supermarket chains, membership warehouse clubs, and big-box stores. The SNAP is a nutrition assistance entitlement program for low-income households regulated by the Food and Nutrition Service within the USDA, pursuant to the "Food and Nutrition Act of 2008," Pub.L.88-525 (7 U.S.C. s.2011 et seq.). At the State level, the program is administered by the county welfare agencies, under the supervision of the Division of Family Development (DFD) in the Department of Human Services. | Dead |
| A1326 | Requires health insurance coverage for annual mental health screening. | 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, and the State Health Benefits Program) to provide coverage for an annual mental health screening. The provisions of the bill will take effect 90 days after the date of enactment and will apply to all health benefits plans issued or renewed on or after that date. | In Committee |
| A3126 | Requires certain nonpublic schools to provide meals to all students under "Working Class Families Anti-Hunger Act"; authorizes limited expansion of income eligibility to qualify public and nonpublic school students for free lunch. | This bill would require school districts and nonpublic schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to provide free lunch, during the 2024-2025 school year, to students who are federally eligible for free or reduced price school lunch, as well as to students who are federally ineligible for free or reduced price school meals, but who have an annual household income of not more than 249 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). The bill would additionally amend existing law at section 12 of P.L.2022, c.104 (C.18A:33-14a) to clarify that both public and nonpublic schools offering school breakfasts to students in the State, pursuant to the federal School Breakfast Program, will be required to provide such breakfasts, free of charge, both to federally eligible students and to students who are federally ineligible for free or reduced price school meals, but who have an annual household income amounting to not less than 186 percent, and not more than 199 percent, of the FPL. Under existing federal law, a student is federally eligible to receive free or reduced price school lunch under the National School Lunch Program, or free or reduced price school breakfast under the federal School Breakfast Program, only if the student is determined to be categorically eligible for such benefits (i.e., is determined to be a homeless child, a migrant child, a runaway child, a foster child, or a Head Start Child, or is a participant in certain public benefits programs) or can demonstrate that the student lives in a low-income household (i.e., a household with an annual income that is not more than 185 percent of the federal poverty level). Through the recent enactment of the "Working Class Families' Anti-Hunger Act," P.L.2022, c.104 (C.18A:33-3.2 et al.), the State of New Jersey has also provided for the expanded provision of free school lunches and breakfasts to students in the State who reside in certain middle-income families (i.e., those families having an annual household income of up to 199 percent of the FPL). This bill would further amend and supplement the Working Class Families Anti-Hunger Act to expressly apply the provisions of that existing law to nonpublic schools that elect to participate in the National School Lunch Program, and to additionally expand the income eligibility standards applicable to students in the 2024-2025 school year. All students who become newly eligible for free school lunch, under the bill's expanded, but term-limited, income eligibility provisions, would be eligible to continue receiving such free lunches through a summer meals program, and, if enrolled at a public school, would also be able to continue receiving free lunches through an emergency meals distribution program that is activated during a period of public school closure resulting from COVID-19. Consistent with the reimbursement requirements established under the Working Class Families Anti-Hunger Act, the bill would require the State to provide funding to each school district and nonpublic school that participates in the National School Lunch Program, as may be necessary to reimburse the costs associated with the provision of free lunches thereby, in school year 2024-2025, to students who are federally ineligible for such meals, but who satisfy the bill's expanded, State-level income eligibility requirements for that year. The bill would further require the Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the Department of Education, to establish a standardized means by which to review the State reimbursement amounts being allocated under the bill, and under the existing Working Class Families Anti-Hunger Act, in order to determine whether, and the extent to which, participating school districts and nonpublic schools are receiving adequate reimbursement, from the State, sufficient to account for each participating school's actual costs of meal delivery, including, but not limited to, food, labor, and other related costs. The bill would require each report that is annually submitted, to the Governor and Legislature, on the State's school lunch and breakfast programs to identify, as appropriate, for each participating school district and nonpublic school in the State: (1) the total number and percentage of students receiving subsidized school meals who have been determined to be, respectively, federally eligible for free school lunch or breakfast, federally eligible for reduced price school lunch or breakfast, income-eligible for free school lunch or breakfast on the basis of State-level income eligibility requirements, or neither categorically eligible nor income-eligible for free or reduced price lunch or breakfast; and (2) the number and percentage of such students who reside, respectively, in low-income families and in middle-income families. In addition to providing for the term-limited expansion of income eligibility requirements necessary for students to qualify for subsidized school lunches, the bill would also require school districts and nonpublic schools participating in the National School Lunch Program or the federal School Breakfast Program to take steps to minimize or offset program costs, to the extent that such costs can be minimized or offset without compromising the ability of the district or nonpublic school to comply with minimum nutritional standards and other program requirements. To facilitate such legally compliant cost minimization activities, the bill would require the Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the Department of Education, to: (1) monitor, inspect, and oversee school meals programs operating in the State to ensure that school meals served thereunder continue to satisfy minimum nutritional standards; (2) develop and publicize best practices, protocols, and model plans to help participating school districts and nonpublic schools effectively minimize and offset program costs without compromising the nutritional value of meals being served; and (3) work cooperatively with each participating school district and nonpublic school to review the program costs being expended thereby, identify various means and methods by which those program costs can be reduced, curtailed, or eliminated without sacrificing nutritional value or legal compliance, provide relevant financial recommendations, and undertake or recommend other appropriate actions to prevent the State's school meals programs from becoming overly bloated with unnecessary expenses and from otherwise becoming financially burdensome. Finally, the bill would require the Office of the Food Security Advocate to establish a Working Group on School Food Security to identify and develop best practices, policies, and plans, and to take other appropriate action, to promote and facilitate the effective functioning of the State's school meals programs and the expanded provision, thereunder, of free school meals to students in the State. Within one year after its formation, and on a regular basis thereafter as deemed by the food security advocate to be appropriate, the Working Group on School Food Security would be tasked with: (1) conducting a study on school food security issues, in accordance with the bill's provisions, and recommending further State-level action to facilitate the provision of free school meals to enhanced numbers or categories of students in the State; and (2) develop and publish a plan to facilitate and promote the adoption, by the United States Congress and President, of federal legislation authorizing the nationwide provision of free school meals to all students in the country, and providing federal reimbursement for all such meals served by schools and school districts in the states. | Dead |
| A1262 | Requires retired law enforcement officers to qualify in use of firearm once a year. | This bill would require retired law enforcement officers to qualify in the use of a firearm once per year rather than every six months. Under current law, a person who has retired in good standing after serving as a regularly employed, full-time law enforcement officer may carry a firearm provided the person: (1) is 75 years of age or younger; (2) is not subject to any of the disabilities which would disqualify the retired officer from possessing or carrying a firearm; and (3) semi-annually qualifies in the use of a firearm. This bill would require the retired law enforcement officer to qualify in the use of a firearm once per year rather than semi-annually. | In Committee |
| A1809 | Establishes central registry for sickle cell trait diagnoses; provides for informational outreach and genetic counseling. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Health (commissioner) to establish a central registry of newborn patients diagnosed with sickle cell trait and to provide information about counseling, intervention, and educational services to patients and their parents. Sickle cell trait is the condition of carrying one sickle cell gene, which means the person is at risk for passing the gene on to his children and may be at risk of experiencing certain health complications. A person born with two sickle cell genes has sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder most commonly characterized by chronic anemia and periodic episodes of pain. Currently, all children born in New Jersey are screened for a number of genetic and biochemical conditions at birth, including sickle cell anemia. Under the bill, when a patient tests positive for sickle cell trait, the screening laboratory will be required to notify the physician responsible for the newborn's care and document the diagnosis of sickle cell trait in the central registry established under the bill. The physician is to provide the newborn's parents with information concerning the availability and benefits of genetic counseling performed by a licensed genetic counselor. This genetic counseling is to include, at a minimum, information concerning the fact that one or both of the parents carries sickle cell trait and the risk that other children born to the parents may carry sickle cell trait or may be born with sickle cell disease. The bill requires the commissioner to establish a system to notify the parents of patients who are listed in the registry that follow-up consultations with a physician may be beneficial for children diagnosed with sickle cell trait. Such notifications will be provided: at least once when the patient is in early adolescence, when the patient may begin to participate in strenuous athletic activities that could result in adverse symptoms for a person with sickle cell trait; at least once during later adolescence, when the patient should be made aware of the reproductive implications of sickle cell trait; and at such other intervals as may be required by the commissioner. The bill additionally requires the commissioner to establish a system under which the Department of Health would make reasonable efforts to notify patients who have reached the age of 18 years of the patient's inclusion in the registry and of the availability of educational services, genetic counseling, and other resources that may be beneficial to the patient. The information in the central registry established under the bill will be used for the purposes of compiling statistical information and assisting the provision of follow-up counseling, intervention, and educational services to patients and to the parents of patients who are listed in the registry. Central registry information will be confidential, and a person who unlawfully discloses the information will be guilty of a disorderly persons offense, which is punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a $1,000 fine, or both. Each unlawful disclosure is a separate and actionable offense. | In Committee |
| A1154 | Excludes veteran disability compensation from income qualification limits under homestead property tax reimbursement program. | This bill would allow more disabled veterans to qualify for the homestead property tax reimbursement program. The homestead property tax reimbursement program reimburses eligible senior citizens and disabled persons for property tax increases. The amount of the reimbursement is the difference between the amount of property taxes that were due and paid for the "base year" (the first year that an individual meets all the eligibility requirements) and the amount due and paid for the year that the individual is applying for the reimbursement, provided the amount paid for the current year is greater. The bill would exclude disability compensation paid by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to a veteran from the calculation of that person's income for the purpose of determining whether the person is eligible to participate in the homestead property tax reimbursement program. | In Committee |
| A1141 | Requires school districts and nonpublic schools to develop emergency operations plans; requires school districts to provide instruction on environmental and natural disasters to students enrolled in grades kindergarten through 12. | This bill requires school districts and nonpublic schools to develop emergency operations plans. The bill also requires school districts to provide instruction on environmental and natural disasters to students enrolled in grades kindergarten through 12. Under the bill, the board of education of each school district and the chief school administrator of each nonpublic school is required to develop and coordinate an emergency operations plan to ensure the continuity of essential school functions under all circumstances. The plan is required to identify a baseline of preparedness for all potential emergencies and be coordinated with State and local authorities. The bill requires the plan to include, but not be limited to, the following components: identification of essential functions, programs, and personnel; procedures to implement the plan; delegation of authority and lines of succession; identification of alternative facilities and related infrastructure, including those for communications; identification and protection of vital records and databases; and schedules and procedures for periodic tests, training, and exercises. The plan will be consistent with the local emergency operations plan of the municipality or municipalities in which the school district or nonpublic school is located. The bill directs the board of education or chief school administrator to adopt and submit for review an emergency operations plan to the Commissioner of Education, the State Office of Emergency Management, the Department of Health, and the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness within six months of the bill's effective date. The board or administrator will be required to review, update, and resubmit the plan to the offices every five years. Under the bill, the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, the State Office of Emergency Management, the Department of Health, and the Commissioner of Education will be required to review the emergency operations plans submitted and, when necessary, make recommendations for a plan's improvement. An emergency operation plan prepared pursuant to this bill will not be considered a government record under the State's open public records act and, therefore, will not be available for public inspection, copying, or the purchase of copies. The bill also requires the board of education or chief school administrator of a nonpublic school to ensure that students enrolled in the school district or nonpublic school annually receive appropriate instruction related to the emergency operations plan adopted by the board of education or chief school administrator. The instruction will include the expectations and responsibilities of students in the event that an emergency occurs. Finally, this bill requires that each school district will incorporate instruction on environmental and natural disasters in the science, comprehensive health and physical education, and social studies curricula for students in grades K through 12 as part of the district's implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards. | In Committee |
| A2050 | Applies law governing equal employment opportunity and affirmative action to gubernatorial transition staff members. | This bill applies the laws governing equal employment opportunity and affirmative action to gubernatorial transition staff. In 1969, New Jersey enacted "The Gubernatorial Transition Act" in order "to promote the orderly transfer of the executive power in connection with the expiration of the term of office of a Governor and the inauguration of a new Governor." Although staff members of the Governor-elect's transition office receive compensation through the Department of the Treasury, the act specifically states that members of the gubernatorial transition staff are not considered State employees, except with regard to the Public Employees' Retirement System and the New Jersey Conflicts of Interest Law. This bill would amend that law to also apply the laws governing equal employment opportunity and affirmative action to gubernatorial transition staff members. | In Committee |
| A2451 | Establishes permanent unit in Office of Emergency Management to address access and functional needs of residents related to disasters and emergencies. | This bill requires the State Office of Emergency Management to establish a permanent unit in the office to serve the needs of State residents with access and functional needs. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on residents of New Jersey with disabilities, older adults, and other at-risk groups, many of whom are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, as well as the consequences of other types of disasters and emergencies. In 2018, the CDC estimated that 24.6% of New Jersey adult residents had a disability, which is a sizeable portion of the State's population. The economic impact on people with disabilities and their families, as well as the burden on individual health as a result of the pandemic are an existential threat to the Disability community. Accordingly, it is in the public interest for the State to engage in comprehensive planning and coordination within the northern, central, and southern regions of the State to support residents with access and functional needs. Under the provisions of the bill. The unit's responsibilities are to include: (1) determining the needs of residents with access and functional needs, before, during, and after disasters and emergencies; (2) determining the Statewide availability of relevant resources and assistance; (3) assessing and addressing the ability of residents with access and functional needs to access available resources and assistance; and (4) coordinating with county and local offices of emergency management and relevant resource providers to determine, expand, and implement best practices to be utilized in support of residents with access and functional needs. The bill provides that the unit would consist of one full-time supervisor and a staff of three full-time planners to assist the needs of the South, Central, and North Jersey regions to in serving the State residents with access and functional needs. The bill defines a "resident with access and functional needs" as: (1) a person with a disability; (2) an older adult; (3) a person with limited English proficiency; (4) a person with limited access to transportation that would enable the person to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of a disaster or emergency; and (5) a person with limited access to financial resources that would enable the person to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of a disaster or emergency. | In Committee |
| A1171 | Revises and updates membership and purpose of Advisory Council on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in DHS. | This bill amends section 1 of P.L.1995, c.168 (C.34:1-69.1a) to expand the membership of the Advisory Council on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing from 18 members to 25 members by adding one new ex officio member, the Director of the Division of Aging Services in the Department of Human Services, and six new public members. The bill further revises the requirements for the ex officio membership by identifying specific offices and divisions from which certain ex officio members are to be appointed. The bill also revises the requirements for the public membership, which under current law includes a business person, a lay person born of deaf parents, five citizens who are deaf, and five citizens who are hard of hearing. As revised, the public membership will include a licensed audiologist, a licensed speech-language pathologist, an American Sign Language instructor, an educational provider, a business person, a lay person born of deaf parents, one parent of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, one parent of a child with special needs who is deaf or hard of hearing, two citizens who are deaf-blind, four citizens who are deaf, and four citizens who are hard of hearing. The bill identifies certain requirements for certain of the public members to be appointed variously by the Governor, the Senate President, and the Speaker of the General Assembly. Under the bill, the advisory council will have the duty to: 1) conduct an ongoing review of the programs, services, and proposed legislation in the State that affects or may affect persons who are deaf, persons who are deaf-blind, and persons who are hard of hearing; 2) provide the Governor, the Legislature, the judicial branch, and the commissioners of all State agencies with advice and recommendations on: a) the development of policies, programs, and services affecting persons who are deaf, persons who are deaf-blind, and persons who are hard of hearing; b) the appropriate use of federal and State money in relation to persons who are deaf, persons who are deaf-blind, and persons who are hard of hearing; c) the sufficiency of, and deficiencies evident in, the programs, services, and proposed legislation reviewed by the advisory council; d) the new laws, rules, and policies that will be necessary to ensure that persons who are deaf, persons who are deaf-blind, and persons who are hard of hearing have equal access to available programs, services, and benefits; e) the legislation and policies that will work to improve the economic and social conditions of persons who are deaf, persons who are deaf-blind, and persons who are hard of hearing; f) the need for revisions to the State's affirmative action plan and programs, or for any other State action that may be necessary to eliminate the underemployment or unemployment of persons who are deaf, persons who are deaf-blind, and persons who are hard of hearing in the State's workforce; and g) the problems that are faced by persons who are deaf, persons who are deaf-blind, and persons who are hard of hearing in the areas of education, employment, human rights, human services, health, housing, and other related areas; 3) assist persons who are deaf, persons who are deaf-blind, persons who are hard of hearing, and the parents of minors who are deaf, minors who are deaf-blind, or minors who are hard of hearing, in affirmatively advocating for equal access to services programs, and opportunities; 4) work in consultation with other State and federal agencies and organizations to promote economic opportunities and growth for persons who are deaf, persons who are deaf-blind, and persons who are hard of hearing; 5) research, formulate, and present to the Governor, Legislature, and any appropriate State agencies, plans for new programs, services, and policies that will serve the needs of persons who are deaf, persons who are deaf-blind, and persons who are hard of hearing; 6) encourage and assist in the development of coordinated, interdepartmental goals and objectives, and the coordination of programs, services, and facilities among all State agencies, political subdivisions, and private service providers as they relate to persons who are deaf, persons who are deaf-blind, and persons who are hard of hearing; and 7) enhance public awareness of the special needs and potential of persons who are deaf, persons who are deaf-blind, and persons who are hard of hearing. The bill also requires the advisory council, in effectuating its duties under the bill, to coordinate with other State and local agencies that serve persons who are deaf, persons who are deaf-blind, or persons who are hard of hearing, and to consult with associations, organizations, and individuals who are knowledgeable about the needs of persons who are deaf, persons who are deaf-blind, or persons who are hard of hearing, and the needs of their families. Finally, as amended, the bill would authorize the advisory council to establish an executive sub-committee and any other sub-committee of its members as it deems necessary or proper, and to authorize such sub-committees to exercise any powers of the advisory council, except those that are expressly required by law to be exercised by the advisory council. If the advisory council establishes an executive sub-committee, the sub-committee is to have at least three members appointed by the chair. As amended and reported by the committee, Assembly Bill No. 4151 is identical to Senate Bill No. 2441 (1R) which was also amended and reported by the committee on this date. | In Committee |
| A1198 | Establishes "Law Enforcement Addiction Intervention Pilot Program" in Burlington County; appropriates $75,000. | This bill establishes in the Department of Law and Public Safety an 18-month "Law Enforcement Addiction Intervention Pilot Program," which would refer certain nonviolent offenders to an appropriate treatment program. The pilot program would be established in Burlington County. Under the pilot program, the Attorney General is required to establish a county-wide addiction intervention task force which would work under the direction of the county prosecutor to identify persons charged with non-violent disorderly persons offenses as a result of, or related to, substance use disorders. The task force is to be comprised of 21 members, including: the Attorney General or a designee; the Burlington County Sheriff or a designee; four public members appointed by the Governor, each of whom are to have experience working in recovery centers in Burlington County; and representatives from 15 law enforcement agencies in Burlington County which reflect a representative sample of the geographic locations and population sizes of the municipalities within the county. In addition, individuals who voluntarily enter a police department and request assistance with their addiction may receive assistance from a member of the department. The bill provides that a person is not to be arrested for certain drug possession crimes when asking for assistance with his or her addiction. Members of the task force would be required to refer persons with substance use disorders to a trained recovery coach, an organization dedicated to providing addiction treatment services, or an organization capable of referring persons to a program that provides addiction treatment services. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of pre-arrest or post-arrest treatment referral programs, the task force would be required to develop recommendations for procedures by which participating law enforcement agencies may monitor the progress of persons referred for treatment. The bill requires the Director of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of Human Services, in consultation with the Attorney General and the county prosecutor, to develop a curriculum for training law enforcement officers on police interactions with persons with substance use disorders. Once developed, at least one law enforcement officer from each law enforcement agency in the county would be trained utilizing the curriculum. The curriculum is required to include, but not be limited to, the following subjects: (1) identification and recognition of different forms of behavioral issues related to substance use disorders; (2) techniques, including relevant language training, which may be used by law enforcement officers to intervene with, interview, and de-escalate a person who may have a substance use disorder; (3) issues relating to suicide and prevention techniques; and (4) an overview of community resources and options for treatment, including identification of local resources. The bill requires the Attorney General to submit to the Governor and Legislature a report containing an evaluation of the pilot program not more than 30 days following the expiration of the pilot program. The report is to make recommendations concerning the effectiveness of the pre-arrest and post-arrest diversion techniques employed during the pilot program and methods by which law enforcement agencies may effectively work with partners in the recovery community and treatment providers to assist people struggling with addiction, as well as their families. In addition, the report is to recommend whether the pilot program should be continued as a Statewide program. The bill appropriates $75,000 from the General Fund for expenses incurred in connection with the pilot program. | In Committee |
| A871 | Establishes license to allow wineries that produce more than 250,000 gallons per year to directly ship wine to consumers. | This bill allows New Jersey wineries and out-of-State wineries that annually produce more than 250,000 gallons to directly ship wine to consumers. Under current law, small plenary wineries that produce 250,000 gallons or less per year and farm wineries are permitted to directly ship wine to New Jersey residents and consumers residing in other states. In addition, out-of-State wineries that annually produce 250,000 gallons or less may obtain a license to directly ship wine to New Jersey residents. Wineries that produce more than the 250,000 gallon capacity cap are currently prohibited from directly shipping wine. This bill establishes a license to allow the holder of a New Jersey winery license or an out-of-State winery that exceeds the 250,000 gallon capacity cap to directly ship up to 12 cases of wine annually to any person over the age of 21. | In Committee |
| A599 | Establishes maternity care standards for general hospitals providing maternity care. | This bill requires the Department of Health to develop maternity care standards for the use of general hospitals that are licensed to provide maternity care. The training standards are to focus on ensuring the safety of maternity care patients throughout the prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum periods, with the goal of reducing the number of, and disparities in, adverse maternity care outcomes. | In Committee |
| A1150 | Permits certain fire police units to appoint fire police officers. | This bill authorizes certain fire police units to appoint fire police officers, and permits a notary public to administer an oath to a fire police officer. Currently, a volunteer fire company may appoint a member of the company as a fire police officer. Under the provisions of this bill, a fire police unit that is incorporated, has filed appropriate tax forms, insures all members, and has a designated station number may appoint a person who is not a member of the company as a fire police officer if the person is of good health and good moral character, and has not been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude. An officer appointed by a unit will comply with the same requirements and will have the same duties as officers appointed by a volunteer fire company. Current law requires the municipal clerk to administer the oath to volunteer firefighters who perform police duties. Under provisions of this bill, a notary public also may administer an officer's oath. | In Committee |
| A1172 | Waives business formation and registration fees for establishment of businesses owned by veterans. | This bill would waive business formation and registration fees for the establishment of veteran-owned for-profit businesses and non-profit organizations. The bill defines veteran as any person who has served in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, including a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces, for at least 90 days who has been honorably discharged. To provide proof of veteran status, a veteran would be required to submit a copy of the veteran's DD-214 form or a certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty with the veteran's formation and registration forms. Under current State law, for-profit businesses are required to pay $125, and domestic non-profit organizations are required to pay $75, respectively, along with their business formation applications. This bill would exempt veteran-owned businesses and non-profit organizations from this requirement, and any other business formation and registration fees required for the establishment of a business or non-profit organization. This bill would not change any renewal fees required by law. In 2016, the state of Pennsylvania enacted legislation to waive business fee requirements for veteran-owned businesses. This legislation would ease the financial requirements for veterans to establish their own businesses and successfully transition to civilian life. | In Committee |
| A3262 | Provides for voluntary contributions by taxpayers on gross income tax returns to support NJ SHARES. | This bill establishes the "NJ SHARES Fund" and provides for a designation on the State gross income tax return that will permit taxpayers to make voluntary contributions to the fund for distribution to New Jersey SHARES, Inc. (NJ SHARES), a statewide, non-profit organization, that provides assistance to New Jersey households who are in need of temporary help in paying their energy bills due to a short-term financial crisis. New Jersey SHARES, Inc., (NJ SHARES) provides assistance to individuals and families living in New Jersey who are in need of temporary help in paying their energy bills. To qualify for assistance from NJ SHARES, an individual or family must be facing a financial crisis and not be eligible for welfare or other income-based energy assistance programs. Recipients must also have a history of good-faith payments of their utility bills. | In Committee |
| AJR27 | Designates November each year as "Hospice and Palliative Care Awareness Month." | This joint resolution designates the month of November of each year as "Hospice and Palliative Care Awareness Month" in New Jersey to raise public awareness about hospice and palliative care and to encourage the citizens of the State to increase their understanding of supportive, high-quality, end-of-life care before they or members of their families are confronted with a health care crisis or terminal diagnosis. Every year throughout the United States, 1.6 million people living with a terminal diagnosis receive hospice and palliative care, but more can be done to educate members of the public about the benefits of such care. At the center of hospice and palliative care is the belief every person has the right to die pain-free and with dignity. The role of hospice and palliative care workers and volunteers is to provide improved quality of life to patients and caregivers coping with life-limiting illness, and to allow an individual to focus on living as fully as possible even as life draws to a close. The joint resolution requests that the Governor issue an annual proclamation calling upon public officials and the residents of this State to observe "Hospice and Palliative Care Awareness Month" with appropriate activities and programs. | In Committee |
| A127 | Requires State employer to ascertain child abuse or sexual misconduct in employment applications for certain positions involving children; requires background checks for current and prospective employees. | This bill requires State employers, or service providers holding a contract with a State employer to provide services involving children, to ascertain allegations of child abuse or sexual misconduct prior to awarding employment in certain positions that involve regular contact with children. The bill also requires a criminal history record background check and a child abuse record background check for each current or prospective employee of a State employer or service provider who is or would be employed in a position having regular contact with children. Under the bill, a State employer means any of the principal departments in the Executive Branch of this State, and any board, bureau, office, division, authority, or other instrumentality thereof. Application Information - Prospective Employees The bill requires each State employer or service provider to request from each applicant for employment in a position having regular contact with children detailed information concerning that person's employment history. Each such applicant would be required to provide (1) a list of the applicant's current employer, all former employers within the last 20 years, and an indication of which of those employment positions involved direct contact with children; (2) a written authorization that consents to and authorizes disclosure of the information requested and the release of related records by the applicant's employers, and that releases those employers from liability that may arise from the disclosure or release of records; and (3) a written statement as to whether the applicant has been the subject of any child abuse or sexual misconduct investigation by any employer, State licensing agency, law enforcement agency, or the Department of Children and Families, and whether the investigation resulted in a finding that the allegations were false or the alleged incident of child abuse or sexual misconduct was not substantiated; has ever been disciplined, discharged, non-renewed, asked to resign from employment, resigned from or otherwise separated from any employment while allegations of child abuse or sexual misconduct were pending or under investigation, or due to an adjudication or finding of child abuse or sexual misconduct; or has ever had a license, professional license, or certificate suspended, surrendered, or revoked while allegations of child abuse or sexual misconduct were pending or under investigation, or due to an adjudication or finding of child abuse or sexual misconduct. The bill establishes penalties for the provision of false information by an applicant for employment; requires that current and former employers of an applicant respond to a State employer's or service provider's request for information within 20 days of that request; and allows the State employer or service provider to disqualify an applicant if the information on that person's application cannot be verified due to a non-response from a current or prior employer. The bill allows such disqualification or termination upon an affirmative response or finding of child abuse or sexual misconduct in an applicant's application or employment history. Under special or emergent circumstances, the bill allows a State employer or service provider to employ or contract with an applicant on a provisional basis for a period not to exceed 90 days pending review of an applicant's information, provided the applicant submitted the information requested and the State employer or service provider has no adverse knowledge or information pertaining to the applicant. The bill provides that the application records would not be subject to public disclosure under the "open public records act," and prohibits the State employer or service provider from entering into any contracts or agreements that would expunge application records or make it difficult to report findings of child abuse or sexual misconduct. Criminal History Record Background Check - Current and Prospective Employees The bill requires an applicant for employment and each current employee of a State employer or service provider who is or will be employed in a position which involves regular contact with children, to undergo a criminal history record background check as a condition of prospective or continuing employment. The prospective or current employee would be permanently disqualified from employment in that position if the criminal history record background check of that employee or applicant reveals a record of conviction for any of the following crimes and offenses: (1) a crime against a child, including endangering the welfare of a child and child pornography; child molestation; (2) abuse, abandonment or neglect of a child; (3) endangering the welfare of a person with a developmental disability; (4) sexual assault, criminal sexual contact or lewdness; (5) murder or manslaughter; (6) stalking; (7) kidnaping and related offenses including criminal restraint, false imprisonment, interference with custody, criminal coercion, or enticing a child into a motor vehicle, structure or isolated area; (8) arson, or causing or risking widespread injury or damage, which would constitute a crime of the second degree; (9) aggravated assault, which would constitute a crime of the second or third degree; (10) robbery, which would constitute a crime of the first degree; (11) burglary, which would constitute a crime of the second degree; (12) domestic violence; (13) terroristic threats; and (14) an attempt or conspiracy to commit any of these crimes or offenses. Under the bill, for crimes and offenses other than those listed, an employee or applicant may be eligible for employment if the individual has affirmatively demonstrated clear and convincing evidence of rehabilitation. Child Abuse Record Information Check - Current and Prospective Employees The bill further requires each applicant for employment and each current employee of a State employer or service provider who will be or is employed in a position which involves regular contact with children to undergo a child abuse record information check. The State employer or service provider would be required to conduct that check to determine if an incident of child abuse or neglect has been substantiated against the prospective or current employee. Under the bill, if a current or prospective employee refuses to consent to, or cooperate in, the conduct of a child abuse record information check, the person would be ineligible for or immediately terminated from employment. The bill provides that a current employee of a State employer or service provider, or an applicant for employment, who is or will be employed in a position which involves regular contact with children, would be permanently disqualified from employment in that position if the child abuse record information check of that employee or applicant reveals a record of conviction for child abuse. | In Committee |
| A1146 | Provides for excused absences for public school students involved in election activities on day of general election under certain circumstances. | This bill would permit any pupil over the age of 14 years of any public school to take an excused absence from school on the day of the general election in this State upon the presentation of documentation proving that the pupil served as a volunteer for election-related activity on the day of the general election. This bill defines "election-related activity" to mean: observing the polling or canvassing process, participating in simulated voting, assisting in the transportation of voters to polling places, or participating in any other activity that has been specifically approved in advance by the board of education governing that public school, as part of a group or a program organized by a recognized nonprofit organization, by a board of education, or by educators within the public educational system of this State, not undertaken directly or indirectly for the benefit or under the auspices of one or more political parties to the exclusion of other political parties, and for which the pupil volunteered and received compensation or reimbursement for expenses no greater than $100. The absence would be granted upon submission of documentation which would include a signature of a person over the age of 18 years who supervised the pupil's activity, the organizers of the activity, a brief description of the nature of the activity, the time during which the pupil took part in the activity, and a certification that the activity was not undertaken directly or indirectly for the benefit of one or more political parties to the exclusion of other political parties. The board of education may deny such excused absences for pupils whose academic achievement is below a level set by the board of education for this purpose. The purpose of this legislation is to promote participation in the election process among young people who are just a few years from becoming eligible to vote, thus fostering their understanding of the importance of voting, of their rights as citizens, and of their civic responsibility. | In Committee |
| ACR86 | Proposes constitutional amendment permitting certain veterans and their surviving spouses to receive enhanced homestead rebate amounts similar to the homestead rebate amounts allowed for senior and disabled residents. | This concurrent resolution proposes to amend the State Constitution's homestead rebate provision to allow honorably discharged United States Armed Forces war veterans, their unmarried surviving spouses, and unmarried surviving spouses of United States military personnel who died while on active duty in time of war to receive the same larger homestead property tax rebate as is allowed for eligible senior citizens and disabled citizens. The State Constitution currently allows for a differential homestead property tax rebate to be paid to homestead owners or residential tenants who are senior citizens and disabled citizens. Under the recently enacted "New Jersey School Assessment Valuation Exemption Relief and Homestead Property Tax Rebate Act" (NJ SAVER and Homestead Rebate Act), P.L.1999, c.63, approximately 125,000 senior tenants and disabled tenants are eligible for an annual Homestead Rebate benefit of up to $500 that has averaged for these claimants about $410. Under that act, if the NJ SAVER provisions produce a greater benefit than the homestead rebate, the greater NJ SAVER rebate will be paid. Under this constitutional amendment, and companion implementing legislation, approximately 330,000 war veterans or their surviving spouses would be eligible to also receive the greater of the "circuit-breaker" type homestead rebate, currently available only to senior and disabled citizens, or the NJ SAVER rebate. The war veterans and their unmarried surviving spouses who would be eligible for the enhanced homestead rebate are the same war time military personnel who are eligible under the State Constitution for the veterans' $50 real property tax deduction. While this $50 deduction would continue to be extended to these veterans and their surviving spouses, the extension of the enhanced homestead rebate will provide a long overdue increase in personal property tax relief for this well-deserving group of residents, who have not had any increase in their $50 property tax deduction since it was incorporated into the State Constitution in 1953. | In Committee |
| ACR99 | Memorializes President and Congress to expand certain benefits to grandchildren of veterans impacted by Agent Orange. | This concurrent resolution memorializes the President and Congress to provide the grandchildren with Spina Bifida of veterans exposed to Agent Orange the same benefits as the children with Spina Bifida of veterans exposed to Agent Orange as provided by the "Agent Orange Benefits Act of 1996". Grandchildren of Vietnam and Korean War veterans who are negatively affected by their grandparent's service through the acquiring of diseases caused by Agent Orange such as Spinia Bifida will have limited support in managing the consequences of their illness unless provided the same benefits as the children of veterans with the same affliction. Spina Bifida is a life-long debilitating disease that can cause numerous serious health issues. The expansion of benefits to include grandchildren of these veterans will alleviate the financial burden of the disease and provide valuable services such as counseling, education, and employment services. The United States of America has greatly benefitted from the service of all veterans and owes its support to the grandchildren of veterans afflicted by diseases linked to military service. | In Committee |
| A1130 | Excludes veterans' benefits from calculation of financial obligation for care at psychiatric facility. | This bill amends R.S.30:4-60 to exclude veterans' benefits from income for the purpose of calculating the financial obligation for care in a psychiatric facility, which is defined as a State psychiatric hospital listed in R.S.30:1-7, county psychiatric hospital, or psychiatric unit of a county hospital. Currently, subsection c. of R.S.30:4-60, which was added by P.L.2005, c.55, provides that the financial obligation of an adult with mental illness, after taking a credit for all available third party insurance or medical assistance program payments, is based on the sliding scale fee schedule established for charity care under section 10 of P.L.1992, c.160 (C.26:2H-18.60). Under the bill, veterans' benefits the person receives would be excluded from income when calculating the adult's obligation for psychiatric care using the sliding scale fee for charity care. | In Committee |
| A839 | Establishes "Police Body Camera Implementation Task Force" to study and make recommendations concerning use of body cameras by law enforcement agencies in this State. | This bill establishes a "Police Body Camera Implementation Task Force" to study and make recommendations on the use of body cameras by certain law enforcement officers in this State including, but not limited to, requirements for implementation and development of best practices for the use of these cameras and rules for access to and use of body camera recordings. The bill defines a "body camera" as a device worn by a law enforcement officer that electronically records audio and video while the officer acts in the performance of the officer's official duties. The 17-member task force under the bill would be comprised of the following members: (1) the Chair of the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee; (2) the Chair of the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee; (3) the Attorney General or a designee, who shall serve ex officio; (4) the New Jersey Public Defender or a designee, who shall serve ex officio; (5) a representative of the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association, Inc.; (6) a representative of the New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police; (7) a representative of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police; (8) a representative of the of the County Prosecutors' Association of New Jersey; (9) the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey; (10) a representative of the Police Institute at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice; (11) a representative of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; (12) a public member appointed by the Governor who is a law enforcement officer in a municipality that currently utilizes police body cameras; (13) a public member appointed by the Governor who is a victims' rights advocate; (14) a member to be appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; (15) a member to be appointed by the minority leader of the General Assembly; (16) a mayor representing an urban municipality as designated by the President of the New Jersey League of Municipalities; and (17) a mayor representing a suburban municipality as designated by the President of the New Jersey League of Municipalities. The bill requires the task force appointments to be made within 30 days of the bill's effective date. The Attorney General is to serve as the chair of the task force and is required to appoint a secretary. The chair is to call an initial meeting of the task force within seven days of the appointment of a majority of its members and hold hearings at the times and in the places it may deem appropriate and necessary to fulfill its charge. The task force may seek the advice of experts, such as persons specializing in the fields of criminology, psychology, education, criminal or family law, or other related fields. Under the bill, the task force is required to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature no later than December 30, 2021. | In Committee |
| A2361 | Requires calculation of national average time needed to approve applications for initial credential in profession or occupation and use of average time as standard in New Jersey. | The bill requires the boards created under Title 45 in current law to collect, from each state in the country, the amount of time, or the average amount of time, required or necessary to approve an application for an initial credential for each profession or occupation in which the New Jersey board also issues a credential. A board may contact a national or regional association to obtain data regarding average approval times in other states. Based on the data collected, a national average of the time required or necessary for application approval is to be calculated for each profession and occupation and used by the corresponding board in New Jersey as the amount of time it has to approve an application for an initial credential. The Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, or a designee, is to review and approve the calculated national averages of times prior to their use by the boards. After one year of using the calculated national average of times by the boards, the division is to review if the boards are meeting the requisite calculated average times for approval of applications for initial credentials. If the review demonstrates a board is not meeting the calculated time, licensing fees collected by the board are to be used to contract with a third-party, with expertise in the professions or occupations regulated by the specific board, to determine best practices that the board is to implement to meet the calculated average time for application approval. Upon completion of the review by the third-party, the board is to implement the best practices immediately. The division is to review the data on the approval of applications for initial credentials by the board six months after the implementation of best practices to ensure the calculated national average time is met. The boards have six months after the effective date of the bill to complete the initial collection of data and calculate the national average time. Additionally, an annual review of the calculated national average time is to be performed by each board, in collaboration with the director or a designee, to determine the accuracy of the calculations. The bill stipulates that each board is entitled to retain all funds collected as a result of fees paid for an initial credential and for the renewal, reactivation, and reinstatement of a credential in order to administer the provisions of this bill, until the board is meeting or surpassing its calculated national average time for application approval. | In Committee |
| A1186 | Establishes "5G Network and Development Task Force." | This bill establishes the "5G Network and Development Task Force" to study and develop recommendations on how to harmonize the approaching rollout of "5th Generation" (5G) wireless networks and future development within the State. Before 5G networks begin to be rolled out, the requirements for building in the State are going to have to be updated in order to ensure that these networks are not disrupted by future development. This task force would be charged with laying critical groundwork in anticipation of the shift to 5G network technology. The task force would consist of five members as follows: (1) the Commissioner of Community Affairs, or a designee; (2) the President of the Board of Public Utilities, or a designee; (3) one member who is a representative of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, appointed by the Governor; (4) one public member appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the President of the Senate; and (5) one public member appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly. The task force would have one year from the bill's effective date to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature setting forth the results of its studies and recommendations. The task force would expire upon the submission of this report. | In Committee |
| A2833 | Requires notice to be provided by municipal court to applicant for public defender of fee and process to waive fee for inability to pay. | This bill provides that if a municipality requires by ordinance that a person applying for representation by a municipal public defender pay an application fee, the municipal court would be required to provide notice to the applicant of the fee and the process to waive the fee in the event of any inability to pay. No fee other than that permitted by section 17 of P.L.1997, c.256 (C.2B:24-17) is to be assessed for representation by a municipal public defender. Under the provisions of section 17 of P.L.1997, c.256 (C.2B:24-17), a municipality may require by ordinance that a person applying for municipal public defender representation pay an application fee of not more than $200. The statute provides that the fee must be in an amount necessary to pay the costs of municipal public defender services. The municipal court may waive the application fee if the court determines upon a clear and convincing showing by the applicant that the fee represents an unreasonable burden on the person seeking representation. The bill would take effect 60 days after enactment. | In Committee |
| A537 | Requires certain community residential facilities have standby emergency power generators. | This bill requires that certain community residential facilities be equipped with standby emergency power generators. The provisions of the bill apply to nonprofit community residences for the developmentally disabled, which are sponsored by the Department of Human Services, and the standby emergency power generator required would be a natural gas or liquid gas propane fuel powered generator that is permanently connected to the electrical system of the community residence. Specifically, the bill provides that these community residences, which provide care for their residents beginning on or after the effective date of the bill, are to be equipped with standby emergency power generators, and that such facilities operating prior to the effective date of the bill are to be equipped with the generators within 90 days of the effective date. The bill requires the utility providing power to the community residence to be responsible for the cost of acquiring and installing the generator. In addition, the bill provides that the agency, organization, or other entity operating the community residence is responsible for the cost of maintaining its generator and is to ensure that the generator is checked, tested, and serviced in accordance with generally accepted engineering practices as prescribed by regulation. The bill takes effect on the first day of the fourth month following the date of enactment, but authorizes the Commissioner of Human Services to take prior administrative action as necessary for its implementation. | In Committee |
| AJR52 | Designates month of May of each year as "Law Enforcement and Correctional Police Officer Appreciation Month" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates the month of May of each year as "Law Enforcement and Correctional Police Officer Appreciation Month" and calls upon public officials and the residents of New Jersey to observe the month with appropriate activities and programs. In light of recent negativity directed toward law enforcement nationally, this joint resolution appropriately honors law enforcement and correctional police officers. It is the Sponsor's intent to ensure that the citizens of New Jersey recognize the difficult career these officers have chosen and that these officers deserve our highest respect and deepest gratitude. | In Committee |
| A2143 | Eliminates smoking ban exemption for casinos and simulcasting facilities. | This bill amends the "New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act," P.L.2005, c.383 (C.26:3D-55 et seq.), to prohibit smoking in casinos and casino simulcasting facilities. Current law prohibits smoking in most indoor public places and workplaces, with certain exceptions, including indoor public places and workplaces which are within the perimeter of casinos and casino simulcasting facilities and accessible to the public for wagering. This bill would eliminate these exceptions from the smoking ban. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found that casino workers are at greater risk for lung and heart disease because of secondhand smoke, and a study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that the air in casinos can have up to 50 times more cancer-causing particles than the air on rush-hour highways. This bill would protect all workers in New Jersey from the hazards of second hand smoke by requiring that casinos and casino simulcasting facilities be smoke-free workplaces. | In Committee |
| A1161 | Requires each county and municipality to adopt anti-sexual harassment policy. | This bill would ensure that all counties and municipalities have an anti-sexual harassment policy in effect. The bill would require that each county or municipality adopt either an anti-sexual harassment policy established by the Director of the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs (DLGS), in consultation with the Director of the Division on Civil Rights in the Department of Law and Public Safety, or its own policy approved by the Director of DLGS. This bill would ensure that every county and municipality in the State has a policy in place to safeguard its officers and employees from sexual harassment. The Director of DLGS would have to adopt an anti-sexual harassment policy that meets the minimum requirements of the bill by the first day of the sixth month next following the bill's enactment. Each county and municipality would then have 90 days from the promulgation of that policy to either adopt that policy or submit its own policy for approval by the Director of DLGS. | In Committee |
| A3053 | "Michelle's Law"; requires health benefit plans to cover mammogram for an individual if recommended by health care provider. | This bill requires health benefit plans to cover the cost of a mammogram if a health care provider recommends the examination. Presently, health benefit plans are only required to cover mammograms for women who are 40 and over or women under the age of 40 if they have a family history of breast cancer or other breast cancer related risk factor. Health benefit plans must also cover additional testing of an entire breast or breasts after a baseline mammogram examination. Under this bill, health benefit plans will be required to cover the cost of a mammogram examination, and any additional testing after the examination, if the health care provider of the subscriber or other person covered under the plan recommends it. Mammograms for women 40 and over will still be covered under this bill. This bill, named "Michelle's Law," is in response to the tragic death of Michelle DeVita. Michelle was a 38-year-old woman who lost her battle to breast cancer. Under the requirements of the current law, insurance was not required to provide her coverage for a mammogram. | In Committee |
| A3187 | Requires Division of Developmental Disabilities, during public health emergency, to develop guidance for in-person visitation at community-based residential settings for individuals with developmental disabilities and require providers to allow such visitation. | This bill would provide for the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) in the Department of Human Services (DHS), acting in consultation with the Department of Health during a declared public health emergency, to develop guidance for, and to require the operator of a DHS-licensed community-based residential program or group home to allow, in-person visitation between a resident of the community-based residential program or group home and the resident's immediate family members and legal guardian. A "community-based residential program" includes a developmental center, supervised apartment, community care residence, nursing home, or other residential setting for individuals with developmental disabilities, which is licensed and regulated by the DHS. A "group home" is a living arrangement that is operated in a residence or residences leased or owned by an individual licensed by the DHS; which provides the opportunity for individuals with developmental disabilities to live together in a home, sharing in chores and the overall management of the residence; and in which staff provides supervision, training, or assistance in a variety of forms and intensity as required to assist the individuals as they move toward independence. | In Committee |
| A2826 | Require business seeking to perform State contract to disclose certain labor and employment law violations. | Require business seeking to perform State contract to disclose certain labor and employment law violations. | In Committee |
| A2802 | Requires State to take steps to create additional graduate medical education program slots focused on behavioral health care. | The bill requires the Commissioner of Human Services to apply for such State plan amendments or waivers as may be necessary to secure federal financial participation for State Medicaid expenditures under the federal Medicaid program for the purpose of establishing additional graduate medical education slots focused on behavioral health care. Contingent on the approval of such State plan amendments or waivers, the Commissioner of Human Services and the Secretary of Higher Education are to establish a process for new and existing graduate medical education programs to request and use Medicaid funds to establish additional graduate medical education program slots focused on behavioral health care. | In Committee |
| A597 | Permits union officials who represent probation officers to participate in all union activities. | This bill would permit certain union officials who represent probation officers, supervisors, and other related titles in the State Judiciary to participate in union activity, including: lobbying, the commitment of organization funds, and partisan political activity. The bill applies to union officers on full-time leave pursuant to N.J.S.11A:6-12 representing collective negotiations units which represent probation officers, supervisors, and other related titles in the Judiciary. | In Committee |
| A1221 | Revises method for appraisals of farmland to be acquired for farmland preservation purposes. | This bill would establish a new process for the determination of the value of farmland, and development easements on farmland, to be acquired for farmland preservation purposes by the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC), a local government unit, or a qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organization using, in whole or in part, constitutionally dedicated Corporation Business Tax monies deposited into the Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund, the Garden State Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, or any other State monies provided for farmland preservation purposes. This process would be used in addition to the appraisal processes in current law. Under this bill, the committee would adopt a formula, to be known as the "Statewide Farmland Preservation Formula," that includes: (1) conducting or analyzing a sufficient number of fair market value appraisals of agricultural lands within the municipality in which the land is located, or the surrounding market area, or both; (2) considering farmland and development easement values in counties and municipalities reasonably contiguous to, but outside of, the municipality in which the land to be acquired is located; (3) considering the importance of preserving agricultural lands in the municipality and county in which the land is located; (4) considering the status and value of natural resources in the municipality and county in which the land is located, and in counties and municipalities that are reasonably contiguous to, but outside of, the municipality and county in which the land is located; (5) considering such other relevant factors as may be necessary to increase participation in the farmland preservation program by owners of agricultural lands located in the municipality and county in which the land is located, including, but not limited to, the rate of inflation, the quality of the agricultural soils, the size of the agricultural lands to be acquired, and the risk of conversion of the land from productive agriculture to nonagricultural use; and (6) providing additional value for the proximity of agricultural lands located adjacent to preserved agricultural lands, lands preserved for recreation and conservation purposes, aquifer recharge areas, lands subject to development or conservation easements, and lands whose conversion to nonagricultural use would lead to conflicting land uses, including, but not limited to, utility and roadway rights-of-way, military bases, and airports and associated airspace. The SADC would adopt rules and regulations to establish the "Statewide Farmland Preservation Formula," notwithstanding the provisions of the "Administrative Procedure Act." These rules and regulations would remain in effect for a period not to exceed three years after the date of the filing and thereafter be adopted, amended, or readopted in accordance with the requirements of the "Administrative Procedure Act." In addition, the bill would amend current law concerning how value is to be calculated when the value of the farmland to be acquired is determined based upon the value of any pinelands development credits allocated to the parcel pursuant to P.L.1979, c.111 (C.13:18A-1 et seq.) and the pinelands comprehensive management plan adopted pursuant thereto. Under this bill, that value would include consideration of the rate of inflation. A landowner would be provided with the values determined pursuant to these different methods and the higher of the values would be used as the basis for negotiation with the landowner with respect to the acquisition price. | Dead |
| A1149 | Establishes the New Jersey Task Force on Child Support Reform. | This bill creates a 16-member task force to review current law, practices and procedures of New Jersey's child support program and related statutes. The task force would consist of the Commissioner of Human Services, the Commissioner of Corrections, the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, the Attorney General, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the Public Defender, or their designees, as ex officio members; two members of the Senate and two members of the General Assembly, no more than one of whom in each case shall be of the same political party; and six public members to be appointed by the Governor. The public members would be multi-disciplinary child support professionals and interested laypersons. The bill provides that the task force would consult with such organizations and associations as Advocates for Children of New Jersey, the New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, Inc., the New Jersey State Nurses Association, the New Jersey Education Association, Foster and Adoptive Family Services, and the Graduate School of Social Work of Rutgers, The State University. This bill directs the task force to submit a report to the Legislature no later than 18 months after the organization of the task force with recommendations for legislation and strategies to create a more effective and efficient program. | In Committee |
| A1214 | Establishes grant program in DOE for school districts to implement animal therapy programs. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Education to establish a grant program to provide funding to school districts that seek to offer the services of therapy animals in their wellness centers or student counseling offices. Under the bill, a school district seeking to participate in the program is required to submit an application to the commissioner. The application is to include: how the district plans to use therapy animals to promote student wellness; proof of a school district policy which provides guidelines that protect the health and safety of the students and staff, as well as the therapy animals; and such other information as deemed appropriate by the commissioner. The commissioner is to select two school districts in each of the southern, central, and northern regions of the State to participate in the program and is to seek a cross section of school districts from urban, suburban, and rural areas of the State. The commissioner is required to establish the amount for each grant, based upon the availability of funds. A school district that receives a grant under the program is required to permit a teacher in the school district to use the teacher's own therapy animal for the program. The bill also provides that grant funding provided to the district may be used to pay any training fees for the teacher and the teacher's therapy animal necessary to meet the district's requirements for providing therapy animal services. The commissioner is to provide districts with guidance regarding the use of therapy animals in schools including: recommended training requirements for therapy animal handlers; recommended measures to evaluate the health and appropriate behavior of therapy animals; and insurance issues relevant to having therapy animals on school district property. School districts that participate in the program will report annually to the commissioner on their experience with, and the effects of, the program. Based on these reports, the commissioner will submit annually a report to the Governor and the Legislature on the implementation of the program. According to the sponsor, the supportive, non-judgmental companionship provided by animals has been shown to provide a myriad of physiological and psychological benefits for students, including reduced feelings of stress and anxiety. | In Committee |
| A1206 | Establishes Working Group on End-of-Life Care and Palliative Care in DOH. | This bill establishes the 24-member Working Group on End-of-Life Care and Palliative Care in the Department of Health (DOH). The working group's membership would include: the Commissioners of Health, Human Services, and Banking and Insurance, and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, or their designees, who would serve ex officio; and 20 public members appointed by the Commissioner of Health who would include one representative each from the New Jersey Hospital Association, the Health Care Association of New Jersey, the Medical Society of New Jersey, the New Jersey Association of Health Plans, AARP of New Jersey, the Home Care and Hospice Association of New Jersey, the New Jersey Palliative Advance Practice Nurse Consortium, the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, the NJ Sharing Network, and the ARC of New Jersey; two physicians licensed to practice in this State who have expertise in issues relating to pain management or end-of-life care, at least one of whom is an oncologist; one registered professional nurse licensed to practice in this State; one person who is employed as a patient advocate by a health care facility in this State; one person who represents a faith-based organization; and four members of the general public, two of whom are to have expertise or interest in the work of the working group and not be licensed health care professionals, and two of whom are to be family members of patients who have received palliative or end-of-life care services. The purpose of the working group would be to develop a plan to: implement the legislative, administrative, and policy recommendations for State agencies, policy makers, and third party payers which are presented by the New Jersey Advisory Council on End-of-Life Care in its 2018 report to the Governor and Legislature; report on the performance goals and benchmarks developed by the New Jersey Advisory Council on End-of-Life Care to measure the ability of the DOH or other relevant State entities to provide patient access to, and choice of, high quality, cost-effective palliative care and end-of-life care, and assist patients and their families in making informed health care decisions with regard to such care; and study and make recommendations on strategies to further improve the end-of-life care provided to the citizens of the State. The bill stipulates that upon the completion of the working group's plan, the working group would report on its activities to the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee and the Assembly Health Committee, or their respective successors, and include a copy of the plan and any recommendations for legislative action the working group deems appropriate. The Commissioner of Health would also be required to post the plan on its Internet website. In the event the plan is not established within one year, the chairperson of the working group will be required to appear before the committee of first reference in which the bill was considered in each House, or before another standing reference committee as may be determined by the Speaker of the General Assembly or the President of the Senate, as appropriate, to explain why the bill has not been implemented in accordance with its provisions, and the steps the chairperson is taking to ensure implementation. Thereafter, for such time as the plan remains undeveloped, the Speaker of the General Assembly and the Senate President will have the authority to require the chairperson to appear before any appropriate standing reference committee to explain why the bill has not been implemented and the steps that are being taken to ensure implementation. The bill expires upon the completion of the plan by the working group. | In Committee |
| AR66 | Urges Congress to oppose trade agreements with United Kingdom unless Good Friday Agreement and other Irish peace elements are preserved. | The Good Friday Agreement was signed on April 10, 1998, Good Friday, and centered on the division in Northern Irish society. The conflict dates back to the early 1920's when Northern Ireland became separated from the rest of Ireland. Great Britain ruled Ireland for hundreds of years. Northern Ireland became part of the United Kingdom with England, Wales and Scotland, leaving the Republic of Ireland as a separate country. The population of Northern Ireland was divided in two: Unionists who wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom, and Nationalists who wanted Northern Ireland to be independent from the United Kingdom and join the Republic of Ireland. In 1998, after nearly two years of talks and 30 years of conflict, the Agreement was signed, resulting in a new government being formed that would see power being shared between Unionists and Nationalists. An attempt by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union on its own terms will undermine the Agreement, causing the Agreement to become a casualty of Brexit talks. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is attempting to redraw elements of the Brexit treaty with the European Union relating to Northern Ireland because he wants British ministers to have the right to interpret key parts of the Northern Ireland protocol, a legal document designed to avoid a hard border with Ireland. However, the change threatens to put London's highly-prized trade deal with the United States in jeopardy. The United Kingdom must continue to honor the Agreement, which supported the peace settlement in Northern Ireland, as it departs from the European Union. Four senior members of the U.S. Congress in a joint statement warned that the United Kingdom's plans could have disastrous consequences for the Agreement and the broader process of maintaining peace on the island of Ireland, and many in the Congress and the United States consider the issue of the Agreement and a potential United States-United Kingdom free trade agreement inextricably linked. This House supports the idea that we cannot allow the Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit and any trade deal between the United States and United Kingdom must be contingent upon respect for the Agreement and preventing the return of a hard border. This House urges Congress to oppose any agreement with the United Kingdom unless the Agreement and other elements of the Irish peace process are preserved. | In Committee |
| A1158 | Provides representation of Burlington County on SJTA. | This bill includes Burlington County as a member county of the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA). The bill also changes the composition of the Board of Commissioners of the SJTA by adding new members to the Board. The SJTA currently includes Atlantic, Cape May, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties within its transportation development and planning scope as member counties. | In Committee |
| A2840 | Provides service credit for PERS member for former membership in transit retirement program. | Under this bill, a member of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) who was a member, on or before July 30, 2006, of the Transit Employees' Retirement Program (TERP) of the New Jersey Transit Corporation would be credited with one year of service, or part thereof, in the PERS for each 3.5 years, or part thereof, of service credit in the TERP if the member and employer contributions are transferred from that program into the retirement system for those years of credited service. | In Committee |
| A1170 | Allows $250 gross income tax deduction for members of military on active duty. | This bill allows a gross income tax deduction of $250 for taxpayers who are on active duty as a member of the Armed Forces of the United States for the entire taxable year. According to the U.S. Department of Defense Manpower Data Center, as of September of 2017, there were a total of 7,669 active duty military personnel in the State serving in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. It is the sponsor's intent that the service of these men and women be recognized and that this deduction provide some assistance by potentially reducing their New Jersey Gross Income Tax liability. The bill would take effect upon enactment and apply to taxable years commencing on or after the January 1 next following the date of enactment. | In Committee |
| A1194 | Establishes requirements concerning methods for determining whether child has specific learning disability under federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. | This bill establishes requirements concerning the methods used to determine whether a child has a specific learning disability under the federal "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. s.1400 et seq. Under the IDEA, states that receive federal special education funding are required to implement procedures for the identification and evaluation of children with disabilities who require special education and related services. Federal regulations implementing the IDEA at 34 C.F.R. s.300.307 provide that a state's criteria for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability: (1) must not require the use of a severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement; (2) must permit the use of a process based on the child's response to scientific, research-based intervention; and (3) may permit the use of other alternative research-based procedures. However, the State Board of Education regulations at N.J.A.C.6A:14-3.5(c)12 only permit school districts to use two methodologies for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability under the IDEA: (1) a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability; and (2) use of a response to scientifically based interventions methodology. This bill requires the State to include the third approach under federal IDEA regulations and permit the use of other alternative research-based procedures for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability. Adoption of this method of specific learning disability identification will allow school districts to use identification procedures that are consistent with core research principles. Additionally, effective July 1, 2023, this bill prohibits the use of a severe discrepancy between a child's intellectual ability and achievement in determining whether the child has a specific learning disability. The use of severe discrepancy criteria has a long-standing history of controversy and criticism, with many experts believing that the practice should no longer be allowed. The bill also directs the State Board of Education to promulgate regulations to effectuate the provisions of this bill. | In Committee |
| A1164 | Provides that denial of services based on a person's disability or perceived disability by domestic violence shelters is unlawful discrimination. | This bill incorporates in statute that it shall be an unlawful discrimination for a shelter that operates under the "Shelters for Victims of Domestic Violence Act," P.L.1979, c.337 (C.30:14-1 et seq.) to deny admission to a person seeking the shelter's services based on that person's disability or perceived disability. This bill supplements the "Law Against Discrimination," P.L.1945, c.169 (C.10:5-1 et seq.) and provides that if the Attorney General receives a complaint alleging this type of unlawful discrimination, a complaint shall be investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of the "Law Against Discrimination." Remedies available under the "Law Against Discrimination" include, in addition to any other relief or affirmative action provided by law, liability for penalties as set forth in section 2 of P.L.1983, c.412 (C.10:5-14.1a). The penalties shall be determined by the Director of the Division of Civil Rights. Maximum amounts set forth in the statute provide for: (1) an amount not exceeding $10,000 if the respondent has not committed any prior violation within the five-year period preceding the new charge; (2) an amount not exceeding $25,000 if the respondent has been adjudged to have committed one other violation within the five-year period; and (3) an amount not exceeding $50,000 if the respondent has committed two or more violations within the seven-year period. | In Committee |
| A2051 | Requires disclosure by applicants for State employment of previous or ongoing criminal investigations. | This bill requires the Civil Service Commission to create a form pertaining to criminal investigations of applicants for State employment that will be issued to every applicant for public employment in the classified, unclassified, and senior executive service of State government who has received a first interview. The form must be included in the application process in a manner consistent with "The Opportunity to Compete Act," and will ask the following: whether the applicant is or has ever been the subject of a criminal investigation by any law enforcement agency in this State; whether the investigation concerns or concerned an accusation levied by another employee of the same State agency to which the applicant is applying; whether the applicant was arrested, charged, indicted, or convicted pursuant to that investigation; and the result of any subsequent appellate filings. The form must also inquire whether the applicant has ever been arrested, charged, indicted, or convicted under N.J.S.2C:14-2 (Sexual Assault or Aggravated Sexual Assault) and N.J.S.2C:14-3 (Criminal Sexual Contact or Aggravated Criminal Sexual Contact). | In Committee |
| A2292 | Revises inspection requirements for long-term care facilities. | This bill revises a current statutory requirement for the Department of Health to prepare a report setting forth a comparison of the evaluative profiles of nursing homes and to provide notice to the public of life threatening conditions in nursing homes, to make these requirements applicable to all long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, assisted living residences, comprehensive personal care homes, residential health care facilities, and dementia care homes, and to require the report be updated at least quarterly. Additionally, to facilitate the implementation of these requirements, the bill requires the department to establish standards and protocols for inspecting long-term care facilities to ensure each facility is in continuing compliance with all State and federal statutes, rules, regulations, and guidelines related to health, safety, and operations. The revised inspection requirements are to include, at a minimum: 1) a review of the long-term care facility's policies, procedures, and standards to ensure they are consistent with applicable State and federal requirements and to ensure the facility is adhering to its policies, procedures, and standards; 2) an inspection of the physical plant of the long-term care facility; 3) a review of staffing levels at the long-term care facility; and 4) a review of each mandatory and advisory service provided by the facility. The Commissioner of Health will have the authority to increase the number of inspections of long-term care facilities in a calendar year, increase the duration or scope of an inspection, and station a member of the department's inspection team within a long-term care facility to monitor compliance. If the department determines that it is necessary to increase the number of inspections of long-term care facilities, the department will be permitted to phase in the increase over a two-year period while it acquires the needed staff and resources to implement the increase. Upon determining that a long-term care facility is not in compliance with State and federal requirements related to health, safety, and operations, and particularly when determining that a facility has repeatedly violated the same health, safety, or operational requirement or that a facility has a health, safety, or operational violation with a severity rating of I or higher, an inspector will be permitted to consult with superiors within the department, and document quality assurance activities, when developing a corrective plan for the facility. | In Committee |
| A2327 | Requires DEP to perform certain assessments concerning regulation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. | This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to conduct assessments every five years on the regulation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. Specifically, the bill would require the DEP to conduct an assessment every five years of PFASs that are unregulated at the time of the assessment by State or federal law, or any rules and regulations adopted pursuant thereto, in order to determine whether a maximum contaminant level or other drinking water standard should be established for additional PFASs. The bill would also require the DEP to conduct an assessment of whether current and proposed maximum contaminant levels for PFASs adequately protect the health of children, given their lower average body weight, and their higher ratio of drinking water intake by weight, as compared to a maximum contaminant level based on the average adult body weight. The bill would require the DEP to provide a written report containing the findings of each assessment to the Governor and the Legislature, and to post the report on its website. | In Committee |
| A2342 | Requires NJT to expand or modify routes and hours of certain transportation services and to solicit input from individuals diagnosed with autism. | This bill requires the New Jersey Transit Corporation (corporation) to expand or modify the routes and hours of motorbus regular route service, paratransit service, and rail passenger service, including light rail service, to accommodate the mobility needs of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder within one year of the effective date of the bill. The corporation is required to solicit and receive advice, input, and guidance from individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and their advocates before the corporation expands or modifies the routes and hours of service. The bill also requires the corporation to solicit and receive, on an annual basis, advice, input, and guidance from individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and their advocates. The advice, input, and guidance is to help the corporation determine whether the routes and hours of motorbus regular route service, paratransit service, and rail passenger service, including light rail service, adequately accommodates the mobility needs of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and whether further expansion or modification of the routes and hours of these services are necessary. | In Committee |
| A1153 | Requires certain water companies to provide representative of fire department, fire district, or volunteer fire company access to fire hydrants for water flow rate testing purposes. | This bill requires a water company operating as a public utility under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to allow an authorized representative of a fire department, fire district, or volunteer fire company to access a fire hydrant used by the fire department, fire district, or volunteer fire company for public fire protection purposes, in order to ascertain the water flow rate of a fire hydrant. | In Committee |
| A1370 | Requires DOT to implement complete streets policy that considers persons with certain disabilities. | This bill requires the Department of Transportation (department) to implement a complete streets policy to plan, design, construct, maintain, and operate new and rehabilitated public highways and public transportation projects to provide safe access for all users. The complete streets policy would require the consideration and implementation of design elements and infrastructure improvement projects that promote the ability of persons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities to travel independently. The bill also requires the department, as part of the complete streets policy, to develop universal design concepts that advance the mobility options for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and persons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Additionally, the department is required to develop guidance and policies concerning the means by which the universal design concepts would be incorporated into the planning, design, construction, maintenance, and operation of new and rehabilitated public highways and public transportation projects. The department is required to encourage regional and local entities that apply for funding through the local aid program to adopt a complete streets policy consistent with the bill. | In Committee |
| A1601 | Requires school district to establish "School Meal Fund" to assist students with school meal bill in arrears. | This bill requires a school district to establish a "School Meal Fund" for the purpose of accepting donations to assist students with the purchase of school breakfast or school lunch and to fund any arrears in the school breakfast or school lunch bills of students enrolled in the school district. The fund will be established through the adoption of a resolution by the board of education. The board will also adopt a policy that will ensure the fiscal accountability of the fund and will outline the standards that will be applied in making a determination to disburse moneys from the School Meal Fund. The fund will be subject to audit as part of the school district's annual audit required under current law. The bill directs a board of education to provide, through written and electronic means, information to the parents and guardians of students enrolled in the school district and to other residents of the school district and community organizations on the establishment of the fund, its purposes, and the procedures to be followed to make a donation to the fund. The information will also be posted in a prominent location on the school district's Internet website. | In Committee |
| A1145 | Requires State agency to redact a person's handwritten signature prior to publishing documents on agency's Internet website. | This bill requires a State agency to redact a person's handwritten signature prior to publishing documents displaying the person's handwritten signature on the State agency's Internet website, pursuant to any publication requirements of the "Administrative Procedure Act." The bill requires a State agency to archive any such document that was published on the State agency's website prior to the effective date of the bill. A State agency may republish the archived document if the State agency redacts the person's handwritten signature. Any document archived pursuant to the provisions of the bill is to be made available to the public through the open public records act. | Dead |
| A1697 | Requires each board of education to adopt policy establishing temperature control standards and guidelines for school district facilities. | This bill requires each board of education to adopt a policy establishing temperature control standards and guidelines for school district facilities. The policy must ensure, to the greatest extent feasible, that school buildings provide students with a temperature-controlled environment that is conducive to learning. The policy must: 1) require that a staff member is designated in each school building in the district to monitor compliance with the standards and initiate permitted corrective action; 2) establish a protocol to follow in instances where classroom temperatures are identified as being not conducive to learning; 3) identify what temperature control measures are permitted in accordance with local building and fire codes; 4) be informed by the Indoor Air Quality Standard established by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development; and 5) require that corrective measures be addressed, where feasible, by action outlined in the Indoor Air Quality Standard. The bill directs the Department of Education and the Department of Health to jointly develop guidance to assist school districts in establishing and implementing a policy concerning temperature control. | In Committee |
| A1179 | Requires Director of Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in DHS to evaluate and report on interactions occurring between law enforcement and individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. | This bill would require the Director of the Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Department of Human Services, within six months after the bill's enactment, to evaluate and report on the interactions that are occurring between law enforcement and individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. The evaluation would include a review of: 1) the existing laws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, practices, and protocols that govern interactions between law enforcement and individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing; 2) the nature and extent of training in sign language that is available to, or mandated for, law enforcement officers in the State; 3) the nature and extent of training in de-escalation and crisis management that is available to, or mandated for, law enforcement in the State, particularly in regard to the de-escalation of situations involving individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing; 4) the availability and responsiveness of qualified interpreters in law enforcement agencies and offices, and in the field; 5) the treatment received by individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing while in the custody of law enforcement; 6) the nature, extent, and manner of resolution of any civil, criminal, or administrative complaints that have been filed by individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, or by their family members on their behalf, in relation to the individuals' interactions with law enforcement; and 7) any other subject matters or data that may be deemed by the director to be relevant. The bill would authorize the director, when conducting the evaluation, to consult with, and request appropriate data and information from, the Department of Law and Public Safety, any division thereof, or any State or local law enforcement agency or office, as may be deemed to be necessary. Upon completion of the evaluation, the director will be required to prepare a written report that: 1) describes the current nature of interactions occurring between law enforcement and individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing; 2) identifies existing laws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, practices, and protocols that govern interactions between law enforcement and individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing; 3) highlights specific areas where interactions between law enforcement and individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing can or should be improved; and 4) provides recommendations for executive, legislative, and administrative actions to be undertaken, or for policies, procedures, practices, or protocols to be implemented, by the Governor, by the Legislature, by the Department of Law and Public Safety, and by individual law enforcement agencies and offices throughout the State, as may be necessary to improve law enforcement officers' responsiveness to, ability to communicate with, and overall treatment of, individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. The report would be submitted to the Governor and Legislature, distributed to the Department of Law and Public Safety and every law enforcement agency or office in the State, and published on the Internet website of the Department of Human Services. The bill would expire 30 days after the distribution and publication of the report. | In Committee |
| A1187 | Specifies additional services for victims of sex trafficking and domestic violence; makes $1,000,000 appropriation. | This bill would establish a safe haven program in fire stations throughout the State for the purpose of ensuring that victims of sex trafficking and domestic violence receive firefighter referrals for appropriate services, such as emergency shelters, legal assistance, victim advocacy, and community resources. Specifically, the bill requires the Attorney General, in consultation with the Department of Children and Families, Commission on Human Trafficking, and Advisory Council on Domestic Violence, to establish the safe haven program, which would include, but not be limited to, the following: - specific training and educational requirements for firefighters concerning emergency housing, victim advocacy, the role of law enforcement in assisting victims, legal assistance, and community resources that are available to victims; - victim evaluation criteria and requirements for firefighters who make referrals and assist in the coordination of the aforementioned services for victims; - anti-discrimination requirements that ensure victims obtain the benefits and services required by the program without regard to their citizenship status; and - specific training requirements for firefighters who assist victims, which would enable the firefighters to serve as referral sources for, and facilitate access of victims to, appropriate resources and services. The bill would appropriate $1,000,000 from the General Fund to the "Human Trafficking Survivor's Assistance Fund" created by section 2 of P.L.2013, c.51 (C.52:17B-238) in order to establish and implement the safe haven program as set forth in the bill. | In Committee |
| A2841 | Establishes Water Apprenticeship, Training, and Employment Resources (WATER) Pilot Program in DOLWD; appropriates $1 million. | This bill would create a five-year Water Apprenticeship, Training, and Employment Resources ("WATER") Pilot Program in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) to provide grants to support funding for newly-established adult apprenticeship programs in the water infrastructure, water utilities, and other water-related sectors, focusing on underserved and underrepresented communities. Any organizational sponsor of an apprenticeship program, including a business, labor organization, college or university, workforce training provider, non-profit organization, public utility, local government entity or authority, or trade organization, would be eligible to receive a grant, provided that they have secured an industry partner or a monetary or in-kind funding contribution. Under the bill, the program is required to coordinate with the Center for Workforce Innovation in Construction established by the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development as part of the New Jersey Pathways to Career Opportunities Initiative. The DOLWD will be required to begin accepting grant applications not more than six months after the effective date of this bill, and initial grant awards are to be issued no later than one year after the bill's effective date. The DOLWD would be required to rank eligible applicants for grants based upon each applicant's potential to: (1) reach a broad audience through its recruitment and outreach efforts; (2) significantly increase enrollment in, and the completion of, the apprenticeship program, including among members of underserved and underrepresented communities; and (3) fill existing needs for skilled workers in the market. One year after the bill's effective date, and each year thereafter for the duration of the pilot grant program, the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development would be required to submit to the Governor and the Legislature a report that evaluates the results of the WATER Pilot Program and its effectiveness. The bill would create a special, non-lapsing fund in the Department of the Treasury, which would be known as the "WATER Fund," and which would be used to collect and invest moneys for the purposes of the bill. The bill would also direct the Department of the Treasury to solicit grants and donations to the fund from interested public or private sources. The bill appropriates $1 million from the General Fund to the WATER Fund to effectuate the purposes of this bill. | In Committee |
| A2810 | Requires copies of certain law enforcement records to be provided to victims of domestic violence upon request. | This bill requires copies of certain law enforcement records to be provided, upon request, to victims of domestic violence. Under the bill, a domestic violence victim, or the victim's legal representative, may request copies of certain records from the law enforcement agency with the primary responsibility for investigating a domestic violence complaint. If the release of the records would jeopardize an ongoing criminal investigation or the safety of any person, the records are required to either be redacted so that release to the victim does not jeopardize an ongoing criminal investigation or the safety of any person, or released pursuant to a protective order. A person who disseminates a copy of a law enforcement record in violation of a protective order issued under the bill may be subject to criminal prosecution.The following records may be requested:· photographs taken by a law enforcement officer;· law enforcement officer body worn camera or dashboard camera footage;· 9-1-1 transcript or recording; or · contents of the police report. The bill clarifies that the right to access records provided under the bill is in addition to the right of a victim to obtain records under current law pursuant to the open public records act (OPRA) or the Rules of Court. The records are to be provided at no charge within 10 calendar days of the request. If the law enforcement agency is unable to produce a copy of a requested record within the 10-day period, the law enforcement agency may request additional time from the court. If granted additional time, the law enforcement agency is to provide a copy of the records to the victim or victim's legal representative within 24 hours after the record becomes available. A record is to be provided in accordance with the request of the victim or victim's representative. A victim of domestic violence who is seeking to access law enforcement agency records under the bill, but who is not seeking other relief in the Family Part of the Chancery Division of the Superior Court may enforce their right of access pursuant to OPRA on an expedited basis. The victim shall not be required to complete a formal OPRA request form to access the records. Under current law, a hearing is to be held in the family part within 10 days of the filing of a domestic violence complaint. If a plaintiff has requested records pursuant to the provisions of the bill but has not received the records as of the date of the original or rescheduled hearing, the law enforcement agency's failure to provide the requested records is to be noted on the record prior to the court making a final determination on the request for restraints. The absence of law enforcement records is not to be a basis to deny relief. The bill also provides that a party to a domestic violence complaint may request the release or unsealing of expunged records. The records may be provided to either party, the county prosecutor, Criminal Division of the Superior Court, or Attorney General, in relation to a domestic violence temporary or final restraining order, weapons forfeiture complaint, or a temporary or final extreme risk protective order. Under the bill, a final judgment rendered in favor of the State in any criminal proceeding brought pursuant to the "Prevention of Domestic Violence Act of 1991" would estop the defendant from denying the same conduct in any proceeding brought under the bill. | Dead |
| A1196 | Clarifies that application to collocate wireless communications equipment be reviewed by administrative officer. | This bill clarifies current law by requiring certain applications submitted under the "Municipal Land Use Law," which applications concern the proposed collocation of wireless communications equipment on preexisting support structures, to be processed administratively and approved by permit. This bill provides that the applications for the collocation of wireless communications equipment are to be submitted to an administrative officer for review, which officer may approve an application by issuing a zoning permit, provided that the application complies with certain statutory requirements. The bill provides the administrative officer with 30 business days to issue or deny a zoning permit for a collocation application. The bill also provides that after an administrative officer has approved a zoning permit for the proposed collocation of wireless communications equipment, the approval is required to be relied upon for all other applications related to the collocation of the wireless communications equipment, including, but not limited to, the issuance of any building, electrical, or other permit required under the "State Uniform Construction Code Act." Additionally, the bill revises the requirements that an application for the collocation of wireless communications equipment is required to meet in order to receive permit approval. Under current law, a proposed collocation may not increase: (1) the overall height of the wireless communications support structure by more than 10 percent of its original height; (2) the width of the wireless communications support structure by any amount; and (3) the square footage of the existing equipment compound by more than 2,500 square feet. Current law also requires the wireless communications support structure to which the proposed collocation would occur to have previously received all necessary approvals, and requires that the proposed collocation complies with the final approval of the structure, including all conditions attached thereto, and does not create a condition for which a variance relief is required. Specifically, the bill revises the requirements for the approval of a proposed collocation by: (1) increasing the maximum permitted increase in the height of the wireless communications support structure to the greater of: 10 percent of the original height of the structure, or the height of one additional antenna array with separation from the nearest existing antenna, up to 20 feet, for any structure not located on a public right-of-way; or 10 percent of the original height of the structure or 10 feet, for any structure located on a public right-of-way; (2) increasing the maximum permitted increase in the width of the wireless communications support structure to the greater of: 20 feet or the width of the original structure at the level of the expansion, for any structure not located on a public right-of-way; or six feet, for any structure located on a public right-of-way; (3) providing that the proposed collocation may not increase the footage of the existing equipment compound by more than 30 feet in any direction, as opposed to a maximum square footage increase of 2,500 square feet; and (4) limiting the applicability of the requirement concerning the proposed collocation's compliance with the final approval of the wireless communications support structure and the prohibition on conditions requiring variance relief in certain cases in which the proposed modifications otherwise comply with the requirements of the bill. | In Committee |
| A1822 | Requires school districts to include instruction on racial discrimination and social justice as part of implementation of New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Social Studies for middle school students. | This bill would require school districts to provide to middle school students instruction on racial discrimination and social justice in an appropriate place in the curriculum of middle school students as part of the districts' implementation of the New Jersey Learning Standards in Social Studies. Under the bill, the Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Amistad Commission, will provide school districts with age-appropriate sample learning activities and resources designed to enhance students' overall understanding of issues surrounding racial discrimination and social justice. | In Committee |
| A1142 | Prohibits harassing or taking of certain wildlife at competitive event; establishes penalties. | This bill prohibits the harassing or taking of certain wildlife (defined as "covered wildlife" in the bill) at a competitive event, except in conjunction with a field trial or field day authorized by a license issued pursuant to R.S.23:4-26. The bill also prohibits any person from organizing, sponsoring, promoting, conducting, or participating in a competitive event at which the participants harass or take covered wildlife except in conjunction with such an authorized field trial or field day. "Covered wildlife" is defined as a bobcat, coyote, crow, fox, mink, opossum, rabbit, raccoon, skunk, squirrel, weasel, woodchuck, or the dead body or parts thereof. The bill provides that a person who violates the prohibitions in the bill would be guilty of a disorderly persons offense and, in addition to the applicable penalties pursuant to Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes, would also have suspended for five years: 1) any license or permit issued to the person by the Division of Fish and Wildlife; and 2) all privileges to take or possess wildlife. A disorderly persons offense is subject to a penalty of up to six months of imprisonment, a fine up to $1,000, or both. This bill requires any covered wildlife injured as a result of a competitive event to be transported to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or State licensed veterinarian for proper treatment or to be euthanized if necessary. The bill authorizes the Division of Fish and Wildlife to forfeit the remains of any covered wildlife killed at a competitive event held in violation of this bill or euthanized as a result of the competitive event. Forfeited remains would become property of the Division of Fish and Wildlife. The bill directs municipal police officers, the State Police, and law enforcement officers in the Division of Fish and Wildlife and the Division of Parks and Forestry in the Department of Environmental Protection to enforce the bill's provisions. | In Committee |
| A642 | Permits application for PERS accidental disability benefit for injury sustained after January 2003 while employed at State psychiatric institution or correctional facility immediately prior to PERS membership. | This bill allows a member of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) to apply for accidental disability benefits based upon an injury sustained while employed temporarily at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, any other State psychiatric institution or any State correctional facility, which injury continues to be disabling after the person becomes a PERS member. Temporary public employees are not eligible for PERS membership until the employment becomes permanent or the passage of one year, whichever occurs first. Currently, persons employed temporarily at any State psychiatric institution or any State correctional facility who are injured while ineligible for PERS membership are eligible for workers compensation benefits only. They are not eligible for PERS accidental disability benefits even after attaining PERS member status because the injury occurred when not a PERS member. The bill provides that, for purposes of application for a PERS accidental disability benefit, a traumatic event (1) occurring during and as a result of the performance of a State employee's regular or assigned duties as, but not limited to, a doctor, nurse, healthcare worker, social worker, or correction officer caring for or guarding individuals who are permanently or temporarily incarcerated for any reason at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, any other State psychiatric institution or any State correctional facility and (2) occurring when the employee is employed temporarily and not yet eligible for membership in the retirement system will be deemed as occurring during membership, if the employee becomes a member of the retirement system without interruption in that employment. The bill's provisions would apply retroactively to January 1, 2003. In addition, the bill also adds to the duties of the Civil Service Commission a personnel orientation program that informs new employees of State psychiatric institutions and State correctional facilities of the risk of injury occurring during and as a result of the performance of their regular or assigned duties. | In Committee |
| A1156 | Establishes Office of Child Advocate. | This bill establishes the Office of the Child Advocate in, but notof, the Department of Law and Public Safety (DLPS). 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 the Department of Children and Families. The bill also provides that the Child Advocate would report annually to the Governor, Attorney General, 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 DLPS's website. | In Committee |
| A1193 | Amends statutory definition of "abused child." | This bill amends the statutory definition of "abused child" under section 2 of P.L.1971, c.437 (C.9:6-8.9). Under the bill, a child is deemed to be an abused child if the child's parent, guardian, or custodian either commits or allows to be committed an act of human trafficking against the child as defined in section 1 of P.L.2005, c.77 (C.2C:13-8). | In Committee |
| A1160 | Establishes grant program for homeless veterans shelters. | This bill would require the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs to award grants, subject to the availability of funds, to certain southern New Jersey counties to provide veterans with improved access to homeless shelters. Under the bill, Atlantic County, Cape May County, and Cumberland County may submit applications to the Adjutant General proposing locations for homeless veterans shelters and identifying property the county would provide to the State for the development of a shelter. New Jersey's southern counties are in particular need of shelters for homeless veterans. Because of mobility issues, homeless veterans' access to resources is often limited by geographic location. Various factors may have caused homeless veterans to locate within southern New Jersey counties. However, when conditions, such as extreme cold, require them to seek out temporary shelter, they find themselves isolated from shelters and other facilities that provide resources for veterans. This bill would result in the development of shelters in locations appropriate to meet this need. | In Committee |
| A2762 | "Food Desert Elimination Act"; provides incentives to supermarkets and grocery stores that locate in "food deserts." | This bill, the "Food Desert Elimination Act," establishes the Food Desert Elimination Program (program) and requires the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (authority) to administer the program. The bill further requires the authority, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, to initially designate no more than 75 physical boundaries of food desert communities in the State. The program provides tax credits to certain supermarkets and grocery stores that newly open in food desert communities. Under the program, a taxpayer that opens the first supermarket or grocery store in each designated food desert community after the bill's effective date will be allowed a credit against certain taxes due, in an amount equal to the total amount the taxpayer is assessed in property taxes by the municipality in which the supermarket or grocery store is located, during the first full tax year for the property where the supermarket or grocery store is open for business to the public, and for the three subsequent tax years after opening. Under the program, the authority will also be required to direct the Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control in the Department of Law and Public Safety to issue a special retail distribution permit to the first supermarket or grocery store that is established in each food desert community after the bill's effective date. The permit holder would be entitled to sell alcoholic beverages in original containers for consumption off the premises of the supermarket or grocery store. The permit would be restricted to the premises of the supermarket or grocery store for which the permit was issued, and will not be transferrable for use in connection with another premises. The bill provides that the special retail distribution permit is to be used in a manner consistent with a plenary retail distribution license issued pursuant to current law, and is to be subject to any other fees and regulations promulgated by the director. Under current law, a municipality may only issue one plenary retail distribution license for every 7,500 persons residing in that municipality. This limitation on the number of plenary retail distribution licenses would not apply to the issuance of a special retail distribution permit under the program. In addition, current law prohibits a person from holding an interest in more than two retail licenses unless that person held more than two retail licenses prior to August 3, 1962. This limitation also would not apply to the issuance of a special retail distribution permit. The special retail distribution permit's initial issuance fee is based upon the average sales price of plenary retail distribution licenses during the five years preceding the bill's enactment in the municipality in which the supermarket or grocery store is located. If less than three licenses have been sold in the municipality within the previous five years, the municipality is required to obtain an appraisal, at the applicant's expense, to determine the appropriate fair market value of the permit. The initial issuance fee is to be reduced by the fair market value of the limitation on the permit's transferability. The bill takes effect on the first day of the seventh month after enactment, but the authority and the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control are permitted to take administrative action in advance of the effective date, as necessary to effectuate the bill. | In Committee |
| AJR173 | Permanently designating January 18th as "Alexandra 'Alex' Scott Day" in New Jersey. | Permanently designating January 18th as "Alexandra 'Alex' Scott Day" in New Jersey. | Introduced |
| A5963 | Dedicates 50 percent of revenues collected from additional fees and taxes imposed on real property transfers valued over $1 million to Affordable Housing Trust Fund. | Dedicates 50 percent of revenues collected from additional fees and taxes imposed on real property transfers valued over $1 million to Affordable Housing Trust Fund. | Introduced |
| Bill | Bill Name | Motion | Vote Date | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S2167 | Requires public and certain nonpublic schools to comply with breakfast and lunch standards adopted by USDA. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S317 | Revises "Athletic Training Licensure Act." | Assembly 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. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S1320 | Requires certain information be included in certain contracts with licensed public adjusters. | Assembly Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A775 | "Fairness in Women's Sport Act." | Assembly Floor: Table Motion | 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. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A2090 | Requires solid waste management district to develop strategy to reduce food waste; requires DEP to adopt certain rules and regulations regarding composting facilities. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3099 | Establishes option for students nearing completion of program in chiropractic medicine to participate in preceptorship provided by State-licensed chiropractor. | Assembly 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. | Assembly Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3007 | Increases maximum age for pediatric long-term care facility residents to 26. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 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. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3035 | Prohibits certain vehicles from parking in electric vehicle charging spaces under certain circumstances. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 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. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A1675 | Extends membership in TPAF to 10 years after discontinuance of service and to 15 years for those who were laid off or had 10 or more years of continuous service upon voluntary termination. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A2998 | Permits court to order counseling for children in households with domestic violence in appropriate cases; establishes presumption of award of custody to domestic violence victim in appropriate cases. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A2390 | Requires municipalities in compliance with affordable housing obligations be provided priority consideration for certain State grants and assistance. | Assembly Floor: Table Motion | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A2390 | Requires municipalities in compliance with affordable housing obligations be provided priority consideration for certain State grants and assistance. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A551 | Permits certain consumers up to five business days to cancel home improvement contracts and up to three days to cancel certain consumer goods contracts. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2335 | Requires school districts to provide instruction on history of Latinos and Hispanics as part of implementation of New Jersey Student Learning Standards. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3518 | Requires MVC to create digital driver's licenses and digital non-driver identification cards. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| AJR128 | Designates August of each year as "American Artist Appreciation Month" in New Jersey. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3742 | Requires Secretary of Agriculture to establish Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse school districts for costs expended in sourcing and procuring local foods for students; appropriates $4,500,000. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2783 | "Travel Insurance Act." | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2788 | Appropriates $128.241 million from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues to State Agriculture Development Committee for farmland preservation purposes. | Assembly Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3802 | Differentiates certain legal services from traditional insurance products. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3974 | Prohibits use of deceptive marketing practices by substance use disorder treatment providers. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3979 | 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. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3973 | Revises law concerning patient referrals to substance use disorder treatment facilities, recovery residences, and clinical laboratories. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2961 | Establishes minimum qualifications for persons employed on public works contract. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4085 | Allows for natural organic reduction and controlled supervised decomposition of human remains. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3052 | Concerns grade options at public institutions of higher education for service member and dependents unable to complete course due to military obligation. | Assembly 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. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4182 | Concerns conditions of employment of certain cannabis workers. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3132 | Imposes certain requirements on secondhand dealers of cellular telephones and wireless communication devices. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4215 | Directs BPU to adopt rules and regulations concerning small modular nuclear reactors; authorizes EDA to incentivize construction and operation of such reactors. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4248 | Requires certain documentation as proof of voter identity to vote; updates procedures for challenging voters regarding proof of identity. | Assembly Floor: Table Motion | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4295 | Establishes New Jersey-India Commission. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4302 | Amends current child labor laws to protect minor working as vlogger in certain circumstances. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 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." | Assembly 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. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3309 | Establishes "Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act"; revises motor vehicle franchise agreements. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 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. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4479 | Requires social media platforms to cooperate with nonprofit organization initiatives to remove nonconsensual intimate images or videos. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4521 | Concerns provision of services to defendants on pretrial release. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4544 | Expands eligibility requirements of State's child care assistance program to include full-time graduate and post-graduate students. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 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. | Assembly Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4577 | Requires State departments and Office of Technology to provide reports on proposed technology upgrades. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4636 | Requires that notice concerning gift card fraud be posted by retail mercantile establishments that sell gift cards to consumers. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4643 | Creates penalty for child endangerment via use of social media. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4651 | Establishes penalties for certain conduct related to public brawl and disorderly conduct. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4712 | Establishes Office of Veteran Advocate and ombudsman for DMVA; appropriates funds. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4714 | Broadens riot; enhances penalties for certain crimes committed during riot; creates new crimes of mob intimidation and cyber-intimidation by publication; establishes duty in municipality to permit law enforcement to respond appropriately. | Assembly Floor: Table Motion | 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. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4818 | Reduces and clarifies requirements for municipal tourist development commission disbursements for advertising. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3618 | Directs DEP and DOT to establish "Wildlife Corridor Action Plan." | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3663 | Establishes reproductive health travel advisory. | Assembly 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. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3776 | Establishes Chronic Absenteeism Task Force. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3773 | Concerns requirements to report separations from employment under employee leasing agreements. | Assembly 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. | Assembly 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. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4971 | Requires EDA to provide grants to certain small businesses affected by State infrastructure and construction projects. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5000 | Requires Medicaid coverage for fertility preservation services in cases of iatrogenic infertility caused by medically necessary treatments. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5004 | Creates separate crime for items depicting sexual exploitation or abuse of children; concerns computer generated or manipulated sexually explicit images. | Assembly 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. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5077 | Extends statutory pause on collection of student growth objective data. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 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. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3933 | Establishes School Supervisor Mentorship Pilot Program; appropriates $500,000. | Assembly 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. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5146 | Removes exception to civil service working test period for political subdivision employees. | Assembly 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. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3992 | Modifies capital reserve funding requirements for certain planned real estate developments. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5213 | Establishes "New Economy Opportunity Skills System Pilot Program" to strengthen alignment and collaboration between local workforce development boards, community colleges, and county vocational school districts; makes appropriation. | Assembly 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. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5195 | Requires producer of certain firefighting equipment containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances to provide written notice to purchaser; prohibits sale, manufacture, and distribution of certain firefighting equipment containing intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5267 | Requires BPU to procure and incentivize transmission-scale energy storage. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5267 | Requires BPU to procure and incentivize transmission-scale energy storage. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5260 | Prohibits sale, manufacture, and distribution of certain apparel containing intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4122 | Revises apportionment of State lottery contributions. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5277 | Establishes public awareness campaign and call center for certain property tax relief programs; requires submission of annual report by Stay NJ Task Force. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5278 | Establishes "New Jersey Menopause Coverage Act"; requires health insurance coverage of medically necessary perimenopause and menopause treatments. | Assembly 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. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| SJR154 | Directs BPU to investigate PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.'s Reliability Pricing Model; directs State to promote affordable energy practices and to urge PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. to implement certain reforms. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5362 | Prohibits casino licensees from using non-wagering casino games to solicit future gaming. | Assembly 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. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5383 | Requires unrestricted Medicaid coverage for ovulation enhancing drugs and medical services related to administering such drugs for certain beneficiaries experiencing infertility. | Assembly 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. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5420 | Permits 30-calendar day extension to cure period for certain businesses to address and resolve certain violations. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5421 | Requires development of online tax training for small and micro-businesses. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5422 | Allows businesses to receive information via email concerning new regulations and economic incentives that affect business. | Assembly 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. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| AR180 | Urges DEP, Pinelands Commission, and Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council to engage in alternative forest management practices during periods of drought when prescribed burning is unsafe. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 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. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5462 | Requires electric public utilities to develop and apply special rules for certain data centers to protect non-data center customers from increased costs. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5463 | Requires electric public utilities to submit annual report on voting to BPU. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4293 | Requires owner or operator of data center to submit water and energy usage report to BPU. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5517 | Directs BPU to study feasibility of developing advanced reactors Statewide. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5533 | Establishes requirements for receipt and purchase of scrap metals containing lithium-ion or propulsion batteries. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5563 | Establishes "Summer Termination Program" for certain utility customers. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5563 | Establishes "Summer Termination Program" for certain utility customers. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| State | District | Chamber | Party | Status | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NJ | New Jersey Assembly District 07 | Assembly | Democrat | In Office | 01/09/2018 |