Legislator
Legislator > Chris Tully
State Assemblymember
Chris Tully
(D) - New Jersey
New Jersey Assembly District 38
In Office - Started: 05/24/2018
contact info
Paramus Office
205 Robin Road
Suite 122
Paramus, NJ 07652
Suite 122
Paramus, NJ 07652
Phone: 201-576-9199
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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. | 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. | Crossed Over |
| A5217 | Requires third-party discounts and payments for individuals covered by health benefits plans to apply to copayments, coinsurance, deductibles, or other out-of-pocket costs for covered benefits. | Requires third-party discounts and payments for individuals covered by health benefits plans to apply to copayments, coinsurance, deductibles, or other out-of-pocket costs for covered benefits. | Crossed Over |
| A5004 | Creates separate crime for items depicting sexual exploitation or abuse of children; concerns computer generated or manipulated sexually explicit images. | Creates separate crime for items depicting sexual exploitation or abuse of children; concerns computer generated or manipulated sexually explicit images. | Crossed Over |
| A5309 | Permits up to three credits of continuing medical education on menopause to be used by advanced practice nurses and physicians for license renewal. | Permits up to three credits of continuing medical education on menopause to be used by advanced practice nurses and physicians for license renewal. | Passed |
| 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 |
| A5260 | Prohibits sale, manufacture, and distribution of certain apparel containing intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. | This bill would prohibit, beginning two years after the bill's effective date, the sale, manufacture, and distribution of apparel containing intentionally added PFAS within the State. As defined in the bill, "apparel" means (1) clothing items intended for regular wear or formal occasions, including, but not limited to, undergarments, shirts, pants, skirts, dresses, overalls, bodysuits, costumes, vests, dancewear, suits, saris, scarves, tops, leggings, school uniforms, leisurewear, athletic wear, sports uniforms, everyday swimwear, formal wear, onesies, bibs, diapers, footwear, and everyday uniforms or work-wear; (2) outdoor apparel; and (3) outdoor apparel designed for severe wet conditions. A violation of the bill's provisions would be an unlawful practice pursuant to P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.), commonly known as the State's consumer fraud act. An unlawful practice under the consumer fraud act 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, a violation 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. | Crossed Over |
| 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 |
| 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. | 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. | Passed |
| S3618 | Directs DEP and DOT to establish "Wildlife Corridor Action Plan." | An Act concerning the movement of wildlife throughout the State 3[,] and3 2[1and1]2 supplementing Title 23 2[and Title 27]2 of the Revised Statutes 1[, and making an appropriation]1 3[, and making an appropriation2]3. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4926 | Directs DEP and DOT to establish "Wildlife Corridor Action Plan." | Directs DEP and DOT to establish "Wildlife Corridor Action Plan." | In Committee |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| A4215 | Directs BPU to adopt rules and regulations concerning small modular nuclear reactors; authorizes EDA to incentivize construction and operation of such reactors. | This bill would direct the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to adopt rules and regulations concerning the construction and operation of small modular nuclear reactors in the State. The bill would also authorize the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) to incentivize the construction and operation of small modular nuclear reactors using moneys in the "Global Warming Solutions Fund" established pursuant to P.L.2007, c.340 (C.26:2C-45 et al.). As defined by the bill, "small modular nuclear reactor" means a nuclear fission reactor that: (1) has a rated electric generating capacity of not more than 300 megawatts; (2) is capable of being construction and operated either alone or in combination with one or more similar reactors if additional reactors are or become necessary at a single site; and (3) is required to be licensed by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The bill would require the BPU, whenever it considers a petition by an electric power supplier or basic generation service provider for the construction, purchase, or lease of a small modular nuclear reactor, to consider: (1) whether, and to what extent, the small modular nuclear reactor proposed by the electric power supplier or basic generation service provider will replace a loss of generating capacity in the State, resulting from the retirement or planned retirement of one or more existing electric generating facilities, which are located in New Jersey and which use coal or natural gas a fuel source; and (2) whether the small modular nuclear reactor that will replace an existing facility will be located on the same site as, or near, the existing facility and, if so, potential opportunities for the electric power supplier or basic generation service provider to make use of any land and existing infrastructure or facilities already owned or under the control of the electric power supplier or basic generation service provider, or create new employment opportunities for workers who have been, or would be, displaced as a result of the retirement of the existing facility. The bill would also establish other requirements for the operation of small modular nuclear reactors, as enumerated in subsections c. through e. of section 3 of the bill, including a requirement that a person that owns or operates a small modular nuclear reactor in the State may not store spent nuclear fuel or high level radioactive waste from the small modular nuclear reactor on the site of the small modular nuclear reactor without first meeting all applicable requirements of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. | Crossed Over |
| 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 |
| A4479 | Requires social media platforms to cooperate with nonprofit organization initiatives to remove nonconsensual intimate images or videos. | Requires social media platforms to cooperate with nonprofit organization initiatives to remove nonconsensual intimate images or videos. | Crossed Over |
| A4302 | Amends current child labor laws to protect minor working as vlogger in certain circumstances. | Amends current child labor laws to protect minor working as vlogger in certain circumstances. | Crossed Over |
| A4455 | Allows exemption from New Jersey gross income of certain capital gains from sale or exchange of qualified small business stock. | An Act allowing an exemption from New Jersey gross income of certain capital gains from the sale or exchange of qualified small business stock and supplementing Title 54A of the New Jersey Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4544 | Expands eligibility requirements of State's child care assistance program to include full-time graduate and post-graduate students. | Expands eligibility requirements of State's child care assistance program to include full-time graduate and post-graduate students. | Passed |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| A5595 | Permits individuals to establish voluntary nonopioid directives. | Permits individuals to establish voluntary nonopioid directives. | Crossed Over |
| A5902 | Requires BPU to work with neighboring states to research and recommend certain action concerning electric capacity and transmission. | This bill requires the Board of Public Utilities (board) to work collaboratively with neighboring states to research and recommend collective action to: (1) require any electric load serving entity in New Jersey to demonstrate to the board that it has contracted for at least 80 percent of the capacity needed to serve its load on a bilateral basis for at least five years into the future; (2) withdraw from PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.'s (PJM) capacity market and either develop a multi-state compact to engage in the fixed resource requirement alternative to secure electric capacity through contracts with private entities, competitive capacity auctions, or some combination thereof, or (3) withdraw from the regional, high-voltage electric transmission grid operated by or managed by PJM and either establish an independent electric transmission grid or join an existing electric transmission grid. PJM's capacity market operates through competitive auctions to procure capacity for future delivery years. However, issues with PJM's interconnection process have delayed new energy generation, which reduces competition. Backlogs to PJM's interconnection queue undermine one of the goals of the capacity auction, which is to incentivize developers to bring more generation to the electrical grid. Further, the Organization of PJM States, Inc., of which the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities is a member, and the Independent Market Monitor for PJM have found flaws in the PJM capacity market, which they claim have led to capacity auction clearing prices that fail to reflect supply and demand. In July 2024, PJM's capacity auction for the 2025/2026 Delivery Year had clearing prices almost 10 times the prices from the previous auction. The increase in capacity clearing prices will result in $14.7 billion in costs to consumers, up from $2.2 billion from the prior delivery year. This result represents the highest capacity prices in the history of PJM's capacity auction. PJM's actions are resulting in increased costs and decreased affordability for ratepayers. And, PJM has not adequately addressed concerns about the impact of rate increases on ratepayers or been responsive to State energy policies. The Legislature therefore determines that it is in the best interest of the residents of New Jersey to work in collaboration with other states to explore alternative options to PJM's capacity auction for securing the capacity necessary for grid reliability. | Crossed Over |
| AR186 | Honors life of Congressman William J. Pascrell, Jr. | This resolution honors late Congressman Pascrell. Congressman Pascrell, a tireless advocate for public health and safety who served New Jersey for decades, leaves behind a legacy of distinguished public service. Congressman Pascrell founded the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, an initiative that has played a critical role in advancing national policy, research, and resources for individuals affected by brain injuries. Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) occur due to a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that disrupts normal brain function, while acquired brain injuries (ABI) result from internal causes such as strokes, aneurysms, or tumors. Individuals who suffer from TBI or ABI often experience long-term disabilities ranging from minor impairments to severe and life-altering conditions, which affect their cognitive, physical, emotional, and social well-being. Over the years the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force has worked to increase awareness of brain injuries, support groundbreaking research initiatives, promote rehabilitation services, and address the long-term effects of brain injuries on individuals, families, and communities. As a co-chair of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, Congressman Pascrell advocated for research initiatives focused on treatment, rehabilitation, and potential cures for TBI. Brain injuries impact thousands of New Jersey residents in every congressional district, affecting children, veterans, athletes, seniors, and survivors of accidents and medical conditions, all of whom need strong legislative advocacy and support at both the State and federal levels. The Congressional Brain Injury Task Force remains a bipartisan effort, currently co-chaired by Democratic Congressman Chris Deluzio from Pennsylvannia and Republican Congressman Morgan Luttrell from Texas, and continues to advance Congressman Pascrell's legacy of championing policies that improve brain injury awareness, prevention, research, and treatment. It is vital that New Jersey's congressional delegation continues Congressman Pascrell's legacy by joining and supporting the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force to ensure that our State remains a leader in brain injury advocacy and policy. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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. | 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. | Passed |
| A3007 | Increases maximum age for pediatric long-term care facility residents to 26. | Increases maximum age for pediatric long-term care facility residents to 26. | Crossed Over |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| A4194 | 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. | 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. | In Committee |
| 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. | 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. | Passed |
| A5728 | Establishes New Jersey Innovation Authority. | Establishes New Jersey Innovation Authority. | 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 |
| A5859 | Eliminates five percent down payment requirement for local bond ordinances involving hazard mitigation and resilience projects. | This bill amends the local bond law to exempt a local government from appropriating an amount equal to five percent of the amount of obligations for local bond ordinances involving hazard mitigation and resilience projects. The bill also exempts a local government from applying to the local finance board concerning the maturity and amount of annual installment payments related to the financing of local bond ordinances involving hazard mitigation and resilience projects. The bill also makes technical corrections to existing law. | In Committee |
| 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 |
| A4976 | Establishes crime of reckless discharge of firearm. | Establishes crime of reckless discharge of firearm. | Crossed Over |
| A5423 | Requires EDA to include social media development services in services offered through Small Business E-commerce Support Program. | This bill requires that the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (authority) include the provision of social media development services among the services offered to eligible small businesses through its Small Business E-commerce Support Program. The authority created the Small Business E-commerce Support Program as a pilot product under the Main Street Recovery Finance Program, established pursuant to the "New Jersey Economic Recovery Act of 2020." Under this pilot product, the authority offers e-commerce and digital marketing consulting services to eligible small businesses, including restaurants, retail stores, and personal care businesses that are situated in a commercial location within the State. Currently, the consultancy services offered through the pilot product generally include assistance related to the development of Internet websites, e-commerce platforms, and digital marketing plans. The bill requires that these services also include assistance related to the development of social media platforms. | In Committee |
| A4083 | Establishes "John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey"; appropriates $2.5 million. | Establishes "John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey"; appropriates $2.5 million. | In Committee |
| A5606 | Amends Fiscal Year 2025 annual appropriations act to clarify distribution of Meals on Wheels Program grant to Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey. | An Act amending P.L.2024, c.22, the Fiscal Year 2025 annual appropriations act, to clarify distribution of Programs for the Aging funding for the Meals on Wheels Program. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5435 | Requires Division of Housing and Community Resources in DCA and applicable State agencies and nonprofits to establish a consolidated application for residential utility assistance programs. | Requires Division of Housing and Community Resources in DCA and applicable State agencies and nonprofits to establish a consolidated application for residential utility assistance programs. | Crossed Over |
| A4276 | Requires DOH to use Basic Screening Survey to access oral health in children. | This bill requires the Department of Health (department) to use the Basic Screening Survey to assess oral health in children. Under the bill, the Department of Health, in conjunction with one or more licensed dentists and related staff, is to collect a sufficient number of random data samples from each county in the State on a biannual basis using the Basic Screening Survey produced by the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors in order to formulate a general assessment of the oral health of pre-school and school aged children in this State. No data is to be collected without the informed, written consent of a child's parent or guardian. Any data that is collected is to be collected and used in a manner that is consistent with federal and State privacy laws. The bill requires the department to submit a report biennially to the Governor, and to the Legislature, which report is to contain any findings and recommendations based on the data collected pursuant to the bill's provisions. The Basic Screening Survey is used by states to assess oral health status. Developed by the American Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors, this survey can be performed in dental clinics, at health fairs, at other screening opportunities, and through a retrospective chart review. The Basic Screening Survey is not a thorough clinical examination and does not involve making a clinical diagnosis resulting in a treatment plan. The Basic Screening Survey is intended to identify gross dental or oral lesions. | Crossed Over |
| A1996 | Establishes requirements to evaluate certain people who are pregnant and who have given birth for preeclampsia. | Establishes requirements to evaluate certain people who are pregnant and who have given birth for preeclampsia. | Crossed Over |
| A5730 | Requires hospitals to perform psychological and psychiatric evaluations on certain patients and requires health insurance coverage for such evaluations. | This bill requires hospitals to perform psychological and psychiatric evaluations on certain patients and requires health insurance coverage for such evaluations. Under the bill, an acute care general hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) is to perform a psychological and psychiatric evaluation on a patient, who is being treated by the hospital for a drug overdose, prior to releasing the patient from the hospital. This bill requires health insurance carriers (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 coverage for such psychological and psychiatric evaluations. | In Committee |
| A4642 | Allows certain individuals eligible for family support services to set aside unused agency-after school care service hours for use during holiday and weekend hours. | This bill requires the Division of Children's System of Care (DCSOC) in the Department of Children and Families to ensure that once an individual up to the age of 21 with a developmental disability has been authorized to receive services from an agency contracted with the division to provide family support services, the family or guardian of the individual is allowed to set aside any amount of unused agency- after school care service hours, offered by the same agency contracted with the DCSOC to provide after school care to the individual, for use during holiday and weekend hours. As defined in the bill, "agency-after school care" means social and recreational experiences provided by a community-based agency contracted with the DCSOC to an individual up to the age of 21 with a developmental disability during after school hours and outside of the individual's home. | In Committee |
| A1841 | Expands requirements for health insurance carriers concerning prostate cancer screening and requires coverage be provided without cost sharing. | Expands requirements for health insurance carriers concerning prostate cancer screening and requires coverage be provided without cost sharing. | In Committee |
| A1973 | Establishes requirements to evaluate certain people who are pregnant and who have given birth for endometriosis. | Establishes requirements to evaluate certain people who are pregnant and who have given birth for endometriosis. | Crossed Over |
| A1389 | Requires seizure of ammunition and certain firearm components in response to domestic violence restraining order or conviction. | Requires seizure of ammunition and certain firearm components in response to domestic violence restraining order or conviction. | Crossed Over |
| A4813 | Imposes conditions on drivers approaching stationary vehicles and revises public awareness campaign. | Imposes conditions on drivers approaching stationary vehicles and revises public awareness campaign. | Crossed Over |
| A5346 | "Firearm and Ammunition Procurement Act"; establishes State procurement practices for firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories. | This bill establishes the "Firearm and Ammunition Procurement Act" to develop State procurement practices for firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories. Under this bill, State agencies must require a bidder who engages in the public procurement process to certify, before the contract is awarded, renewed, amended, or extended, that the bidder does not sell unserialized gun build kits or firearm precursor parts, including, but not limited to, unserialized firearms, unserialized unfinished frames, and unserialized unfinished receivers. This certification by the bidder must include the disclosure of any violation found from any type of inspection conducted by a federal, State, or local agency during the two most recent firearm, ammunition, or firearm accessory inspections. The bill also requires a bidder seeking the award of, or a contractor who is awarded, a contract with a State agency for the procurement of firearms, ammunition, or firearm accessories to, during the public procurement process, on an annual basis, and upon request of the State agency, provide to the State agency certain proof and materials related to firearm, ammunition, or firearm accessory safety. Under the bill, a State agency must reject a bid from a bidder or cancel a contract with a contractor if the bidder or contractor has not complied with the provisions of this bill. A State agency will not be permitted to make exigent or emergency purchases of firearms, ammunition, or firearm accessories. This bill also requires each State agency, in coordination with the Office of the Attorney General, to develop processes and procedures to implement the provisions of this bill. This bill will apply to any contract for the procurement of firearms, ammunition, or firearm accessories which a State agency solicits, enters into, awards, amends, renews, or extends on or after the effective date of this bill. | Crossed Over |
| A5459 | Extends time period in which to enroll newborn infant in health benefits coverage. | This bill extends the time period in which newly born children are covered under their parents' health benefits coverage to 90 days after birth. Current law limits the coverage of newly born children to 60 days from their birth. At the conclusion of the 60 days, the child will be without coverage, unless the parents enroll the child in a private health benefits coverage policy or in a State or federal program, such as FamilyCare. The bill will provide a longer period of time for children to be covered under their parents' health benefits coverage, which will assist new parents and ensure that children have access to adequate health care during the critical first few months of life. | Crossed Over |
| A5426 | Requires State domestic violence public awareness campaign to add information on coercive control; requires annual reporting on activities of campaign and expands range of languages. | Requires State domestic violence public awareness campaign to add information on coercive control; requires annual reporting on activities of campaign and expands range of languages. | Crossed Over |
| SJR121 | Designating May 15 of each year as "Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Awareness Day" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates May 15 of each year as "Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Awareness Day" in New Jersey. Tuberous Sclerosis is a rare genetic complex that affects multiple organ systems. Tuberous Sclerosis leads to irregularities in one of two protein-encoding genes which regulate cell division and growth (TSC1 or TSC2), causing non-cancerous tumors to develop in different organs, primarily the brain, heart, kidneys, eyes, and lungs. The benign tumors and abnormal brain structures that are characteristic of Tuberous Sclerosis block the flow of cerebrospinal fluid to the brain and result in epilepsy, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and various mood complexes. Tuberous Sclerosis is a leading cause of epileptic seizures. Sixty percent of those with Tuberous Sclerosis experience autism. Tuberous Sclerosis affects one million individuals around the world and 50,000 individuals in the United States. At least two children born each day in the United States have Tuberous Sclerosis. Currently, there is no medical cure for the condition. Strategic research will prioritize earlier diagnosis, therapies, and mechanisms for prevention. Organizations such as the TSC Alliance, Matthew's Friends, Tuberous Sclerosis Complex International, and Tuberous Sclerosis Association convene to fund such research and support families influenced by Tuberous Sclerosis. The Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance designates the Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group's Comprehensive Tuberous Sclerosis Clinic at Hackensack University Medical Center as a network clinic and referral center. May 15 is recognized as global Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Awareness Day, designed to increase public awareness for this rare condition. By amplifying the voices of individuals in the Tuberous Sclerosis community, the State may benefit from innovative treatment strategies and improved patient outcomes. Designates May 15 of each year as "Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Awareness Day" in New Jersey. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| 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 |
| A2367 | Establishes public awareness campaign on dangers of social media use to minors; appropriates $500,000. | This bill requires the Department of Education to establish a public awareness campaign on the dangers of social media use to minors. The purpose of the campaign is to help the public, and in particular parents and guardians, better respond the needs of minors, and utilize current research findings, including those arising from the United States Surgeon General's May 2023 advisory on social media and youth mental health which finds that up to 95 percent of American minors between ages 13-17 report using a social media platform and more than a third saying they use social media "almost constantly." The Surgeon General's advisory cautions that childhood and adolescence represent critical stages in brain development that can make young people more vulnerable to harms from social media, and its use can disrupt activities that are essential for health, such as sleep and physical activity. Adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, such as symptoms of depression and anxiety. Social media use can also perpetuate body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviors, and low self-esteem, especially among adolescent girls. Extreme, inappropriate, and harmful content continues to be easily and widely accessible by children and adolescents, and some minors' deaths have been linked to suicide- and self-harm-related content and risk-taking challenges on social media platforms. Online harassment and online bullying occurs and is only partially addressed. Finally, social media platforms can be sites for predatory behaviors and interactions with malicious actors who target children and adolescents. Parents and guardians of young people would benefit from increased awareness about the dangers that social media use pose to minors. Increased awareness would help parents and guardians to utilize current research findings and recommendations to better respond to the needs of minors while encouraging safe social media practices. Under the bill, the Department of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, will develop and implement a public awareness campaign on the dangers of social media use to minors through media outlets which include, but are not limited to: Statewide newspapers, radio, public service announcements, social media, television ads, and any other media outlets deemed appropriate by the Commissioner, no later than 180 days after this bill is enacted. The public awareness campaign builds on the progress of the Commission on the Effects of Social Media Usage on Adolescents established by law on July 24, 2023. The Commissioner of Education will report to the Governor, and to the Legislature, no later than 24 months after the effective date of this act, on the activities and accomplishments of the public awareness campaign. Finally, the bill appropriates, from the General Fund to the Department of Education, $500,000 to develop and implement the public awareness campaign. | In Committee |
| A5607 | Establishes Inclusive Workplaces Program in EDA to provide grants and tax credits to encourage employer investment in workspaces inclusive of neurodivergent employees; appropriates $2.5 million. | This bill establishes the Inclusive Workplaces Program ("program") within the New Jersey Economic Development Authority ("EDA) to encourage investments in inclusive workspaces that accommodate neurodivergent employees. Under the bill, the program would consist of two distinct components, including: (1) the issuance of grants to eligible small-business employers to support the development of neurodiversity-friendly workspaces; and (2) the issuance of tax credits to eligible large-business employers that have implemented workplace adjustments that foster neurodiversity-friendly workspaces. Notably, the bill allows the EDA to award up to $2.5 million in grants annually and to award up to $2.5 million in tax credits annually to eligible employers that undertake certain capital investments and workforce investments intended to create a working environment that accommodates a neurodiverse workforce. Capital investments and workforce investments that employers may undertake include, but are not limited to: (1) sensory-friendly workspace layouts, such as quiet zones and lighting adjustments; (2) adaptive equipment and technologies, such as noise-cancelling headphones and organization tools; and (3) workforce training programs, such as staff mentorships and management seminars focused on neurodiversity. Under the bill, eligibility for grants would be limited to employers that have their headquarters or base of operations in this State, employ fewer than 150 full-time employees, employ at least one full-time employee who identifies as neurodivergent; and demonstrate a commitment to inclusive workplaces with a focus on neurodiverse inclusion are eligible to apply for a grant under the program. Eligible small-business employers may apply to the EDA to receive a grant of up to $25,000 to fund qualified capital investments and workforce investments incurred after the date of the application. The bill appropriates $2.5 million from the General Fund to the EDA for grants. Eligibility for tax credits would be limited to employers that have their headquarters or base of operations in this State, employ 150 full-time employees or greater, employ at least three full-time employees who identify as neurodivergent, and demonstrate a commitment to inclusive workplaces with a focus on neurodiverse inclusion are eligible to apply for a tax credit under the program. Eligible large-business employers may apply to the EDA to receive tax credits in an amount equal to the lesser of $25,000 or 50 percent of the qualified capital investments and workforce investments incurred by the employer before the date of the application. Under the bill, the EDA would be permitted to prescribe the form and manner in which applications would be submitted for both program components. The bill also permits the EDA to approve applications on a rolling basis, subject to the annual limitations in grant awards and tax credit issuances for each program component. The bill also appropriates $2.5 million from the General Fund to the EDA to support the provisions of grants under the program. | In Committee |
| A5608 | Provides corporation business tax credits and gross income tax credits to businesses employing and retaining certain neurodiverse individuals. | This bill provides corporation business and gross income tax credits to taxpayers that employ certain neurodiverse individuals that work in qualifying STEM or artificial intelligence fields. The bill requires the Director of the Division of Vocational and Rehabilitation Services in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to certify that an individual works in a qualifying role and is considered to be neurodiverse in accordance with guidelines to be issued by the director. The credit for wages paid to a full-time qualified neurodiverse employee increases in amount depending on the number of consecutive years in which a taxpayer pays wages to the individual, as follows: not more than $7,000 per employee in the first year of employment; not more than $8,000 per employee in the second consecutive year of employment; and not more than $9,000 per employee in the third consecutive year of employment and each consecutive year of employment thereafter. The credit amount for wages paid to a part-time employee would not exceed $4,500 per employee in any privilege period or taxable year. | In Committee |
| A5605 | Establishes various programs to support neurodiverse students at county colleges; appropriates $1.475 million. | This bill establishes various programs to support the needs of neurodiverse students at county colleges in the State. In general, the term "neurodiversity" refers to the range of differences in individual brain function and behavioral traits, regarded as part of normal variation in the human population. The bill requires the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, in coordination with the New Jersey Council of County Colleges, to establish a two-year Accessibility Coordinator Pilot Program. The purpose of the pilot program is to distribute funds, throughout the course of the pilot program, to a total of three county colleges across the State to support the hiring of accessibility coordinators. The bill appropriates $900,000 for distribution to county colleges. The coordinators are to promote the academic and career success of neurodiverse students by, at a minimum: providing intentional academic advising; assisting students in navigating and accessing campus and community resources that may be beneficial to the students' academic and career growth; and connecting neurodiverse students to job opportunities and employers. The county colleges are to be selected following a competitive application process to be established by the office. The bill requires the New Jersey Council of County Colleges to offer to county college faculty and staff professional development and training opportunities related to teaching and supporting neurodiverse students enrolled in the county colleges. The bill appropriates $75,000 for distribution to the council to support the costs of providing professional development and training opportunities. The bill requires the Secretary of Higher Education to establish a "County College Inclusive STEM Infrastructure Grant Program." The purpose of the program is to provide grants to county colleges for the cost, or a portion of the cost, of capital construction projects that extend or improve an instructional, laboratory, communication, or research facility to better accommodate the needs of neurodiverse students. Projects that receive funding pursuant to the program are required to extend or improve facilities that are utilized for instruction or research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or artificial intelligence. The bill appropriates $500,000 for this grant program. Pursuant to the bill, county colleges and four-year institutions of higher education are encouraged to collaborate on efforts to: bolster professional development and training supports to faculty and staff who work with neurodiverse students; better align courses to support the unique needs of students who may be transferring from a county college to a four-year institution of higher education; and develop partnerships between neurodiverse student programs offered at the county colleges and four-year institutions of higher education, to better support these students. | In Committee |
| A5615 | Requires AG to study use of artificial intelligence for certain law enforcement purposes and issue report. | This bill requires the Attorney General to study the use of artificial intelligence technology by law enforcement agencies for the purpose of generating police reports and to issue a report on this use of the technology. Under the bill, the report would be required to include, at a minimum: (1) an assessment of the artificial intelligence technology available for use in generating police reports and the feasibility of its use; (2) a Statewide summary of any current use of artificial intelligence by law enforcement agencies for the purpose of generating police reports; and (3) recommendations for implementing a Statewide policy applicable to State and local law enforcement agencies that governs the use of artificial intelligence technology. The policy, at a minimum, shall require a law enforcement officer to review any contents of a police report generated by the use of artificial intelligence to ensure accuracy and completeness prior to issuing the report. The bill requires the Attorney General to issue the report and recommendations within six months of the bill's effective date. | In Committee |
| A4163 | Requires health insurers to provide coverage for biomarker precision medical testing. | An Act concerning health insurance coverage for biomarker precision medical testing and supplementing various parts of the statutory law. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| 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 |
| A4658 | Requires affirmative written consent for certain entities to disclose individual's medical information regarding reproductive health care services, with limited exceptions, unless disclosure is necessary to provide those services. | This bill requires health care providers, business associates of a covered entity, and carriers to receive affirmative written consent in order to disclose a patient's or covered person's medical information regarding reproductive health care services, with limited exceptions, unless disclosure is necessary to provide those services. Under the bill: "health care provider" means an individual or entity which, acting within the scope of its licensure or certification, provides a health care service; a "business associate of a covered entity" means the same as those terms are defined under federal "Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act" rules, or a person or entity that performs certain functions or activities that involve the use or disclosure of protected health information on behalf of, or provides services to, health plans, health care clearinghouses, and health care providers; "carrier" means an insurance company, health service corporation, hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, or health maintenance organization authorized to issue health benefits plans in this State; and "reproductive health care services" means all medical, surgical, counseling, or referral services relating to the human reproductive system including, but not limited to, services relating to pregnancy, contraception, or termination of a pregnancy. Specifically, this bill prohibits a health care provider, a business associate of a covered entity, or carrier from intentionally sharing, selling, using for marketing, or otherwise disclosing any personally identifiable medical information regarding reproductive health care services for any purpose not necessary to provide, or pay benefits for, those services, without the affirmative written consent of the patient or the covered person, or an authorized legal representative. Under the bill, "Medical information" includes information that is acquired using in-person or telephone communication, submitted documentation, a mobile application, an Internet website, or a wearable device. Further, "affirmative written consent" means a freely given, specific agreement collected on a standalone form, which clearly states to the patient how records containing medical information could be used and to whom the contents of the records could be disclosed, and allows the patient to refuse consent for specific disclosures. The bill further mandates that a health care provider, a business associate of a covered entity, or carrier are required to inform a patient or a covered person, or authorized legal representative, of the right to withhold such affirmative written consent at or before the time reproductive health care services are rendered or at such time as the covered person discloses any information relating to reproductive health care services that have been previously rendered. The bill allows for disclosure without affirmative written consent under certain circumstances. These exceptions include when disclosure is: 1) to medical personnel to the extent necessary to meet a bona fide medical emergency; 2) to the extent that the health care provider or carrier is a covered entity and the disclosure is made to a business associate under a valid business associate agreement; 3) as required to comply with the laws of this State, federal law, or the Rules of Court; 4) pursuant to a court order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction in this State upon a showing of good cause; 5) by a health care provider or carrier against whom a claim has been made, for use in the defense of the action or proceeding; 6) to certain State entities or licensing boards for records of a patient or covered person in connection with an investigation of a complaint, if the records are related to the complaint; 7) to a federal or State agency charged with investigating known or, in good faith, suspected child abuse, abuse of an elderly individual, abuse of an individual who is incapacitated, or abuse of an individual with a physical or mental disability, if such disclosure is requested in connection with an investigation of abuse that would constitute a crime under the laws of this State and such records are related to such investigation; and 8) pursuant to regulations promulgated by the Commissioners of Health and Banking and Insurance. Under the bill, if a court of competent jurisdiction finds that a health care provider or carrier has violated the provisions of this bill, the court may award damages, computed at a rate of $1,000 per violation, reasonable attorney's fees, and the costs incurred in maintaining that civil action. Finally, nothing contained in the bill is to be construed to limit, diminish, or abrogate the rights of a person under the federal "Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996," Pub.L.104-191 or the obligations of a health care provider or carrier under that law. | 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 |
| A5541 | Establishes certain requirements for Medicare supplement policy premiums. | This bill requires Medicare supplement policies to contain provisions that limit premium increases to once per calendar year, and that allow policyholders the option to pay the annual premium in advance. | In Committee |
| A5540 | Establishes Artificial Intelligence Grant Program in Office of Secretary of Higher Education. | This bill establishes the Artificial Intelligence Grant Program, the purpose of which is to make funds available to nonprofit entities providing education and training in artificial intelligence. Under the bill, a nonprofit entity that wishes to participate in the grant program is to submit an application to the Secretary of Higher Education in a manner and form determined by the secretary. In order to receive a grant, a nonprofit entity is required to demonstrate that it provides comprehensive education and training programs in artificial intelligence. The bill directs the secretary to consider a number of listed factors when awarding grants, including, among others, whether the nonprofit entity organizes events that provide a platform for the exchange of ideas, networking, and educational opportunities concerning the ethical use of artificial intelligence and whether the nonprofit entity has established partnerships with government agencies to ensure collaborative growth and streamlined efforts between the State and the private sector. The secretary is to annually select four nonprofit entities to receive grants in an amount not to exceed $25,000 per grant. A nonprofit entity that receives a grant under the provisions of the bill is to submit a report to the secretary, Governor, and Legislature on the use and impact of the grant funds. The bill also establishes the "Artificial Intelligence Education Fund," which is to be used to provide grants to nonprofit entities pursuant to the provisions of the bill. The bill provides that there is to be appropriated each State fiscal year to the "Artificial Intelligence Education Fund" such funds as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of the bill. | In Committee |
| A5542 | Requires health insurance coverage of diagnostic and supplemental breast examinations without cost-sharing. | This bill requires health insurance carriers (insurance companies, health, hospital, and medical service corporations, health maintenance organizations, and State and School Employees' Health Benefits Program contracts) to provide coverage for diagnostic and supplemental breast examinations without cost-sharing. Under the bill, "diagnostic breast examination" means a medically necessary and appropriate, in accordance with National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines, examination of the breast (including, but not limited to, such an examination using contrast-enhanced mammography, diagnostic mammography, breast magnetic resonance imaging, breast ultrasound, or molecular breast imaging) that is used to evaluate an abnormality: (1) seen or suspected from a screening examination for breast cancer; or (2) detected by another means of examination. Under the bill, "supplemental breast examination" means a medically necessary and appropriate, in accordance with National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines, examination of the breast (including, but not limited to, such an examination using contrast-enhanced mammography, breast magnetic resonance imaging, breast ultrasound, or molecular breast imaging) that is: (1) used to screen for breast cancer when there is no abnormality seen or suspected; and (2) based on personal or family medical history or additional factors that increase the individual's risk of breast cancer (including heterogeneously or extremely dense breasts). | In Committee |
| A3540 | Establishes criminal penalties for production or dissemination of deceptive audio or visual media, commonly known as "deepfakes." | An Act establishing civil and criminal penalties for the production and dissemination of deceptive audio or visual media and supplementing Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5118 | Provides health care benefits to disabled members of TPAF and PERS. | Provides health care benefits to disabled members of TPAF and PERS. | Crossed Over |
| AJR181 | Designating May 15 of each year as "Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Awareness Day" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates May 15 of each year as "Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Awareness Day" in New Jersey. Tuberous Sclerosis is a rare genetic complex that affects multiple organ systems. Tuberous Sclerosis leads to irregularities in one of two protein-encoding genes which regulate cell division and growth (TSC1 or TSC2), causing non-cancerous tumors to develop in different organs, primarily the brain, heart, kidneys, eyes, and lungs. The benign tumors and abnormal brain structures that are characteristic of Tuberous Sclerosis block the flow of cerebrospinal fluid to the brain and result in epilepsy, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and various mood complexes. Tuberous Sclerosis is a leading cause of epileptic seizures. Sixty percent of those with Tuberous Sclerosis experience autism. Tuberous Sclerosis affects one million individuals around the world and 50,000 individuals in the United States. At least two children born each day in the United States have Tuberous Sclerosis. Currently, there is no medical cure for the condition. Strategic research will prioritize earlier diagnosis, therapies, and mechanisms for prevention. Organizations such as the TSC Alliance, Matthew's Friends, Tuberous Sclerosis Complex International, and Tuberous Sclerosis Association convene to fund such research and support families influenced by Tuberous Sclerosis. The Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance designates the Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group's Comprehensive Tuberous Sclerosis Clinic at Hackensack University Medical Center as a network clinic and referral center. May 15 is recognized as global Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Awareness Day, designed to increase public awareness for this rare condition. By amplifying the voices of individuals in the Tuberous Sclerosis community, the State may benefit from innovative treatment strategies and improved patient outcomes. | In Committee |
| A3546 | Requires insurers and SHBP to provide coverage for expenses incurred in screening for ovarian cancer. | This bill requires hospital, medical, and health service corporations, commercial individual, small employer, and larger group insurers, health maintenance organizations, and the State Health Benefits Program to provide coverage for medically necessary expenses incurred in screening for ovarian cancer for symptomatic women or women at risk of ovarian cancer, which coverage shall include, but is not limited to, an annual pelvic examination, an ultrasound and blood testing for cancer markers, such as CA 125 levels. Ovarian cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women in the United States. The provisions of this bill will ensure that women who may have symptoms of ovarian cancer, or are at risk of ovarian cancer because of a family history or other health conditions, are able to receive appropriate and necessary diagnostic screening tests for this deadly disease. | In Committee |
| A941 | Makes total property tax exemption for 100% disabled veterans retroactive to effective date of determination of total disability; requires State to reimburse municipalities for reimbursement of property taxes paid to veteran. | This bill provides that the total property tax exemption extended to totally disabled veterans is to be retroactive to the effective date of the determination of the veteran's total disability by the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs. The bill also requires that the governing body of each municipality return all taxes collected on the veteran's property after the effective date of the determination of total disability by the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs, and requires the State to reimburse municipalities for the amount of such property taxes returned to a totally disabled veteran pursuant to the requirements of the bill. | In Committee |
| A3667 | Permits dental service corporations to be subsidiaries of nonprofit parent companies. | This bill amends the current law to permit dental service corporations to be or become subsidiaries of nonprofit parents. Under the current law, a dental service corporation is prohibited from spending more than 10 percent of its assets or more than 50 percent of its surplus, whichever is less, on investments. This puts dental service corporations at a disadvantage compared to other health insurance companies, despite the fact that dental service corporations have more predictable risks of loss and thus have less need for limiting the use of company funds. Allowing dental service corporations to be or become subsidiaries of nonprofit parent companies, while still imposing all statutory requirements on the dental service corporations themselves, would give a nonprofit parent freedom to invest funds and be better able to help its dental service corporation subsidiary compete with larger health insurance companies that offer dental services. At the same time, the dental service corporation subsidiary would still have to comply with the "Dental Service Corporation Act of 1968," including the limitation on investing company funds. By amending the current law, this bill promotes competition in the dental service market and ensures that patients are still adequately protected. | Vetoed |
| ACR157 | Condemns Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu bigotry and intolerance. | This resolution condemns Hinduphobia, anti-Hindu bigotry and intolerance, and declares the State of New Jersey as a place that welcomes the diversity brought by Hindu Americans. This resolution recognizes that Hinduism is one of the world's largest and oldest religions with over 1.2 billion adherents in over 100 countries and which encompasses an array of diverse traditions and belief systems with values of acceptance, mutual respect, and peace. The United States has always been a beacon of hope, progress, and innovation, attracting people from around the world to create and live a better and fulfilling life, and has welcomed more than four million Hindus from all corners of the world and given them better opportunities and the freedom to practice Hinduism, also known as "Sanatana Dharma". The American Hindu community has been a major contributor to diverse sectors such as medicine, science and engineering, information technology, hospitality, finance, academia, manufacturing, energy, retail trade, and so much more. Hindu contributions of Yoga, Ayurveda, meditation, food, music, arts, and more have enriched the cultural fabric and have been widely adopted in American society and enriched the lives of millions. Hinduphobia, as described by the Understanding Hinduphobia Initiative, is "a set of antagonistic, destructive, and derogatory attitudes and behaviors towards Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) and Hindus that may manifest as prejudice, fear, or hatred". There have been documented instances of hate crimes against Hindu Americans over the last few decades in many parts of the country. | In Committee |
| A4696 | "Climate Superfund Act"; imposes liability on certain fossil fuel companies for certain damages caused by climate change and establishes program in DEP to collect and distribute compensatory payments. | "Climate Superfund Act"; imposes liability on certain fossil fuel companies for certain damages caused by climate change and establishes program in DEP to collect and distribute compensatory payments. | In Committee |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| A4979 | Requires law enforcement officers to complete training regarding identification of machine gun conversion devices. | This bill requires law enforcement officers to complete training regarding the identification of machine gun conversion devices. Under current law, the Police Training Commission is to require all law enforcement officers as a condition of continued employment or appointment as a law enforcement officer to receive periodic commission-approved continuing officer education training. The training is to be mandated or prescribed by the commission. Under this bill, the training required under current law is to include training regarding the identification of machine gun conversion devices and associated firearm components used to convert a semiautomatic firearm into a machine gun. | In Committee |
| A4254 | Establishes limits on transcript release restrictions at institutions of higher education and certain proprietary institutions. | Establishes limits on transcript release restrictions at institutions of higher education and certain proprietary institutions. | Crossed Over |
| A2801 | Renames, extends eligibility, and makes various other changes to Primary Care Practitioner Loan Redemption Program. | Renames, extends eligibility, and makes various other changes to Primary Care Practitioner Loan Redemption Program. | Crossed Over |
| A2805 | Requires issuance of report on certain information and data on processing of applications for professional and occupational licenses and mandates review of training and call intake in Division of Consumer Affairs. | This bill requires the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety to review and collect certain information and data on the professions and occupations regulated by the division, or a board, committee or other entity within the division, and compile a report on the findings to be released, six months after the bill is enacted, to the Governor and State Legislature. The information and data to be reviewed and collected include 1) the number of outstanding applications each profession and occupation has for initial licensure or other type of credential; 2) the number of incomplete applications received; 3) funding expended to retain employees; 4) categorization, if possible, of the reasons for calls from applicants and how many calls come in under each category; and 5) the calculation of the percentage of completed applications for initial licensure or other credential over the past five years, to include a calculation of the number of applications that have taken at least twice as long to process in comparison to the average time to process an application. Additionally, the Attorney General, or a designee, is to 1) develop and administer training specific to a profession and occupation to new employees hired to process initial applications for licensure in the profession or occupation; and 2) review the feasibility of outsourcing phone call intake and response to businesses or associations that assist individuals seeking a license in a specific profession or occupation. | 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 |
| 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 |
| AR158 | Urges generative artificial intelligence companies to make voluntary commitments regarding employee whistleblower protections. | Urges generative artificial intelligence companies to make voluntary commitments regarding employee whistleblower protections. | 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 |
| A2104 | Requires DEP to prioritize funding for certain projects for acquisition of lands for recreation and conservation purposes and certain environmental infrastructure projects that include, or allow for, flood mitigation projects. | This bill would direct the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to provide additional priority points to certain applicants that seek funding, for Blue Acres projects and for wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects. Specifically, under the bill, projects that include, or allow for, a flood mitigation project to occur onsite would receive additional priority points in the ranking for funding pursuant to the respective program. The DEP would factor these additional points into its calculations when establishing: (1) the list of projects eligible to receive "Blue Acres funding"; (2) the "clean water project priority list," pursuant to section 20 of P.L.1985, c.334 (C.58:11B-20); and (3) the "drinking water project priority list," pursuant to section 24 of P.L.1997, c.224 (C.58:11B-20.1). As used in the bill, "Blue Acres project" means any project of the State or a qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organization to acquire, for recreation and conservation purposes, lands that have been damaged by, or may be prone to incurring damage caused by, storms or storm-related flooding, or that may buffer or protect other lands from such damage. | Crossed Over |
| AJR89 | Condemns hate in all forms and especially all hate and bias crimes. | Condemns hate in all forms and especially all hate and bias crimes. | Crossed Over |
| A4229 | Requires NJEDA to establish loan program to assist beginning farmers in financing capital purchases. | Requires NJEDA to establish loan program to assist beginning farmers in financing capital purchases. | Crossed Over |
| 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 |
| A5158 | Provides TPAF members and certain retirees same benefits provided to members enrolled in retirement system before July 1, 2007. | This bill removes the membership tiers established in the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) and transfers all current non-retired members of TPAF to the membership tier referred to as "Tier 1" by the Division of Pensions and Benefits. All transferred members will be considered eligible for any benefits associated with Tier 1. Under the bill, employees of public employers who earn more than the minimum salary requirement, but do not currently meet the minimum hour eligibility requirements, will be considered eligible to be enrolled as members of TPAF. The employer is to process the compulsory enrollment of each affected employee within two months following the enactment of the bill. Any affected employees who are currently enrolled as participants of the Defined Contribution Retirement Program (DCRP) will be eligible for an automatic transfer of all years of service credit to TPAF, if the employee elects to transfer their membership from DCRP to TPAF. Any years of service credit transferred to TPAF from DCRP will be used to qualify members for retirement and health benefits associated with TPAF, but will not be used to calculate the amount of pension benefit. A participant's prior contributions into the DCRP will not be transferred into TPAF and will remain in the fund. The employee will receive a notice of the transfer of service credit to TPAF within two months following the enactment of the bill. Upon receiving the notice, the affected employee has six months to notify their employer if they do not wish to become enrolled as a member and transfer their service credit to TPAF. Employees in the DCRP who opt out of the transfer will remain in the DCRP. Additionally, any members of TPAF who are receiving long term disability insurance will be eligible to apply for disability retirement as long as they apply within two calendar years following the enactment of the bill. Any changes to the early retirement, deferred retirement, service retirement, and maximum base salary resulting from the transfer of members to Tier 1 of TPAF will only affect members who begin processing a retirement application after the bill is enacted. | In Committee |
| A5160 | Provides PERS members and certain retirees same benefits provided to members enrolled in retirement system before July 1, 2007. | This bill removes the membership tiers established in the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) and transfers all current non-retired members of PERS to the membership tier referred to as "Tier 1" by the Division of Pensions and Benefits. All transferred members will be considered eligible for any benefits associated with Tier 1. Under the bill, employees of public employers who earn more than the minimum salary requirement, but do not currently meet the minimum hour eligibility requirements, will be considered eligible to be enrolled as members of PERS. The employer is to process the compulsory enrollment of each affected employee within two months following the enactment of the bill. Any affected employees who are currently enrolled as participants of the Defined Contribution Retirement Program (DCRP) will be eligible for an automatic transfer of all years of service credit to PERS, if the employee elects to transfer their membership from DCRP to PERS. Any years of service credit transferred to PERS from DCRP will be used to qualify members for retirement and health benefits associated with PERS, but will not be used to calculate the amount of pension benefit. A participant's prior contributions into the DCRP will not be transferred into PERS and will remain in the fund. The employee will receive a notice of the transfer of service credit to PERS within two months following the enactment of the bill. Upon receiving the notice, the affected employee has six months to notify their employer if they do not wish to become enrolled as a member and transfer their service credit to PERS. Employees in the DCRP who opt out of the transfer will remain in the DCRP. Additionally, any members of PERS who are receiving long term disability insurance will be eligible to apply for disability retirement as long as they apply within two calendar years following the enactment of the bill. Any changes to the early retirement, deferred retirement, service retirement, and maximum base salary resulting from the transfer of members to Tier 1 of PERS will only affect members who begin processing a retirement application after the bill is enacted. | In Committee |
| A4475 | Establishes standards for court-ordered counseling for domestic violence offenders. | This bill establishes standards for court-ordered counseling for domestic violence offenders. Under current law, the court may order a defendant charged with a crime or offense involving domestic violence who has been released pending trial, or as part of a final restraining order issued by the court in a domestic violence matter, to receive professional domestic violence counseling from either a private source or a source appointed by the court. If ordered to participate in this counseling, the defendant would be required 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 be required to facilitate defender accountability and 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) information and education concerning the tactics of power and control and the understanding of domestic violence as a domination and control issue; (3) 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 (4) regular reviews of the program and compliance by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families for Batterers' Intervention Programs funded by the Department of Children and Families. This bill implements Recommendation #28 of the June 2023 report of the Reconvened Joint Committee on Criminal Justice. | Crossed Over |
| A1476 | Establishes "New Jersey Target Zero Commission." | An Act establishing the "New Jersey Target Zero Commission" and supplementing Title 27 of the Revised Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A3853 | Extends certain pay parity regarding telemedicine and telehealth until July 1, 2026. | An Act regarding telemedicine and telehealth and amending P.L.2021, c.310. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5152 | Reschedules June 2025 primary election date; provides for adjustment of certain election related deadlines. | An Act concerning the date of the June 2025 primary election and adjustment of certain election related deadlines. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| AR156 | Requests that federal government offer legal remedies to victims exposed to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and incentivize research into effects of those substances. | This resolution respectfully requests that the United States Congress pass legislation to support and incentivize research into the effects of exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and offer legal remedies for victims of PFAS exposure against manufacturers. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemical compounds that persist and bioaccumulate in the environment. PFAS have been identified in countless consumer products, including clothing, wall paint, personal care products, cookware, and insulation. The chemicals have also been traced to drinking water supplies. Residues are absorbed through human skin and tear ducts, and often ingested. These "forever chemicals" then persist in the body and environment without breaking down. Research has associated PFAS exposure with multiple types of cancer, liver damage, reproductive issues, suppressed vaccine response, childhood developmental delays, and other health challenges. Nearly all individuals carry some trace of PFAS in their bodies. Some occupations experience long-term exposure that makes employees especially vulnerable to the associated health risks. Police officers, transit workers, firefighters, and manual laborers often work with materials containing the chemicals. The workplace is not the only site of potential PFAS exposure. Over twenty drinking water systems across New Jersey exceeded State PFAS limits in 2022, placing a wider network of New Jersey residents and workers at risk of health effects. In February 2024, the "PFAS Accountability Act of 2024" was introduced in the United States Senate. Under this bill, PFAS damages would be classified as a lawful injury and the bill would shift the costs of medical monitoring from those individuals to the parties responsible for exposure. The bill would also express Congress's desire to incentivize funding for PFAS safety research. By expressing support of this bill, New Jersey could catalyze congressional action to address PFAS harms. The fragmented state-level response to PFAS exposure warrants and necessitates a unified federal cause of action to address the concerns that the chemical presents. In this light, it is necessary that New Jersey requests that the federal government offer legal avenues to protect victims of PFAS manufacturing and incentivize research into the prevention of harm from those substances, through the "PFAS Accountability Act of 2024" or corresponding legislation. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| 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 |
| A4863 | Requires NJ FamilyCare payment for multiple medical encounters per day for enrollee at federally qualified health center. | This bill provides for NJ FamilyCare reimbursement for multiple medical encounters with federally qualified health center (FQHC) specialists on a single day for an enrollee, provided: 1. the referring provider documents the reason for referring the patient to each specialty provider; 2. each of the enrollee's medical encounters is with different specialty provider; and 3. NJ FamilyCare reimbursement for multiple medical encounters per day at a FQHC does not violate federal statute. The bill defines a "federally qualified health center" as a community-based health care provider that delivers integrated primary care services in medically underserved areas, and meets the criteria established under section 1905(l)(2)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. s.1396(d)). The bill defines a "specialty provider" as a licensed physician who: (1) is a diplomate of a specialty board approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties or the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA); (2) is a fellow of the appropriate American specialty college or a member of an osteopathic specialty college; (3) is currently admissible to take the examination administered by a specialty board approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties or the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists of the AOA, or has evidence of completion of an appropriate qualifying residency approved by the American Medical Association or the AOA; (4) holds an active staff appointment with specialty privileges in a hospital which is licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) and which is approved for training in the specialty in which the physician has privileges; or (5) is recognized in the community as a specialist by his or her peers. Nothing in this bill should be construed to authorize the Commissioner of Human Services to waive or limit any provisions of federal statute or any other State reimbursement methodologies governing NJ FamilyCare reimbursement to federally qualified health centers. State regulations, found at N.J.A.C.10:66-4.1, generally limit NJ FamilyCare coverage for medical encounters at a FQHC to one encounter per NJ FamilyCare beneficiary per day. Additional encounters in a given day are covered if: 1. the NJ FamilyCare enrollee is seen by more than one provider for the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of different illnesses or injuries; or 2. the enrollee leaves the FQHC following an encounter with one practitioner, and subsequently returns to the FQHC and is seen by another practitioner on the same day. Under N.J.A.C.10:66-4.1, if an NJ FamilyCare enrollee has more than two medical encounters at a FQHC in a given week, the FQHC must document the medical necessity of the encounters in the enrollee's medical record. | In Committee |
| A1875 | Consolidates and makes technical updates to certain definitions used in Title 26 of the Revised Statutes. | This bill consolidates certain definitions used in Title 26 of the Revised Statues by placing those definitions into a single definitions section, section 1 of P.L.1947, c.177 (C.26:1A-1), which will be applicable to all of the statutes contained in Title 26, and by removing the definitions where they appear in individual sections of Title 26. Specifically, the bill will add to C.26:1A-1 definitions for "adult," "Alzheimer's disease and related disorders," "birthing facility," "contagious disease," "covered person," "hospital," "infectious disease," "local health agency," "local registrar/registrar," "long-term care facility," "Medicaid," "Medicare," "person," "state," "State registrar," "substance use disorder," "vital records," and "vital statistics." The section currently includes definitions for "commissioner," "council," "division," "division director," "local board/local board of health," and "State department/Department of Health/department." The bill does not make any substantive revisions to any of these definitions. The bill repeals another section of law, R.S.26:1-1, which defines the same terms as are included in C.26:1A-1 in generally the same manner, and which is currently applicable to all of Title 26. The bill additionally makes various technical updates to the laws being amended to ensure definitions are listed alphabetically, to replace gendered language, to update citations to other laws and to various regulatory agencies, and to update punctuation, the use of subdivisions within definitions sections, and syntax, as well as to update several cross-citations occurring outside Title 26. This bill is based on the recommendations set forth in a report by the New Jersey Law Revision Commission titled "Final Report to Eliminate Duplicative Definitions Sections of the Health and Vital Statistics Statute in Title 26," issued April 21, 2022. | Crossed Over |
| A5036 | Establishes Office of Cybersecurity Infrastructure. | This bill establishes the Office of Cybersecurity Infrastructure in the Executive Branch of State Government. The office will be in, but not of, the Department of the Treasury, but the office will be independent of any supervision or control by the State Treasurer or the Department of the Treasury. The purpose of the office is to establish and implement cybersecurity policies for the State; establish, implement, and monitor technology infrastructure throughout the State in order for nonprofit and private organizations to interact with residents of this State in a secure manner; and establish artificial intelligence (AI) policies in order for public and private institutions to safely integrate AI into professional practices. The office will develop and maintain an Internet website or webpage providing information to the public concerning the operations of the office. Under the bill, the office will be led by a Chief Officer of Cybersecurity Infrastructure. The officer will be appointed by, serve at the pleasure of, and report directly to the Governor. The officer will devote full-time to the duties and responsibilities of the office and will receive a salary as determined by law. The Chief Officer of Cybersecurity Infrastructure, in consultation with the Chief Technology Officer of the Office of Information Technology, the Chief Information Security Officer of the State, and the Director of the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell, will: establish the internal organizational structure of the Office of Cybersecurity Infrastructure; coordinate and conduct technology operations in the Executive Branch of State Government, including agency cybersecurity technology operations, technology infrastructure operations, and AI integration operations; draft and establish Service Level Agreements with each department and agency in the Executive Branch of State Government; and enter into agreements as necessary with private and public entities or individuals in order to better secure cybersecurity infrastructure in this State. The Chief Officer of Cybersecurity Infrastructure will be authorized to appoint up to six Deputy Officers of Cybersecurity Infrastructure. Each deputy officer will be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the officer and will be responsible for cybersecurity planning, coordination, budgeting, technical architecture, and management of large-scale cybersecurity initiatives. The Chief Officer of Cybersecurity Infrastructure will provide periodic reports to the Governor and will issue an annual report to the Governor and to the Legislature regarding the cybersecurity infrastructure operations of the Executive Branch of State Government and the activities of the Office of Cybersecurity Infrastructure. The annual report will be issued on or before January 1 of each year and will be made available to the public on the office's website. | 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 |
| A4977 | Requires public safety risk assessment to include additional consideration for firearms as public safety risk. | This bill requires the approved risk assessment used by the Pretrial Services Program to consider a charge, including any charge of delinquency, conviction, or adjudication of delinquency, or civil penalty if the act was an unlawful act and not a crime or offense, based on any crime involving the use or possession of a firearm, as risk factors relevant to the risk of failure to appear in court when required and the danger to the community while on pretrial release. The purpose of this bill is to urge the Judiciary to reassess the Public Safety Assessment ("PSA") Risk Factors to more accurately reflect the dangerousness of firearms in a more comprehensive manner. Recently, the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation ("SCI") investigated concerns regarding illegal firearms and issued a report in September 2024 titled "Illegal Firearms Use & Trends in New Jersey." The recent proliferation of privately manufactured "ghost guns," which are easy-to-build homemade guns that do not require background checks and are virtually untraceable, and firearms corrupted with devices enabling them to function like weapons of war, has allowed criminals to outgun the police in many communities. Under the report, SCI was particularly concerned with instances where a firearm is discharged in public but the conduct would not currently be categorized as a violent offense under the PSA. SCI believes that reckless and public discharges of a firearm, including instances when public discharges are charged as criminal mischief or endangering another person, should be categorized as violent offenses. It is an inherently violent offense any time a firearm is discharged in public, as there is always risk that a stray bullet could injure an innocent bystander. This likelihood is even higher due to gun conversion devices that turn semi-automatic firearms into rapid-fire machine guns. SCI's findings reveal that New Jersey should adopt or amend existing laws to address the latest technological advances used by criminal elements to circumvent gun restrictions and corrupt firearms to make them even more dangerous. Specifically, SCI's report includes a finding that the current PSA risk factor calculations fail to accurately reflect the dangerousness of firearms. | In Committee |
| A1813 | Prohibits delivery of electronic smoking devices and tobacco products to individuals under 21 years of age. | Prohibits delivery of electronic smoking devices and tobacco products to individuals under 21 years of age. | Crossed Over |
| A2316 | Increases traffic threshold for local installation of certain speed humps on certain local streets without DOT approval. | Increases traffic threshold for local installation of certain speed humps on certain local streets without DOT approval. | Crossed Over |
| 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 |
| A3533 | Increases tuition credit amount permitted under volunteer tuition credit program. | This bill increases the tuition credit amount permitted under the volunteer tuition credit program. Under current law, certain persons who are active members of a volunteer fire company or volunteer first aid or rescue squad or association in good standing and the person's dependent children and spouse are permitted to enroll in a postsecondary program on a tuition-free basis in a county college, county vocational school or county technical institution and be eligible to receive tuition credit in an amount not to exceed a maximum of $2,400 provided the person agrees to serve as a member of a volunteer fire company or volunteer first aid or rescue squad or association for a minimum of four years of service. Current law provides for a tuition credit of up to $600 following each year of service not to exceed a maximum of $2,400 for the member, dependent, and spouse over a four-year service period. This bill increases the tuition credit amount from $600 to $1,250 per year of service, not to exceed a maximum of $5,000 for the member, dependent, and spouse over a four-year service period. | In Committee |
| A3416 | Provides gross income tax deduction to eligible educators and paraprofessionals for expense of classroom supplies. | This bill provides a gross income tax deduction to eligible educators and paraprofessionals employed by a New Jersey elementary or secondary school for certain expenses incurred by the educator or paraprofessional for classroom supplies during the taxable year. This New Jersey gross income tax deduction is modeled on the federal income tax deduction for educator expenses allowed under section 62 of the federal Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. s.62). The bill defines an "eligible educator" as an individual who is employed as a kindergarten through grade 12 teacher, instructor, counselor, speech language specialist, or principal by a public or private school located in this State for at least 900 hours during a school year. The bill defines a "paraprofessional" as an individual who is employed as a school aide or classroom aide who assists a teaching staff member with the supervision of pupil activities by a public or private school located in the State that provides elementary education or secondary education. The bill also allows the deduction of unreimbursed expenditures by an eligible educator or paraprofessional for supplies (other than nonathletic supplies for courses of instruction in health or physical education), books, computer equipment, including related software and services, and other equipment and supplementary materials used by the eligible educator or paraprofessional in the classroom. | Crossed Over |
| A3860 | Establishes certain medical billing requirements concerning specific nature of charges or expenses for health care services. | Establishes certain medical billing requirements concerning specific nature of charges or expenses for health care services. | Crossed Over |
| A2353 | Establishes "Scientific Conference Grant Program"; appropriates $250,000. | Establishes "Scientific Conference Grant Program"; appropriates $250,000. | In Committee |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| A4654 | Requires health benefits coverage for family planning and reproductive health care services, including early infancy care, without cost sharing. | Requires health benefits coverage for family planning and reproductive health care services, including early infancy care, without cost sharing. | Crossed Over |
| S721 | Exempts sales of investment metal bullion and certain investment coins from sales and use tax. | An Act exempting the sale of certain investment metal bullion and coins from the sales and use tax and amending P.L.1980, c.105. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A2294 | Establishes mortgage payment relief and foreclosure protection for certain homeowners impacted by the remnants of Hurricane Ida. | Establishes mortgage payment relief and foreclosure protection for certain homeowners impacted by the remnants of Hurricane Ida. | Vetoed |
| A2280 | Codifies prohibition of discriminatory practices in real estate appraisals and requires real estate appraisers to complete anti-bias training. | An Act concerning discriminatory practices in real estate appraisals and supplementing and amending P.L.1991, c.68. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4360 | "New Jersey Design Professional Self-Certification Act"; requires DCA to establish design professional self-certification program. | An Act establishing a design professional self-certification program and supplementing P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-119 et seq.). | 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 |
| 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 |
| S3192 | "Real Estate Consumer Protection Enhancement Act." | An Act concerning consumer rights in certain real estate transactions and amending P.L.2009, c.238 and supplementing Title 45 of the Revised Statutes and chapter 8 of Title 56 of the Revised Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4581 | Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend certain sums to make loans for Community Hazard Assistance Mitigation Program projects for FY 2025. | 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 of certain hazard mitigation and resilience projects. | 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| A4454 | "Real Estate Consumer Protection Enhancement Act." | "Real Estate Consumer Protection Enhancement Act." | 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 |
| A3412 | Increases maximum number of respite care service hours funded through DCF for certain families. | This bill increases the maximum number of respite care service hours funded through the Department of Children and Families (department) for certain families. Under the bill, the family of a child that is eligible to receive respite care services funded through the department, is to be eligible to receive no more than 90 hours of respite care services, provided by either an agency-hired or self-hired respite worker, over a 90-day period through funding provided by the department. The bill defines "respite care" to mean the provision of temporary, short-term care for, or the supervision of, an eligible child on behalf of the caregiver, in emergencies or on an intermittent basis to relieve the daily stresses and demands of caring for a child with a functional impairment. Respite care may be provided hourly or daily, may be provided by an agency-hired or self-hired respite worker or a volunteer, but may not exceed service and cost limitations as determined by the commissioner. The bill defines an "agency-hired respite worker" as a respite care worker who is recruited, trained, and employed by a qualified agency under contract with the department. The bill additionally defines a "self-hired respite worker" as a respite care worker who is recruited, trained, and paid directly by a family of a child that is eligible for respite care services. | In Committee |
| S2491 | Increases maximum number of respite care service hours funded through DCF for certain families. | An Act concerning respite care, and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A2812 | Exempts sales of investment metal bullion and investment coins from sales and use tax. | Exempts sales of investment metal bullion and investment coins from sales and use tax. | In Committee |
| A4641 | Prohibits several substances in sale, distribution, and manufacture of commercial foods. | This bill adds seven substances to the general prohibition on adulterated commercial food. Under the State Sanitary Code (pursuant to N.J.S.A.26:1A-7), it is unlawful for any entity in this State to distribute, sell, manufacture for sale or distribution, or possess with intent to sell or distribute, any adulterated food. It is the sponsor's understanding that the State Sanitary Code provides the enforcement and penalties for this act to be carried out by the Department of Health. Each violation of the State Sanitary Code constitutes a separate offense and is punishable by a penalty of not less than $50 and not more than $1,000. This bill adds azodicarbonamide, brominated vegetable oil, butylated hydroxyanisole, potassium bromate, propylparaben, red dye 3 (also known as red 3), and titanium dioxide to the conditions that deem food adulterated. Butylated hydroxyanisole is classified by the National Toxicology Program as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen." All others are prohibited from use in processed foods for sale in the European Union, based on scientific studies demonstrating their risk for significant public health harm, particularly to children. | In Committee |
| A4640 | Requires food manufacturers to disclose new food additives not reported to FDA. | This bill requires manufacturers of food and nonalcoholic beverages for sale in this State to disclose certain additive information to the Commissioner of the Department of Health to be made publicly available. Under the bill, every manufacturer of food and nonalcoholic beverages for sale in this State is required to disclose when a new additive has been deemed "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) by that entity, and is planned for use in food and non-alcoholic beverages. Under sections 201(s) and 409 of the federal "Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act," any substance that is intentionally added to food is a food additive, subject to premarket review and approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), unless the substance is generally recognized among qualified experts as having been adequately shown to be safe under the conditions of its intended use, or unless the use of the substance is otherwise excepted from the definition of a food additive. This bill requires industry to provide the Commissioner of Health with the premarket review rendering an additive GRAS, in the form of an annual report with certain requirements, for publication on the Department of Health Internet website. The department is to review and publish the report within six months of receipt. The commissioner may refuse to publish an incomplete report, after the submitting entity has been given an opportunity to correct any insufficiency within a reasonable time, to be determined by the commissioner. The bill requires the commissioner to promulgate rules and regulations for the collection of these reports and the publication of the data on the department's Internet website. It is the sponsor's view that the publication of a manufacturer's food additive assessment will enable the public to make an informed decision regarding their consumption choices. Finally, the bill provides for the use of the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999", P.L.1999 ,c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.), in carrying out the bill's provisions and makes available to the Commissioner of Health the assistance of the Attorney General in recovering penalties, including enforcing an injunction to protect the public interest. The penalties are up to $1,000 for a first offense and up to $5,000 for each subsequent offense. For a violation of a continuing nature, each day constitutes an additional, separate and distinct offense. The bill becomes effective one year after enactment, but permits the Commissioner of Health to take anticipatory action. | In Committee |
| A4615 | Allows certain individuals eligible for family support services to set aside unused agency-after school care service hours for use during holiday and weekend hours. | This bill requires the Division of Children's System of Care (DCSOC) in the Department of Children and Families to ensure that once an individual between the age of 19 and 21 with a developmental disability has been authorized to receive services from an agency contracted with the division to provide family support services, the family or guardian of the individual is allowed to set aside any amount of unused agency- after school care service hours, offered by the same agency contracted with the DCSOC to provide after school care to the individual, for use during holiday and weekend hours. As defined in the bill, "agency-after school care" means social and recreational experiences provided by a community-based agency contracted with the DCSOC to an individual between the age of 19 and 21 with a developmental disability during after school hours and outside of the individual's home. | Dead |
| A4616 | Expands automatic voter registration process to Medicaid applicants; provides for voter registration opt-out following receipt of registration notice. | This bill expands the automatic voter registration process to Medicaid applicants and provides for each person who automatically registers to vote in this State to decline such automatic voter registration in the days following receipt of a voter registration notice. Under current law, persons who meet the qualifications to become registered voters may automatically register to vote during a transaction at the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, such as while applying for a motor vehicle driver's license, an examination permit, a probationary driver's license, or a non-driver identification card. Current law also allows any State agency to implement a similar automatic voter registration process, if the Secretary of State verifies that the agency collects the necessary documentation for automatic voter registration. Under current law, the applicant must be given the opportunity to decline automatic voter registration. The opportunity to decline is offered during the applicant's interaction with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission or State agency. This bill would require the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services in the Department of Human Services to implement an automatic voter registration process. Under the bill, the division would transmit voter registration information to the Secretary of State for each person who applies to the New Jersey Medical Assistance and Health Services Program, subject to compliance with all applicable federal laws and regulations. The bill would therefor expand automatic voter registration to the population of Medicaid applicants. In addition, this bill requires for the opportunity to decline automatic voter registration to be offered to the applicant in the days after the person's interaction with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission or State agency, rather than during such interaction. Under the bill, each county commissioner of registration would be required to notify each person registered to vote, in writing, at the address included in the completed automatic voter registration form, of the person's opportunity to: (1) decline to register to vote; or (2) adopt a political party affiliation. Such notification would be provided to the person by mail, in English and Spanish, and any additional languages to be determined by the Secretary of State. If a person so notified does not decline to register to vote within 21 calendar days after the issuance of the notification, the county commissioner of registration would add the person's name and all pertinent information to the Statewide Voter Registration System. | In Committee |
| A4617 | Permits certain students to qualify for in-State tuition at four-year public institution of higher education. | This bill permits certain students to qualify for in-State tuition at a four-year public institution of higher education. Current law provides that a student is exempt from paying out-of-State tuition at a public institution of higher education if the student: (1) attended high school in this State for three or more years; (2) graduated from a high school in this State or received the equivalent of a high school diploma in this State; (3) registers as an entering student or is currently enrolled in a public institution of higher education not earlier than the fall semester of the 2013-2014 academic year; and (4) in the case of a person without lawful immigration status, files an affidavit with the institution of higher education stating that the student has filed an application to legalize the student's immigration status or will file an application as soon as the student is eligible to do so. This bill provides that if a student does not meet the requirements of that law, a student will be exempt from paying out-of-State tuition at a four-year public institution of higher education if the student attained an associate's degree from a county college established by the county in which the student resides and was regarded as a resident of the county for the purpose of determining tuition. A student without lawful immigration status will also be required to file an affidavit with the institution of higher education stating that the student has filed an application to legalize the student's immigration status or will file an application as soon as the student is eligible to do so. | 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 |
| A4583 | Requires DHS to review, and implement certain improvements to, Medicaid Managed Long-Term Services and Supports Program and to establish public-facing report card of managed care organization's coordination of program. | This bill requires the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (division) in the Department of Human Services (department) to identity and implement certain improvements to the Medicaid Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Program, and to report to the Legislature on those activities no later than 18 months after the effective date of the bill. The bill also requires the division to establish a public-facing report card for each of the managed care organizations (MCOs) that administer and coordinate the program under the Medicaid program. The MLTSS program uses MCOs to coordinate all long-term services and supports under Medicaid - whether at home, in an assisted living facility, in community residential services, or in a nursing home. Under the bill, the division is directed to conduct a review of the MLTSS Program. The review, at a minimum, is to include: 1) a survey and evaluation of the existing quality oversight measures in place used to assess the performance of MCOs; 2) an assessment of the State's barriers to transitioning Medicaid members enrolled in the MLTSS Program from nursing home to community settings; and 3) a nationwide study of MLTSS Program payment models that have high rates of success in transitioning members from nursing home to community settings. Following the completion of this review, the division is required to identify and implement improvements to the MLTSS Program based upon the division's findings. The improvements are also to include requiring managed care organizations to: 1) reduce care management caseloads for nursing home residents; 2) more frequently visit nursing home residents on a face-to-face basis; 3) annually review the preferences and clinical needs of members residing in nursing homes and to transition any member, as appropriate, to a community setting; and 4) establish a process for complex transitions from nursing home to community care. The bill also directs the division to establish, and update annually, a public-facing report card on the department's website for each MCO's administration and coordination of the MLTSS Program. Each report card is to provide user-friendly performance and quality rating information for use by the public. Any MLTSS Program reports prepared by the department are also be included on the same webpage as the report cards. The bill provides that the report card is to include the following information for each MCO: 1) the number of members enrolled in the MLTSS Program; 2) monthly disenrollment data within the MLTSS Program; 3) data on performance, quality, and compliance; 4) available member feedback and reviews; and 4) any additional information deemed appropriate by the Commissioner of Human Services. | In Committee |
| A4144 | "New Jersey Student Support Act"; establishes program in Department of Treasury to provide tax credits to taxpayers contributing to organization which awards scholarships to certain nonpublic school students. | This bill directs the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, to establish a program to provide tax credits to taxpayers that make contributions to a selected student support organization that awards scholarships for eligible students to attend participating nonpublic schools. The program established by the director would allow a taxpayer to claim a tax credit against the corporate business tax or personal gross income tax equal to 75 percent of any contribution made to a student support organization; in the case of the gross income tax credit, a taxpayer is required to contribute a minimum of $100 to a student support organization in order to claim a tax credit. The value of a credit for an individual taxpayer in a given year or privilege period is not permitted to exceed the lesser of 50 percent of the taxpayer's total tax liability or $1,000,000 for a tax credit against the corporate business tax or $100,000 for a credit against the personal gross income tax. The maximum amount of tax credits allowable in each State fiscal year may not exceed $37.5 million. The Director of the Division of Taxation, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, is responsible for the administration of the program. The Director of the Division of Taxation is to select one student support organization, draft regulations to implement the program, and submit an annual report to the Governor and Legislature on the implementation and results of the program. The regulations are to include a requirement that tax credits issued under the provision of the bill will be issued equitably among the counties. The Director of Taxation, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, is also required to establish a five-person oversight committee to oversee the operation of the student support organization. The student support organization would receive contributions made to the program, spending no more than five percent of contributions on administrative costs, and distributing the remaining 95 percent as scholarships for eligible families. The student support organization is required to verify student eligibility prior to awarding a scholarship, not limit scholarships to students in a certain school or region, award scholarships equally to all eligible students who apply in a given school year, and provide a student with a scholarship that is not less than the amount the student received in the prior school year. The student support organization is to publicize the program, carry forward no more than 20 percent of funds each year, and submit an annual report to the State Treasurer and the Commissioner of Education. The student support organization is required to contract annually for an independent financial audit of the program and transmit a copy of the financial audit to the Division of Taxation, the State Treasurer, and the Commissioner of Education no later than December 1 of each year. To be eligible for a scholarship from the student support organization, a student is to reside in New Jersey and intend to enroll in grades kindergarten through 12 in the next school year. A student is required to have a household income that does not exceed the federal income guidelines for reduced price lunch under the National School Lunch Program multiplied by 2.6. To participate in the program, a school is to: be located in New Jersey; be a nonpublic school that is eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program; comply with all federal and State anti-discrimination statutes; and comply with the "Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act," P.L.2002, c.83 (C.18:A37-13 et seq.). The bill also includes language requiring that the provisions of the bill not supersede, impact, or interfere with the full funding in each State fiscal year necessary to satisfy the requirement of the New Jersey Constitution that the Legislature provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of free public schools for the instruction of all children in the State between 5 and 18 years of age; the full funding of the veterans' $250 property tax deduction, required to be provided to eligible veterans pursuant to the State Constitution; the senior citizens' and disabled persons' $250 property tax deduction authorized by the State Constitution; the full payment of contributions required by law to be made to the State-administered retirement systems; and the full funding of the Stay NJ property tax credit program established in P.L.2023, c.75 (C.54:4-8.75a et seq.). No later than six months after the conclusion of the fourth school year in which scholarships are awarded under the program, the Department of the Treasury, in conjunction with the Department of Education, any relevant governmental organization, and stakeholders from the nonpublic school community, is required to submit a report to the Governor and Legislature that will include: information on the number of scholarships and the amount of tax credits awarded under the program; recommendations on improvements to the program; and the number of nonpublic school closures five years prior to awarding any scholarships under the program compared to closures after the implementation of the program. The Department of Education is required to establish a Student Support Grant Program to provide grants to school districts in which at least 50 percent of the student population is eligible for free or reduced price lunch under the National School Lunch Program. The grant funding is for student support services, including tutoring programs or opportunities, teacher retention bonuses, or the provision of mental health or counseling services. The department will establish an application process for the grants. As part of that process, the eligible school districts are required to demonstrate how the funding will assist the district in providing needed support to its students. The bill provides that the Legislature will annually appropriate from the General Fund to the Department of Education $37.5 million to fund the grant program. | Dead |
| A3796 | Codifies Eagleton Science and Politics Fellowship Program at Eagleton Institute of Politics; makes appropriation. | Codifies Eagleton Science and Politics Fellowship Program at Eagleton Institute of Politics; makes appropriation. | 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 |
| A4480 | Establishes civil right of action for misuse of individual's name, image, likeness, or voice. | This bill establishes a person's right of publicity as a property right in the New Jersey Statutes. The right of publicity is commonly defined as the right to prevent unauthorized commercial use of a person's name, image, likeness, or voice. In this State, the right of publicity has long been recognized and developed through case law by the courts since Edison v. Edison Polyform & Mfg. Co., 73 N.J. Eq. 136 (Ct. Chancery 1907), but has never been codified in the statutes. Under the bill, every individual has an exclusive property right in the use of that individual's name, image, likeness, or voice in any medium in any manner, which may be assigned, licensed, or inherited by the individual's executors, assignees, heirs, or devisees. A deceased individual's executors, assignees, heirs, or devisees retain the individual's exclusive right of publicity for ten years following death, which may be extended in perpetuity if that right is commercially exploited, or which may be terminated after two years for non-use following the initial ten year period. A person who knowingly infringes on an individual's right of publicity, including infringement through the use of artificial intelligence technology, shall be liable in a civil action and shall also be guilty of a disorderly person offense. A disorderly person offense is punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. In addition, court may order an award of monetary damages as well as injunctive relief such as the forfeiture, seizure, or destruction of any infringing items. The bill sets forth fair use exceptions for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, research, or other uses consistent with the federal Copyright Act of 1976 and the federal Lanham Act. The bill is intended to not affect any existing licensing or publicity contracts, or service marks, trademarks, or trade names, properly made or registered as of the effective date of the bill. The bill is also intended to not affect any existing civil tort laws concerning defamation, libel, slander, invasion of privacy, false light, misappropriation of identity, intrusion of privacy, public disclosure of private facts, unlawful interference with prospective economic advantage, or tortious interference with contractual relations, or any existing criminal laws concerning identity theft, music piracy, or counterfeiting. The bill is also not intended to limit the rights of student-athletes under the New Jersey Fair Play Act. | 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 |
| A1431 | Establishes NJ Gross Income Tax EasyFile Program; pilot program to allow Division of Taxation to prepare gross income tax return forms for certain taxpayers. | This bill establishes a State pilot program known as the NJ Gross Income Tax EasyFile Program to allow the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury to prepare gross income tax return forms for certain taxpayers. The pilot program will implement a New Jersey gross income tax final return filing system that provides a simplified personal income tax return form that eligible taxpayers may elect to file, that is pre-filled by the division with information the division has available from the taxpayer's employer. The "pre-filled" tax returns will contain all the gross income tax data contained in a taxpayer's W-2 form. Taxpayers who qualify to receive the forms are "wage or salary only" earners, meaning that most of the information they supply on their New Jersey income tax returns comes solely from their employer W-2 forms. They must be "wage only" earners in the previous taxable year. However, for the applicable taxable year, the director may determine other conditions that may be applied to the simplified filing system. To receive the forms, taxpayers must also meet the following criteria for the applicable and previous tax year: are employed in New Jersey, are not self-employed, be a full-time resident all year, earn less than $75,000, have no dependents and use a single or "married, filing separate" filing status on their New Jersey gross income tax returns. The bill lists requirements for information provided on the forms, including notice of voluntary use of the forms by taxpayers and instructions for corrections to the form. The bill also allows taxpayers to submit the pre-filled returns via mail, telephone, or a secure internet website. The NJ Gross Income Tax EasyFile Program will not require the use of any third-party proprietary online filing software. The Director of the Division of Taxation will mail the forms to qualified taxpayers after the division receives New Jersey employee taxpayer withholding information (W-2). The bill aids taxpayers and the State by making filing a State return more convenient for certain taxpayers, and enables them to avoid the cost of private tax preparers, commercial software and the burden of completing complicated forms. Due to the ease of filing, taxpayers will likely return the completed forms back to the State well before the filing deadline and will help ensure the correct tax is paid by taxpayers. If the State receives these correctly completed returns earlier, it may have an earlier indication of final payments of gross income taxes and may better be able to forecast annual income tax revenue collections for budgeting purposes. California has successfully implemented a pilot program of pre-completed tax returns. In addition, other countries, such as Great Britain and Germany, have used similar forms for years. This bill may begin the process of making New Jersey's personal income tax collection process more streamlined and possibly more predictable. | 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 |
| AR139 | Expresses sincere appreciation to staff of New Jersey General Assembly. | This resolution expresses sincere appreciation to the staff of the New Jersey General Assembly. Each legislative session, the General Assembly of New Jersey elects officers and administrative personnel to serve the vital functions of the General Assembly. These staff members play a pivotal role in the smooth functioning of the legislative process in this State, and their experience and diverse backgrounds contribute greatly to the effectiveness of the General Assembly's operations. Despite any challenges faced during each legislative session, the General Assembly staff uphold exemplary standards of professionalism and expertise within the constitutionally mandated timeframes. It is essential to recognize the Chief Clerk and all members of the General Assembly staff for their unwavering dedication and service to the State of New Jersey. Therefore, the General Assembly wishes to express its heartfelt appreciation to the Chief Clerk and all members of the General Assembly staff for their outstanding dedication, cooperation, and excellent work. | In Committee |
| AJR178 | Urges US Department of Veterans Affairs to study use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for veterans. | This joint resolution urges the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to study the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for veterans. While serving their country, military members can come across various traumatic events through circumstances such as war zone deployment, training accidents, and military sexual trauma. Among veterans using health care provided by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, 23 percent had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point in their life. PTSD can cause chemical changes in the body's hormonal system and autonomic nervous system, as well as changes to brain activity and structure. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been effective in treating disruptions of brain structure and functions, making it a potential alternative treatment for PTSD. In 2017, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs announced it would offer HBOT as a treatment option for a small group of veterans with PTSD symptoms resistant to standard treatments. Additionally, two evidence briefs on the use of HBOT to treat veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and PTSD in whom other treatments have not been successful were prepared for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. On April 16, 2024, legislation establishing a pilot program at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to furnish HBOT for veterans who have PTSD or TBI passed the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health by voice vote. It is important that a study on the efficacy of HBOT be conducted to determine if the treatment will bring about beneficial changes for the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces who proudly serve the nation and risk their lives to protect our freedom. | In Committee |
| A4369 | Permits 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in elections for local school board. | Under current law, any person who is at least 18 years of age, who is a citizen of the United States, and who is a resident of the district in which they wish to vote, is entitled to register and vote in elections in this State. This bill permits 16 and 17-year-olds, who are U.S. citizens and residents of New Jersey, to vote only in their local school elections for school board members. The bill does not allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in any other election. The bill directs the Secretary of State to promulgate rules that: (1) create a registration form and a process to register 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in school board elections, which conforms as nearly as possible to the equivalent form and process utilized for all other eligible voters; (2) establish a method of verifying the identity of registered 16 and 17-year-old voters which conforms as nearly as possible to the methods utilized for all other eligible voters; (3) provide for the design of paper ballots on which 16 and 17-year-olds may vote for school board members; and (4) ensure the provisions of this act are implemented effectively and in a manner compatible with all other elections held in this State. This bill does not require action on the part of any school board or municipality in order to implement its provisions. | In Committee |
| A4057 | Requires hospitals to test for fentanyl and xylazine as part of urine drug screenings. | Requires hospitals to test for fentanyl and xylazine as part of urine drug screenings. | 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 |
| A3991 | Directs State Board of Education to authorize general science endorsement to instructional certificate. | This bill directs the State Board of Education to authorize the issuance of a general science endorsement to an instructional certificate. The endorsement authorizes the holder to teach any science course in grades nine through 12. The bill defines "instructional certificate" as a certificate of eligibility, certificate of eligibility with advanced standing, provisional certificate, or standard instructional certificate. The bill requires a candidate seeking an instructional certificate with a general science endorsement to: (1) possess a bachelor's degree or a master's degree in biology, chemistry, physics, or a related field; (2) achieve a grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a scale of 4.0, or its equivalent; (3) pass a Commissioner of Education-approved basic skills test; (4) pass a commissioner-approved subject matter test, if applicable, and (5) meet any other requirements as established by the commissioner. Under the bill, a teacher who currently holds a biological science, chemistry, earth science, physical science, or physics endorsement to an instructional certificate may apply for an instructional certificate with a general science endorsement provided the teacher meets the requirements set forth in the bill. | In Committee |
| A2362 | Establishes New Jersey Student Teacher Scholarship Program. | This bill establishes the New Jersey Student Teacher Scholarship Program in the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority to reduce financial barriers to teacher certification. Under the bill, the program is to provide scholarships to students completing required clinical practice through a certificate of eligibility with advanced standing educator preparation program at an institution of higher education in the State. A student is eligible to receive a scholarship of up to $7,200 for each semester of full-time clinical practice completed in a school in the State. To be eligible for a scholarship, an applicant is required to: be a resident of the State; be enrolled full-time in an approved program of study; and complete any steps required by the approved program of study to be eligible to apply for clinical practice. The bill requires the authority to establish an application process for the program. The authority, in coordination with the Department of Education, may establish additional eligibility requirements and minimum qualifications for the program. Additionally, the authority, in coordination with the department, is to annually collect data on the program. Finally, the bill details reasons for which a student's scholarship may be terminated. The bill also stipulates that the scholarship is to be terminated if the student is dismissed from the institution of education preparation program for academic or disciplinary reasons or withdraws due to illness. Under the bill, the student would not be required to repay the scholarship in either situation. | 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 |
| A3886 | Establishes Blockchain Promotion and Integration Program. | This bill provides that the New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology, in consultation with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, is to establish the Blockchain Promotion and Integration Program. The bill provides that the program is to meet certain requirements as specified in the bill. The bill requires the New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology to analyze the state of the blockchain and decentralized digital technology sectors in New Jersey. The bill provides that, in establishing the Blockchain Promotion and Integration Program, the New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology is to: (1) consult with the New Jersey Blockchain Council, and integrate its efforts with those of the council to have the greatest impact on small businesses in New Jersey; and (2) partner with groups that represent small business in New Jersey to connect businesses with the resources of the program and to better serve the business community. The bill also provides that, within one year of its enactment, and every third year thereafter, the commission must report to the Governor and the Legislature on the state of blockchain and decentralized digital technology in New Jersey and make recommendations on how the State can better achieve integration of those technologies with businesses in New Jersey. | 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 |
| ACR110 | Proposes constitutional amendment authorizing municipalities to provide partial property tax exemption of up to 15 percent of assessed value for primary residence of certain volunteer first responders. | If approved by the voters, this proposed constitutional amendment would require the Legislature to enact a law permitting municipalities to provide a partial property tax exemption of up to 15 percent of the assessed value of a home for certain volunteer first responders. A municipality would have to pass an ordinance in order to provide the exemption. The exemption would mean that the volunteer first responder would not pay property taxes on a portion of the home's assessed value. Each municipality would decide whether to allow the exemption and decide the percentage amount of the exemption, however the exemption could not be more than 15 percent of the assessed value of the property. The Legislature would be required to pass a law authorizing the exemption. To be eligible for the exemption, a first responder would have to be an active member of a volunteer fire department or a volunteer first aid or rescue squad that serves the municipality. The home would also have to be the volunteer's primary residence and be located in the municipality in which the volunteer serves. | In Committee |
| A1687 | Establishes Office of Supportive Action Functionality Experts to prepare for catastrophic loss of technological services. | This bill establishes the Office of Supportive Action Functionality Experts ("S.A.F.E.") to prepare for a catastrophic loss of technological services in this State. This bill establishes the Office of Supportive Action Functionality Experts in the State Office of Emergency Management. The purpose of this office is to analyze the potential risks and impacts of a catastrophic loss of technology and develop strategies for enhancing the State's response. The office's functions are to include, but not be limited to, gathering information about the impact of technological dependency; assessing the potential consequences of a catastrophic loss of technology; and developing procedures for managing the loss of technology. In addition, under the bill, the office is to provide quarterly reports to the Governor and Legislature on its research findings and develop a plan for essential services in case of a catastrophic technology loss. The Director of the State Office of Emergency Management, in consultation with the State's Chief Information Officer, is to appoint a director of the office who is qualified by training and experience to perform the duties of the office. The State's economy, public safety, and general welfare depend on the availability of technological systems and infrastructure. A catastrophic loss of technology could severely disrupt the State's essential services, including communication systems, medical services, transportation infrastructure, utilities, and financial services. It is essential to proactively address the potential risks from technological dependence and create strategies for managing the consequences of a catastrophic loss of technology. | In Committee |
| A1665 | Authorizes temporary licensure of graduated nursing students; waives fees for nurse licensure applicants who work at long-term care facilities. | This bill authorizes nursing school graduates to be issued a temporary license to practice. Specifically, any person who has graduated from a nurse training program but has not yet met the requirements for licensure as a licensed practical nurse or registered nurse may apply to the New Jersey Board of Nursing (board) for a temporary license. Applications are to be submitted in a form and manner and are to be subject to any fees as are required by the board. The fees assessed for a temporary license may not exceed the fees assessed by the board for a full nurse license. A temporary graduate nurse license will be valid for one year. At least 90 days prior to the expiration of the temporary license, the graduated nursing student will be required to initiate the process of applying for full licensure as a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse, as applicable, including registering for the applicable licensure examination, initiating the process of completing a criminal history record background check, and submitting the required fees. A temporary graduate nurse license will immediately expire if the graduated nursing student fails the applicable licensing examination. The board may authorize an extension of a temporary graduate nurse license for up to one year on the basis of illness or extreme hardship, provided the graduated nursing student has initiated the process of applying for full licensure and submits an application for extension at least 60 days prior to the expiration of the license that includes a detailed, written explanation of the reason the extension is requested. If requesting an extension due to illness, the applicant will be required to provide certification of the illness from the applicant's treating health care provider. A temporary graduate nurse license may only be extended once. Graduated nursing students will only be authorized to practice under the supervision of a licensed registered nurse who is physically present in the area or unit where the graduated nursing student is practicing. | In Committee |
| A2347 | Requires MVC to issue electronic driver's licenses and identification cards upon request; allows operators of motor vehicles to display electronic driver's license. | This bill authorizes operators of motor vehicles to provide a driver's license electronically. The bill also authorizes the holder of or an applicant for a driver's license or identification card issued by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to request the issuance of an electronic driver's license or identification and requires the MVC to issue these electronic documents. The MVC may charge and collect a reasonable fee for the issuance of electronic driver's licenses and identification cards. The bill authorizes the Chief Administrator of the MVC to promulgate rules and regulations concerning the issuance, design, and content of electronic driver's licenses and electronic identification cards. The commission is authorized to deter and detect counterfeit or fraudulent electronic driver's licenses and identification cards and to provide for an electronic form for the display of driver's licenses and identification cards. | In Committee |
| A2338 | Establishes "Responsible School Violence Prevention, Preparation, and Protection Pilot Program" in certain counties and cities of first class; makes an appropriation. | This bill establishes in the Department of Law and Public Safety a three-year "Responsible School Violence Prevention, Preparation, and Protection (RSVP-3) Pilot Program" in the counties of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, and Union and in cities of the first class, which include Jersey City and Newark. This program is designed to train law enforcement officers, mental health professionals, teachers and other school staff, and students to identify and report behaviors that signal potential threats to school safety with the intention of giving the school community the tools it needs to detect and prevent school violence before it occurs. According to the sponsor, this bill is intended to provide the State with an opportunity to learn the most effective ways to prevent school shootings from occurring in New Jersey and fulfill its duty to provide a thorough and efficient education that is safe and secure. Following the mass shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, the United States Secret Service and the United States Department of Education launched a collaborative effort through the Safe School Initiative to perform an extensive examination of 37 incidents of targeted school shootings and school attacks that occurred in the United States from 1974 through May 2000. The focus of the Safe School Initiative was on examining the thinking, planning, and other behaviors of students who carried out school attacks, with particular attention given to identifying pre-attack behaviors and communications that might be detectable and could assist in preventing future attacks. The RSVP-3 pilot program builds upon on an initiative developed in Morris County that is based on many of the key findings of the Safe School Initiative. This bill requires the Attorney General to work in collaboration with the Commissioner of Health and Commissioner of Education to accomplish the goals of the pilot program which include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) creating a threat assessment measurement tool for use by law enforcement officers, mental health professionals, teachers and other school employees, and students to evaluate a potential threat of school violence; (2) developing a scientifically based school violence threat assessment and management training curriculum concerning the identification of behaviors that indicate a potential risk of school violence and the need to report these behaviors; (3) the delivery of the school violence threat assessment and management training curriculum to law enforcement officers, mental health professionals, teachers and other school employees, and students; (4) developing an effective mechanism to immediately report an identified threat of school violence; and (5) establishing procedures for addressing and eliminating an identified threat of school violence. The Attorney General is required to submit to the Governor and the Legislature an annual report containing an evaluation of the pilot program and a recommendation as to whether the pilot program should be continued as a Statewide program. In addition, the bill provides for an appropriation from the general fund in the amount necessary to implement the provisions and effectuate the purposes of the bill. | In Committee |
| A2368 | Provides that certain veterans are entitled to free admission to, and free parking at, State parks and forests. | This bill would amend existing law in order to provide veterans, who are residents of the State, with free admission to, and free parking at, State parks and forests. The bill would also require the Department of Environmental Protection to set aside, for use by veterans, at no charge, a minimum of two percent of the total number of parking spaces available at each State park or forest, but, in no case, less than three parking spaces. Current law already provides free State park and forest admission to State residents who are active members of the National Guard, are totally disabled, or are 62 or more years of age. The bill would define "veteran," consistent with the definition appearing in existing law, at section 1 of P.L.2019, c.500 (C.13:1L-12.1), as any resident of the State now or hereafter who has been discharged honorably or under general honorable conditions in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, or a Reserve component thereof, or the National Guard of this State or another state as defined in N.J.S.38A:1-1, 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 |
| A2313 | Expands definition of landlords required to provide receipt for rent cash payment made by tenant. | This bill amends section 3 of P.L.2019, c.300 (C.46:8-49.2), to expand the definition of landlords required to provide a receipt for a rent cash payment made by a tenant. This bill expands the definition of a "landlord" to include any person who rents or leases or offers to rent or lease, for a term of at least one month, one or more dwelling units, except dwelling units, hotels, motels or other guest houses serving transient or seasonal tenants. Under current statute, a landlord includes any person who rents or leases or offers to rent or lease, for a term of at least one month, dwelling units, except dwelling units in rental premises containing not more than two such units, or in owner-occupied premises of not more than three dwelling units, or in hotels, motels, or other guest houses serving transient or seasonal guests. | In Committee |
| A2304 | Requires hospitals to provide breast cancer patients with information concerning reconstructive surgery; prohibits certain provisions in managed care plan contracts. | This bill requires general hospitals that provide surgical services for the treatment of breast cancer, the breast cancer gene, or other breast abnormality, including, but not limited to, mastectomy surgery, lymph node dissection, or lumpectomy, to ensure that breast cancer patients are provided written notice of the patient's right to seek a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon of the patient's choosing who provides reconstructive services concerning the patient's treatment options during and after the provision of surgical services, including the use of a prosthesis and the option of undergoing reconstructive surgery either during, or after receiving, surgical treatment for breast cancer, the breast cancer gene, or other breast abnormality, as well as the patient's right to obtain such services, regardless of the plastic surgeon's hospital affiliation or network participation. Patients are also to be provided with written notice concerning the availability of coverage under a health benefits plan for reconstructive surgery pursuant to State and federal law. The written information is to be provided to the patient when the hospital is notified of the patient's breast cancer diagnosis and in advance of obtaining consent to the surgical procedure. The bill also supplements the "Health Care Quality Act" to provide that a contract between a carrier and a health care provider for network participation will not contain any provision that prohibits or limits a health care provider in making recommendations or referrals for a covered person to a board-certified plastic surgeon, regardless of network affiliation, who provides the full scope of breast reconstructive services necessary and appropriate to the patient's treatment needs, as determined by the patient's treating physician based on the plastic surgeon's training, experience, and location in relation to the patient's primary residence, provided that the primary consideration in making such recommendations and referrals is the patient's treatment needs. Carriers will not be permitted to deny authorization for reconstructive surgery and related services based on the plastic surgeon's network status or hospital affiliation. The provision applies to reconstructive breast surgery or surgery to restore and achieve symmetry between two breasts following treatment or surgery for breast cancer, the breast cancer gene, or other breast abnormality, including, but not limited to, mastectomy surgery, lumpectomy, or radiation. For purposes of the bill, the term "carrier" means a carrier as used in the "Health Care Quality Act," P.L.1997, c.192 (C.26:2S-1 et seq.), as well as the State Health Benefits Program and the School Employees' Health Benefits Program. | In Committee |
| A2991 | Increases distribution to municipalities from Energy Tax Receipts Property Tax Relief Fund over two years; prohibits anticipation of certain revenue in municipal budget; requires additional aid be subtracted from municipal property tax levy. | This bill requires the distribution of additional State aid to municipalities under the "Energy Tax Receipts Property Tax Relief Act." Budget constraints required reductions in the amount of Consolidated Municipal Property Tax Relief Aid (CMPTRA) distributed to all municipalities in Fiscal Years 2009, 2010, and 2011. Some municipalities also experienced reductions in their Energy Tax Receipts Property Tax Relief Aid (ETR Aid) distribution during that period. This supplemental funding would restore, over a two-year period, approximately $331 million in reductions to CMPTRA and ETR Aid. In Fiscal Year 2023, municipalities would receive an aid increase equal to 50 percent of the difference between the distribution of CMPTRA and ETR Aid they received in Fiscal Year 2008 and Fiscal Year 2012. The fully restored amount would be distributed beginning in Fiscal Year 2024 and in each fiscal year thereafter. The total amount of aid to be restored to each municipality would be in addition to the total amount of CMPTRA and ETR Aid distributed to each municipality in Fiscal Year 2012. This legislation also extends the existing ETR Aid "poison pill" protection to ensure that each municipality received an aid amount not less than the combined payment of CMPTRA and ETR Aid to municipalities in Fiscal Year 2012 and the additional aid distributed under the bill. This bill also amends current law to require a municipality to subtract any additional amount of ETR aid it receives, pursuant to the bill, from its adjusted tax levy when computing that amount for its next fiscal year. By deducting the additional amount of ETR Aid from the previous year's levy, municipalities would be permitted to raise a lower amount of taxes through the levy for municipal purposes. The bill prohibits a municipality from anticipating, for purposes of preparing its annual budget, the receipt of any State aid payment from the ETR aid under the provisions in the bill. The bill also requires a municipality to amend its local budget to properly reflect the total amount distributed to the municipality from the ETR aid. | In Committee |
| A2135 | Makes $2.5 million in federal funds available to EDA to support veteran-owned businesses in need. | This bill makes $2.5 million in federal funds available to the Economic Development Authority (EDA) to award grants to eligible veteran-owned businesses. The EDA may use up to five percent of these funds to support administrative expenses. As defined in the bill, a "veteran-owned business" is a business that has its principal place of business in the State, is independently owned and operated, and at least 51 percent of which is owned and controlled by persons who are veterans. | 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 |
| A2085 | Prohibits use of chlorpyrifos insecticide. | This bill would prohibit the sale, purchase, use, and application of the insecticide chlorpyrifos. This prohibition would take effect on the first day of the seventh month after the bill is enacted into law. Exposure to chlorpyrifos has been linked to many negative health effects in humans, including neurological defects,developmental disorders, and autoimmune disorders. Exposure also poses special risk to pregnant women, even in small doses, as the chemical may retard the mental development of a fetus. In New Jersey, chlorpyrifos is currently regulated as a "restricted use" insecticide, which means that it "can be purchased and/or used only by certified and licensed responsible pesticide applicators or used only by persons working under their direct supervision." N.J.A.C.7:30-2.10. Despite these restrictions and the negative implications for public health that are associated with chlorpyrifos exposure, the chemical is still widely used. This bill would promote the health and safety of the people of the State by protecting them from this harmful chemical. | In Committee |
| A925 | Allows voter registration at polling place on election day or at early voting site during early voting period. | This bill allows for voter registration at polling places on election day or at early voting sites during the early voting period. Under current law, a person must register to vote at least 21 days before the election. This bill allows a person who has not registered to vote by that deadline to register at a polling place on the day of the election or at an early voting site during the early voting period. This bill also allows a person to cast a provisional ballot if the person has registered to vote within the period of 21 days before the election if the person can affirm that the person has not previously voted in that election. If the county commissioner of registration is not able to verify the person's Motor Vehicle Commission New Jersey driver's license number or non-driver identification number, or the last four digits of the person's Social Security Number, the county commissioner of registration will notify the person by mail, e-mail, or telephone within 24 hours that they must provide valid identification no later than 48 hours prior to the final certification of the results of the election in order for their ballot to be counted. | In Committee |
| A2309 | Requires public utility to provide daily updates to municipalities concerning public utility service work. | This bill requires that from the start date until the end date of public utility service work within the boundaries of a municipality, including public utility service work in response to an emergency, a public utility is to provide to the mayor and municipal clerk, or an authorized designee, of the affected municipality daily updates, in a form and manner determined by the Board of Public Utilities, concerning the status of the public utility service work. The board is to adopt rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this bill, including rules and regulations concerning daily update requirements for public utility service work in response to an emergency that affects the electric public utility service to any municipal building. "Emergency" and "public utility" are defined in the bill. | 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 |
| 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 |
| A2816 | Authorizes Government Records Council to use annual appropriations to employ staff attorneys exclusively to assist council in handling complaints. | The Government Records Council (GRC) adjudicates certain complaints under the law commonly referred to as the open public records act. Concerns have been raised that the GRC does not process complaints in a timely manner. Additional staff attorneys could assist in the handling of complaints, helping to alleviate the GRC's backlog. Under current law, the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) oversees the staffing and budget for the GRC. Requests by the GRC for additional funds to hire staff attorneys have gone unanswered. This bill expressly authorizes the GRC to employ additional staff attorneys exclusively to assist the council in handling complaints. The staff attorneys will receive, hear, review, and adjudicate complaints filed concerning a denial of access to a government record by a records custodian. The bill also requires the GRC to take into consideration whether it has sufficient resources to conduct its proceedings as expeditiously as possible when it prepares its recommended budget request for a State fiscal year. This bill is in response to a report by the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) regarding the GRC and its review and adjudication of public records complaints. The OSC report expressed concern that the GRC does not process public records complaints in a timely manner, as well as concerns regarding the requirement that the GRC must go through the DCA to hire additional attorneys. This bill attempts to address those concerns and should help alleviate the backlog of GRC public records complaints. | In Committee |
| A2352 | Creates grant program for business accelerator and incubator networks; transfers $1 million in societal benefits charge revenues to EDA to administer program. | This bill directs the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (authority) to establish and administer the "Business Accelerator and Incubator Network Grant Program" (program) for the purpose of awarding grants to an individual or network of business accelerators or incubators that provide support to incubator businesses that are located within a business accelerator or incubator in this State. Grants may be made to a business accelerator or incubator in an amount as determined by the authority. Grant funds may be applied to: 1) any aspect of the business accelerator or incubator that provides support to incubator businesses in the business accelerator or incubator as determined by the authority; or 2) any aspect of an incubator business operating within the business accelerator or incubator. The bill requires that, in order to be eligible for a grant, a business accelerator or incubator, at the time of application, is to provide proof that it is a business accelerator or incubator providing support to an incubator business that is in one of the following fields: 1) clean energy or environmental technology; 2) life sciences, biotechnology, or medical device technology; 3) advanced materials, engineering, or manufacturing; 4) supply chain, transportation, and logistics; 5) big data, advanced computing, and digital technology; 6) defense and homeland security; or 7) food and agriculture. A business accelerator or incubator seeking to participate in the program is to submit an application in a form and manner as the authority requires and include information the authority determines is necessary to administer the program. The authority is to review and may approve an application for the grant program. The authority is to issue payment of a grant pursuant to a grant agreement as the authority may determine and subject the approval of the grant agreement to the submission of proof by an approved applicant of the expenditures contributing to the success of an incubator business assisted by the business accelerator or incubator. A grantee that fails to comply with a grant agreement made as a condition of a grant award is to repay any grant amount received and, if so determined by the authority, is to pay a penalty not in excess of 10 percent of the grant amount. The authority is to establish and maintain the program with the following sources of funds: 1) societal benefits charge revenues collected by the Board of Public Utilities that the authority determines are necessary in response to the demand for the program, up to $1,000,000; 2) funds as may be available to the authority from other business development programs administered by the authority or other State agencies or authorities, and which the authority determines to be necessary in light of the volume of applications from business accelerator or incubators and incubator businesses for grants under the grant program as necessary to implement the bill; and 3) other monies as may be made available to the authority from public or private sources. The bill requires the authority to prepare an annual report on the program, deliver the report to the Governor and the Legislature, and make the report available on the authority's website. The report is to include the number of program applicants, the number and names of business accelerator or incubators and incubator businesses approved for the program, the types of incubator businesses located within business accelerator or incubators in the program, the total amount of grants distributed, the amount received per business accelerator or incubator and incubator business, and any other information as the authority determines is necessary to evaluate the progress of the grant program. The program is to expire six years after its establishment upon the effective date of the bill. | 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 |
| A2333 | Establishes Training Clinicians to Support Adults with Autism Workforce Development Program in Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services; appropriates $500,000. | This bill establishes the Training Clinicians to Support Adults with Autism Workforce Development Program in the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services. The purpose of the program will be to recruit and train individuals to serve adults with autism and drive innovations to improve the quality of life for adults with autism. In general, the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services will have discretion to determine the scope and details of the program, including the duration of the program and whether to offer different iterations of the program to different student populations. However, the bill specifies that, at a minimum, the program is to seek to annually enroll eight to 10 students and provide 20 to 40 hours of intensive training per week. The program will seek to recruit students enrolled in baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral programs across a range of disciplines, with a focus on recruiting students who demonstrate a commitment to a future career supporting adults with autism. The training provided under the program will include intensive hands-on training alongside senior clinical staff, academic coursework, opportunities to work alongside senior faculty to develop research involving best practices, and the completion of an innovative capstone project. The bill appropriates $500,000 to the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services to support the establishment and implementation pf the program. Many adults with autism in New Jersey are currently without access to high-quality services and supports. As a result, people with autism are often relegated to an adulthood marked by social isolation, unemployment, untreated psychological and physical health conditions, and near-complete reliance on parents, family, and other caregivers to meet basic needs. This situation represents a crisis for many adults with autism and their families. A lack of trained support staff for this growing population, limited research-based support practices, and limited research-based service delivery models all contribute to these issues. It is the sponsor's belief that the program established under the bill will help address this Statewide crisis using an innovative, multifaceted approach to support adults with autism. Since its creation in early 2017, the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services has provided a variety of training experiences for 197 students from a range of disciplines including psychology, social work, education, pre-medicine, public health, and occupational therapy. It is the only center of its kind in New Jersey, and one of a select few in the nation. | In Committee |
| A1800 | Establishes "Innovation Partnership"; provides funding for certain nonprofit partnerships to promote certain emerging technology businesses. | This bill establishes the "Innovation Partnership," (partnership) to be administered by the New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology (commission) and which is to include one or more independent nonprofit organizations (partners) either certified by or established and incorporated by the commission, working individually, in partnership with each other, and in partnership with the commission, to advance the development of emerging technology businesses in this State and to create a supportive and collaborative innovation ecosystem across New Jersey. This bill lists the goals and policies of the partners. The commission is to establish the exact geographical boundaries for the partners to focus their efforts, and the partners are to be responsible for implementing the following goals for the following regions: 1) the northern region of the State having a primary, but not exclusive, focus on financial information technology, cybersecurity, or a combination thereof; 2) the central region of the State having a primary, but not exclusive, focus on healthcare, life sciences, biotechnology, or a combination thereof; 3) the southern region of the State having a primary, but not exclusive, focus on agriculture, aviation, or a combination thereof; and 4) the shore region of the State, having a primary, but not exclusive, focus on renewable energy and autonomous vehicles. A nonprofit organization established as of the date of the bill's enactment and meeting one of the regional requirements may submit to the commission an application, in a form and manner determined by the commission, for certification as a partner. Once certified, a partner may apply to the commission, in a form and manner determined by the commission, to receive grant funds from the fund established pursuant to this bill. The commission, upon approving a grant application submitted by a partner, is to sign a grant agreement with the partner, which is to permit the partner to execute the goals and policies pursuant to this bill only if matched by private sector funds on a minimum basis to be established by the commission. In selecting and certifying a nonprofit organization as a partner, the commission is to give priority to a nonprofit organization with diverse leadership, organized with at least one location in a municipality that meets the criteria for State aid pursuant to State law. If the commission is unable to certify a nonprofit organization as a partner for a certain regional focus, pursuant to the bill, the commission is to establish and incorporate an independent nonprofit organization to serve as a partner for that particular regional focus. In appointing the board for the partner, the commission is to consider the ethnic, racial, and gender diversity of the community in which the partner is located. The commission may modify or revoke a partner's participation in the partnership if the commission determines the partner does not achieve the goals or does not implement the policies of this bill. Additionally, upon receipt of a grant, a partner is to implement the terms of the grant agreement. Failure to comply with the grant agreement is to result in the forfeiture of the grant. Lastly, this bill directs partners to annually submit certain information to the commission and the commission to annually issue a report to the Governor and the Legislature describing the activities of the commission and each partner. | In Committee |
| A2060 | Establishes creative crosswalks pilot program. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Transportation, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, to establish a five-year creative crosswalks pilot program. The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Transportation, is required to select up to 10 public schools to participate in the program each year. The Commissioner of Education is required to select at least two public schools from each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State and is required to seek a cross section of schools from urban, suburban, and rural areas of the State. As part of the application to participate in the program, a public school is required to provide information about the need for creative arts activities in the school and documentation certifying that the municipality in which the school district is located has approved the school to participate in the pilot program. Six months following the completion of the pilot program, the Commissioner of Transportation and the Commissioner of Education are to submit a report evaluating the success of the pilot program. | 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 |
| A2349 | Requires medical fee schedule by automobile insurers to provide for reimbursement of certain services provided by ambulatory surgical center at rate of 300 percent of Medicare payment rate. | This bill requires the medical fee schedule promulgated by the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance that is used for the reimbursement of medical expenses by certain automobile insurers to provide for reimbursement of services provided by an ambulatory surgical center that are not currently listed on the medical fee schedule at a rate of 300 percent of the Medicare payment rate for that service provided that the services are reimbursable pursuant to current Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services guidelines. Unlisted medical supplies utilized in conjunction with services that are not currently listed on the medical fee schedule are required to be reimbursed at invoice cost plus 20 percent. | In Committee |
| A2363 | Requires nursing homes to submit certain cost reports to DOH in annual financial report. | This bill requires nursing homes to include certain cost reports with the annual financial reports currently submitted to the Department of Health (department). The bill amends existing law, which requires nursing homes to submit annual financial reports to the department, by adding an additional item to be submitted to the department: the nursing home's most recent cost report submitted to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. A nursing home is to file separate cost reports for each central or home office if the costs of the central or home office are reported on the nursing home's cost report. The bill provides that, on an annual basis, the Commissioner of Health is to prepare and submit a report containing the information received from nursing homes pursuant to bill's provisions to the Governor, the Legislature , and the State Comptroller, which report is to be published on the Internet website of the State Comptroller. The report is to: contain aggregate regional and county data, not name or identify any nursing home; and list amounts for each category of expenditure made by nursing homes. Finally, for the purposes of reporting requirements, the bill revises ownership interest thresholds from 10 percent interest or greater to any amount of ownership interest. | In Committee |
| A2344 | Permits telemedicine services to be provided using audio-only technology when providing behavioral health care services. | This bill permits telemedicine services to be provided using audio-only technology when providing behavioral health care services. Ordinarily, telemedicine services may not be provided using, in isolation, audio-only telephone conversation, electronic mail, instant messaging, phone text, or facsimile transmission. Under the bill, a health care provider who is providing behavioral health care services using telemedicine may provide the services using audio-only technology. The bill defines "behavioral health care services" to mean procedures or services provided by a health care practitioner to a patient for the treatment of a mental illness or emotional disorder that is of mild to moderate severity. "Behavioral health care services" does not include procedures or services that are provided for the treatment of severe mental illness, severe emotional disorder, or drug or alcohol use. | In Committee |
| A2528 | Requires public institutions of higher education to provide student-athletes who lose athletic scholarships because of injuries sustained while participating in athletic program with equivalent scholarships. | This bill requires public institutions of higher education to provide a student-athlete, whose athletic scholarship is not renewed because of injuries sustained while participating in the athletic program, with a scholarship that is equivalent to the athletic scholarship. Under the bill, the equivalent scholarship, combined with the total duration of any previous athletic scholarship or scholarships received by the student-athlete, will be provided for a total of five academic years or until the student-athlete completes his undergraduate degree, whichever period is shorter. However, an institution may, at its discretion, provide an equivalent scholarship for additional academic years. Intercollegiate athletics is a multi-billion dollar industry, and each year student-athletes help to generate millions of dollars in revenue for their schools. However, many colleges provide one-year, renewable athletic scholarships, and a student-athlete who sustains an incapacitating injury or illness faces the possibility of not having his scholarship renewed by the school. As a result, many student-athletes who lose their athletic scholarships find it difficult to afford the ever-increasing costs of attending college. This bill seeks to rectify that injustice by requiring public institutions of higher education to provide student-athletes who lose athletic scholarships because of injuries sustained while participating in the athletic program with scholarships that are equivalent to the athletic scholarships. | In Committee |
| A2839 | Requires death certificates to include drug responsible for drug overdose death under certain circumstances. | This bill requires death certificates to include the drug responsible for a drug overdose death under certain circumstances. The bill provides that in the case of a death due to a drug overdose, the name of the drug that caused the death of the individual is to be listed on the death certificate form or recorded in the New Jersey Electronic Death Registration System if such information is available. | In Committee |
| A1680 | Vacant Storefront Registry Program; establishes public database of vacant commercial space for small businesses. | This bill requires the NJ Business Action Center (center), which is in the Department of State, to establish and maintain a public database of vacant commercial space available for purchase or lease by small businesses in this State. The database will include information such as: the square footage of any vacant commercial space; the capital equipment included in any vacant commercial space; and the building systems installed in any vacant commercial space, including, but not limited to, fire alarms, fire suppression systems, security systems, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Under the bill, the center is required, using information provided by commercial property owners, realtors, and municipalities in the State, to update the database on a monthly basis with new information concerning the availability of vacant commercial space. The bill requires the center to make the database available through its Internet web page and to publicize the availability of the database as part of an awareness campaign targeted at business associations, state and local chambers of commerce, and municipalities in the State. Under the bill, the Secretary of State is to require every owner of a commercial property in the State to notify, as necessary, the center when a commercial property belonging to such an owner becomes vacant, if no person or entity is presently scheduled to lease or purchase the property, or when such a property becomes occupied. For many industries, commercial space is often one of the most costly barriers to entry. The expense is compounded by the time dedicated to locating storefronts that are well-suited and appropriate for the needs of a business. The creation of a public database of vacant commercial space will expedite this process and help fill vacancies quickly. | In Committee |
| A2360 | Requires establishment of grant programs to provide workforce shuttles and cover transportation costs; appropriates $10 million in federal funds. | This bill requires the Department of Transportation (department) to establish and administer the "Workforce Shuttle Grant Program" (grant program) for the purpose of awarding grants to local government units or non-profit organizations that provide workforce shuttle services in areas of rapid population and housing growth. The bill also requires the department to establish and administer a temporary program, until the grant program is operational, to provide grant funding to qualified businesses, nonprofit organizations, and temporary help service firms (temporary program) to provide temporary grant funding to offset the transportation costs incurred by qualified small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and temporary help service firms. The purpose of the grant program is to support the purchase of workforce shuttles and the operation of workforce shuttle services in order to reduce traffic congestion in areas experiencing rapid growth. To qualify for the grant program, a local government unit or non-profit organization is required to meet certain eligibility requirements set forth in the bill, including a requirement to enter into agreements with employers to provide workforce shuttles, and any other eligibility criteria established by the department. The amount of each grant is determined by the department. The grant funds may be used to support: (1) the purchase or leasing of workforce shuttles; (2) the operation of workforce shuttle services targeting high traffic corridors; (3) the effectuation of partnerships with local employers to provide workforce shuttle services; or (4) any other workforce shuttle related purposes as determined by the department. Under the bill, applications for the grant program are to be submitted to the department in a form and manner determined by the department. In addition to any other information required by the department, each application is required to contain information demonstrating that the local government unit or non-profit organization meets the eligibility requirements, outlining the anticipated use of the grant, and identifying the funding sources available to support the workforce shuttle services. The department is permitted, under the bill, to approve applications for the grant program on a rolling basis, subject to the availability of funds. The department is required to prioritize applications submitted by local government units or non-profit organizations that have experienced a significant increase in population, housing development, or traffic congestion and those that have the greatest level of financial support from participating employers. Under the bill, the department would be required to prepare and submit a report on the "Workforce Shuttle Grant Program" to the Governor and the Legislature and make the report available on the department's Internet website. The report is required to include certain information as set forth in the bill. To qualify for the temporary program, applicants are required to demonstrate to the department that the applicant: (1) qualifies as a small business, nonprofit organization, or temporary help service firm; (2) intends to use the grant to offset transportation costs; (3) intends to enter into an operating partnerships with either a county or nonprofit entity to provide transportation on a permanent basis after receipt of the grant funding; and (4) meets any other eligibility requirements that the department deems appropriate. Under the bill, applications for the temporary program are to be submitted to the department in a form and manner prescribed by the department. In addition to any other information that the department may deem appropriate, each application is required to contain information demonstrating that the applicant meets the eligibility requirements and outlining the anticipated use of the grant. The department is permitted, under the bill, to approve applications for the temporary program on a rolling basis, subject to the availability of funds, and is also permitted to prioritize applications based on any considerations that the department deems appropriate. Once an applicant is approved, the department may establish any terms and conditions that the department deems appropriate for the provision of grant funding to a small business, nonprofit organization, or temporary help service firm. Finally, the bill appropriates $10,000,000 from the federal "Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund," established pursuant to the federal "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021," to the department to provide the grant funding for the temporary program until the "Workforce Shuttle Grant Program" is fully operational, at which point the funds are required to be used exclusively for that program. After the grant program has been established, the bill also requires the State to annually appropriate $10,000,000 to the department to support the operations of the grant program. | In Committee |
| A1915 | Allows parents or legal custodians separated from their children because of immigration matters to appoint standby guardians. | This bill allows a parent or legal custodian who has been separated from their child as a result of a federal immigration matter to appoint a standby guardian. Specifically, the bill amends P.L.1995, c.76 (C.3B:12-64 et seq.) to allow the parent or legal custodian to petition the court for the appointment of a standby guardian of a child or to allow the other parent or legal guardian to designate in writing a standby guardian, under specific circumstances, if the parent or custodian is subject to an administrative separation. Currently, a parent or legal custodian can petition the court for the appointment of a standby guardian, and the court may appoint the standby guardian, or another parent or custodian may designate in writing a standby guardian, if the triggering event requiring the appointment is death, incapacity, or debilitation and there is significant risk that the parent or custodian will die, become incapacitated, or become debilitated as a result of a progressive chronic condition or a fatal illness. As used in the bill, "administrative separation" means the separation of a parent or legal custodian from the parent's or legal custodian's child as a result of a federal immigration matter, including, but not limited to, arrest, detention, incarceration, or removal, or receipt of official communication by federal, State, or local authorities responsible for immigration enforcement which gives reasonable notice that the care and supervision of the parent's or legal custodian's child will be interrupted or cannot be provided as the result of the parent's or custodian's impending arrest, detention, incarceration, or removal. Under the provisions of the bill, the petition would state that the triggering event, an impending administrative separation, occurred to require the appointment of a standby guardian and that there is significant risk that the parent or legal custodian will be the subject of such separation. However, the parent or custodian would not be required to submit documentation of an impending administrative separation. If the court finds that that there is a significant risk that the parent or legal guardian will be subject to an administrative separation, a standby guardian would be appointed. Current law does not recognize an administrative separation as a triggering event for the appointment of a standby guardian and does not allow a parent or legal custodian to petition the court for the appointment of a standby guardian, and the court to appoint such a guardian, if there is significant risk that the parent or legal custodian will be the subject to an administrative separation. As required under current law for standby guardians who are appointed due to death, incapacity, or debilitation, the bill stipulates that: if the triggering event that causes the appointment of a standby guardian is an administrative separation, the parent's or legal custodian's attorney or legal representative would provide a copy of a determination of administrative separation to the appointed standby guardian, if the guardian's identity is known to the parent's or custodian's attorney or legal representative; and the appointed standby guardian is required to petition the court, including a determination of administrative separation, within 60 days of assuming guardianship duties for confirmation of the appointment. As used in the bill, "determination of administrative separation" means a written determination by federal, state, or local authorities responsible for immigration enforcement regarding the nature, cause, and extent of the parent's or legal guardian's arrest, detention, incarceration, or removal. As mandated by the current law for standby guardians who are appointed due to death, incapacity, or debilitation, the bill also stipulates that if the consent of a child's parent or legal custodian for the execution of a power of attorney delegating another person to exercise the parent's or legal custodian's powers is not appropriate or is unavailable pursuant to N.J.S.3B:12-39, the other parent or legal custodian may execute a written statement to designate a standby guardian in the event of the designator's administrative separation. The written designation would identify the designator, the minor child, and the standby guardian. If the parent or legal custodian has been arrested, detained, incarcerated, or removed from the State as a result of an administrative separation, another person may sign the written designation on the parent's or legal custodian's behalf. | In Committee |
| A2307 | Requires NJT to provide notice concerning routine maintenance and significant reductions in service. | This bill requires the New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) to provide two weeks' notice of routine maintenance and significant closure on motorbus routes, rail lines, and light rail lines. The notice is required to: be given in writing to any municipality, institute of higher education, and elementary or secondary school that is expected to be affected by the routine maintenance or significant closure; be posted publicly at transit facilities; be made available through a mobile application operated by NJ Transit; and include information on alternative transit options. Continuing notice is required to be posted on NJ Transit's website until the routine maintenance is completed or until any interrupted service is restored. NJ Transit is required to provide public service announcements and to establish a rider educational campaign regarding the services available through its mobile application. | 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 |
| ACR71 | Urges Congress and the President of the United States to increase subsidies for federal flood insurance. | This concurrent resolution respectfully urges Congress and the President of the United States to take all appropriate legislative and regulatory action necessary to increase subsidies for premiums paid for flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program, especially for property owners who have suffered frequent losses. | In Committee |
| A1581 | Provides gross income tax credit for certain expenses paid or incurred for care and support of qualifying senior family member; designated as Caregiver's Assistance Act. | This bill, designated as the Caregiver's Assistance Act, provides a gross income tax credit to qualified caregivers, including resident taxpayers and resident individuals, who pay or incur qualified care expenses for the care and support of a qualifying senior family member. The bill provides that to be allowed a credit qualified caregivers who pay or incur qualified care expenses must have gross income that does not exceed an annual income limitation. The bill specifies that qualified caregivers must have gross income that does not exceed $100,000, or does not exceed $50,000 if married or a civil union partner filing separately or if unmarried, not a partner in a civil union, and not filing or eligible to file as head of household or as a surviving spouse for federal income tax purposes, to be allowed the credit. The bill provides that the amount of the credit is equal to 22.5 percent of the qualified care expenses paid or incurred by the qualified caregiver during the taxable year for the care and support of a qualifying senior family member that are not in excess of $3,000. The bill provides that if multiple qualified caregivers are allowed a credit for qualified care expenses of the same qualifying senior family member, the credit allowed will be allocated in equal amounts unless a different allocation is established by agreement. The bill provides that the credit is in addition to the benefit of the dependent deduction that may be received by the qualified caregiver for claiming the qualifying senior family member as a dependent on the caregiver's gross income tax return. The bill provides that the credit is refundable: the amount of any credit that reduces the qualified caregiver's tax liability to an amount less than zero is required to be refunded to the caregiver as an overpayment of tax. The bill provides that a qualified caregiver is eligible to receive the benefits of the credit, even if the caregiver has gross income below the statutory minimum subject to tax. The bill defines a qualifying senior family member as an individual who: (1) is 60 years of age or older and a relative of the qualified caregiver, or is 50 years of age or older, is a relative of the qualified caregiver, and qualifies for Social Security Disability Insurance, and (2) has gross income for the taxable year not in excess of the New Jersey Elder Index, as reported by the Department of Human Services pursuant to P.L.2015, c.53 (C.44:15-1 et seq.) for the most recent calendar year. The bill generally defines qualified care expenses as the expenses paid or incurred during the taxable year for the purchase, lease, or rental of tangible personal property and services that are necessary to allow the qualifying senior family member to be maintained within or at the qualified caregiver's or the qualifying senior family member's permanent place of abode in this State. | In Committee |
| A616 | Transfers jurisdiction over school meals programs from Department of Agriculture to DOE. | This bill would transfer authority over all school meals programs in the State from the Department of Agriculture (DOA) to the Department of Education (DOE). A "school meals program" is defined to mean and include: the National School Lunch Program; the federal School Breakfast Program, including a school breakfast after the bell program; the Summer Food Service Program or Seamless Summer Option; the Child and Adult Care Food Program; any emergency meals distribution program; and any other similar State or federal nutrition assistance program that is designed to ensure that children enrolled in school, or that children or adults attending a day care center or other, similar temporary care facility, have regular and affordable access to nutritious meals. The transfer of authority under the bill would not affect any civil or criminal actions or proceedings that have been brought by or against the DOA in association with its administration and enforcement of a school meals program, and which are pending as of the bill's effective date. Nor would the transfer affect any order or recommendation that has been made by, or any other matters or administrative proceedings that are pending before, the DOA as of the bill's effective date. The existing orders, rules, and regulations of the DOA that have been issued in relation to the State's school meals programs would also remain in effect until they are either repealed or superseded by rules, regulations, and orders adopted by the DOE pursuant to the bill, whichever occurs first. Although the DOA currently has authority to administer and enforce all school meals programs operating in the State, this authority is superfluous to, and takes the department's attention away from, its main purposes and functions, which are to promote and protect the State's agriculture and agribusiness industries and lands, and to conserve soil and water resources for agricultural purposes. The primary purpose and function of the DOE, by contrast, is to support schools, students, educators, and school districts in order to ensure that students are capable of achieving academic excellence. Because access to nutritional meals is a proven means by which students enhance their capacity for academic success, and because the DOE's mission already requires it to focus on programs geared toward schools and students, the DOE is better positioned, and is the more appropriate department, to administer the school meals programs and to provide assistance to schools, students, parents, and guardians, in association with the operation of those programs. | In Committee |
| A874 | Reinstates automatic COLA for retirement benefits of members of the State-administered retirement systems. | This bill reinstates automatic cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for retirement benefits under the "Pension Adjustment Act," P.L.1958, c.143 (C.43:3B-1 et seq.), for members of the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund, the Judicial Retirement System, the Public Employees' Retirement System, the Police and Firemen's Retirement System, and the State Police Retirement System. Provisions contained in P.L.2011, c.78 (C.43:3C-16 et al), signed into law on June 28, 2011, cancelled the automatic, annual adjustment for current and future retirees and beneficiaries of these State-administered retirement systems. COLAs protect retirement benefits against erosion by inflation, the ills of which were addressed by the Legislature, both for the individual and the State, with the enactment of the "Pension Adjustment Act" in 1958. Without the annual adjustment, retirees and beneficiaries will gradually see significant reductions in their purchasing power. The loss of COLAs will impact their everyday lives, and, over time, make it harder to afford more necessary elements of living, such as out-of-pocket medical costs, groceries, and utility bills. Retirees and beneficiaries will find it more prudent, or perhaps necessary, to leave this State for other states with a comparably lower cost of living. For the State, such outbound migration will result in the loss of the economic activity of those retirees and beneficiaries, and any tax revenues concomitant with such activity. In addition, New Jersey's fiscal outlook may be further strained by the retirees and beneficiaries who remain. These persons will continue to slip further downward on the socioeconomic scale. In some cases, they will require, or at the least become eligible and utilize, greater levels of public assistance under the many taxpayer funded social programs administered by the State, counties, and municipalities, requiring more revenues to meet this increased demand. In the interests of the retirees and beneficiaries of the State-administered retirement systems, and the State, this bill reinstates the automatic COLAs for retirement benefits under the "Pension Adjustment Act." | In Committee |
| A2306 | Requires certain residential property owners, schools, and child care centers to test drinking water for lead every three years. | This bill would require owners of residential buildings that were built before 1987, and that contain three or more dwelling units, to test the building's drinking water for lead within a year, and every three years thereafter. The owner would be required to have at least one drinking water outlet from each occupied unit tested, except that, in the case of a building containing more than 10 occupied units, the owner would be required to select 10 random units for testing. The owner would be required to provide a copy of the most recent test results for a dwelling unit to each tenant and prospective tenant of the building. If a test reveals an elevated lead level, the owner would be required to notify the municipality and local health officials. In addition, the bill would require the owner to disclose any known lead plumbing infrastructure in a dwelling unit to each prospective tenant of the unit prior to the execution of a lease. The bill would require school districts, charter schools, and nonpublic schools to test each school's drinking water for lead within a year, and every three years thereafter. The testing protocols would be required to conform to technical guidance issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The schools would be required to post the most recent test results on their websites. If a test reveals an elevated lead level, the school would be required to notify parents, teachers, staff, and local and State officials. The bill would require child care centers licensed pursuant to P.L.1983, c.492 (C.30:5B-1 et seq.) to test the child care center's drinking water for lead within a year, and every three years thereafter. The testing protocols would be required to conform to technical guidance issued by the EPA. The child care centers would be required to post the most recent test results on their websites. If a test reveals an elevated lead level, the child care center would be required to notify parents, staff, and local and State officials. | In Committee |
| A2350 | Establishes strict liability criminal penalties for minor's access to loaded firearm if access results in bodily injury or death. | This bill establishes strict liability criminal penalties for a minor's access to a loaded firearm if the access results in bodily injury or death. Under current law, a person who knows or reasonably should know that a minor is likely to gain access to a loaded firearm at a premises under the person's control commits a disorderly persons offense if a minor who is under the age of 16 gains access to the firearm, unless the person properly stores the firearm. Under current law, proper storage means that the firearm is stored unloaded, in a securely locked box or container or in a location which a reasonable person would believe to be secure, or is secured with a trigger lock. The requirements under current law do not apply to the use of a firearm by a minor as authorized under current law, such as when the use is supervised; for a military drill of a legally recognized military organization; for competition, target practice, instruction, and training at an approved firing range; hunting, provided that the minor possesses a valid hunting license, has successfully completed a hunter's safety course, and possesses a certificate of completion; or under circumstances in which a minor obtained a firearm as a result of an unlawful entry by any person. Under the bill, a violation for a minor's access to a firearm that is improperly stored by a person would remain a disorderly persons offense, unless the access results in bodily injury, serious bodily injury, or death. If a minor gains access to a firearm that is improperly stored by a person in violation of the bill and the access results in bodily injury or serious bodily injury to, or the death of, another person, the person is strictly liable for the bodily injury, serious bodily injury, or death. The person would be guilty of a crime of the third degree if the access results in bodily injury to another person; a crime of the second degree if the access results in serious bodily injury to another person; and a crime of the first degree if the access results in the death of another person. In addition, under the bill, a minor is defined as a person under the age of 18 rather than under the age of 16 as defined under current law. A disorderly persons offense is punishable by up to six months imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. A crime of the third degree is punishable by three to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. A crime of the second degree is punishable by a term of imprisonment of five to 10 years, a fine of up to $150,000, or both. A crime of the first degree is punishable by a term of imprisonment of 10 to 20years, a fine of up to $200,000, or both. | In Committee |
| A935 | Provides gross income tax credit to certain taxpayers who pay for certain in-home services through health care service firm. | This bill provides a refundable gross income tax credit to a taxpayer who has gross income of less than $150,000 for the taxable year and who pays a health care service firm to have an individual employed, placed, or arranged to be placed at the residence of the taxpayer to provide in-home companion services, health care services, or personal care services. This credit is only available to those taxpayers who are permanently and totally disabled or who are age 65 or older. In calculating the credit amount, the credit is limited to 20 percent of relevant expenses incurred by the taxpayer during the taxable year, and expenses that have been reimbursed or paid by an insurance company are to be excluded and cannot be claimed. | In Committee |
| A1413 | Prohibits sale, manufacture, distribution, and use of firefighting foam containing intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances; requires DEP to establish collection and disposal program; appropriates $250,000. | This bill would prohibit, beginning two years after the bill's effective date, the sale, manufacture, distribution, and use of any class B firefighting foam containing intentionally added PFAS within the State. As defined in the bill, "perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances" or "PFAS" means substances that include any member of the class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom and "class B firefighting foam" means foam designed to prevent or extinguish a fire in flammable liquids, combustible liquids, petroleum greases, tars, oils, oil-based paints, solvents, lacquers, alcohols, and flammable gases. The bill would authorize a temporary exemption for the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foams by certain facilities that have fixed foam fire suppression systems for class B fires and establish certain provisions governing the exemption, and provide that manufacturers and distributors of class B firefighting foam may manufacture, distribute, or sell class B firefighting foam containing intentionally added PFAS to facility owners and operators that are allowed to continue using the foam on a temporary basis. Additionally, the bill would authorize a temporary exemption for the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foams by oil refineries and petroleum terminals, and establish certain provisions governing the exemption. The bill would require manufacturers of PFAS-containing firefighting foams to notify persons that sell the manufacturer's products in the State about the provisions of the bill, and require manufacturers who manufacture, sell, or distribute PFAS-containing firefighting foams in the State after one year after the bill's effective date to issue a product recall for the firefighting foam no later than 27 months after the bill's effective date and to establish certain provisions governing the recall. The bill's provisions would not apply to the sale, manufacture, distribution, or use of class B firefighting foam for which the inclusion of PFAS is required by federal law or regulation, including, but not limited to, 14 C.F.R. s.139.317. If a federal requirement to include PFAS in class B firefighting foam is revoked, the bill's provisions would apply one year after the requirement is revoked. A violation of the bill's provisions would be an unlawful practice pursuant to P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.), commonly known as the State's "Consumer Fraud Act." In addition, a violation 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. In addition, the bill would direct the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to establish a voluntary program to collect class B firefighting foams containing intentionally added PFAS from fire departments in the State and dispose of the foam in an environmentally sound manner. The bill would appropriate $250,000 from the General Fund to the DEP in order to provide the initial funding for the collection and disposal program. | Dead |
| A2817 | Permits Government Records Council staff attorneys to adjudicate certain government records complaints. | The Government Records Council (GRC) has many duties with regard to the law commonly referred to as the open public records act. Among its duties, the GRC adjudicates complaints submitted to the council concerning a denial of access to a government record by a records custodian. The council consists of the Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs, the Commissioner of the Department of Education, and three public members appointed by the Governor. The council employs an executive director, professional staff, such as a staff attorney, and clerical staff as it deems necessary. Under this bill, the staff attorneys of the council will receive, hear, review, and adjudicate complaints. The decision of a staff attorney may be appealed to the council. Under current law, a decision of the council may be appealed to the Appellate Division of the Superior Court. Under current practice, the council meets monthly for the adjudication of complaints and other matters. This bill will permit staff attorneys to adjudicate complaints on a regular basis, which should help alleviate the council's backlog of complaints. This bill is in response to the recommendations of the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) July 2022 report regarding the GRC and its review and adjudication of public records complaints. The OSC expressed concern that the GRC has not processed public records complaints in a timely manner and recommended that the GRC utilize the staff attorneys of the council to receive, hear, review, and adjudicate complaints. The council will retain its current process to hear appeals of decisions of staff attorneys. | In Committee |
| AR70 | Urges public and nonpublic schools to annually provide parents opportunity to observe school security drill. | This resolution urges public and nonpublic schools to annually provide the parents or guardians of students enrolled in the school the opportunity to observe a school security drill. The purpose would be to allay the concerns of parents that unannounced school security drills may be frightening, especially for younger students, and have a negative impact on a student's sense of well-being. These parental concerns may be connected to the fact that parents are not familiar with the drill process. While parents are notified through email and other forms of communication after the drill has been conducted, this notification does not provide them with an understanding of drill procedures and what may be required of their child during a drill. While school and law enforcement officials acknowledge this concern, they feel that students have proven to be resilient and that the value of these drills in preparing students and staff for crisis situations outweighs these concerns and will serve to mitigate student panic in the case of an actual event. Annually offering parents and guardians an opportunity to observe a school security drill at such time as is determined appropriate by the public or nonpublic school could help to alleviate parental anxiety by educating parents on drill procedures and the actions taken by school staff to both protect and support students during these monthly drills. | In Committee |
| A2336 | Directs DEP to establish pollinator habitat program for closed landfills. | This bill requires the Department of Environmental Protection to establish a program that encourages the owner or operator of a closed landfill to transform the landfill into habitat that supports animal pollinators using native plants where possible. The department is also required to create guidelines and best practices for establishing and maintaining pollinator habitats on closed landfills no later than six months following the effective date of this act. Furthermore, the department is required to seek and encourage corporate sponsorship and non-profit partnerships for the creation and maintenance of pollinator habitat on closed landfills. As defined in the bill, "animal pollinator" means any bee, butterfly, moth, wasp, fly, beetle, ant, hummingbird, bat, or animal that is known to pollinate plants. Further, "closed landfill" means any legacy landfill or closed sanitary landfill facility. | In Committee |
| A427 | Requires DEP and owners of certain reservoirs to implement certain flood control measures; authorizes Office of Emergency Management to order lowering of reservoirs levels in response to severe weather events. | This bill would direct the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to identify those reservoirs in the State with a documented record of flooding, as determined by the DEP. For each identified reservoir, the DEP would be directed to study and assess (1) the downstream river or stream capacity and water storage capacity of the reservoir, and (2) the water usage needs of the residents and businesses served by the reservoir. The bill would also require the DEP to adopt rules and regulations necessary for implementation of the bill, including rules and regulations that establish a maximum level for each reservoir based on the results of the studies. Furthermore, the DEP would be required to set the maximum level for each reservoir at a level that best protects the areas surrounding the reservoir against flooding while ensuring an adequate water supply. The bill would also direct the DEP to notify each owner of a reservoir of the adoption of these rules and regulations and require compliance within 90 days after their adoption. The bill would require every owner of a reservoir in the State that has a documented record of downstream flooding, as determined by the DEP, to prepare, submit, and implement a flood action plan approved by the DEP, which would include, but need not be limited to, the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of flood gates sited at the reservoir. The bill would also authorize the Office of Emergency Management in the Division of State Police to order the water level of any reservoir in the State to be lowered in a manner prescribed by the office prior to, or during, a severe weather event if the office has made a determination, after consultation with the DEP, that lowering the reservoir level is in the general public interest and reasonably necessary to prevent or reduce the severity of flooding. The bill would indemnify any owner of a reservoir against any act or omission with respect to any claims or any cause of action arising out of the proper implementation of a flood action plan approved by the DEP under this bill, provided, however, the owner is in full compliance with any order of the Office of Emergency Management to lower reservoir levels, as may be issued pursuant to this bill. | In Committee |
| A931 | Increases from 18 to 21 age at which person is eligible to receive firearms purchaser identification. | This bill increases from 18 to 21 the age at which a person is eligible to receive a firearms purchaser identification card used to purchase shotguns and rifles. Under current law, a person 18 years of age and older may obtain a firearms purchaser identification card and a handgun purchaser is required to be at least 21 years old. Under the bill, a person under the age of 21 would be allowed to possess a handgun, rifle, or shot gun under the following circumstances: (1) in the actual presence or under the direct supervision of a parent or guardian, or some other person who holds a permit to carry a handgun or a firearms purchaser identification card; (2) for the purpose of military drill under the auspices of a legally recognized military organization and under competent supervision; (3) for the purpose of competition, target practice, instruction, and training in and upon a firing range approved by the governing body of the municipality in which the range is located or the National Rifle Association and which is under competent supervision at the time of such supervision or target practice or instruction and training at any location; or (4) for the purpose of hunting during the regularly designated hunting season, provided that the person possesses a valid hunting license and has successfully completed a hunter's safety course taught by a qualified instructor or conservation officer and possesses a certificate indicating the successful completion of such a course. The bill permits active duty military or a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard of this State to obtain a firearms purchaser identification card while under the age of 21. The bill preserves current law allowing minors to obtain a youth hunting license and apprentice firearm hunting license. Persons between the ages of 18 and 21 who obtained a firearms purchaser identification card prior to the bill's effective date would also be permitted to maintain the card and continue to purchase and possess shotguns and rifles. | In Committee |
| A2340 | Requires long-term care facilities to meet with residents and residents' families to review emergency contact information and to offer residents opportunity to update information. | This bill requires long-term care facilities to offer residents the opportunity to update emergency contact information. Under the bill, consistent with federal and State privacy laws, a long-term care facility is to meet, at a minimum, once annually with each resident and the resident's family to discuss and review the emergency contact information for the resident on file with the long-term care facility. Moreover, in addition to the meeting required with the resident's family, a long-term care facility is to offer each resident the opportunity to update the resident's emergency contact information with the long-term care facility, at a minimum, twice annually. Under the bill, emergency contact information is to include a primary and a secondary contact Finally, the bill provides that its provisions are not to be construed to prohibit a long-term care facility from sharing information regarding a resident to an individual not on file as an emergency contact. | In Committee |
| A2355 | Establishes Train the Trainer Program for Student Wellbeing in DOE; appropriates $1 million. | This bill establishes a Train the Trainer Program for Student Wellbeing in the Department of Education. The bill also appropriates $1,000,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Education for the bill's purposes. The bill directs the Department of Education to develop and implement a Train the Trainer Program for Student Wellbeing. The purpose of the program will be to educate participants on how to effectively lead a course for public school teachers and staff on the topic of student behavioral and mental health. Participants will be provided with the knowledge and resources necessary to lead a training course on methods that promote student behavioral and mental health in the school and classroom environments. Under the bill, the Train the Trainer Program for Student Wellbeing will provide evidence-based instruction on, and prepare a participant to lead, a student behavioral and mental health training course in a public school that addresses:· trauma-informed approaches to improve overall school climate and culture;· the signs of behavioral and mental health challenges and substance use disorders that may be experienced by students;· restorative practices for addressing youth behavioral and mental health challenges;· methods to improve youth social and emotional health and fostering a positive school climate;· methods to encourage positive bystander behavior;· best practices to provide assistance to students in non-crisis situations;· how to safely de-escalate crisis situations; and· how to identify and access available behavioral and mental health resources and substance use disorder support services appropriate for students. The bill permits the department to enter into an agreement with an organization to provide the program, provided that the organization has experience in: (1) providing evidence-based youth behavioral and mental health training programs; and (2) educating instructors using a train the trainer model. The bill does not require a school district to participate in the program. The bill requires the Commissioner of Education to annually evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Three years following the bill's effective date, the commissioner is required to report to the Governor and the Legislature on the effectiveness of the program. Finally, the bill appropriates from the General Fund to the Department of Education the sum of $1,000,000 for the purpose of effectuating the bill's provisions. | In Committee |
| A1754 | Allows certain volunteer firefighters, rescue and first aid squad members to claim $2,000 gross income tax exemption. | This bill permits eligible volunteer firefighters and first aid or rescue squad members to take an additional $2,000 exemption as a deduction from gross income under the New Jersey gross income tax. The bill specifically sets forth eligibility requirements for persons who want to claim the additional personal exemption. Fire company members would be eligible if they serve as a volunteer for the entire tax year, respond to at least 60 percent of regular alarms and 60 percent of drills, and have attained the rank of Firefighter I Certified. First aid and rescue squad members would be eligible if they serve as a volunteer for the entire tax year, respond to at least 10 percent of regular alarms and 60 percent of drills, and have passed an approved training program or qualified as an emergency medical technician. Volunteers that have duty hours would be eligible if they serve at least 400 duty hours during any calendar year, with no more than 50 percent as drills. The bill requires the Director of Taxation, in consultation with the Commissioner of Community Affairs and the Commissioner of Health, to promulgate rules or regulations to effect certain provisions of the bill. The official in charge of each fire department or force or first aid or rescue squad is required to submit annually to the appropriate State agency a list of members who have met the committee substitute requirements. | In Committee |
| A2249 | "Digital Asset and Blockchain Technology Act." | This bill, the "Digital Asset and Blockchain Technology Act," regulates digital asset business activity. The bill defines "digital asset" to mean a representation of economic, proprietary, or access rights that is stored in a machine-readable format and has a transaction history that is recorded in a distributed, digital ledger or digital data structure in which consensus is achieved through a mechanism consistent with the underlying protocol. Examples of digital assets include digital consumer assets, digital securities, and virtual currency. "Digital asset" does not include securities, whether in digital form or otherwise, as defined pursuant to law. The bill provides that a person is not to engage in a digital asset business activity, or hold themselves out as being able to engage in a digital asset business activity, with or on behalf of a resident, unless the person is licensed in this State by the New Jersey Bureau of Securities (bureau) in the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety, or has filed a pending license with the bureau. The bill provides the bureau may license a person to carry on one or more digital asset business activities described in the bill. The bureau is given the authority to exempt persons from the provisions of the bill concerning engaging in digital asset business activity without a license and to determine whether a person is subject to a license pursuant to the bill. The bill provides that a person who violates the provisions requiring licensure is liable for a penalty of $500 per day, from the first day the bureau issues a notice of failure to apply a license until a license application is filed with the bureau. The bill provides that an application for a license is to be submitted in a form and manner as determined by the bureau. The bill requires applicants for licensure pursuant to the bill to provide a list of any litigation, arbitration, or administrative proceedings to which the applicant, or certain other individuals have been a party for the 10 years prior to submission of the application. The bill permits the bureau to use the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System or a similar system to conduct criminal history records checks of applicants and certain other individuals and provides the bureau with the authority to conduct examinations to determine a licensee's compliance with the provisions of the bill. Each application is to be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee. Certain application information is to be protected from public disclosure. Applicants are to provide certain information relevant to the applicant's proposed digital asset business activity. The bill requires the bureau to grant or deny any digital asset business license application or license reciprocity application within 180 days of the receipt of the completed application. The bureau may refuse an application for a digital asset business license or license reciprocity application if a licensee or applicant fails to meet certain standards specified in the bill. Licensees are required to submit a renewal report that contains an update of all information required at initial licensing and a description of certain information described in the bill. The bureau is authorized to determine whether a person is required to be licensed. Certain digital assets do not require a license under the bill. The bill provides that the bureau may audit any digital asset business licensee. The bill stipulates that each licensee is to maintain and enforce confidential, written compliance policies which are to be reviewed and approved by the licensee's board of directors or an equivalent governing body. The bureau may suspend or revoke a digital asset business license upon certain findings that are provided in the bill. The bill provides the bureau chief with the authority to, for good cause shown, deny, suspend, or revoke a license pending final determination of a proceeding. Notice of any suspension or revocation issued by the bureau is to prominently indicate the right to a hearing. A licensee, under the bill, is to provide the bureau with any document relating to the operations of the licensee upon receiving written notice from the bureau. The licensee is to maintain records of all client transactions and any accounts, correspondences, memoranda, and other records as the bureau may require, for no less than six years from the date of a transaction's occurrence, unless the bureau by rule prescribes another timeframe. The bill requires the terms and conditions of a digital asset business involving a consumer's account, including at a minimum, certain information outlined in the bill, to be disclosed at the time the consumer contracts for a digital asset business service. The disclosure is to be full and complete, contain no material misrepresentations, be in readily understandable language and may include, as appropriate and to the extent applicable, certain information concerning fees and charges, risks to the consumer, and any protections or securities that are in place. The disclosures required by the bill are to be displayed and individually agreed to by a consumer before any digital asset transaction at an electronic kiosk. Any fee to be charged is required to be displayed and individually agreed to by a consumer before any digital asset transaction or digital asset balance inquiry at an electronic kiosk. Under the bill, it is a violation for any person to make or cause to be made in any document filed with the bureau or in any proceeding, investigation or examination conducted under the bill, any statement which is, at the time and in the light of the circumstances under which it is made, false or misleading in any material respect. The bill makes it unlawful for any officer or employee of the bureau to use for personal benefit information filed with the bureau that is not public. In addition, the bill provides the bureau chief with certain investigatory authority to determine whether any person has violated or is about to violate any provisions of the bill, or to otherwise aid in the enforcement of the bill. Lastly, the bill establishes the "Digital Asset Enforcement Fund" in the Division of Consumer Affairs (division) of the Department of Law and Public Safety is to continue as a dedicated, nonlapsing, revolving fund. All fees, penalties, costs, fines, and other collected moneys are to be deposited in the fund and used by the director of the division to administer and enforce the provisions of the bill, and to conduct investigations related to the bill. | In Committee |
| A2312 | Requires State Police to biannually report to Legislature number of sex offenders who fail to register as required by Megan's Law. | This bill requires county and municipal law enforcement agencies to report to the State Police every 180 days a list of registered sex offenders who fail to verify their address as required by Megan's Law. Under Megan's Law, repetitive and compulsive sex offenders are required to verify their addresses with the appropriate law enforcement agency every 90 days. All other offenders are required to annually verify their addresses. As part of the verification process, a sex offender is required to provide any additional information the Attorney General may require, which may include information on co-habitants, occupation, length of employment, whether the offender is in therapy, and whether the offender has Internet access. This bill requires the State Police to biannually report to the Legislature the number of persons who have failed to verify their address and the offenses for which they were required to register. | In Committee |
| AJR26 | Designates October 27th of each year as "Tree of Life Remembrance Day" in New Jersey. | On October 27, 2018, a mass shooting fueled by religious and ethnic animus towards Jewish people occurred at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The senseless act of violence resulted in the loss of eleven innocent lives and injury to six others. The people of New Jersey share the grief of the families and friends of those who were injured or killed, and the designation of October 27th of each year as "Tree of Life Remembrance Day" would allow New Jersey residents to annually recognize the victims of that mass shooting and honor their memories. | In Committee |
| A1345 | Increases qualified research expenses tax credit for corporation business taxpayers engaged in targeted industries; increases basic research payment tax credit; allows research tax credit to be refundable. | This bill makes several changes to the research tax credit provided under the corporation business tax, including increasing the qualified research expenses credit for taxpayers engaged in targeted industries, increasing the basic research payments tax credit for all taxpayers, and allowing the total credit to be refundable. Under current law, a corporation business taxpayer may receive a research tax credit in an amount equal to (1) 10 percent of the excess of qualified research expenses for the privilege period over the base amount; and (2) 10 percent of the basic research payments for the privilege period. This bill increases the qualified research expenses tax credit from 10 percent to 15 percent for taxpayers who are primarily engaged in business in one or more targeted industries. For the purpose of calculating the qualified research expenses tax credit, the base amount is determined based on a fixed percentage of the taxpayer's average annual gross receipts. Qualified research expenses are also defined to include the sum of in-house research expenses and contract research expenses that are paid or incurred during the privilege period. Under the bill, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority would be responsible for periodically identifying a list of targeted industries. However, the bill requires the initial list of targeted industries to include advanced transportation and logistics, manufacturing, aviation, autonomous vehicle and zero-emission vehicle research or development, clean energy, life sciences, hemp processing, information and high technology, finance and insurance, professional services, film and digital media, non-retail food and beverage businesses including food innovation, and other innovative industries that disrupt current technologies or business models. Additionally, the bill increases the basic research payments tax credit from 10 percent to 15 percent for all taxpayers. State regulations define basic research payments to include cash payments provided by a corporation to qualified organizations (e.g., institutions of higher education, certain scientific research organizations, and certain scientific tax-exempt organization) for the performance of basic research. Under state regulations, the credit is calculated based on the provisions of section 41 of the federal Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. s.41), as in effect on June 30, 1992. The bill also allows the research tax credit to be refundable for privilege periods beginning on or after the date of enactment. Under current law, the research tax credit cannot be refunded, and taxpayers are permitted to carry forward the unused portion of the credit for seven privilege periods. Under the bill, a taxpayer may instead elect to receive the unused portion of the credit as a tax refund, or carry forward the unused credit. When a tax credit is refundable, the State is required to provide the taxpayer with a cash payment in the amount of the unused credit, which represents an overpayment of tax. | In Committee |
| A2311 | Establishes pilot program to provide for same-day voter registration on election day in certain years. | This bill requires the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the commissioner of registration, county clerk, and county board of elections in each county, to implement a pilot program to allow each person who meets the voter eligibility criteria to register to vote on the day of the general election in 2021, 2022, and 2023 at designated locations. Under current law, a person who meets the voter eligibility requirements of being a citizen of the United States, of the age of 18 years, and who has been a resident of the State for at least 30 days and of the county at least 30 days before the election, is permitted to register to vote on or before the 21st day preceding the election. Under the pilot program, the commissioner of registration, county clerk, and county board of elections in each county would collectively designate one or more locations in each county to allow for same-day voter registration for all eligible residents of that county who wish to register to vote. A voter who registers to vote under the same-day voter registration pilot program would be required to meet the voter eligibility criteria under current law and to complete a voter registration form. Upon registering to vote, such a voter would be directed to the voter's designated polling place and be permitted to cast a provisional ballot. The bill requires the Secretary of State, in collaboration with the commissioner of registration, county clerk, and county board of elections in each county, to submit three interim reports and one final report to the Governor and the Legislature on the effectiveness of the pilot program, including an audit of the program. The interim reports would be due by January 31 of 2022, 2023, and 2024, and the final report would be due by March 1, 2024. The bill further provides that, if the final report finds that the pilot program was successful in increasing voter registration and participation in the elections relative to comparable general elections, with a low risk for voter fraud, then it would include recommendations for the enactment of same-day voter registration in this State at every polling location for the 2024 general election, and all elections thereafter. Such implementation would require enabling legislation. This bill would take effect immediately, and would expire on March 1, 2024, or upon the issuance of the final report, whichever occurs later. | In Committee |
| A1410 | Requires each government entity in this State to conduct review of cybersecurity infrastructure and make recommendations. | This bill requires each government entity in this State to conduct a review of the entity's cybersecurity infrastructure and make recommendations. The bill requires the head of the entity or the entity's governing body, as the case may be, at a minimum, to: (1) evaluate the efficiency and security of the current cyber infrastructure of the government entity; (2) identify any high-risk cybersecurity issues facing the government entity; (3) offer strategies on how the government entity can improve and modernize its cybersecurity infrastructure, including its computer systems, networks, and software and hardware programs; and (4) provide any proposed changes to laws, regulations, or policies concerning cybersecurity in this State that the government entity finds appropriate to modify. The bill also requires the head or governing body of each government entity, as the case may be, to report the findings and recommendations from the internal review to the Governor and the Legislature no later than 45 days following the effective date of the bill. | In Committee |
| A933 | Provides gross income tax deductions for certain education loan payments made by certain taxpayers. | This bill provides gross income tax deductions for certain education loan payments made by taxpayers with New Jersey taxable income below certain specified thresholds. The deductions would be available to certain taxpayers that are making payments on qualified education loans incurred for their own education and for certain taxpayers that are making payments on qualified education loans incurred on behalf of a dependent of the taxpayer. The bill provides that the terms "qualified education loan" and "dependent," except as otherwise required by the bill, have the meaning given those terms in identified sections of the Internal Revenue Code. Specifically, a taxpayer with New Jersey taxable income of less than $75,000 for the taxable year may deduct from gross income amounts paid as principal and interest on a qualified education loan, provided that the taxpayer was the student on whose behalf the loan was incurred. For taxpayers whose New Jersey taxable income is at least $75,000, but not more than $150,000, for a taxable year, the deduction would be in an amount equal to the interest paid by the taxpayer during the taxable year on a qualified education loan, provided that the taxpayer was the student on whose behalf the loan was incurred. The bill also provides gross income tax deductions for certain taxpayers who make student loan payments on behalf of a dependent, provided that the dependent qualifies as a dependent for the taxable year in which the deduction is taken. Taxpayers with New Jersey taxable income of less than $100,000 for a taxable year, could deduct an amount equal to the interest and principal paid by the taxpayer on a qualified education loan incurred on behalf of a dependent of the taxpayer. Taxpayers with New Jersey taxable income of at least $100,000, but not more than $175,000, for a taxable year, could deduct from gross income an amount equal to the interest paid by the taxpayer during the taxable year on a qualified education loan incurred for the education of a dependent. The bill would apply to taxable years beginning on or after the January 1 next following enactment. | In Committee |
| ACR72 | Proposes constitutional amendment requiring Legislature to enact statute authorizing $200 property tax credit for primary residence of volunteer firefighter or first aid squad member. | This proposed constitutional amendment would require the Legislature to enact a statute entitling State residents, who have been for the entire tax year active members of a volunteer fire company or volunteer first aid or rescue squad or association, or active, volunteer members of a part-paid fire department, incorporated pursuant to State law and serving one or more counties or municipalities, to a credit of $200 against the property tax bill on their owner-occupied primary residence. Any statute enacted pursuant to this proposed amendment would require the State to annually reimburse municipalities for the total amount of property tax credits provided pursuant to this amendment. | In Committee |
| A843 | Provides that firearms purchaser identification card is valid for four years; requires training prior to issuance of firearms cards and handgun purchase permits; revises procedures for passing of firearms to heir or legatee. | This bill imposes additional safeguards on the issuance of firearms purchaser identification cards, imposes training requirements, and revises the procedures for an heir or legatee to inherit or receive possession of a firearm. Under current law, a firearms purchaser identification card is valid indefinitely, unless the holder becomes subject to any of the disabilities that disqualify a person for firearms ownership. The bill provides that a firearms purchaser identification card issued or renewed after the bill's effective date would expire during the fourth calendar year following its date of issuance and on the same calendar day as the card holder's date of birth. The holder of a firearms purchaser identification card issued prior to the bill's effective date would expire to within four years of the bill's enactment and on the same calendar day as the card holder's date of birth. The bill further provides that a firearms purchaser identification card may be renewed if the holder is not subject to any of the statutory disabilities and after filing of a renewal application and payment of the required fee. In addition, this bill requires certain applicants for a permit to purchase a handgun or a firearms purchaser identification card to demonstrate that, within four years prior to the date of the application, he or she satisfactorily completed a course of instruction approved by the Superintendent of State Police in the lawful and safe handling and storage of firearms. This provision is not applicable to an active or retired law enforcement officer or a veteran who was honorably discharged as a member of the United States Armed Forces or National Guard and who received substantially equivalent training. A person who obtained a permit to purchase a handgun or firearms purchaser identification card prior to the bill's effective date would not be required to complete a course of instruction. Under current law, a permit to purchase a handgun or a firearms purchaser identification card is not required for the passing of a firearm to an heir or legatee upon the death of the owner, whether the firearm is passed by testamentary bequest or by the laws of intestacy. This bill requires the heir or legatee to possess a permit to purchase a handgun or a firearms purchaser identification card prior to taking possession of the firearm. An administrator or executor of the estate who does not possess a valid firearms purchaser identification card or permit to purchase a handgun is to surrender custody of the firearm within 30 days to the chief law enforcement officer of the municipality in which the decedent resided or, if municipality does not have a police department or force, the superintendent. The chief law enforcement officer or superintendent, as appropriate, would retain custody of the firearm until the heir or legatee obtains a valid permit to purchase a handgun or firearms purchaser identification card. If the heir or legatee does not obtain a permit to purchase a handgun or firearms purchaser identification card, the heir or legatee is required to sell the firearm to a licensed retail dealer of firearms or arrange for the sale of the firearm by the licensed retail dealer. The licensed retail dealer is to provide the heir or legatee with a receipt and record the date of surrender, the name of the heir or legatee, and the serial number, manufacturer, and model of the surrendered firearm. The bill permits an heir or legatee who possesses a valid permit to purchase a handgun or firearms purchaser identification card to take possession of the firearm directly from the administrator or executor of the estate or from the chief law enforcement officer or superintendent, as appropriate, if the heir or legatee files a signed certification as prescribed by the superintendent. The certification would be filed with the chief law enforcement officer of the municipality in which the decedent resided or, if there is no chief law enforcement officer, the superintendent. | 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 |
| A2615 | Increases distribution to municipalities from Energy Tax Receipts Property Tax Relief Fund over five years to restore municipal aid reductions; requires additional aid to be subtracted from municipal property tax levy. | This bill requires the distribution of additional State aid to municipalities under the "Energy Tax Receipts Property Tax Relief Act." Budget constraints required reductions in the amount of Consolidated Municipal Property Tax Relief Aid (CMPTRA) distributed to all municipalities in Fiscal Years 2009, 2010, and 2011. Some municipalities also experienced reductions in their Energy Tax Receipts Property Tax Relief Aid (ETR Aid) distribution during that period. This supplemental funding would restore, over a five-year period, approximately $331 million in reductions to CMPTRA and ETR Aid. In Fiscal Year 2017, municipalities would receive an aid increase equal to 20% of the difference between their total payment of CMPTRA and ETR Aid in Fiscal Year 2008 and Fiscal Year 2012. Municipalities would receive equal increases in each of the following four fiscal years. The fully restored amount would be distributed beginning in State Fiscal Year 2021 and in each fiscal year thereafter. The total amount of aid to be restored to each municipality would be in addition to the total amount of CMPTRA and ETR Aid distributed to each municipality in Fiscal Year 2012. This legislation also extends the existing ETR Aid "poison pill" protection to ensure that each municipality received an aid amount not less than the combined payment of CMPTRA and ETR Aid to municipalities in Fiscal Year 2012 and the additional aid distributed under the bill. This bill also amends current law to require a municipality to subtract any additional amount of ETR aid it receives, pursuant to the bill, from its adjusted tax levy when computing that amount for its next fiscal year. By deducting the additional amount of ETR Aid from the previous year's levy, municipalities would be permitted to raise a lower amount of taxes through the levy for municipal purposes, thereby benefitting property taxpayers. | In Committee |
| A2305 | Establishes "pollinator-friendly" label for plants. | This bill would require the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, to establish: (1) standards for designating native, non-invasive plants as friendly to animal pollinators, which are required to include, but need not be limited to, standards prohibiting or restricting the application or treatment of plants to be sold with pesticides or other chemicals deemed harmful or potentially harmful to animal pollinators; and (2) a "pollinator-friendly" label that a distributor or retail seller of plants may use to indicate that the plant to be sold is friendly to animal pollinators. The bill requires a person must be in compliance with the requirements of this bill in order to distribute or sell at retail a plant labeled as pollinator friendly or otherwise advertised or labeled as not harmful to animal pollinators. As defined in this bill, an "animal pollinator" means any bee, butterfly, moth, wasp, fly, beetle, ant, hummingbird, bat, or other animal that is known to pollinate plants. | In Committee |
| A2343 | Provides that public school used as polling place shall not be open for classes on day of election. | This bill would prohibit boards of education from holding classes whenever a public school is used as a polling place on the day of an election. The board is permitted to use the day for in-service training or professional development for the teaching staff members employed by the school district. The purpose of this bill would be to ensure the safety of students at a time when an increased number of individuals from the general public will be entering school grounds. | In Committee |
| A1794 | Creates special education unit within the Office of Administrative Law; requires annual report. | This bill would establish a unit within the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) dedicated to special education cases. The special education unit would consist of administrative law judges having expertise in special education law. The number of administrative law judges in the unit would be proportional to the number and complexity of special education cases referred to the OAL. Under the bill, all contested cases concerning special education law referred to the OAL would be assigned to and adjudicated by the administrative law judges in the special education unit. The bill directs the director and Chief Administrative Law Judge of the OAL to prepare an annual report to the Governor and to the Legislature regarding: the number of special education cases referred to the special education unit during the reporting period; the number of special education cases resolved by the special education unit during the reporting period; the average number of cases pending before the special education unit during the reporting period; the average time to resolution of the special education cases; a brief description of the outcome of the resolved cases; the number of administrative law judges currently assigned to the special education unit; recommendations as to whether the number of administrative law judges is sufficient to render decisions within federal and State-mandated time periods and, if not, recommendations as to the number of administrative law judges needed to enable the special education unit to render decisions within federal and State-mandated time periods; and other relevant information and recommendations at the discretion of the director of the OAL and the Chief Administrative Law Judge. The bill has a delayed effective date in order to allow the OAL to develop a timeline for training judges and assigning judges to the new unit. The bill would take effect on the first day of the ninth month next following enactment except the director and Chief Administrative Law Judge may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as necessary for the implementation of the bill. | 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 |
| A2341 | Increases days of paid military leave for certain public employees who serve in United States Reserves. | Under current law, a public employer provides a paid leave of absence for federal active duty to public employees who are members of the Reserves of the United States military, including the National Guard of other states. Current law requires the employer to provide paid leave for 30 work days per year. Leave after 30 work days is provided without pay. This bill entitles a public employee who is a member of the Reserves of the United States military, including the National Guard of other states, to 90 work days of paid leave for federal active duty. Leave after 90 work days will be provided without pay. This change will match the benefit currently given to an officer or employee of a State agency, county, school district, or municipality who is a member of the National Guard or other component of the organized militia of New Jersey, which is 90 work days per year. The bill also provides that any costs incurred as a result of the provisions of the bill will be reimbursed by the State upon application for reimbursement by a local employer to the State Treasurer and approval of the application by the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting. | 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 |
| 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 |
| A2348 | Requires sample ballots to be watermarked as sample ballots. | This bill requires official general election sample ballots and official primary election sample ballots to contain a watermark clearly identifying the sample ballots as sample ballots. | In Committee |
| A2337 | Establishes pilot program in DOE to purchase and install electronic smoking device detectors in restrooms of certain public schools. | This bill establishes a three-year pilot program under which the Department of Education will provide for the purchase and installation of electronic smoking device detectors in the restrooms of schools serving any of the grades 7 through 12 in selected school districts. The goal of the pilot program will be to study the effect of electronic smoking device detectors on deterring electronic smoking device use by students in schools. 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 schools serving any of the grades 7 through 12 in the school district; the number of students enrolled in each school; the number of restrooms accessible to students in each school; information on student use of electronic smoking devices in each school; and information on the rate of electronic smoking device use in the local community. The commissioner, in consultation with the Department of Health, will identify municipalities with the highest rate of persons under 18 years of age using electronic smoking devices. The commissioner will select up to 12 school districts for participation in the pilot program, and they will be, to the greatest extent possible, located in municipalities identified by the commissioner as having high rates of electronic smoking device use by persons under 18 years of age. 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 deterring electronic smoking device use by pupils in schools. | 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 |
| A1481 | Directs DEP to take certain actions concerning identification and testing of microplastics in drinking water, and requires DEP and BPU to study and promote use of microplastics removal technologies. | This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), in consultation with the Drinking Water Quality Institute, to establish a definition of the term "microplastics," and a standard methodology to be used by public water systems in the testing of drinking water for microplastics. The DEP would be required to establish requirements for the testing and reporting of the concentration of microplastics in drinking water for a four year period by public water systems, and the public disclosure of test results. In addition, the DEP would be required to establish criteria to accredit qualified laboratories in New Jersey to analyze microplastics. The bill also requires the DEP and the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to commence a study to evaluate the feasibility and benefits of the use of microplastics removal technologies by system owners or operators to remove microplastics from drinking water and wastewater in the State. In conducting the study, the DEP and BPU would cooperatively engage in a stakeholder engagement process, which shall include consultation with, and the solicitation of testimony and information from: (1) experts in the operation of water supply, water treatment, or wastewater collection or treatment systems; the operation of water filtering systems or removal technologies; the proper handling or disposal of microplastics; or the study or remediation of water pollution or contaminants; (2) marine biologists, oceanographers, water quality specialists, environmental scientists, toxicologists, public health experts, and other members of appropriate scientific fields; and (3) representatives of the plastics manufacturing industry; (4) members of the public; and (5) other relevant and interested parties. The bill would also require the DEP and BPU to authorize system owners or operators in the State to engage in pilot microplastics removal projects, with associated pilot project data to be included in the study. The bill would require the DEP to solicit and approve applications for, and take other appropriate action to facilitate, the implementation of pilot projects. No later than three months after completion of the study, the BPU would be required to prepare and submit a written report to the Governor and to the Legislature, identifying the findings from the study, and providing recommendations for legislative, executive, and other actions that can be taken to facilitate, encourage, and promote the increased use of microplastics removal technologies in the State. At a minimum, the report would include a strategic plan for the deployment and use of microplastics removal technologies. Following the submission of the report, the DEP and BPU would be required to engage in an ongoing, cooperative public education and awareness campaign in order to inform system owners or operators and members of the public about the dangers posed by microplastics, the importance of removing microplastics from drinking water and waste water, the technologies available on the market to remove microplastics from water, and the goals and primary elements of the strategic plan. | Dead |
| A2325 | Requires public water systems and landlords to provide certain notice of elevated perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances levels in drinking water; requires DEP to establish educational program. | This bill would require public water systems to provide certain notifications about elevated perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) levels in drinking water to customers and local officials, require landlords to notify tenants of elevated PFAS levels in drinking water, and require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), in conjunction with the Department of Health (DOH), to establish an educational program concerning the presence of PFAS in drinking water. Beginning 18 months after the bill's enactment, a public water system whose drinking water exceeds a PFAS maximum contaminant level (MCL) would be required to provide a written notice, via regular or electronic mail, or both, to all customers served by the public water system, including all residences, schools, daycare centers, and facilities serving young children, all public and private hospitals, medical clinics, and doctor's offices serving pregnant women and young children, all local health and welfare agencies in the public water system's service area, and the chief executive of each municipality in the public water system's service area. The written notice would be required to be sent as soon as practicable, but no later than 30 calendar days after the public water system confirms that there has been an exceedance of a PFAS MCL. This notification requirement would be in addition to existing notification requirements under the federal "Safe Drinking Water Act," 42 U.S.C. s.300 et al., or any other State or federal law. As defined in the bill, "PFAS" means any member of the class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom and "PFAS maximum contaminant level" means the applicable maximum contaminant level for PFAS, or a category or type of PFAS, in drinking water established by the DEP pursuant to the "Safe Drinking Water Act," P.L.1977, c.224 (C.58:12A-1 et seq.). The written notice to be sent by a public water system would be required to: (1) clearly state that the public water system is in exceedance of a PFAS MCL; (2) explain what the PFAS MCL is and the measurement process that the public water system is required to perform to monitor drinking water for PFAS; (3) state that drinking water that contains elevated levels of a PFAS can cause negative health effects; (4) provide information to direct the consumer to the educational program developed by the DEP pursuant to section 4 of the bill, including a link to the DEP's Internet website where the educational resources are located; and (5) state, in easily legible type, the responsibility of a landlord to distribute the written notice to every tenant pursuant to section 3 the bill. The bill would also require public water systems to provide annual written notifications to all customers served by the public water system where an exceedance of a PFAS MCL has been found, until there is no longer an exceedance of the PFAS MCL. The annual written notifications would be required to include, at a minimum: (1) an update on the current status of the mitigation process along with an estimate of the time until the mitigation process will be completed; and (2) any information on what work, if any, has been done to mitigate the contamination or treat the contaminated drinking water supply. The bill would also require public water systems to provide a written notification informing customers when a PFAS exceedance has ended. A public water system that violates any of the notification requirements of the bill would be considered to be in violation of the "Safe Drinking Water Act," which could result in civil administrative penalties of up to $25,000. Beginning 18 months after the bill's enactment, the bill would require landlords, whenever they receive a notice or health and safety information from a public water system concerning the presence of PFAS in drinking water, to: (1) distribute the notice or information, by any means including by electronic mail, as soon as practicable, but no later than three business days after receipt, to every tenant who has entered into a lease agreement with the landlord and whose dwelling unit is served by the public water system; and (2) post the notice or information, as soon as practicable, but no later than three business days after receipt, in a prominent location at the entrance of each rental premises that is owned by the landlord and served by the public water system, except in single-family dwellings that do not have a common area. The bill would also require landlords to provide the most recent information about a PFAS exceedance they have received to any prospective tenant prior to signing a lease. A landlord who violates any of the notification requirements of the bill would first receive a written warning from the DEP, and, for subsequent violations, could face a civil administrative penalty of up to $500. Finally, the bill would require the DEP and the DOH, no later than one year after the bill's enactment, to establish and implement an educational program concerning PFAS in drinking water. The program would be required to: (1) educate the general public on the subject of PFAS and its environmental and health impacts; (2) provide informational resources specific to PFAS in drinking water; and (3) provide any other information and efforts that are determined by the DEP or the DOH to be beneficial in educating the public on the presence of PFAS in drinking water. The DEP would be required to publish the educational program to its Internet website and update it annually. | In Committee |
| A2346 | Requires automatic machine recount for certain elections that result in tie vote and establishes process to resolve subsequent tie votes. | This bill requires an automatic machine recount and, if necessary hand recount, of the results of any election, other than a primary election or school election that produces a tie between two or more candidates for elective office. The bill also requires a special election be held in the event of a tie following a hand recount. Candidates and voters of this State can request recounts through a judge of the Superior Court for any election in which they have reason to believe that an error has been made in counting the votes. Under current law, either party may contest an election result that is a tie. Additionally, current law further provides a process for filling a vacancy in a primary election or school election that results in a tie. This bill requires that an automatic machine recount of the votes cast at an election, other than a primary election or school election, in any district or districts would occur within 48 hours following the initial result of a tie between two or more candidates for elective office. If the automatic machine recount results in a tie, an automatic hand recount would take place within 48 hours following the automatic machine recount. If the automatic hand recount results in a tie, a special election between the candidates that remain ties would take place within 60 days of the original election. The appropriate board of elections or boards of elections would conduct the automatic recount. The State would reimburse the costs incurred for conducting an automatic recount. | 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 |
| 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 |
| A2171 | Requires State agencies to enroll State employees into federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. | This bill requires State agencies to enroll State employees into the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. The federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) was established by Congress under the "College Cost Reduction and Access Act." The program forgives the remaining balance on a borrower's federal Direct Loans after 120 qualifying month payments have been made under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer, such as the New Jersey State government. The federal government recently temporarily expanded the eligibility of the PSLF program to increase the number of borrowers who are eligible for loan relief regardless of the type of federal loan or repayment plan they have. On average, New Jersey student loan borrowers carry $36,500 in student loan debt, which is among the highest amounts in the country. In total, New Jersey student loan borrowers carry a debt load of over $40 billion. The PSLF program is one way in which borrowers have found relief from the rising costs of student loans. According to a press conference held by the Governor and federal Department of Education officials, more than 2,500 State residents have had $167 million in debt canceled at an average waiver of over $65,000 per person. Additionally, approximately 31,000 New Jersey residents are enrolled in the PSLF program. This bill requires each State agency to notify and enroll any qualified State employee into the PSLF program. Each agency will take the necessary steps to identify and enroll into the PSFL program those State employees who meet the qualifications for enrollment under the program. The New Jersey Department of Education will enter into an agreement with the United States Department of Education to match information in the State's employment database with the federal database on qualified federal student loans. The information received by the New Jersey Department of Education will be distributed to the appropriate State agencies to accurately identify those individuals qualified for enrollment in the PSLF program. The bill also establishes a process to ensure new hires would be automatically enrolled as well as State employees who move from one State agency to another. | In Committee |
| A2354 | Establishes Senior Citizen Transportation Grant Program in DHS; appropriates $2.5 million for grant program. | This bill establishes the Senior Citizen Transportation Grant Program in the Department of Human Services. The purpose of this program is to provide municipalities with grant awards to support the establishment or expansion of programs that provide transportation services to senior citizens, without cost-sharing and regardless of the senior citizen's income. The bill defines "senior citizen" to mean a resident of the applicable municipality who is 55 years of age or older. "Transportation services" means the availability of round-trip transportation from the senior citizen's residence or other designated location, such as the municipality's senior center, to a location, either specified by the municipality or requested by the senior citizen, for purposes that may include medical appointments, recreational activities, or shopping and errands. Under the bill, the department is required to develop an application and process for municipalities to submit a request for grant funds. The application is to include, at a minimum: (1) a description of the municipality's existing transportation program for senior citizens, including the number of senior citizens serviced annually and the current fiscal year budget for senior citizen transportation services, if applicable; (2) a requested grant amount of $25,000 or less; (3) an explanation of how the grant funds will be utilized to support transportation services for senior citizens in the municipality; and (4) the estimated number of senior citizens who will be provided transportation services with the use of the grant funds. The department is also required to establish and promote a six-month period during which municipalities may submit applications for the Senior Citizen Transportation Grant Program, which period is to begin no more than 180 days after the effective date of the bill. The bill authorizes the department to determine the: (1) grant award amounts based upon information provided by the municipality through the application process and the availability of State appropriations; and (2) criteria for eligibility for grant awards, provided that the use of the grant funds by the municipality are within the scope of the program as provided for in the bill. No later than 30 days following the closure of the six-month application period, the department is to report to the Governor and the Legislature a summary of the grant program, including a list of municipalities that submitted an application for the grant, noting any application that was denied and the reason for the denial, as well as the amount and use of each awarded grant. In order to implement the grant program, the bill appropriates $2.5 million from the General Fund to the Department of Human Services. Any unexpended funds from this appropriation is to revert to the General Fund 180 days following the submission of the report by the Department of Human Services, as required under the bill. | In Committee |
| A862 | Creates State business assistance program to establish contracting agency procurement goals for socially and economically disadvantaged business enterprises. | This bill creates a State business assistance program to establish contracting agency procurement goals for socially and economically disadvantaged business enterprises. The business assistance program establishes an annual goal for State contracting agencies, as well as guidelines for public institutions of higher education, in awarding contracts to certified and qualified business enterprises. The program is designed to assist socially and economically disadvantaged businesses in obtaining State government contracts in the following areas: construction, architecture and engineering; professional services; goods and services; and information technology services. The bill requires both of the criteria in the definition of "economically disadvantaged" to be met and includes a physical disability, but is not limited to, a service-connected disability declared by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, or its successor. The bill also includes sexual orientation, and gender identity in the definition of "socially disadvantaged." Additionally, the director is permitted to accept State-approved third-party certifications that show a business enterprise owner qualifies as socially and economically disadvantaged. The purpose of this bill is to recognize the need to encourage, nurture, and support the growth of socially and economically disadvantaged businesses, to foster their development, and to increase the number of qualified competitors in the marketplace. | Dead |
| A2366 | Expands permitted investments of school district and local unit funds. | This bill would expand the types of securities within which a school district or a local unit of government may invest its funds. Under the bill, a school district or a local unit whose financial investment officials have completed the training programs set forth in the bill may invest their funds in:· Negotiable certificates of deposit or other evidences of deposit, with a remaining maturity of three years or less, issued by a nationally or State-chartered bank, a federal or State savings and loan association, or a State-licensed branch of a foreign bank; · Corporate debt obligations, denominated in U.S. dollars, with a remaining maturity of five years or less; · Bills of exchange or time drafts drawn on and accepted by a commercial bank, otherwise known as bankers' acceptances, if the bankers' acceptances do not exceed 180 days' maturity and the accepting bank is rated in the top short-term category by at least two nationally recognized statistical ratings organizations; or· Commercial paper issued by business entities organized in accordance with federal or State law, with a maturity not to exceed 270 days, if the issuing business entity is rated in the top short-term category by at least two nationally recognized statistical ratings organizations. In order to purchase these types of securities, the treasurer, the chief financial officer, the school business administrator, or other person responsible for the investment of local unit or school district funds, is required to:· attend at least one independent training session, approved by the Division of Local Government Services, for the purpose of advising persons responsible for the investment of local unit or school district funds, and containing at least four hours of instruction relating to the person's responsibilities under the bill for investing local unit or school district funds; and· attend an investment training session not less than once in a two-year period, and receive not less than four hours of instruction relating to permitted investments, under the bill, from an independent source, approved by the Division of Local Government Services, to advise the person in the investment policy of the local unit or school district. | In Committee |
| A2335 | Creates "Pollinator Pathway" designation for municipalities. | This bill would require the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, to establish a "Pollinator Pathway" designation for municipalities that meet the standards established by the Department of Environmental Protection. The standards for a municipal "Pollinator Pathway" designation would include, but need not be limited to: (1) Providing a habitat area for pollinators; (2) Providing host plants which shall include at least one of the following to support at least six butterfly species: (a) Asclepias syriaca; (b) Asclepias incarnate; (c) Asclepias tuberosa; (d) Asclepias verticillata; (e) Asclepias exaltata; (f) Asclepias purpurascens; (g) Asclepias viridiflora; (h) Asclepias lanceolate; (i) Asclepias quadrifolia; (j) Asclepias rubra; (k) Asclepias variegate; or (l) Asclepias amplexicaulis; (3) Providing at least four nectar sources for pollinators during the seasons of spring, summer, and fall; (4) Providing an appropriate water source and shelter for pollinators, and a basking site for butterflies; and (5) Incorporating at least five of the conservation practices from subsection c. of section 1 of the bill. Under the bill, the department would develop and promote a Statewide contest for the establishment of a program logo design for the "Pollinator Pathway" designation sign, to be conducted every 10 years, and would solicit input from the general public prior to announcing the winning design. After the establishment of a program logo, the department would provide a "Pollinator Pathway" designation sign or signs for outdoor use by any municipality that meets the designation requirements. | In Committee |
| A2837 | Provides that institutions of higher education may permit final-year students in graduate degree programs for mental health care professions to graduate or be matched with residency or clinical programs early. | The COVID-19 pandemic is causing a national mental health crisis. In order to help address this situation, this bill provides that for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 academic years, institutions of higher education, at their discretion, may permit final-year students in graduate degree programs leading to a degree as a mental health care professional to graduate early or to be matched with a residency or clinical program early provided that: (1) the student has completed all required coursework; and (2) the institution appoints a staff member to mentor the student during participation in the residency or clinical program. The bill defines a "mental health care professional" as a licensed psychiatrist, psychologist, professional counselor, clinical social worker, marriage and family therapist, or any other individual licensed or certified to provide or administer mental health care in the ordinary course of business or practice of a profession. | In Committee |
| A1597 | Establishes gross income tax credit and corporation business tax credit for student loan payments. | This bill establishes an incentive for New Jersey residents who have graduated from a community college, college or university, or graduate school to stay, or return to, New Jersey after their graduation and for employers to hire college graduates to work in this State and subsidizes their loan payments. The bill provides qualified taxpayers and businesses with a credit against the gross income tax (GIT) or the corporation business tax (CBT) for certain educational loan payments. The tax credit is allowed for any payments made by a taxpayer or on behalf of a taxpayer during the taxable or privilege period on a loan which is: (1) secured through a State student loan program, a federal student loan program, or a commercial lender and which is (2) obtained and expended exclusively for purpose of paying the tuition and fees and other expenses such as room and board and book and books and supplies, related directly to the enrollment of the qualified taxpayer at an institution of higher education. Under the bill, the GIT credit is equal to payments made by a qualified taxpayer, during that part of the taxable year they were employed in the State. The GIT credit for an individual taxpayer is equal to the lesser of: (1) the taxpayer's monthly loan payments multiplied by the number of months the taxpayer made loan payments; or (2) the benchmark loan payment multiplied by the number of months during the taxable year in which a taxpayer made loan payments. The GIT credit is refundable if an individual taxpayer earned an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. The refundable GIT credit is available only to individual taxpayers and is not available to a business that makes loan payments on behalf of an employee. A gross income taxpayer who is an employer or a business subject to the CBT may receive a tax credit equal to any payments made on behalf of a qualified employee who graduated from an accredited institution of higher education and was employed in New Jersey during the tax year. The GIT credit for a taxpayer who is an employer and the CBT credit are equal to the monthly loan payment made by the employer multiplied by the number of loan payments made by a taxpayer on behalf of a qualified employee during a taxable year or privilege period. The credit is reduced to 50 percent if a qualified employee is employed on a part-time basis. The bill defines a qualified employee as a resident taxpayer who (1) obtained an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education or a graduate degree from an accredited institution of higher education who was employed in this State during the privilege period; and (2) was employed in New Jersey on a full-time or part-time basis by an employer, was a self-employed individual, or was an active duty member of the United States Armed Forces, New Jersey National Guard, or the Reserve Component of the United States Armed Forces. | In Committee |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| A2339 | Requires electric public utility to reimburse customers for cost of certain spoiled products resulting from service outage more than 72 hours after end of storm. | This bill requires an electric public utility (utility) to reimburse its customers who experienced a "sustained interruption" caused by a "major event," as those terms are defined in the bill, for the actual cost of spoiled food, prescription medicine, or perishable commercial products, due to the lack of refrigeration during the sustained interruption, upon filing a claim for the loss in a form and manner established by the Board of Public Utilities (BPU). Under the bill, a residential customer that experiences a sustained interruption may be reimbursed for the actual cost of spoiled food or prescription medicine under conditions stated in the bill. Further, a business customer that experiences the same sustained interruption may be reimbursed for the actual cost of spoiled perishable commercial products under conditions stated in the bill. No later than 90 days after the effective date of the bill, each utility in the State is required to develop and implement a system for customers of the utility to apply for a reimbursement online via the utility's Internet website. Applications for a reimbursement is to be made in a form and manner as determined by the BPU. | In Committee |
| A2359 | Requires Director of Division of Housing and Community Resources in DCA to establish grant program to encourage local governments to promote New Jersey as innovation hub in certain fields; appropriates $100,000. | This bill requires the Director of the Division of Housing and Community Resources in the Department of Community Affairs, in consultation with the Commissioner of Transportation, to establish a grant program to encourage local governments to develop and install, in accordance with federal law, street pole banners promoting New Jersey as an innovation hub in various fields of science, technology, and engineering. The purpose of the program is to provide grants to local governments which develop and install banners promoting local and regional achievements in fields such as bioscience, telecommunications, and clean energy, and which promote the local or regional area as part of an innovation hub. Under the bill, a municipality that wants to participate in the grant program is required to submit an application to the division in a manner and on such forms as determined by the director. The application is required to include information detailing the municipality's proposed plans for the grant funding as outlined in the bill. After reviewing the applications, the director, in consultation with the commissioner, is required to select a total of nine municipalities, including three municipalities in each of the northern, southern, and central regions of the State, to participate in the program and is to seek a cross section from urban, suburban, and rural areas of the State. Within one year of receiving a grant, each participating municipality is required to submit a report to the director detailing certain information as provided in the bill. The director is required to compile the reports for inclusion in a comparative profile of the participating municipalities and post the profile for public inspection on the division's Internet website in an easily accessible location. Under the bill, within one year of posting the comparative profile, the director is required to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature. The report is to contain information on the implementation of the grant program, including the director's recommendation on the feasibility of implementing the program on a Statewide basis, and a list of best practices concerning the promotion of local and regional achievements in certain fields. The director is required to post the report for public inspection on the division's Internet website in an easily accessible location. The bill appropriates $100,000 from the General Fund to the division to effectuate the purposes of the bill. | In Committee |
| A2880 | Enters New Jersey into Counseling Compact. | This bill enters New Jersey into the Counseling Compact. The Counseling Compact (compact) is an interstate compact, or a contract among states, allowing professional counselors licensed and residing in a compact member state to practice in other compact member states without need for multiple licenses. The purpose of this compact is to facilitate interstate practice of licensed professional counselors with the goal of improving public access to professional counseling services. The practice of professional counseling occurs in the state where the client is located at the time of the counseling services. The compact preserves the regulatory authority of states to protect public health and safety through the current system of state licensure. In addition, the compact is designed to achieve the following objectives: 1) increase public access to professional counseling services by providing for the mutual recognition of other member state licenses; 2) enhance the states' ability to protect the public's health and safety; 3) encourage the cooperation of member states in regulating multistate practice for licensed professional counselors; 4) support spouses of relocating active duty military personnel; 5) enhance the exchange of licensure, investigative, and disciplinary information among member states; 6) allow for the use of telehealth technology to facilitate increased access to professional counseling services; 7) support the uniformity of professional counseling licensure requirements throughout the states to promote public safety and public health benefits; 8) invest all member states with the authority to hold a licensed professional counselor accountable for meeting all state practice laws in the state in which the client is located at the time care is rendered through the mutual recognition of member state licenses; 9) eliminate the necessity for licenses in multiple states; and 10) provide opportunities for interstate practice by licensed professional counselors who meet uniform licensure requirements. The compact is administered by a commission comprising representatives of each of the member states. The commission has certain powers to promulgate rules and bylaws, create a budget, conduct investigations, assess member fees, and to generally enforce the provisions of the compact. The compact sets forth procedures for investigating and disciplining professional counselors for misconduct, as well as for communicating to member states information concerning a professional counselor who is under investigation, has lost the right to practice under the compact, or who has regained the right to practice under the compact. The compact provides that it takes effect when it has been adopted in 10 states. Currently, 16 states have joined the compact: Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia. | Dead |
| 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 |
| A2351 | Removes residency requirement for certain veteran and disabled veteran-owned businesses. | This bill removes the requirement that the owner of a veteran or disabled veteran-owned business must be a New Jersey resident for the business to qualify as a veteran or disabled veteran-owned business. The change only applies to small and medium-sized businesses, as determined by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Under current law, to qualify and be certified as a veteran-owned or disabled veteran-owned business, 51 percent of the business, among other requirements, must be owned and controlled by persons who are a New Jersey resident and a veteran or disabled veteran. By removing the residency requirement, this will permit small and medium-sized veteran and disabled veteran-owned business owners residing in other states but with a business physically located in New Jersey to compete for New Jersey contracts. This will increase veteran and disabled veteran business opportunities in general and in particular within the State. | 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 |
| A3009 | Requires 45 day notice concerning tuition rate changes by licensed child care centers. | 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 any change in the tuition rate charged by the center, 45 days prior to the change, to every parent or legal guardian of a child attending the center. The notice would be sent 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, or would be delivered in person to the parent or legal guardian by a staff member of the center. The center would also be required to post the notice on its internet website or by other electronic means, and to display the notice in a prominent location within the center. | In Committee |
| A2329 | Requires local boards of education to employ certain number of school psychologists. | This bill requires local boards of education to employ and assign on a fulltime basis to each school within the school district at least one school counselor. The bill also provides that the maximum student to school psychologist ratio per school in a school district will be 500:1. The most recent recommendations of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) suggest that it is necessary to maintain a ratio of one school psychologist per 500 students in order to provide comprehensive school psychological services. The NASP estimates a national ratio of one school psychologist per 1,211 students, with some states approaching a ratio of one school psychologist per 5,000 students. School psychologists are uniquely qualified educational services professionals who receive advanced graduate preparation that includes coursework and field experiences relevant to both psychology and education. It is vital that school districts make school psychologists available to their students to ensure that they receive the best direct support and interventions needed to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. | In Committee |
| A2357 | Establishes Office of Financial Assistance in EDA to help eligible entities access opportunities for public financial assistance; requires office to develop common application platform. | This bill establishes an Office of Financial Assistance (office) within the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) to help eligible entities access available sources of public financial assistance, including any grants, loans, loan guarantees, or tax credits provided by a State or federal agency. Under the bill, the office is responsible for: (1) providing technical assistance to eligible entities concerning the identification of available sources of public financial assistance, the application for public financial assistance, and the compliance with any terms and conditions imposed upon the receipt of public financial assistance; (2) developing and updating, as necessary, the common application platform required under the bill; (3) coordinating with State agencies and federal agencies, on a regular basis, to determine the availability of new sources of public financial assistance; and (4) fulfilling any other duties and responsibilities that may be prescribed by the board or chief executive officer of the EDA. The bill also requires the office to develop, or cause to be developed, a common application platform through which eligible entities may electronically apply for any sources of public financial assistance made available by a State agency. At a minimum, and to the extent practicable, the common application platform is required to allow an eligible entity to: (1) identify all available sources of public financial assistance; (2) input any information or documentation that may be required by a State agency as part of the application for public financial assistance, which information and documentation may be stored for use in other applications; (3) simultaneously submit applications for any sources of public financial assistance made available by a State agency; and (4) monitor the status of all applications submitted through the platform. After the common application platform has been developed, the bill requires every State agency that offers public financial assistance to coordinate with the office to ensure that all applications for public financial assistance can be submitted through the platform and all information contained on the platform concerning the availability of public financial assistance is up-to-date and accurate. Based on this coordination, the office is required to update the platform, as necessary, to ensure that all information contained therein is up-to-date and accurate. | 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 |
| 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 |
| A934 | Provides temporary gross income tax credit to first time home buyers and seniors. | This bill provides temporary but immediate property tax relief to first time home buyers and senior citizens while a structural solution for relief from high property taxes is developed. Pursuant to the bill, a gross income tax credit is provided to eligible taxpayers in the amount of 25 percent of the taxpayer's property taxes each year from 2019 through 2021, up to $2,500. If the value of the credit is more than what the taxpayer owes for income taxes, the amount of credit left over will be paid to the taxpayer. To be eligible for the credit, a taxpayer must have bought the home in 2019, 2020, or 2021, or instead, be at least 65 years old. | 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 | Abstain |
| 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 | Abstain |
| 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 38 | Assembly | Democrat | In Office | 05/24/2018 |