Legislator
Legislator > Bill Moen
State Assemblymember
Bill Moen
(D) - New Jersey
New Jersey Assembly District 05
In Office - Started: 01/14/2020
contact info
Barrington Office
208 White Horse Pike
Suite 13
Barrington, NJ 08007
Suite 13
Barrington, NJ 08007
Phone: 856-547-4800
Woodbury Office
608 N. Broad St.
Suite 200
Woodbury, NJ 08096
Suite 200
Woodbury, NJ 08096
Phone: 856-853-2960
| Bill | Bill Name | Summary | Progress |
|---|---|---|---|
| A5424 | Promotes housing availability and prevents speculation by imposing fee for institutional ownership of certain unproductive residential property. | Promotes housing availability and prevents speculation by imposing fee for institutional ownership of certain unproductive residential property. | Crossed Over |
| A4535 | Concerns State regulation of cooperative sober living residences and boarding houses generally; appropriates $100,000. | Concerns State regulation of cooperative sober living residences and boarding houses generally; appropriates $100,000. | Vetoed |
| A5466 | Requires BPU to study effects of data centers on electricity costs. | Requires BPU to study effects of data centers on electricity costs. | Crossed Over |
| A5362 | Prohibits casino licensees from using non-wagering casino games to solicit future gaming. | Prohibits casino licensees from using non-wagering casino games to solicit future gaming. | In Committee |
| A3361 | Establishes limit on rent increase for certain dwelling sites for modular or industrialized buildings or manufactured homes. | Establishes limit on rent increase for certain dwelling sites for modular or industrialized buildings or manufactured homes. | Passed |
| A5438 | "Public Utility Fair Profit Act"; requires public utilities to take certain actions regarding excess profits and directs fines for violations to fund utility assistance programs. | "Public Utility Fair Profit Act"; requires public utilities to take certain actions regarding excess profits and directs fines for violations to fund utility assistance programs. | In Committee |
| A4964 | Concerns eviction and homelessness prevention; requires new charge for filing for eviction action. | This bill requires a new charge for the filing of an eviction action, and directs the Office of Eviction Prevention in the Department of Community Affairs to use the monies received through this charge for the purposes of eviction prevention services. This bill also requires that, in addition to existing fees, and notwithstanding the current limit on filing fees and other statutory fees payable to the court of $50 in the aggregate, an amount of $150 is to be collected for the filing of an eviction action. The bill directs this additional funding to be provided to the Office of Eviction Prevention, and used for eviction prevention services the office directs and designs, including but not limited to, the employment or contracting of resource navigators through the Rental Assistance Navigation Program, as established by the Department of Community Affairs, which services include homelessness prevention services, relocation and rapid rehousing assistance, social services support, rental assistance resources, and connection to legal services. The bill authorizes the Commissioner of Community Affairs to adopt, immediately, upon filing with the Office of Administrative Law, rules and regulations to implement the provisions of the bill, which shall be effective for a period not to exceed one year following the effective date of the bill. The commissioner thereafter is to amend, adopt, or readopt the rules and regulations in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.). The bill is to take effect on the first day of the sixth month following enactment. | In Committee |
| A5669 | Imposes restrictions on the use of expunged records. | This bill imposes restrictions on background check providers, increases penalties for the wrongful dissemination of expunged records, and imposes duties on professional boards concerning expunged records. Under current law, N.J.S.A.2C:52-30, the wrongful disclosure of an expunged record is a disorderly persons offense. A disorderly persons offense is ordinarily punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. However, N.J.S.A.2C:52-30 currently limits the fine to $200. Under the bill, a private background check provider is required to ensure that it only reports on information received from the State Bureau of Investigation of the State Police, or the Judiciary, within the last 30 days, promptly delete an expunged record that it knows to be expunged, and provide for a free means by which an individual may request a correction to their background check, including the deletion of an expunged record within 30 days of the request. In addition, the bill eliminates the $200 limit on fines and further provides individuals who are the subject of a wrongfully disclosed expunged records with a civil right of action. The bill also requires the State Police and the Judiciary to adopt rules or regulations to ensure that persons or entities who regularly access criminal history records, which includes but is not limited to private background check providers, comply with N.J.S.A.2C:52-30 concerning the non-disclosure of expunged records. Finally, the bill provides that if a professional licensing board in the Division of Consumer Affairs suspends or revokes a license due to a criminal conviction, and that conviction is later expunged, the professional licensing board is required to redact or seal any reference to the expunged conviction in its records of suspension or revocation; however, the fact of suspension or revocation itself is not expunged. This requirement under the bill is intended to mitigate the effects E.A. v. Real Estate Comm'n., 208 N.J. Super. 65 (App. Div. 1986), concerning licensing records that contain references to expunged convictions. | In Committee |
| A5684 | Establishes safety measures for scrap metal businesses. | This bill updates current statutes regulating scrap metal businesses by establishing certain safety measures to be followed by each business. A scrap metal business is to conduct a quarterly audit of records to be retained pursuant to current law and ensure that items that are prohibited are not on the premises of the business. Additionally, each business is to reduce the likelihood of a fire by, at a minimum: (1) installing and maintaining an on-site fire suppression system so that it can be remotely operated; and (2) employing or contracting with individuals who are trained in fire suppression. A scrap metal business is given five years to install the on-site fire suppression system. | In Committee |
| AR191 | Expresses support for federal legislation to study potential creation of National Museum of Irish-American History. | This resolution supports federal legislation establishing a commission to study the potential creation of a National Museum of Irish-American History. The importance of Irish-American history is evidenced through the significant influences of people of Irish descent on American history and culture. Throughout American history, many people immigrated to the United States from Ireland and currently about 31 million Americans and more than 1 million people in New Jersey claim Irish heritage. Families of Irish descent have proudly passed down their culture and heritage, and notable Irish-Americans from New Jersey have influenced both the United States and this State. The State of New Jersey celebrates the contributions of Irish-Americans by recognizing the month of March as "Irish-American Heritage Month." To preserve cultural traditions and educate future generations about the historical struggles and the contributions of Irish-Americans to the United States, the State of New Jersey supports federal legislation to study the potential creation of a National Museum of Irish-American History. | In Committee |
| A3282 | Revises "Homelessness Prevention Program"; requires new charge for filing of eviction action. | Revises "Homelessness Prevention Program"; requires new charge for filing of eviction action. | In Committee |
| A4976 | Establishes crime of reckless discharge of firearm. | Establishes crime of reckless discharge of firearm. | Crossed Over |
| S1067 | "Right to Mental Health for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Act"; establishes certain requirements concerning provision of mental health services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. | ""Right to Mental Health for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Act"; establishes certain requirements concerning provision of mental health services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. | Vetoed |
| A5183 | Directs DOLWD to develop and maintain industry-valued credential list. | This bill requires the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to develop and maintain a list of industry-valued credentials identifying the specific credentials offered in New Jersey in which employers are most interested, based on analysis of State labor market data and on feedback from employers in the State. The industry-valued credential list is required to be updated annually and made available as a list and in a downloadable format on the Internet website of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. An industry-valued credential is a recognized degree, diploma, certificate, or certification awarded for an occupation that is valued and demanded by employers, with transferable skills that provide broad opportunities, may lead to opportunities for further training and education, and lead to higher wages, career advancement, or increased job security. | Crossed Over |
| A2115 | Requires public transportation employees and certain motorbus operators to complete training course on handling and responding to suspected human trafficking; requires inclusion of certain content in certain courses. | Requires public transportation employees and certain motorbus operators to complete training course on handling and responding to suspected human trafficking; requires inclusion of certain content in certain courses. | Crossed Over |
| A5535 | Requires certain facilities that store or process automotive shredder residue to obtain DEP permit; defines "hazardous waste" to include automotive shredder residue. | Requires certain facilities that store or process automotive shredder residue to obtain DEP permit; defines "hazardous waste" to include automotive shredder residue. | In Committee |
| A5534 | Requires business that violates State environmental laws to forfeit economic development subsidies under certain circumstances. | This bill requires a business that has been awarded an economic development subsidy by a State public body and is found to be in violation of the State's environmental laws to forfeit a portion of the economic development subsidy provided to the business or provide a payment to the State. The bill provides that if the Commissioner of Environmental Protection determines that a recipient business is responsible for an environmental incident, the business is required to forfeit the economic development subsidy or provide a payment to the State equal to the greater of: (1) 20 percent of the economic development subsidies awarded to the business recipient for the tax year in which a determination is made under the bill or (2) the total costs to address the environmental incident. Under the bill, these costs include, but are not limited to, costs of environmental remediation necessary to contain and remediate the impact of the incident, housing relocation costs for impacted residents, the installation of air filtration and fire suppression systems within impacted buildings or structures, and the costs of psychological or mental health counseling for impacted residents. The bill directs the commissioner, in consultation with the State Treasurer and the chief executive officer of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA), and any other State officials the commissioner deems appropriate, to determine the amount of costs necessary to address the environmental incident. The bill requires the commissioner to provide written notice to the recipient business of the amount of the economic development subsidies to be forfeited or the payment to be made to the State. The bill directs the State Treasurer, in consultation with the chief executive officer of the EDA, to provide a written notice to the recipient business certifying the amount of economic development subsidies to be forfeited or payment to be made to the State. A recipient business may choose to either forfeit economic development subsidies or make a payment to the State. The bill requires any payments received by the State to be deposited into a new Environmental Incident Recovery Fund established by the bill and appropriated to provide reimbursement payments to residents of communities impacted by an environmental incident for costs incurred to address the environmental incident. The bill provides that if a recipient business fails to forfeit its economic subsidy or provide a payment to the State, the recipient business is required to forfeit all economic development subsidies awarded to the recipient business and its affiliates until the requirements of the bill are satisfied. The bill also requires future economic development subsidy agreements entered into by the authority to include a provision specifying that a recipient business is subject to the provisions of the bill. | In Committee |
| A5533 | Establishes requirements for receipt and purchase of scrap metals containing propulsion batteries. | This bill establishes requirements for the receipt and purchase of scrap metals containing propulsion batteries. Under the bill, a person delivering or selling scrap metal to a scrap metal business is required to disclose, in writing, whether the scrap metal contains a propulsion battery before the scrap metal business receives or purchases the scrap metal. The bill also requires a scrap metal business to inspect scrap metal before receipt or purchase to confirm that the scrap metal does not contain a propulsion battery if the disclosure made by the person delivering or selling the scrap metal indicates that the scrap metal does not contain such a battery. Additionally, a scrap metal business is required to maintain, for at least five years and in a manner as may be prescribed by the Attorney General, a record of all propulsion battery disclosures for scrap metal received or purchased by the scrap metal business and a record of the inspection of scrap metal received or purchased by the scrap metal business if the disclosure made by the person delivering or selling the scrap metal indicates the scrap metal does not contain a propulsion battery. | In Committee |
| A2813 | Enters NJ in Social Work Licensure Compact. | Enters NJ in Social Work Licensure Compact. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5612 | Concerns parking violations that obstruct NJT bus operations and bicycle lanes in certain circumstances. | This bill requires the New Jersey Transit Corporation (corporation) to issue citations for covered violations as evidenced by recorded images captured by bus obstruction monitoring systems. The bill requires a designated employee of the corporation or a contracted law enforcement agency to review recorded images for covered violations. The corporation is required to install and operate bus obstruction monitoring systems on buses owned and operated by the corporation, or operated under contract with the corporation, to capture recorded images of motor vehicles during the commission of a covered violation and to issue citations for covered violations. The number of buses to be equipped with bus obstruction monitoring systems is to be determined by the corporation. Under the bill, a bus obstruction monitoring system may only be used if it is operated by a bus obstruction monitoring system operator and a sign is affixed to the bus alerting drivers that the bus is equipped with a bus obstruction monitoring system. Under the bill, a bus obstruction monitoring system is to only retain recorded images of motor vehicles that contain evidence of a covered violation. Recorded images from a bus obstruction monitoring system may be retained for up to six months or 60 days after final disposition of the citation, whichever is later, if the record images contain evidence of a covered violation. If the recorded images do not contain evidence of a covered violation, the covered images are required to be destroyed within 15 days after the recorded images were first captured. Recorded images are to be stored on secured servers or encrypted digital storage systems that meet or exceed State information security standards established by the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. Recorded images are not deemed a government record and are not to be discoverable as a government record by any person, entity, or governmental agency, except upon a subpoena issued by a grand jury or a court order in a criminal matter. Additionally, recorded images are not permitted to be offered as evidence in any civil or administrative proceeding not directly related to a covered violation. A bus obstruction monitoring system may not use biometric identification techniques, including facial recognition technology. A bus obstruction monitoring system operator is required to complete training by the manufacturer of the bus obstruction monitoring system in the procedures for setting up, testing, and operating the bus obstruction monitoring system. Upon completion of the training, the manufacturer is required to issue a signed certificate to the bus obstruction monitoring system operator, which certificate is to be admissible as evidence in any administrative or judicial proceeding for a covered violation. In addition, a bus obstruction monitoring system operator is required to perform manufacturer-specified functionality tests of each bus obstruction monitoring system prior to the start of daily service and at regular intervals throughout the day, as required by the manufacturer. Each test is to confirm proper operation of the camera, time and date stamp, location tracking, and image capture functions. A bus obstruction monitoring system operator is also required to complete and sign a test verification log for each bus obstruction monitoring system, which log is to meet certain requirements under the bill. Under the bill, no motor vehicle is permitted to stop, stand, or park in a dedicated bus lane, bus stop zone, or designated bicycle lane. Citations issued by a bus obstruction monitoring system for a covered violation may be contested on certain grounds as provided in the bill. An owner or operator of a motor vehicle who received a citation for a covered violation has 30 days from the date on which the citation was mailed to contest the alleged covered violation. If an owner or operator of a motor vehicle violates the bill's provisions, as captured by a bus obstruction monitoring system, the owner or operator of the motor vehicle is subject to a fine of $45 for the first offense. Subsequent offenses within that 12-month period are to increase by $45, with a maximum fine of $135 per offense. The corporation is permitted to retain any fines collected pursuant to the bill for the purposes of covering administrative costs of administering the bus obstruction monitoring system program. Any excess revenue from fines collected pursuant to the program is to be used to fund Access Link services. Additionally, the corporation is prohibited from entering into any agreement for bus obstruction monitoring systems or bus obstruction monitoring system operator services that bases contractor compensation on the amount of revenue generated in monetary fines collected. Prior to issuing any citations or fines for covered violations, the corporation is required to issue warning notices for 60 days following the date that active enforcement is implemented. The corporation is required to issue a public announcement regarding the corporation's implementation of the bus obstruction monitoring system and to provide the public with information about the bus obstruction monitoring system on the corporation's Internet website contemporaneous with the warning notice period. The bill requires the corporation to submit an annual report to the Governor and to the Legislature regarding the bus obstruction monitoring system, which report is to include certain information. With this bill, the sponsor intends to enhance safety for passengers boarding and alighting from buses particularly at designated bus stops, as well as for pedestrians, cyclists, and micro mobility users who often share curbside and lane space. By keeping bus stops, bus lanes, and adjacent bike lanes clear of obstructing motor vehicles, the bill aims to improve transit reliability, reduce delays, and promote safer and more accessible streets for all users. | In Committee |
| A5387 | Requires each public institution of higher education to develop food waste reduction program on campus. | This bill directs each public institution of higher education to develop and implement a food waste reduction program on each campus of the institution. The purpose of the program is to redirect unused, excess food prepared or distributed at campus dining halls, facilities, and events to local food security programs, including soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and community nonprofits. The program is to ensure that all necessary and applicable food safety standards are met throughout the selection, packaging, and transfer of food through the program. The bill directs the institution to submit an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature on its contributions to local food security programs and post the report on its website. | In Committee |
| S2594 | Appropriates $28,670,924 in 2003 and 1992 bond act monies for loans for dam restoration and repair projects and inland waters projects. | An Act appropriating $22,431,294 from the "Dam, Lake, Stream, Flood Control, Water Resources, and Wastewater Treatment Project Bond Act of 2003," P.L.2003, c.162, and $6,239,630 from the "Green Acres, Clean Water, Farmland and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 1992," P.L.1992, c.88, to provide loans for dam restoration and repair projects and inland waters projects. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3620 | Requires electric and gas public utilities to establish "Energy Bill Watch" program and include certain information in bills and notices to customers. | An Act concerning electric and gas public utilities and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A3951 | Appropriates $28,670,924 in 2003 and 1992 bond act monies for loans for dam restoration and repair projects and inland waters projects. | Appropriates $28,670,924 in 2003 and 1992 bond act monies for loans for dam restoration and repair projects and inland waters projects. | In Committee |
| 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. | Crossed Over |
| A3169 | Allows property tax rebate for disabled veterans. | Allows property tax rebate for disabled veterans. | In Committee |
| 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 |
| S2423 | Renames Juvenile Justice Commission as Youth Justice Commission. | An Act renaming the Juvenile Justice Commission and amending the various parts of the statutory law. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| 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. | Crossed Over |
| S3848 | Concerns alcoholic beverage licenses for sporting facilities. | An Act concerning alcoholic beverage licenses for sporting facilities and amending R.S.33:1-12. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| 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 |
| A5379 | Revises process for reporting lost or stolen registration plates to law enforcement agencies and MVC. | This bill revises the process for reporting lost or stolen registration plates to law enforcement agencies and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission). The bill requires a law enforcement agency that receives a report of lost or stolen registration plates to provide a trackable case number that is linked to the report to the person whose registration plates have been lost or stolen, within 24 hours after a person files a report of the lost or stolen plates. Additionally, the Superintendent of State Police (superintendent), in consultation with the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (chief administrator), is required to promulgate or revise guidelines on filing police reports for lost or stolen registration plates, as appropriate, to implement this provision of the bill. The bill also amends current law to require a person whose motor vehicle has been stolen or whose registration plates have been lost or stolen to immediately file a report a with the law enforcement agency within whose jurisdiction the theft or loss occurred, rather than notify the chief of police or other peace officer as required under current law. Additionally, the bill requires the law enforcement agency who receives notice of a stolen motor vehicle or lost or stolen registration plates to take certain action rather than the chief or police or other peace officer as is required by current law. This bill also requires a person whose registration plates have been lost or stolen to notify the commission. When notifying the commission of lost or stolen registration plates, the person whose registration plates have been lost or stolen is required to submit: (1) a copy of the police report concerning the lost or stolen registration plates or the trackable case number linked to the report; and (2) a completed vehicle registration plate status form. The commission is required to update the vehicle registration plate status form to include: (1) a space to notate if the registration plates are lost or stolen; and (2) a space for the trackable case number linked to the report. Upon completion of the form, the commission is required to provide the person reporting lost or stolen registration plates with a copy of the completed vehicle registration plate status form. With this legislation, the sponsor intends to:(1) expedite the lost and stolen registration plate replacement process; and (2) enhance law enforcement's ability to track lost or stolen registration plates and prevent misuse. The bill establishes a structured and transparent process that enables individuals to obtain necessary documentation without unnecessary delays, while also ensuring that lost or stolen registration plates are properly documented. By requiring timely reporting and ensuring that lost or stolen registration plates are entered into official records, the bill helps to aid law enforcement and prevent fraudulent registrations and the unauthorized use of registration plates. | In Committee |
| A2156 | Authorizes creation of honorably discharged veteran license plates. | Authorizes creation of honorably discharged veteran license plates. | In Committee |
| A2308 | Requires environmental sustainability plan for State House Complex. | Requires environmental sustainability plan for State House Complex. | In Committee |
| A3904 | Requires geotechnical testing and certain monitoring of transportation projects. | An Act concerning certain testing and monitoring of transportation capital projects and supplementing Title 27 of the Revised Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4589 | Permits use of credit card, debit card, or other electronic payment for bingo, raffles, and penny auctions. | This bill would permit the use of credit cards, debit cards, and other electronic payment devices for the sale of shares, tickets, or rights to participate in raffles, bingo games, penny auctions, and any other legalized games of chance the Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission deems appropriate. The bill requires the commission to adopt regulations to accept credit cards and other electronic payments. Current law does not expressly permit the use of credit card or electronic payments to purchase shares, tickets, or rights to participate in legalized games of chance such as raffles, bingo, and penny auctions. | In Committee |
| A4707 | Authorizes State Treasurer to sell as surplus certain real property and improvements in City of Camden in Camden County. | An Act authorizing the State Treasurer to sell certain surplus real property and improvements owned by the State in the City of Camden, Camden County, and repealing P.L.2013, c.22. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5007 | Concerns alcoholic beverage licenses for sporting facilities. | Concerns alcoholic beverage licenses for sporting facilities. | In Committee |
| A1673 | "Right to Mental Health for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Act"; establishes certain requirements concerning provision of mental health services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. | "Right to Mental Health for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Act"; establishes certain requirements concerning provision of mental health services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. | In Committee |
| A4817 | Requires electric and gas public utilities to establish "Energy Bill Watch" program and include certain information in bills and notices to customers. | Requires electric and gas public utilities to establish "Energy Bill Watch" program and include certain information in bills and notices to customers. | In Committee |
| A5360 | Establishes electric and gas utility medical baseline program for certain persons. | This bill requires each public utility that provides electric or gas distribution service in this State to establish a medical baseline program. Through the medical baseline program, a public utility is to provide a medical baseline discount for residential customers that request it and that qualify due to one of the following conditions, upon written certification by certain medical professionals pursuant to the bill: (1) dependency on life support equipment; (2) paraplegia or quadriplegia; (3) multiple sclerosis; (4) scleroderma; (5) treatment for a life-threatening illness or immunocompromised status, if a licensed medical professional certifies in writing to the public utility that additional energy for heating, or cooling, or both, is medically necessary to sustain the life of the person or prevent deterioration of the person's medical condition; or (6) any other condition the Board of Public Utilities (board) may determine appropriate. The board may consult with the Department of Health or medical experts in order to make this determination. The medical baseline discount means the discounted rate charged for a medical baseline customer's medical baseline, which discounted rate is not to exceed the lowest available electricity or gas rate for residential service charged by the public utility serving a medical baseline customer. The medical baseline, to be determined by the board, is a quantity of electricity or gas, as applicable, which quantity is necessary to supply an average of those reasonable energy needs of a medical baseline customer that exceed the reasonable energy needs of an average residential customer. The board may determine the medical baseline using any reasonable methods it determines appropriate, including, but not limited to: universally among all public utilities; separately for each public utility; by geographic location; separately for electric and gas service; using medical baseline customers' individual or categorical needs; or by season. The board is required to review the medical baseline as necessary, but not less than every third calendar year, to ensure its calculation accurately represents the current needs of medical baseline customers in this State and achieves the bill's purposes. The board is to consider certain factors described in the bill when determining or reviewing the medical baseline. A public utility is required to make available an application for residential customers of the public utility to its medical baseline program. An application for the medical baseline program is to include certain information as described in the bill. In addition to the medical baseline discount, a public utility is to provide notifications to a medical baseline customer within a reasonable amount of time in advance of a predicted or planned service outage in the medical baseline customer's service area. A public utility is to provide updates as reasonably available concerning the expected length of the service outage and a timeline for expected restoration. The notifications or updates are required to be provided to a medical baseline customer's preferred method of contact. A public utility is required to publish information about the medical baseline program on its Internet website, including, but not limited to, information about how to request a medical baseline discount. A public utility is also required to include notice of medical baseline program availability with customer communications, including, but not limited to, paper or electronic bills. | In Committee |
| A5359 | Establishes annual fee for sports wagering licensees; directs funds from such fees to Council on Compulsive Gambling and gambling addiction treatment programs. | Under current law, the Division of Gaming Enforcement is authorized to establish by regulations the license issuance and renewal fees for sports wagering licenses. Such fees are currently set at $100,000 annually, with 50 percent of these fees being dedicated to gambling addiction treatment programs. This bill establishes an annual fee to be paid by sports wagering licensees, in addition to license issuance and annual renewal fees. The bill establishes this fee as $250,000, with $140,000 being allocated to the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey and the remaining $110,000 being used for other compulsive gambling treatment programs in this State. | In Committee |
| A5361 | Provides corporation business tax credits and gross income tax credits to employers that hire certain individuals through One-Stop Career Centers. | This bill provides corporation business tax credits and gross income tax credits to employers that employ qualified employees who received employment-related assistance through a One-Stop Career Center. Under the bill, a taxpayer is allowed a tax credit based on the salary and wages paid to each qualified employee during the tax period. However, the bill limits the amount of the tax credit to $3,000 per qualified employee. The bill requires the amount of the tax credit to be prorated for each qualified employee who was not employed by the taxpayer for the entire tax period. The bill also provides that a taxpayer can only claim the tax credit for the salary and wages paid to a qualified employee who has been employed for a minimum period of 90 calendar days. Any amount of any unused tax credit may be carried forward to the seven tax periods following the year for which the tax credit was issued, after which the tax credit expires. As defined in the bill, "qualified employee" means an individual who is employed by a taxpayer in this State, which individual was unemployed for at least 60 calendar days prior to the date of employment by the taxpayer, and which individual has attended all required training services provided through the One-Stop Career Center and achieved an industry valued or nationally recognized credential during the period of unemployment immediately preceding the date of employment by the taxpayer. A "One-Stop Career Center" means any of the facilities established, sponsored, or designated by the State, a political subdivision of the State, and a Workforce Investment Board in a local area to coordinate or make available State and local programs providing employment and training services or other employment-directed and workforce development programs and activities, including job placement services, and any other similar facility as may be established, sponsored, or designated at any later time to coordinate or make available any of those programs, services, or activities. The bill requires the Director of the Division of Taxation to determine the form and manner by which a taxpayer can apply for the tax credit. The director is also required to collaborate with the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, as appropriate, to determine the hiring and employment information to be included by the taxpayer and to confirm that each qualified employee attended all required training services provided through a One-Stop Career Center and achieved an industry valued or nationally recognized credential during the period of unemployment immediately preceding the date of employment by the taxpayer. | In Committee |
| A5363 | Establishes public awareness campaign concerning risks of gambling and resources available to compulsive gamblers; appropriates $200,000. | This bill requires the Director of the Division of Gaming Enforcement to establish a compulsive gambling public awareness campaign to educate the general public on the inherent risks of gambling and the resources available to help compulsive gamblers in the State. Under the bill, the Division of Gaming Enforcement, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, will develop and implement a public awareness campaign on the inherent risks of gambling and the resources available to help compulsive gamblers in the State 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 Director of the Division of Gaming Enforcement will report to the Governor, and to the Legislature, no later than 24 months after the effective date of this bill, on the activities and accomplishments of the public awareness campaign. Finally, the bill appropriates, from the General Fund to the Department of Law and Public Safety $200,000 to develop and implement the public awareness campaign. | In Committee |
| A2145 | Provides employment protections for paid first responders diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder under certain conditions. | This bill establishes employment protections for paid first responders who are diagnosed with certain cases of work-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Under the bill, an employer would be prohibited from discharging, harassing, or otherwise discriminating against an employee, or threatening to do so, with respect to the compensation, terms, conditions, duties, or privileges of employment on the basis that the employee took or requested any leave related to a qualifying diagnosis of PTSD. The bill provides that if an employer violates its provisions, an employee or former employee would be authorized to institute a civil action in the Superior Court for relief. All remedies available in common law tort actions would be available to a prevailing plaintiff. Additionally, the bill provides that a court would be authorized to order any or all of the following relief: (1) an assessment of a civil fine of $5,000 and $10,000 for each subsequent violation; (2) an injunction to restrain the continued violation of any of the provisions of the bill; (3) reinstatement of the employee to the same position or to a position equivalent to that which the employee held prior to unlawful discharge or retaliatory action; (4) reinstatement of full fringe benefits and seniority rights; (5) compensation for any lost wages, benefits and other remuneration; (6) payment of reasonable costs and attorney's fees. | In Committee |
| A2172 | Includes electronic sports event as sports wagering; authorizes electronic sports wagering at certain locations. | Under current law, the Division of Gaming Enforcement is responsible for matters relating to, and arising from, sports wagering agreements, and is the entity responsible for approving the terms of an agreement with an Internet sports pool operator, which is licensed by the division, to operate an online sports pool on behalf of either a casino or a racetrack. This bill ensures that, while allowing sports wagering on electronic sports events, the division maintains its ability to oversee and approve sports wagering agreements involving either a casino or a racetrack, and that, where the agreement involves a racetrack, the New Jersey Racing Commission will be informed of the approval of such agreements. | In Committee |
| A5270 | Dedicates certain wine tax receipts to "Jersey Fresh Program Fund." | This bill dedicates a portion of the revenue collected from the alcoholic beverage excise tax on certain wine sales to the "Jersey Fresh Program Fund." Specifically, the bill requires the State Treasurer to deposit into the Jersey Fresh Program Fund an amount equal to the revenues generated under the alcohol beverage excise tax at the rate of $0.21875 per gallon of wines, vermouth, and sparkling wines sold by plenary winery and farm winery licensees, as defined under State law. This dedication equates to 25 percent of the tax currently imposed on the sales of these alcoholic beverages. In 1984, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture created the first state-sponsored agricultural branding program in the nation, "Jersey Fresh," in order to distinguish the high quality of New Jersey-produced fruits and vegetables from others in the marketplace. The State-sponsored branding program was later expanded to include "Jersey Grown" for nursery crops, "Jersey Seafood" for aquacultured and wild-caught fish and shellfish, "Jersey Equine" for equine livestock, and "Made with Jersey Fresh" for processed food made with New Jersey sourced agricultural products. The Jersey Fresh Program Fund was established by law in 2017 to enable the collection of voluntary contributions for the Jersey Fresh Program through gross income tax returns. Under current law, the Legislature is required to annually appropriate all funds deposited into the Jersey Fresh Program Fund to the Department of Agriculture for the purposes of providing support to the Jersey Fresh Program, which includes, but not be limited to, funding advertising, promotional, and quality grading program activities to inform consumers about the availability of locally grown agricultural products. This bill expands the scope of revenues that are required to be annually deposited into the Jersey Fresh Program Fund to include a portion of revenues generated from the alcoholic beverage excise tax on the sale of wines, vermouth, and sparkling wines by plenary winery and farm winery licensees. Under the bill, the Legislature would also be required to annually appropriate these monies to the Department of Agriculture for the purposes of providing support to the Jersey Fresh Program. | In Committee |
| S3922 | Appropriates $18,518,738 from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues to NJ Historic Trust for grants for certain historic preservation projects and associated administrative expenses. | An Act appropriating $18,518,738 from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax revenues for the purpose of providing grants, as awarded by the New Jersey Historic Trust, for certain historic preservation projects and associated administrative expenses. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| AR154 | Urges Congress to provide for joint session at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in honor of semiquincentennial of Declaration of Independence. | Urges Congress to provide for joint session at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in honor of semiquincentennial of Declaration of Independence. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A3678 | Renames Juvenile Justice Commission as Youth Justice Commission. | Renames Juvenile Justice Commission as Youth Justice Commission. | In Committee |
| A4756 | Prohibits amusement games licensees from offering or advertising gambling activities related to amusement games. | This bill prohibits the holder of an amusement games license from accepting wagers on their premises, or on any amusement game authorized to be played under their amusement games license. The bill also prohibits the holder of an amusement games license from allowing any other party to facilitate such gambling activities on the license holder's property or on games conducted by the license holder, and from advertising any such gambling activities. An amusement games license holder who engages in any conduct prohibited under the terms of the bill would be committing a disorderly persons offense, and could be subject to forfeiture of their amusement games license, as well as the applicable penalties for illegal gambling. | In Committee |
| A3899 | Creates pilot program to provide corporation business tax and gross income tax credits for value of certain fruit and vegetable donations made by commercial farm operators. | Creates pilot program to provide corporation business tax and gross income tax credits for value of certain fruit and vegetable donations made by commercial farm operators. | In Committee |
| A5175 | Reinstates automatic COLAs for retirement benefits of certain PFRS members. | This bill reinstates automatic cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for annual pension, ordinary disability pension, or accidental disability pension retirement benefits for certain members of the Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS). Provisions contained in P.L.2011, c.78 (C.43:3C-16 et al.), signed into law on June 28, 2011, had suspended the automatic annual adjustment for current and future retirees and beneficiaries of PFRS and other State-administered retirement systems until those systems reach a target funded ratio. Decades of underfunding those systems by the State had placed the systems in precarious financial conditions. Although this bill does not reinstate COLAs for other retirees, it serves as the first step in reinstating COLAs for all retirees of the State-administered retirement systems. Through the prioritization of PFRS, the State will begin this process with retired first responders, police and firefighters, to provide them greater financial security and stability at a time when inflation has significantly eroded the value of their retirement benefit payments, which are already based on the lower salaries of years ago. To that end, the bill includes restrictions intended to limit costs and focus on segments among PFRS retirees expected to be most in need of an immediate benefit. Under the bill, members of PFRS will receive automatic COLAs for annual pension, ordinary disability pension, and accidental disability pension benefits if the member has been retired and receiving retirement benefits for a minimum of ten years. Longer-term retirees generally will have lower pension benefits and be less able to obtain employment to offset the erosion of their benefits. Members of PFRS who are hired more than 30 days following the effective date of this act will not be considered eligible to receive these automatic COLAs. Additionally, members who are enrolled in deferred retirement will not be considered eligible for these automatic COLAs, nor will members who retired with 20 or more years of service but less than 25 years of service. The COLAs will only apply to future pension benefit payments. The bill does not provide for retroactive COLAs. The adjustment in eligible members' pension benefits will be calculated based on an amount up to $75,000 of a retiree's benefit for the first year following the enactment of this bill. Eligible members receiving up to $75,000 of pension benefits will receive a COLA tied to the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. This will ensure that greater initial benefits will be provided to those likely to be most in need. The adjustment in eligible member's pension benefits will be limited to one percent if the member receives more than $75,000 in benefits for the first year following the enactment of the bill. After the first calendar year following the enactment of the bill, the $75,000 threshold will be adjusted annually according to the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, except that the adjustment will be calculated at a rate not to exceed three percent. The bill also grants the cost-of-living adjustment to the monthly pension or survivorship benefit of a surviving spouse, child, or beneficiary that is provided by PFRS. Under the bill, if the Board of Trustees of PFRS fails to comply with the provisions of this bill within six months following the effective date, then the State Treasurer will be responsible for implementing the cost-of-living adjustments. The bill requires the Legislature to appropriate monies from the General Fund as necessary to effectuate the cost-of-living adjustments established under the bill that are sufficient to cover both State and local expenses, and to reimburse each PFRS local employer for the full cost incurred. The bill further provides that this appropriation will take precedence over any additional funding added to the annual State budget by the Legislature through non-emergency supplemental appropriations, resolutions or other changes to the Governor's budget message. | In Committee |
| S3969 | Extends economic recovery term under "Municipal Rehabilitation and Economic Recovery Act." | An Act concerning municipal rehabilitation and economic recovery and amending P.L.2002, c.43. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| AR173 | Urges federal government to investigate unidentified drones operating in NJ airspace. | This resolution affirms support for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the program's progress in reducing hunger among vulnerable populations in New Jersey. The resolution urges the United States Congress to reject the proposed federal cuts to SNAP. On May 14, 2025, to achieve a minimum $1.5 trillion cut from the federal budget over a ten year period, the House Agriculture Committee voted in favor of a bill that would reduce up to $300 billion in food aid funding, largely aimed at SNAP. In New Jersey, SNAP is a critical resource for residents, with nearly 850,000 individuals, or nine percent of the total population, relying on the program's benefits to feed their families. A significant number of the households that participate in SNAP include some of the State's most vulnerable members: the elderly, disabled, veterans, and children. The New Jersey General Assembly supports State and federal collaboration to identify programmatic efficiencies within SNAP; however, budgetary cost savings implemented at the expense of striping income-limited children, seniors, and families of safety net food and nutrition services is unconscionable. The General Assembly urges Congress to reject these drastic proposed federal funding reductions, or any subsequent proposals, and to maintain SNAP as an accessible resource for those in need of food assistance. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5120 | Appropriates $18,518,738 from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues to NJ Historic Trust for grants for certain historic preservation projects and associated administrative expenses. | The bill appropriates $18,518,738 to the New Jersey Historic Trust for grants for certain historic preservation projects contained in the bill and associated administrative expenses. The funding in this bill is provided from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax (CBT) revenues pursuant to Article VIII, Section II, paragraph 6 of the State Constitution, approved by the voters of the State in November 2014. The "Preserve New Jersey Act" implements the constitutional dedication of CBT revenues for open space, farmland, and historic preservation. The "Preserve New Jersey Historic Preservation Fund" was established by section 9 of the "Preserve New Jersey Act." The funding contained in this bill will be used by the New Jersey Historic Trust to provide capital preservation grants for 43 projects, totaling $15,031,000 (listed in subsection b. of section 1 of the bill), and historic site management grants, including heritage tourism initiatives, for 34 projects, totaling $1,467,738 (listed in subsection c. of section 1 of the bill). In addition, of the funding, $100,000 will be used by the New Jersey Historic Trust to purchase a historic preservation easement. Lastly, the bill appropriates $1,920,000 to the New Jersey Historic Trust for administrative expenses incurred in the implementation of the "Preserve New Jersey Act." Capital preservation grants fund the restoration, preservation, repair, and rehabilitation of historic sites for new or continued use by nonprofit organizations or local governments. There are three levels of capital preservation grants: Level I grants of $5,000 to $150,000; Level II grants of $150,001 to $750,000; and Multi-Phase Level II grants range of $500,000 to $750,000. Historic site management grants help fund preservation planning projects, such as condition assessments, historic structure reports, archaeological investigations, construction documents, and heritage tourism initiatives to improve visitors' experiences at historic sites. All of the grants require a match from the recipient. All of the properties are listed or eligible to be listed in the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places, either individually or within designated historic districts. The projects listed in this bill have been approved by the New Jersey Historic Trust and the Garden State Preservation Trust. The bill also provides that any transfer of any funds to another project, or change in project sponsor, site, or type, listed in the bill would require the approval of the Joint Budget Oversight Committee. The bill further provides that, to the extent there are funds remaining after the projects listed in this bill are offered funding, the New Jersey Historic Trust, with the approval of the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, may use those funds to provide additional funding for historic preservation projects, provided those projects were previously approved for funding pursuant to various other laws or approved for funding pursuant to this bill. | In Committee |
| A5126 | Extends economic recovery term under "Municipal Rehabilitation and Economic Recovery Act." | This bill would extend the economic recovery term under the "Municipal Rehabilitation and Economic Recovery Act," P.L.2002, c.43 (C.52:27BBB-1 et al.) (MRERA), by five years. This would extend the special governing procedures, economic benefits, and additional oversight measures provided for a qualified municipality under the MRERA. Based upon the continuing unique fiscal distress facing the City of Camden, it is evident that a longer economic recovery term is necessary to achieving the fiscal stability and economic revitalization goals of the MRERA. | In Committee |
| SJR103 | Declares NJ "Purple Heart State." | This resolution declares New Jersey a "Purple Heart State." New Jersey veterans and active duty military members have fought selflessly to preserve our nation's freedom, with many being wounded or killed while in the line of duty. The Purple Heart Medal is awarded in the name of the President to veterans and active duty military members who have been wounded or killed while serving in our nation's Armed Forces. The recipients of the Purple Heart Medal deserve recognition and honor for the bravery that recipients have shown while serving our nation. Three states, including West Virginia, Virginia, and Washington, are declared "Purple Heart States." Parts of 45 states are part of the "Purple Heart Trail," a symbolic and honorary system of roads, highways, bridges and other monuments that give tribute to the veterans and active duty military members who have been awarded the Purple Heart Medal. New Jersey has multiple counties, cities, and locations that are part of the "Purple Heart Trail." The "Purple Heart Trail" was established at the 1992 Military Order of the Purple Heart convention, which was held in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Declaring New Jersey a "Purple Heart State" honors the contributions and sacrifices of the New Jersey service members who have received the Purple Heart Medal. Purple Heart Medal recipients from the State have been vital in maintaining the freedoms and way of life enjoyed by the State's citizens. The people of New Jersey have great respect, admiration, and the utmost gratitude for all of the service members who have selflessly served our country and the State. Therefore, it is altogether fitting and proper to declare New Jersey a "Purple Heart State." Declares NJ "Purple Heart State." | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| SJR71 | Designates first week of May of each year as Wounded Warrior Appreciation Week. | This joint resolution designates the first full week of May of each year as Wounded Warrior Appreciation Week in New Jersey. With advancements in battlefield medicine and body armor, an unprecedented percentage of military service members are surviving severe wounds and injures in the service of the United States. It is estimated that during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, over 48,000 servicemen and women were physically injured. In addition to the physical wounds, it is estimated that as many as 400,000 service members live with the invisible wounds of war including combat-related stress, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, with another 320,000 believed to have experienced a traumatic brain injury while on deployment. This State should honor and empower all wounded warriors, encouraging them in their adjustment to civilian life and achievement of their goals. Designates first week of May of each year as Wounded Warrior Appreciation Week. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4208 | Eliminates five-year residency requirement for employees of NJ Racing Commission. | Current law provides that employees of the New Jersey Racing Commission must have been residents of the State for a minimum of five years prior to employment. This bill eliminates this requirement for New Jersey Racing Commission employees. | In Committee |
| A2191 | Establishes "Remote Methadone Dosing Pilot Program;" appropriates $225,000. | This bill establishes the Remote Methadone Dosing Pilot Program in the Department of Human Services (DHS). The goal of the program will be: to increase the compliance of, and reduce the costs of providing, medication assisted treatment provided by participating opioid treatment programs (OTP) through the use of remote methadone dosing; to evaluate the effect remote methadone dosing has on patient outcomes and cost-savings in the treatment of opioid use disorder; and to develop any recommendations for legislative or regulatory action concerning whether remote methadone dosing should be implemented in opioid treatment programs in this State. The bill defines "remote methadone dosing" to mean the use of telehealth and telemedicine to remotely monitor a patient's methadone-based treatment, which treatment is administered in the form of take-home doses of methadone. Under this bill, the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the DHS will select one OTP each from the cities of Atlantic City, Camden, and Paterson to participate in the program. In accordance with applicable federal and State laws and when clinically appropriate, each OTP participating in the pilot program will be authorized to utilize remote methadone dosing to treat a patient who is receiving methadone-based treatment and is eligible to receive take-home doses of methadone. In treating patients using remote methadone dosing, participating OTPs will utilize a provider of an online-enabled technology application, service, website, or system that facilitates remote methadone dosing approved by the department. Under no circumstances will the State or an opioid treatment program require that a patient participate in the pilot program. Each participating OTP will be required to annually report to the department information on patient outcomes and cost-savings as a result of the pilot program, including information on: the number of patients treated using remote methadone dosing; treatment compliance; the average time each patient spends being treated using remote methadone dosing; patient retention; any realized reduction in medical transportation costs; and any other information the department deems relevant in evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program. The bill requires DHS, no later than four years after the date the program is established, to prepare and submit to the Governor and Legislature a report that includes: an analysis on the impact of the pilot program on patient outcomes and cost-savings using the information received from participating OTPs; any recommendations for legislative or regulatory action concerning the potential expansion of remote methadone dosing in OTPs in this State; and any other information the department deems relevant in evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program The bill is appropriates $225,000 from the General Fund to the DHS. The department will then issue a grant in the amount of $75,000 to each participating OTP to effectuate the provisions of the bill. | In Committee |
| A3897 | Requires municipalities, counties, and school districts to report cybersecurity incidents. | Requires municipalities, counties, and school districts to report cybersecurity incidents. | In Committee |
| AR165 | Urges President and Congress of United States to enact federal legislation providing proportional property tax relief for honorably discharged veterans having a service-connected permanent disability. | This resolution urges the President and Congress of the United States to enact federal legislation to provide proportional property tax relief for honorably discharged veterans having a service-connected permanent disability. The United States of America and the State of New Jersey are forever grateful to the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces of the United States and who sacrifice their lives to protect the freedoms enjoyed by all citizens of this nation. However, in the course of their selfless sacrifice for this nation, many veterans unfortunately experience permanent disabilities that can limit their ability to support themselves and their families. In recognition of the sacrifice and service of these veterans, it is the responsibility of the federal government to ensure that veterans with service-connected disabilities receive the benefits necessary to enjoy a stable quality of life, without the fear of suffering catastrophic financial hardship. While the State of New Jersey currently provides crucial tax relief to these veterans in the form of a total property tax exemption for veterans with 100 percent service-connected disabilities, this assistance is unfortunately unavailable to veterans who live with similar disabilities in other states. To ensure that all veterans throughout the country receive property tax relief commensurate with the severity of their disabilities, there is an urgent need for the federal government to enact legislation to provide proportional property tax relief for honorably discharged veterans having a service-connected permanent disability. The provision of proportional property tax relief would entitle veterans with a service-connected disability to an annual property tax benefit based on a designated percentage of the property taxes paid by the veteran, as determined by the veteran's disability rating assigned by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. However, to ensure that these benefits target the veterans most in need of assistance, this proportional property tax relief should be limited to those veterans with annual income up to $200,000, and the federal benefits should only be provided for the principal residences of eligible veterans. In providing this proportional property tax relief, the federal government would honor its duty and obligation to support the selfless men and women who sacrificed their well-being for the betterment of this great nation. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| AJR25 | Designates first week of May of each year as Wounded Warrior Appreciation Week. | This joint resolution designates the first full week of May of each year as Wounded Warrior Appreciation Week in New Jersey. With advancements in battlefield medicine and body armor, an unprecedented percentage of military service members are surviving severe wounds and injures in the service of the United States. It is estimated that during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, over 48,000 servicemen and women were physically injured. In addition to the physical wounds, it is estimated that as many as 400,000 service members live with the invisible wounds of war including combat-related stress, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, with another 320,000 believed to have experienced a traumatic brain injury while on deployment. This State should honor and empower all wounded warriors, encouraging them in their adjustment to civilian life and achievement of their goals. | In Committee |
| AJR60 | Declares NJ "Purple Heart State." | This resolution declares New Jersey a "Purple Heart State." New Jersey veterans and active duty military members have fought selflessly to preserve our nation's freedom, with many being wounded or killed while in the line of duty. The Purple Heart Medal is awarded in the name of the President to veterans and active duty military members who have been wounded or killed while serving in our nation's Armed Forces. The recipients of the Purple Heart Medal deserve recognition and honor for the bravery that recipients have shown while serving our nation. Three states, including West Virginia, Virginia, and Washington, are declared "Purple Heart States." Parts of 45 states are part of the "Purple Heart Trail," a symbolic and honorary system of roads, highways, bridges and other monuments that give tribute to the veterans and active duty military members who have been awarded the Purple Heart Medal. New Jersey has multiple counties, cities, and locations that are part of the "Purple Heart Trail." The "Purple Heart Trail" was established at the 1992 Military Order of the Purple Heart convention, which was held in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Declaring New Jersey a "Purple Heart State" honors the contributions and sacrifices of the New Jersey service members who have received the Purple Heart Medal. Purple Heart Medal recipients from the State have been vital in maintaining the freedoms and way of life enjoyed by the State's citizens. The people of New Jersey have great respect, admiration, and the utmost gratitude for all of the service members who have selflessly served our country and the State. Therefore, it is altogether fitting and proper to declare New Jersey a "Purple Heart State." | In Committee |
| A4987 | Establishes protections for immigrants interacting with government agencies; designates "New Jersey Immigrant Trust Act." | This bill creates a uniform code for State and local government entities, as well as health care facilities, regarding the use of resources to aid federal immigration law enforcement, and designates the "New Jersey Immigrant Trust Act." Under the bill, the definition of government entities includes any of the principal departments of the executive branch of State government and any parts or creations thereof, any independent State authority, commission, instrumentality or agency, including any public institution of higher education. The bill's definition also includes political subdivisions of the State and combinations of political subdivisions, independent authorities, commissions, instrumentalities and agencies created by a political subdivision or combination of political subdivisions. Under the bill, government entities and healthcare facilities are prohibited from collecting certain personal and identifying information unless it is strictly necessary for program or service administration. Any record resulting from that collection, whether written or oral, would not be a government record under the "Open Public Records Act" unless an election agency requires it to ascertain the eligibility of a candidate when citizenship is required for an elected office. Any record also shall not be disclosed except as required to administer benefits or services pursuant to State or federal law, or valid court order or warrant, issued by a federal Article III judge or magistrate or the State equivalent. The bill provides that the prohibition on sharing information may be waived if the subject of the record or information provides written consent in that person's preferred language. The written consent shall include the following: (1) the exact record or information to be shared; (2) the purpose for sharing the record or information; (3) a statement clarifying that consent is voluntary and declining to consent shall not result in discrimination or retaliation by the government entity; (4) a statement clarifying that consent may be revoked, but that revocation does not impact a record or information already shared via prior written consent provided pursuant to this section; and (5) the person or agency to receive the record or information. The bill requires government entities to review their confidentiality policies, guidance and recommendations to identify any changes necessary to ensure compliance with the provisions of the bill and make any changes as expeditiously as possible, but no later than one year after the bill becomes effective. The bill also requires these entities to share their policies prominently on their Internet websites. This bill also requires the Attorney General, in consultation with the Public Defender, to prepare a written notice explaining in plain language the provisions of section 6 of the bill. Section 6 of the bill details the prohibition of certain actions by law enforcement. The bill requires the notice and all translations to be posted to the Internet website of the Department of Law and Public Safety and to be considered vital documents pursuant to P.L.2023, c.263 (C.52:14-40 et seq.). The Attorney General is also required to consult with stakeholders serving or representing immigrant communities in the development of standardized training and guidance for law enforcement to comply with the bill's provisions. The AG also shall provide mandatory training to all State, county and local law enforcement agencies within one year of the bill's effective date. Any newly sworn officer is required to complete this training within a year of the officer's appointment. The Department of Human Services is required to consult with stakeholders serving or representing immigrant communities to develop and lead a multilingual campaign to promote public awareness of the bill's requirements for law enforcement agencies. As part of the awareness campaign, DHS is required to publish the text of section 6 of the bill's provisions and a plain language summary and explanation of those requirements on its Internet website within 180 days of the bill's enactment. Under the bill, the Attorney General is also required to consult with other government entities and stakeholders in the development of model policies for sensitive locations. These locations include health care facilities, public schools, public libraries, shelters, and any other locations deemed appropriate by the Attorney General to ensure that eligible individuals are not deterred from seeking services or engaging with government entities. The model policies prohibit the request or collection of certain information regarding a person's immigration status, place of birth or taxpayer identification except to determine eligibility for services or program benefits. The model policies prohibit assistance or participation of immigration enforcement, and prohibit the permission of immigration enforcement on entity premises that are not open without restriction to the general public. The Attorney General is required to publish the model policies on the Internet website of the Department of Law and Public Safety. The bill requires government entities with authority to regulate sensitive places to adopt the model policies within 180 days of issuance by the Attorney General's office and encourages facilities not regulated by government entities to adopt the policies. The bill prohibits certain actions by law enforcement. Specifically, State, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies and officials shall not: (1) stop, question, arrest, search, or detain any individual based on actual or suspected citizenship or immigration status, or actual or suspected violations of federal civil immigration law; (2) inquire about an individual's immigration status, citizenship, place of birth, or eligibility for a social security number; (3) make an arrest, detain, or prolong the detention of an individual based on civil immigration warrants; (4) use agency or department moneys, facilities, property, equipment, or personnel to investigate, enforce, or assist in the investigation or enforcement of any federal program requiring registration of individuals on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, immigration status, citizenship, or national or ethnic origin; or (5) make agency or department databases available to anyone or any entity for the purpose of immigration enforcement or investigation or enforcement of any federal program requiring registration of individuals on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, immigration status, citizenship, or national or ethnic origin. The bill nullifies any agreement, policy or practice in place that is in conflict with this clause. Law enforcement agencies in the State are also prohibited from: (1) participating in civil immigration enforcement operations; (2) providing to federal immigration authorities any information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular person; (3) providing access to any State, county, or municipal law enforcement equipment, office space, database, or property; (4) providing access to a detained individual for an interview; (5) facilitating or complying with immigration detainers, notification requests, and transfer requests from federal immigration authorities; (6) continuing to detain a person past the time the person would otherwise be eligible for release from custody based solely on an immigration detainer or civil immigration warrant; (7) entering into, modifying, renewing, or extending any agreement to exercise federal immigration authority or conduct immigration enforcement pursuant to section 287(g) of Title 8 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. §1357(g), or otherwise exercising federal civil immigration authority or conducting immigration enforcement outside of the purview of 287(g) of Title 8 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. §1357(g); or (8) providing or sharing funds, property, equipment, personnel, or access to facilities or real property not open to the general public for purposes of engaging in, assisting, supporting, or facilitating immigration enforcement. The bill provides that violations of the prohibitions on police conduct in the bill would be enforceable under the "New Jersey Civil Rights Act," P.L.2004, c.143. If an agency or law enforcement official intends to comply with an immigration detainer, notification request, civil immigration warrant, or transfer request concerning a person in custody, a written explanation specifying the legal basis for that action is required to be given to the person is custody. Lastly, the bill requires each State, county, and municipal law enforcement agency to submit to the Attorney General a report that includes: (1) the number of detainer requests, transfer requests, and notification requests made by immigration authorities, and the responses of the State, county, or municipal law enforcement agency. For any request that was granted, the report shall specify any legal basis for granting that request; (2) the number of interviews requested and the number of interviews conducted, either in person or telephonically, by immigration authorities of people in State, county, or municipal law enforcement custody. For each interview conducted, the report shall specify any legal basis for granting the interview; (3) any other requests made by immigration authorities for the agency's participation in immigration enforcement, the responses of the State, county, or municipal law enforcement agency, and the legal basis for granting the request; and (4) to the extent the law enforcement agency has knowledge, any information about State, county, and municipal databases to which immigration authorities have had access to at any time in the course of the year, including: the name of the database; an overview of information available on the database; the purpose for which immigration authorities have access to this database; the process through which immigration authorities requested access and agencies reviewed this request, if applicable; any legal basis for providing immigration authorities access to the database; and the frequency with which immigration authorities accessed the database over the course of the year. Law enforcement agencies have 180 days after the effective date of the bill to produce the first report and must then annually submit a report within 30 days of the end of the State's fiscal year. The Attorney General is initially required to publish the report on the office's website within 90 days of receipt, and then within 90 days of the end of the fiscal year thereafter. The Attorney General is also required to annually submit to the Governor and Legislature a report on each law enforcement agency's compliance with the provisions of this act. | In Committee |
| A2141 | Requires certain supermarkets, grocery stores, and food suppliers to donate food under certain circumstances. | This bill requires certain supermarkets, grocery stores, and food suppliers to donate food under certain circumstances. Under the bill, a supermarket, grocery store, or food supplier is to make a reasonable effort to donate all food that is fit for human consumption, but which would otherwise be discarded in the normal course of business by the supermarket, grocery store, or food supplier, to a food bank, a nonprofit organization, or to any person. The bill defines "supermarket or grocery store" to mean a retail outlet operating in a closed structure with an area greater than 16,000 square feet, of which at least 90 percent is occupied by food and related products. | In Committee |
| A2138 | Requires DMVA to develop mobile application to provide guidance on available resources to veterans and their families. | This bill requires the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) to develop a mobile application for veterans and their families. The mobile application will be a resource guide and will provide veterans and their families with information related to veterans' legal rights, medical and insurance issues, education, housing, the transition from active to civilian life. The guide should have substantially the same information as available on the DMVA website, A Resource Guide for New Jersey's Military, Veterans and Families, and New Jersey Veterans Benefits Guide. Making these resources available through a mobile application will provide veterans with an additional avenue to access DMVA resources. The content on mobile applications generally loads faster than websites, and mobile applications are easier to use than websites and will provide veterans with a better user experience. | In Committee |
| A2180 | Permits certain persons to operate Type S school buses. | An Act concerning school transportation, amending P.L.2015, c.268 (C.18A:39-20.1). | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| 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 |
| A2163 | Requires DMVA notify certain veteran organizations and county officers and municipal registers of names of persons buried or cremated in State veteran cemeteries. | This bill requires the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to provide a monthly report to veteran organizations, county officers, and municipal registers of the names of persons buried or cremated in State veteran cemeteries the previous month. The bill also requires that a representative of the person buried or cremated in a State veteran cemetery sign a waiver before the information may be released. The department may transmit and receive the reports and waivers electronically. The monthly reports and waivers will be confidential and not subject to the law commonly referred to as the open public records act. Veteran organization means a veteran organization that qualifies as a section 501(c)(3) or a 501(c)(19) tax-exempt organization under the Internal Revenue Code, or a federally chartered Veterans' Service Organization. | Crossed Over |
| A4313 | Requires Division of Travel and Tourism develop and maintain Internet website on historic sites, districts, and roadside markers. | This bill requires the Division of Travel and Tourism in the Department of State to develop and maintain an Internet website for historic sites and historic districts, including, but not limited to, the New Jersey program on historical and cultural roadside markers. Under the bill, the division would develop and maintain an interactive website providing information on the historic sites or historic districts throughout the State. The bill requires the division to update the website whenever a site or district is added to the program or whenever a governmental entity establishes a new historic site or district. | Crossed Over |
| A2158 | Requires institutions of higher education and government employers to provide certain students and employees with information about Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. | This bill requires institutions of higher education and government employers to provide information to certain students and employees, as applicable, concerning the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The PSLF program is an initiative run by the United States Department of Education which offers student loan forgiveness to individuals who have spent ten years working full time in the public service sector. This bill aims at increasing awareness of the PSLF program for students and employees who may qualify for loan forgiveness under the program. Under this bill, institutions of higher education will be required to provide all students who have outstanding federal student loan debt with information about the PSLF program. This information will be distributed at two points - once during the second-to-last academic semester of a student's program of study, and once during the academic semester in which a student is scheduled to graduate from the institution. Any employer within the State of New Jersey that is considered a qualifying government employer under the PSLF program will be required to provide employees with information about the PSLF program. Employees hired after the date of enactment of this bill will be provided with the information during the explanation of benefits at the beginning of employment. The United States Department of Education advises an annual submission of the PSLF application, therefore employers will also be required to provide employees with information about the PSLF program at least once per calendar year. The information provided to students and employees will include notification of potential eligibility for the PSLF program, provide the Internet address for the PSLF program, and explain the eligibility requirements for the PSLF program pursuant to federal law, 20 U.S.C. s.1087e. With respect to the bill's requirements for government employers, any information about the employer necessary for the employee to fill out the PSLF program application will also be provided to the employees. The information about the PSLF program may be distributed in writing electronically, by regular mail, or in person. The executive director of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority and Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development will develop a model format for the information. | Crossed Over |
| S3455 | Provides for automatic renewal of off-track wagering licenses. | Provides for automatic renewal of off-track wagering licenses. | Vetoed |
| 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 |
| A2243 | Allows gross income tax credit for certain child care staff and registered family day care providers. | This bill allows a gross income tax credit for staff members employed by a licensed child care provider who directly supervises children and for registered family day care providers who, as applicable, have been employed by a child care provider or worked as a registered family day care provider for a continuous six month period during the taxable year. The credit amount varies depending on the staff member's or registered family day care provider's income: (1) for incomes of less than $25,000, the amount of the credit will be equal to $1,000 for providing child care services to children 30 months of age or older, and $1,500 for providing child care services to children from birth to the age of 30 months; (2) for incomes between $25,000 and $35,000, the amount of the credit will be equal to $750 for providing child care services to children 30 months of age or older, and $1,000 for providing child care services to children from birth to the age of 30 months; and (3) for incomes between $35,001 and $45,000, the amount of the credit will be equal to $500 for providing child care services to children 30 months of age or older, and $750 for providing child care services to children from birth to the age of 30 months. For staff members working for a child care provider who directly supervise children and for registered family day care providers who provide child care services to children from birth to the age of 30 months, the tax credit will only apply if the staff member or family day care provider spends at least 50 percent of the staff member's or family day care provider's employment time providing such services. For staff members and registered family day care providers with less than $45,000 of gross income, the credit is refundable: if the staff member or provider has no tax liability to against which the credit may be applied, the staff member or provider will receive the remaining credit amount from the State in cash. For a staff member or provider with an income of $45,000, any remaining credit may be carried forward to the next taxable year, but may not be carried forward beyond that. The credit allowed by this bill cannot be taken into account as income or receipts for the purposes of determining the eligibility of a taxpayer for benefits or assistance or for the purposes of determining the amount or extent of benefits or assistance under any State benefits or assistance program, including programs financed in whole or in part with federal funds. | In Committee |
| A3060 | Permits designation of special event zones for traffic regulation purposes during certain large events. | This bill permits the designation of "special event zones" for the purpose of regulating traffic during certain "special events," which the bill defines as any automotive or motor vehicle events occurring on or near a roadway, which events either have been approved by the county or municipality in which the event is located, or are expected to have 25 or more persons in attendance. When a special event occurs, or is expected to occur, on any roadway under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation (DOT), the bill permits the Commissioner of Transportation to designate all or part of the roadway, including any parking structures or other property located within the designated area, as a special event zone. Similarly, when a special event occurs, or is expected to occur, on a roadway under the jurisdiction of a county or municipality, the county or municipality may also designate the area as a special event zone. In either case, the special event zone would remain in effect for the duration of the special event, and including a reasonable period of time before and after the special event. While the special event zone remains in effect, the DOT, municipality, or county, as applicable, would be required to maintain appropriate signage on or along the special event zone. Under the bill, certain traffic regulations would be altered within the special event zone while the zone remains in effect, including: (1) an allowance for the DOT, county, or municipality, as applicable, to reduce the established speed limitations, as such reductions are deemed necessary to ensure public safety; and (2) the prohibition of "exhibition driving," which the bill defines to include certain forms of disruptive or erratic driving; and (3) the imposition of increased penalties for certain traffic offenses. Specifically, the bill provides that a person would be subject to a fine not exceeding $1,000 after committing the following traffic offenses within a special event zone: (1) operating a motor vehicle in excess of the posted speed limitation; (2) careless driving; and (3) operating a motor vehicle for a wager, in a race, or for the purposes of making a speed record. Additionally, a person who engages in exhibition driving or reckless driving within a special event zone would be subject to a fine not exceeding $1,000, a term of imprisonment of up to 60 days, or both. Under current law, the Commissioner of Transportation is required to approve certain types of local traffic regulations before those regulations may take effect. Under the bill, the designation of a special event zone by a county or municipal would take effect without requiring the approval of the commissioner. | Crossed Over |
| A4688 | Requires MVC to utilize legal name including roman numerals on certain documents issued by MVC. | This bill requires the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) to permit an individual whose legal name includes a roman numeral to have the individual's legal name, including the roman numeral, displayed on the individual's standard basic driver's license; standard motorcycle license; standard special learner's permit; standard examination permit; standard probationary driver's license; standard identification card; REAL ID basic driver's license; REAL ID motorcycle license; REAL ID probationary driver's license; REAL ID identification card; or commercial driver license, provided that the individual has provided the commission with the required documentation to obtain such documents. As defined in the bill, "legal name" means the name recorded on a birth certificate unless otherwise changed by marriage, divorce, or order of court. | In Committee |
| A4741 | Requires controller or processor to de-identify personal data and prohibits re-identification of de-identified data. | This bill amends current law on the sale or processing of personal data to provide that a controller or processor of personal data is required to de-identify personal data before sale. The bill also prohibits a controller or processor from (1) re-identifying de-identified data before or after the sale of personal data that has been previously de-identified; (2) providing a third party the means to re-identify personal data after the sale of de-identified data to the third party; or (3) engaging a third party to re-identify de-identified data before or after the sale of the de-identified data. Pursuant to the bill, "re-identify" means to link de-identified data to an identified or identifiable individual, or a device linked to such an individual. The bill requires the Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs (director) in the Department of Law and Public Safety to establish standards for the de-identification of personal data. The bill also permits the director to allow exceptions to the requirements of de-identification or prohibitions on re-identification, provided that: (1) the director expects any exception to benefit the public; and (2) any exception is limited to the purpose of medical studies or the purpose of preventing or alleviating environmental hazards. | In Committee |
| S2876 | Designates State Highway Route 42 and Interstate Highway Route 295 interchange as "Ensign John R. Elliott Memorial Interchange." | An Act designating the interchange between State Highway Route 42 and Interstate Highway Route 295 as the "Ensign John R. Elliott Memorial Interchange." | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4127 | Designates State Highway Route 42 and Interstate Highway Route 295 interchange as "Ensign John R. Elliott Memorial Interchange." | Designates State Highway Route 42 and Interstate Highway Route 295 interchange as "Ensign John R. Elliott Memorial Interchange." | In Committee |
| S1446 | Modifies down payment assistance program for benefit of first-generation and first-time homebuyers; makes an appropriation. | An Act concerning housing assistance for certain homebuyers and amending P.L.2023, c.78. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| 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 |
| A4597 | Provides for automatic renewal of off-track wagering licenses. | Provides for automatic renewal of off-track wagering licenses. | In Committee |
| A2824 | Modifies down payment assistance program for benefit of first-generation and first-time homebuyers. | Modifies down payment assistance program for benefit of first-generation and first-time homebuyers. | In Committee |
| A4656 | Secures protections for patients and providers accessing and providing legally protected health care activities; establishes right of residents to legally protected health care services, which are restricted in other states. | This bill establishes certain protections for individuals seeking abortion or gender-affirming health care services, as well as certain protections for professionals who provided abortion-related health care services. Crime: Interference with Reproductive or Gender-Affirming Health Services This bill creates the new crime of "interference with reproductive or gender-affirming health services." A person is guilty of the crime if the person purposely or knowingly, with the purpose to unlawfully restrict another's access to or receipt or provision of reproductive or gender-affirming health care services or to intimidate the person from becoming or remaining a reproductive or gender-affirming health care services patient, provider, volunteer or assistant: (1) inflicts or attempts to inflict bodily injury; (2) obstructs any person seeking to enter into or exit from a reproductive or gender-affirming health care services facility; (3) intimidates, threatens, or coerces, or attempts to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, any person or entity because that person or entity is a reproductive or gender-affirming health care services patient, provider, volunteer, or assistant; (4) damages, defaces, or destroys the property of a person, entity, or facility, or attempts to do so, because the person, entity, or facility is a reproductive or gender-affirming health care service patient, provider, assistant, volunteer, or facility; (5) videotapes, films, photographs, or records by electronic means, within 100 feet of the entrance to a reproductive or gender-affirming health care services facility, a patient, provider, volunteer, or assistant without that person's consent; or (6) discloses or distributes a videotape, film, photograph, or recording of the person. Interference with reproductive or gender-affirming health care services is a crime of the fourth degree, but is a crime of the second degree if the victim suffers significant or serious bodily injury. Further, interference with reproductive or gender-affirming health care services is a disorderly persons offense if the act would cause a reasonable person to suffer: (1) damage to the victim's business or personal reputation; (2) financial harm; or (3) pain and suffering, mental anguish, or emotional harm. A crime of the fourth degree is punishable by up to 18 months imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. A crime of the second degree is punishable by five to ten years imprisonment, a fine of up to $150,000, or both. A disorderly persons offense is a punishable by up to six months imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. Civil Action: Interference with Reproductive or gender-affirming Health Services The bill also authorizes a person to bring a civil action against a person who unlawfully interferes with another person's reproductive or gender-affirming health care services. Under the bill, a court may award: (1) injunctive relief; (2) compensatory damages in an amount not less than liquidated damages computed at the rate of $1,000 for each violation; (3) punitive damages upon proof of willful or reckless disregard of the law; (4) reasonable attorney's fees and other litigation costs; and (5) any other preliminary and equitable relief as the court determines to be appropriate. Under the bill, the Attorney General may bring a civil action to enjoin a violation of the law, for compensatory damages, and for the assessment of a civil penalty against each person who violates the law. The civil penalty imposed on each actor will be up to, but not exceed, $10,000 for a first violation, and $25,000 for any subsequent violation. Dispersal of Gatherings The bill authorized any law enforcement officer to order the immediate dispersal of a gathering that substantially impedes access to or departure from an entrance or driveway to a reproductive or gender-affirming health care facility during the business hours of the facility. Failure to comply with an order to disperse issued by the Attorney General or a law enforcement officer is a disorderly persons offense. A disorderly persons offense is punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. Licensing Boards The bill prohibits a board from imposing any additional or alternative penalties, in accordance with N.J.S.A.34:1-22, on the holder of a certificate, registration, or license based solely on the holder providing, authorizing, participating, referring to, or assisting with any health care, medical service, or procedure related to an abortion for a person who resides in a jurisdiction where the provision, authorization, participation, referral, or assistance is illegal. Applicability of Laws of Other States The bill establishes that a law of another state that authorized a person or government entity to bring a prosecution, civil action, or any other legal action to deter, prevent, sanction, or punish any person engaging, aiding, or assisting in providing or prescribing any legally protected health care activity is against the public policy of this State. Further, such laws of another state are prohibited from being applied to any matter, case, or controversy heard in a State court or in an administrative tribunal of this State. The prohibition does not apply to an action founded in tort, contract, or statute under the laws of this State, or an action founded in tort, contract, or statute under the similar laws of another state. This includes, but is not limited to, an alleged act of malpractice or negligence by a person in the person's profession or occupation. Protection of Patient Information This bill updates P.L.2022, c.51 to provide a definition of "legally protected health care activity" and "gender-affirming health care services." P.L.2022, c.51 provides certain protections with respect to the disclosure of patient information relating to reproductive health care services, as well as protecting access to health care, medical services, and procedures related to an abortion for persons who come to this State from jurisdictions in which these actions are illegal. The bill provides that in any civil action or other proceeding preliminary thereto, a medical provider or other covered entity, as described under federal law concerning medical privacy and security, is barred from disclosing the following communications or information, unless the patient or patient's conservator, guardian, or other authorized legal representative explicitly consented in writing to the disclosure: (1) any communication made to the covered entity, or any information obtained by the covered entity from, a patient or the conservator, guardian, or other authorized legal representative of a patient relating to legally protected health care activity; or (2) any information obtained by personal examination of a patient relating to legally protected health care activity that is permitted under the laws of this State. Additionally, under the bill, a public entity of this State or employee, appointee, officer or official or any other person acting on behalf of a public entity would be prohibited from providing any information, or expending or using time, money, facilities, property, equipment, personnel or other resources in furtherance of any interstate investigation or proceeding seeking to impose civil or criminal liability upon a person or entity for: (1) the provision, receipt, or seeking of, or inquiring or responding to an inquiry about legally protected health care activity that is legal in this State; or (2) assisting, advising, aiding, abetting, facilitating, soliciting, or conspiring with any person or entity providing, receiving, seeking, or inquiring or responding to an inquiry about legally protected health care activity that is legal in this State. Extradition This bill updates N.J.S.A.2A:160-14.1 to prevent a person from being extradited to another state under certain circumstances related to "legally protected health care activity." Under current law, N.J.S.A.2A:160-14.1 prevents extradition as it relates to "reproductive health care services." Under the bill, "Legally protected health care activity" is defined as activity providing, seeking, receiving, assisting with, or inquiring about reproductive health care services or gender-affirming health care services that are lawful in this State, regardless of the patient's location. Relatedly, the bill also defines "gender-affirming health care services" to mean all supplies, care, and services of a medical, behavioral health, mental health, surgical, psychiatric, therapeutic, diagnostic, preventative, rehabilitative, or supportive nature, including medication, relating to the treatment of gender dysphoria and gender incongruence. "Gender-affirming health care services" does not include sexual orientation change efforts as defined by N.J.S.A.45:1-55. In Vitro Fertilization Protections This bill strengthens reproductive health care freedom in New Jersey by specifying that: every individual present in this State, including, but not limited to, an individual who is under State control or supervision, shall have the fundamental right to choose whether to use assisted reproductive technology (ART), including, but not limited to in vitro fertilization (IVF); and a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus shall not have independent rights under any of the laws of the State. Medicolegal Investigations This bill removes the requirement that a medical examiner conduct a medicolegal investigation of a death in the State related to a fetal death occurring without medical attendance. This provisions seeks to ensure that a woman who has a miscarriage or fetal complications is not investigated or the fetal death criminalized. Repealers The bill repeals the following statutes, which have either been obviated by court decision or would be obviated by this bill: (1) N.J.S.A.2A:65A-5 through N.J.S.A.2A:65A-7 (banned partial birth abortions); (2) N.J.S.A.9:17A-1.1 through N.J.S.A.9:17A-1.12 (required parental notification for minors' abortion); (3) N.J.S.A.30:4D-6.1 (barred Medicaid payment for abortion except where necessary to save the woman's life). | 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 |
| A2258 | Creates Code Red alert pilot program to shelter at-risk individuals during certain hot weather and air quality events. | Creates Code Red alert pilot program to shelter at-risk individuals during certain hot weather and air quality events. | In Committee |
| A4483 | "Cancer Patient Care and Compassion Act." | This bill, to be known as the "Cancer Patient Care and Compassion Act," provides certain protections for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer patients. The bill: 1. Requires health insurance carriers (including health service corporations, hospital service corporations, medical service corporations, commercial individual and group health insurers, and health maintenance organizations), entities contracted to administer health benefits in connection with the State Health Benefits Program and School Employees' Health Benefits Program, and the NJ FamilyCares/Medicaid program to provide coverage for individuals diagnosed with cancer and with a prognosis that is deemed Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal (1) parenteral treatment of the cancer; (2) survivorship care plan, including follow-up appointments; and (3) any other service or item as determined by the regulators of each type of carrier or contract. Under the bill, "parenteral treatment" means the intravenous, intra-arterial, intraperitoneal, or intrathecal administration of nutrition or medication bypassing the gastrointestinal system and "survivorship care plan" means a plan for an individual with cancer from diagnosis through the end of life that focuses on the health and well-being of the individual. This includes, but is not limited to, side effects from treatment, cancer recurrence, and quality of life. Any cost-sharing or copayment or coinsurance that may be required for coverage will not apply. 2. Prohibits residential mortgage lenders from providing a notice of intention to a residential mortgage debtor undergoing treatment for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer. Under the bill, a residential mortgage lender shall ensure, before sending a notice of intention to cure a default on a mortgage debtor's residential mortgage obligation, that the residential mortgage debtor is not undergoing treatment for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer. If a mortgage debtor is undergoing treatment, the mortgage lender will be prohibited from providing a notice of intention to the mortgage debtor until the mortgage lender receives notice from the physician of the mortgage debtor that the debtor is no longer undergoing treatment. Additionally, the bill provides that any foreclosure action to take possession of a residential property will be dismissed upon submission by the residential mortgage debtor to the residential mortgage lender of a letter from the physician of the debtor certifying that the debtor is undergoing treatment for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer. 3. Prohibits a creditor from initiating a collection proceeding for a default on any debt against an individual who is undergoing treatment for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer and who submits to the creditor a letter from the individual's physician certifying treatment of the individual for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer. The bill also provides that any collection proceeding against an individual who is undergoing treatment for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer is required to be dismissed upon submission by the individual of a letter from the individual's physician certifying treatment of the individual for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer. 4. Requires that for eviction actions based on nonpayment or habitual late payment of rent, or for failure to pay a rent increase, the Superior Court will authorize a stay of eviction for up to 45 days if the tenant is actively undergoing Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer treatment. To qualify for this stay, the tenant must provide a confidential certification from their treating physician, submitted under seal. Additionally, during the stay period, the tenant has the right to renew their lease upon its expiration, subject to reasonable changes proposed by the landlord. The bill also provides the right to reinstatement to equivalent employment after a period of leave applies to all periods in which TDI or FLI benefits are provided, including extending that right to FLI leave takers employed by employers with less than 30 employees, as is presently the case for TDI leave takers. Under the bill, an employee who is eligible for both earned sick leave and either TDI or FLI benefits, may use either the earned sick leave or whichever is applicable of the TDI or FLI benefits, and may select the order in which they are taken, but may not receive more than one kind of paid leave benefits during any period of time. | In Committee |
| A506 | Exempts disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients from payment of municipal parking meter fees when vehicle bears veteran's or recipient's special license plate or placard issued by MVC. | Exempts disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients from payment of municipal parking meter fees when vehicle bears veteran's or recipient's special license plate or placard issued by MVC. | In Committee |
| A3901 | Requires DOT to develop program to implement adaptive traffic signal technology at certain intersections. | This bill amends the "Congestion Relief and Transportation Trust Fund Renewal Act" to require the Commissioner of Transportation (commissioner) to establish and implement a program to employ adaptive traffic signal technology, or the best available traffic signal technology, at certain intersections of roads and highways that are maintained by the Department of Transportation (department) and meet the traffic threshold established by the department pursuant to the bill. The bill requires the department to develop a traffic threshold for intersections of roads and highways based on the volume and speed of through traffic. Meeting the traffic threshold would signify that the intersection qualifies for the employment of adaptive traffic signal technology, or the best available traffic signal technology, under the program. Once an intersection meets the traffic threshold, adaptive traffic signal technology, or the best available traffic signal technology, would be required to be installed at the intersection during inspection, servicing, or replacement of the traffic signals. The bill also requires that the commissioner consider practicality, financial feasibility, and the danger or limits on pedestrian travel when employing the technology at intersections. | In Committee |
| A3175 | Makes supplemental appropriation of $500,000 to DMVA for New Jersey SOS Veterans Stakeholders Group. | Makes supplemental appropriation of $500,000 to DMVA for New Jersey SOS Veterans Stakeholders Group. | In Committee |
| A2161 | Requires public institutions of higher education to waive or reimburse application fees and transcript fees for veterans and members of military. | This bill requires a public institution of higher education to waive or reimburse the institution's application fee and fee for the receipt or transmission of a transcript for each veteran, member of the Armed Forces of the United States, the Reserve components thereof, or member of the New Jersey National Guard who resides in the State and accepts admission to the public institution of higher education. | 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 |
| A1487 | Directs BPU to establish rebate program for purchase of electric bicycles. | Directs BPU to establish rebate program for purchase of electric bicycles. | In Committee |
| A4383 | Directs Department of Environmental Protection to develop and provide motor vehicle driving maps for State forests. | This bill directs the Department of Environmental Protection, within 180 days of the bill's enactment, to develop a map for each State forest of those roads that are publicly accessible by motor vehicle. Each map would be required to be provided in a downloadable format with instructions on the department's website on how to download or print the map. | In Committee |
| A4384 | "Securing Access to Funding for Educating Drivers (SAFE) Act"; establishes NJ Behind-The-Wheel Driver Education Scholarship Program; appropriates $1 million. | This bill establishes the New Jersey Behind-The-Wheel Driver Education Scholarship Program (program) within the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission). The purpose of the program is to provide scholarships to eligible individuals from low-income households to cover the costs of the six-hour behind-the-wheel driver education course. As defined in the bill, "six-hour behind-the-wheel driver education course" means the six-hour behind the wheel driver education course conducted by a drivers' school duly licensed by the commission that is required for individuals between the ages of 16 and 17 to obtain a special learner's permit. Scholarships awarded under the program are required to be in an amount to cover the full cost of the six-hour behind-the-wheel driver education course or $500, whichever is less. To qualify for a scholarship under the program an individual is required to demonstrate to the commission that the individual: (1) is a resident of the State; (2) is between the age of 16 and 17; (3) is from a low-income household; (4) has passed the required written examination, which may be offered as part of a course of driving education approved by the State Department of Education and conducted in a New Jersey public, parochial, or private school; and (5) meets any other eligibility criteria that the commission deems appropriate. Interested individuals that meet the eligibility requirements are required to submit an application to the commission in a form and manner determined by the commission. The commission is required to provide scholarships on a rolling basis, subject to the availability of funds, to individuals who have submitted an application to the commission and meet the eligibility criteria for a scholarship under the program. The bill requires the commission to submit an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature containing certain information as described in the bill. Finally, the bill appropriates from the General Fund to the commission the sum of $1 million to provide scholarships under the program. | In Committee |
| A4209 | Establishes matching grant program in Department of State for local government units hiring storytellers with Revolutionary War expertise for United States Semiquincentennial; makes appropriation. | This bill establishes in the Department of State (department) a program to provide matching grant funds of up to $25,000 each to local government units to fund the hiring of storytellers with Revolutionary War historical expertise for the purpose of attracting tourists in celebration of the United States Semiquincentennial. The bill provides that, in establishing the matching grant program, the department is to develop guidelines, terms and conditions, and reporting procedures, as enumerated in the bill. Matching grants are to be awarded to local government units on a competitive basis based upon an applicant's demonstration of certain criteria, which are to include, but not be limited to: (1) submission of specific objectives in the hiring of one or more storytellers with Revolutionary War historical expertise for the United States Semiquincentennial; and (2) evidence the local government unit is located within an area of historical significance concerning the Revolutionary War. The bill provides that within 90 days after enactment of the bill, and notwithstanding the provisions of the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) to the contrary, the department is to adopt, immediately upon filing proper notice with the Office of Administrative Law, the rules and regulations prepared by the department necessary to establish and implement the grant program. The rules and regulations adopted by the department are to be in effect until the expiration of the grant program, which is to occur upon the exhaustion of the $2,000,000 appropriated from the General Fund or by the end of 2026. | In Committee |
| A4059 | Requires Commissioner of Education to permit certain school districts losing State school aid to submit budgets after enactment of FY 2025 appropriations act. | An Act concerning budget submissions for certain school districts. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A2165 | Permits spouses and dependents of military service members to qualify for in-State tuition in event that service member is transferred to another state. | Under current law, United States military personnel and their dependents who are living in New Jersey and are attending public institutions of higher education in New Jersey are regarded as residents of the State for the purpose of determining tuition. This bill amends that law to provide that:? the in-State tuition classification also applies to the military service member's spouse; and? in the event that the military service member is relocated out of the State due to the service member's continued military service, the service member's spouse or dependent will not lose their in-State tuition classification provided that: (1) the spouse or dependent was enrolled in a public institution of higher education in New Jersey prior to the service member's relocation; and (2) the spouse or dependent maintains continuous enrollment at the public institution of higher education. | In Committee |
| A4211 | Concerns fire service training. | This bill concerns fire service training. Under the provisions of this bill, the Division of Fire Safety in the Department of Community Affairs is designated as the sole fire service training academy in this State only for the purpose of making the division eligible to apply for certain federal grants. The bill further provides that notwithstanding this designation, training programs approved by the division may be provided by a fire service training organization pursuant to current statutory law and regulations promulgated by the Commissioner of Community Affairs. Finally, the bill requires the division to conduct a needs assessment, in accordance with procedures and criteria as set forth by the director, prior to applying for a federal grant. | In Committee |
| A4210 | Creates housing purchase matching grant program for members of United States Armed Forces and New Jersey National Guard who have served in certain military operations. | This bill establishes a matching grant program for certain members of the United States Armed Forces and the New Jersey National Guard to assist them in purchasing a home. The program is established in the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency in coordination with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The program may be interfaced with any program currently administered by the agency for first time homebuyers, although a recipient need not meet the other eligibility criteria of any other homebuyer program in order to be entitled to participate in the matching grant program. The bill defines "members of the United States Armed Forces" as members in both active and reserve components. Matching grants shall be made on the basis of available funds to eligible personnel on a dollar for dollar matching fund basis, up to a maximum of $10,000. The funds may be applied to closing costs, equity payments, or for any other purpose which assists the recipient in purchasing a home. There shall be no income eligibility for the program; however, the agency may give priority to those applicants who are also eligible for assistance under other programs administered by the agency, such as the first time home-buyer program. Applicants shall not be eligible for more than one matching grant under the program. In order to be eligible for a matching grant, a member of the United States Armed Forces or the New Jersey National Guard, at the time of application, must provide proof of: (1) at least 90 days of service on active duty in Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom, or Operation Iraqi Freedom; (2) legal residency in the State of New Jersey; and (3) intent to purchase a principal residence in the State of New Jersey. The bill appropriates $2 million from the General Fund to the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency to fund the grant program. | In Committee |
| A4 | Reforms municipal responsibilities concerning provision of affordable housing; abolishes COAH; appropriates $16 million. | An Act concerning affordable housing, including administration and municipal obligations, amending, supplementing, and repealing various parts of the statutory law, and making an appropriation. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A920 | Updates scope of practice of optometrists. | Updates scope of practice of optometrists. | In Committee |
| A4022 | Requires DOH to develop Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan. | This bill requires the Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) in the Department of Health (DOH) to develop a Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan that provides for a comprehensive, coordinated, emergency medical services (EMS) system in New Jersey. The plan is to include both short-term and long-term goals and objectives, and may incorporate the use of regional emergency medical services plans tailored to the specific needs of regions within the State as may be designated by the OEMS. If used, regional plans are to be jointly developed by each county board of health within the designated region, and will be developed in consultation with local boards of health, as needed. Regional plans will be subject to approval by the OEMS; upon receiving such approval, the regional plan will be deemed to be part of the Statewide plan. The OEMS will be required to review and update the Statewide plan triennially, and to make such changes to the plan as may be necessary to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the State's EMS system of care. The DOH will be required to make the Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan available on its Internet website. In developing and updating the Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan, the OEMS will be required, at a minimum, to: (1) conduct an inventory of EMS resources available within the State; (2) conduct an assessment of the current effectiveness of the EMS system of care in the State; (3) determine the need for changes to the current EMS system of care, including any changes as may be needed to improve access to EMS in a given region of the State or for a given population within the State; (4) develop performance metrics with regard to the delivery of EMS, establish a schedule for achieving the performance metrics, develop a method for monitoring and evaluating whether the performance metrics are being achieved, and prepare a cost estimate for achieving the performance metrics; (5) work with professional medical organizations, hospitals, and other public and private agencies to develop approaches whereby individuals who presently use the existing emergency department for routine, nonurgent, primary medical care will be served more appropriately and economically; and (6) consult with and review, with appropriate EMS agencies and organizations, the development of applications to governmental or other appropriate sources for grants or other funding to support EMS programs. The bill additionally requires the Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan to: (1) establish a comprehensive Statewide EMS system, incorporating facilities, transportation, manpower, communications, and other components as integral parts of a unified system that will serve to improve the delivery of EMS and thereby decrease morbidity, hospitalization, disability, and mortality; (2) seek to reduce the time period between the identification of an acutely ill or injured patient and the provision of definitive treatment for the illness or injury; (3) increase access to high quality EMS for all citizens of New Jersey; (4) promote continuing improvement in system components, including: ground, water, and air transportation; communications; hospital emergency departments and other emergency medical care facilities; health care provider training and health care service delivery; and consumer health information and education; (5) ensure performance improvement of the EMS system and of the emergency services and care delivered on scene, in transit, in hospital emergency departments, and within the hospital environment; (6) conduct, promote, and encourage programs of education and training designed to upgrade the knowledge and skills of EMS personnel, including expanding the availability of paramedic and advanced life support training throughout the State, with particular emphasis on regions underserved by EMS personnel having such skills and training; (7) maintain a process for designating appropriate hospitals as trauma centers, certified stroke centers, and specialty care centers based on an applicable national evaluation system; (8) maintain a comprehensive EMS patient care data collection and performance improvement system, which is to incorporate certain EMS data currently reported to the DOH; (9) collect data and information and prepare reports for the sole purpose of designating and verifying trauma centers and other specialty care centers, which data, information, and reports will not be considered a government record for the purposes of open public records access laws; (10) establish and maintain a process for crisis intervention and peer support services for EMS personnel and public safety personnel, including Statewide availability and accreditation of critical incident stress management or peer support teams and personnel. The accreditation standards are to include a requirement that a peer support team be headed by a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, clinical social worker, or professional counselor who: (a) is licensed pursuant to Title 45 of the Revised Statutes; and (b) has at least five years of experience as a mental health consultant working directly with EMS personnel or public safety personnel; (11) coordinate with the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program to maintain, and update as needed, the Statewide program of EMS for children developed under current law; (12) establish and support a Statewide system of health and medical emergency response teams, including EMS disaster task forces, coordination teams, disaster medical assistance teams, and other support teams that will assist local EMS providers at their request during mass casualty events, disasters, or whenever local resources are overwhelmed; (13) establish and maintain a program to improve dispatching of EMS personnel and vehicles, including establishing and supporting EMS dispatch training, accrediting 911 dispatch centers, and establishing and maintaining public safety answering points; and (14) identify and establish best practices for managing and operating EMS providers, improving and managing EMS response times, and disseminating such information to the appropriate persons and entities. In developing the Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan, the OEMS will be required to coordinate with the Emergency Medical Services for Children program and the State trauma medical director, both of which will be required to revise any plans, programs, protocols, or other requirements related to EMS as may be necessary to bring those plans, programs, protocols, or other requirements into conformity with the Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan. | 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 |
| A3876 | Revises provisions of "Dry Cell Battery Management Act." | This bill would revise the provisions of the "Dry Cell Battery Management Act," P.L.1991, c.521 (C.13:1E-99.59 et seq.) to expand the types of batteries and consumer products that are covered under this law. The bill would amend most of the provisions of the "Dry Cell Battery Management Act" to provide that the law would apply to "covered batteries," rather than to mercuric oxide batteries, nickel-cadmium rechargeable batteries and sealed lead rechargeable batteries, as in current law. The bill would define a "covered battery" as a rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery that weighs up to 25 pounds or a rechargeable battery that stores up to 2000 watt-hours of energy, whether embedded in a product or sold separately. This would entail, among other things, that persons would be prohibited from selling a covered battery or a battery-embedded product unless the manufacturer of the battery or product, as applicable, has developed a battery management plan, which has been approved by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The bill would require each manufacturer of a covered battery to submit a battery management plan to the DEP no later than nine months after the bill's enactment. The bill would also modify the provisions of the "Dry Cell Battery Management Act" to prohibit the use of curbside recycling for the collection of covered batteries, and to require additional items be included in a battery management plan, including a requirement that each manufacturer provide for at least one permanent collection site for used, portable, covered batteries within a 15-mile radius of no less than 95 percent of the residents of the State, and within a 25-mile radius of each resident of the State. The bill would delete a provision of current law that requires retailers to accept used nickel-cadmium and sealed lead rechargeable batteries from customers. The bill would also delete a provision in current law that requires retailers to post certain signage regarding nickel-cadmium and sealed lead rechargeable batteries in their retail establishments. In addition, the bill would repeal section 6 of P.L.1991, c.521 (C.13:1E-99.64), which prohibits persons from selling certain rechargeable consumer products, unless certain conditions are met, including that the rechargeable battery is readily removable from the product. | In Committee |
| A3903 | Requires MVC to issue special windshield stickers marking electric vehicles exempt from emission inspections. | This bill requires the Chief Administrator (chief administrator) of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) to issue special windshield stickers for electric vehicles that are owned or leased and registered in New Jersey to indicate that the electric vehicles are exempt from emission inspections. The bill defines "electric vehicle" to mean any vehicle powered solely by electric without an on-board engine or generator, and that does not use a hydrocarbon fuel to create electricity. Electric vehicle includes a plug-in electric, but not plug-in hybrid electric, or solar-powered vehicle. Under the bill, the windshield stickers are to be designed by the chief administrator, in consultation with the Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety in the Department of Law and Public Safety (director). There is to be no fee for the issuance of the windshield stickers. The windshield stickers are required to be displayed in a manner prescribed by the chief administrator, in consultation with the director, and to be clearly visible to law enforcement officers. The windshield stickers are required to be removed and returned to the commission within 30 days of the date that the ownership or leasehold period of the vehicle has ended. The bill requires the chief administrator, in consultation with the director, to adopt regulations specifying the size, placement, and other formal requirements or additional safeguards as the chief administrator deems necessary for the issuance and display of the windshield stickers. | In Committee |
| A3898 | Expands involuntary commitment clinical testimony requirement to include wider range of mental health service providers. | This bill expands the involuntary commitment clinical testimony requirement to include a wider range of mental health service providers. Current law provides that testimony from a psychiatrist is required to provide a clinical basis for the need for involuntary commitment to treatment. This amendment to current law permits nurse practitioners and physician assistants to also testify when establishing a clinical basis for the need for involuntary commitment to treatment. | In Committee |
| A3896 | Establishes New Jersey Imagination Library Project in DOE; appropriates $2 million. | This bill establishes the New Jersey Imagination Library Project in the Division of Early Childhood Services within the Department of Education. The purpose of the program is to improve early childhood literacy by establishing a Statewide initiative to encourage eligible children to read. The program is to provide a high-quality, age-appropriate book on a monthly basis at no cost to any child enrolled in the program under five years old residing in the State. The bill requires the Division of Early Childhood Services to partner with a national early childhood literacy foundation or a State early childhood literacy entity to administer the program. The bill defines a "national early childhood literacy foundation" as a national nonprofit foundation, such as "Dolly Parton's Imagination Library" or a similar book distribution program, which exists for the sole purpose of working with local nonprofit entities to identify eligible children a reading selection each month to those children enrolled at no cost to the family. "State early childhood literacy entity" is defined as a nonprofit organization that is: (1) a nonprofit organization based in New Jersey; (2) recognized as tax exempt pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; and (3) organized solely to promote and encourage reading in early childhood for the children of the State. Additionally, the bill permits the division to require the entity it partners with to administer the program to provide a matching amount of at least 50 percent of the fund required to implement the program. Under the bill, the division is responsible for: (1) managing the daily operations of the program; (2) developing a process to enroll an eligible child in the program; (3) identifying and recruiting local qualified affiliates in the State to participate in the program; (4) assisting local qualified affiliates in the development, coordination, and promotion of the program in the community of the affiliate; (5) coordinating with each school district to advance the program and promote enrollment growth; (6) developing, coordinating, and promoting a Statewide public awareness campaign to inform donors regarding opportunities to financially support the program and local affiliates and the public regarding the program, including how to register an eligible child for the program; and (7) coordinating the collection and remittance of program costs for reading selections and mailings. The division may delegate, as it deems appropriate, these tasks to the partner entity. The bill establishes the "New Jersey Imagination Library Fund" in the Department of Education. Under the bill, the fund is to be annually credited with moneys appropriated by the Legislature and any public or private donations. Finally, the bill appropriates $2,000,000 to the "New Jersey Imagination Library Fund." The Imagination Library Project was established by Dolly Parton in the late 1990s and is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by gifting books each month to children from birth to age five, free of charge to families. This bill expands Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Project to New Jersey. | In Committee |
| A3900 | Establishes Rail Passenger Bill of Rights with certain protections and authorizes Division of Consumer Affairs to enforce provisions. | This bill establishes a Rail Passenger Bill of Rights. Under the bill, a person on a passenger train operating on a regularly scheduled route in this State, or between points in this State and points in other states, would have the right to: reliable and on-time transportation; accurate and timely information about train arrival times and service delays; helpful, courteous service from the operator's employees; and safe, comfortable, and clean trains and train stations. Under the bill's provisions, the passenger train operator would be required to provide its customers with: (1) trains operated according to a published schedule; (2) a sufficient number of trains to accommodate every customer who purchases a ticket; (3) clear audio or visual announcements about train arrival and departure times, service delays, and weather-related service implications at train stations, on its website, and using other electronic forms of communication; (4) the opportunity to receive automatically generated electronic mail or text messages concerning service delays of more than 15 minutes; (5) alternate transportation and information about alternate routes when service is significantly disrupted; (6) trains which: are heated or cooled, as appropriate; have functional lighting and public address systems; and have clean restrooms; (7) train stations which are safe, clean, well-lit, accessible to customers with disabilities, and not overcrowded; (8) employees who: are well-trained and familiar with the operator's routes, services, and policies; are courteous and responsive to customer questions and complaints; and do not smoke, use cellular telephones, or engage in other behaviors which could endanger the health or safety of passengers while interacting with customers; (9) clear and conspicuous notice of consumer complaint contact information; (10) in circumstances where a train breakdown exists, the passenger train operator is required to, within one hour of the breakdown: resume service or provide alternative service; or evacuate the train's passengers; and (11) adequate notice and sufficient opportunity for feedback regarding any increase in fares or any discontinuation of diminishment of service. The Office of Consumer Protection in the Division of Consumer Affairs is authorized to initiate, investigate, attempt to resolve, and if necessary, refer to the Attorney General any matter or complaint received. The Attorney General, or any other person, may bring an action before the Superior Court to impose a civil penalty not exceeding $1,000. | In Committee |
| A3902 | Requires certain nursing homes to improve quality ratings. | This bill requires nursing homes certified to participate in the Medicaid program with an overall rating on the CMS Five-Star Quality Rating System of one star to develop and implement a corrective action plan to improve the nursing home's rating as a condition of receiving reimbursement under the Medicaid program. A nursing home with a one star rating will submit a corrective action plan to the Department of Human Services, providing a description of the action steps to be taken by the nursing home over a six-month period to resolve quality issues indicated by the nursing home's domain ratings within the CMS federal Quality Rating System. The plan, at a minimum, will include steps that would improve the nursing home's overall rating to a minimum of two stars after the implementation of the plan. The department, in cooperation with the Department of Health, will review the plan. The nursing home will immediately commence implementing the plan upon written approval by the department. Any plan that is not approved will be returned to the nursing home by the department with a written explanation of the plan's deficiencies. The nursing home will resubmit an updated corrective action plan to the department for review within 30 days of receipt of this notification. Within 60 days of the completion of the nursing home's approved corrective action plan and every 60 days thereafter, the facility will submit a report to the department documenting the execution of the plan, as well as the outcomes of the action steps. The department, in cooperation with the Department of Health, will evaluate the facility's report and determine the facility's compliance in implementing the plan as approved by the department. At the Commissioner of Human Services' discretion, a nursing home determined to be non-compliant with the implementation of the facility's plan may be provided additional time to fulfill the action steps outlined in the plan. A nursing home with a one star rating determined by the Commissioner of Human Services to be non-compliant with any provisions of this bill will be ineligible to receive reimbursement under the Medicaid program, provided that reimbursement for services will continue until all Medicaid beneficiaries residing at the facility have been relocated. The nursing home will be responsible for informing Medicaid residents, in writing, of the facility's non-compliance with this bill and for providing the department with a patient-centered discharge plan for current Medicaid residents within 30 days of the receipt of the department's written determination of non-compliance. The department will include information on an appeals process, to be established by the Commissioner of Human Services, in the written documentation provided to non-compliant nursing homes. | In Committee |
| A3848 | Establishes maximum rate of interest for New Jersey College Loans to Assist State Student Loan Program; establishes protections for private student loan borrowers. | This bill establishes a maximum rate of interest for loans disbursed pursuant to the New Jersey College Loans to Assist State Students (NJCLASS) Loan Program. The bill also establishes various protections with respect to private student loans. The NJCLASS loan program, offered and serviced by the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA), is the State's student loan program. Under current law, the rate of interest of NJCLASS loans is set by HESAA and is typically set by market conditions as the loans are funded through the sale of bonds. Currently, the rate of interest of NJCLASS loans ranges from 5.69 percent to 7.47 percent depending on the term length of the loan and if payments are made on the loan while a student is enrolled in an institution of higher education. Under the bill, the maximum rate of interest for all NJCLASS loans disbursed after the effective date of the bill is not to exceed three percent. This bill also establishes protections for private student loan borrowers. The bill prohibits a private student loan executed on or after the effective date of the bill from including a provision that permits a lender to attempt to collect against the borrower or cosigner's estate, other than for payment default. The bill requires a private student loan lender to release a cosigner from the obligations of the loan in the event of the death of the borrower. The bill also prohibits a lender from changing any terms or benefits established under a promissory note and the repayment schedule, repayment terms, or monthly payment amount associated with the private student loan upon notice of the death or bankruptcy of a cosigner. Additionally, the bill prohibits a private student loan lender from placing into default or accelerating a student loan or student loan account while a borrower is seeking a loan modification or enrollment in a flexible repayment plan for up to 90 days. Under the bill, a lender, upon determination of the total and permanent disability of a borrower, is required to release the borrower and cosigner from the obligations of the private student loan. The bill prohibits the lender from attempting to collect a payment from any borrower or cosigner following a notification of total and permanent disability of the borrower. After making the determination of the total and permanent disability of a borrower, a lender cannot monitor the disability status of the borrower after the date of discharge. Additionally, the bill requires lenders to provide the borrower the option to designate an individual to have the legal authority to act on behalf of the borrower with respect to the private education loan in the event of the total and permanent disability of the borrower. | In Committee |
| A2166 | Permits students at public institutions of higher education to donate unused meal plan funds to emergency meal fund for distribution to New Jersey food banks. | This bill creates a new fund in the Department of State entitled the "New Jersey Emergency Meal Fund." The bill requires public institutions of higher education that offer meal plans to allow a student to voluntarily donate any unused funds that remain in the student's meal plan at the end of a semester to the New Jersey Emergency Meal Fund. All funds donated to the New Jersey Emergency Meal Fund will be provided to the New Jersey Federation of Food Banks for the purpose of providing and distributing food to the federation's network of food banks in the State of New Jersey. The bill directs public institutions of higher education to develop policies and procedures for verifying the amount of any unused funds remaining in a student's meal plan at the end of a semester and for facilitating the transfer of unused funds that have been donated by students from their meal plans to the New Jersey Emergency Meal Fund. Under the bill, unused funds from a meal plan include direct money that remains in a student's meal plan at the end of a semester and the amount of money that equates to the value of any unused meals or unused meal points that remain in a student's meal plan at the end of a semester. | 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| A2759 | Requires State Board of Education high school graduation requirements include instruction on tuition assistance programs and student loan debt; requires high school students to meet with guidance counselor to discuss tuition assistance and dual enrollment. | This bill provides that beginning with the 2018-2019 grade nine class, the State Board of Education will require that the high school graduation requirement on financial literacy include instruction on available State and federal tuition assistance programs, including grants, scholarships, and student loans. The instruction must incorporate issues associated with student loan debt, the requirements for repayment of that debt, and the consequences of the failure to repay student loan debt in a timely manner. The bill also provides that a school district must ensure that a student enrolled in high school meets with a guidance counselor during either the second or third year of high school to discuss State and federal tuition assistance programs that may be available to the student to finance postsecondary educational opportunities. The guidance counselor must also discuss options available to the student for dual enrollment in high school and an institution of higher education that will enable the student to earn college credit while still in high school and reduce the overall cost of a higher education. | 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 |
| A2421 | Establishes "Security Deposit Assistance Pilot Program" in Passaic, Union, Essex, Hudson, Gloucester, Atlantic, Camden, and Mercer counties; appropriates $400,000. | This bill establishes the Security Deposit Assistance Pilot Program ("pilot program") to assist certain low-income households in the payment of rental security deposits. The bill also appropriates monies from the General Fund to support the pilot program. Under the pilot program, the Commissioner of Community Affairs ("commissioner") would provide insurance for the security deposits of approved households. After entering into a residential lease agreement, an approved household would be required to pay one-twelfth of the security deposit as an added monthly payment. If, prior to paying the full balance of the security deposit, the household violated the lease agreement, then the commissioner would be required to reimburse the amounts owed to the landlord. The reimbursement may not, however, exceed the portion of the security deposit not yet paid by the tenant, or the actual amount of damages that the landlord may collect from the security deposit. Thereafter, the household would be required to refund the commissioner in the amount of the reimbursement. The pilot program would operate in Passaic, Union, Essex, Hudson, Gloucester, Atlantic, Camden, and Mercer counties for a minimum of three years. In addition to other eligibility requirements established by the commissioner, the bill provides that only households qualifying for "very low income housing," as defined in the "Fair Housing Act," P.L.1985, c.222 (C.52:27D-304), would be eligible for the pilot program. Under the bill, the commissioner would provide each approved household with a letter of security deposit commitment, which may be used by the household, within six months of receipt, to enter into a lease agreement in lieu of a full security deposit payment. However, security deposit assistance would only be provided when the monthly rent does not exceed 40 percent of the household's monthly income. Any landlord who refuses rent to a household because of the household's participation in the pilot program would be deemed to violate the "Law Against Discrimination," P.L.1945, c.169 (C.10:5-12). The bill also establishes the "security deposit assistance fund" as a separate, non-lapsing, dedicated account in the General Fund. Under the bill, the security deposit reimbursements provided by the commissioner to landlords would be payable from the "security deposit assistance fund." The bill appropriates $400,000 from the General Fund to the "security deposit assistance fund" to implement the pilot program. Under the bill, the commissioner would be required to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature, on or before the first day of the 36th month following the commencement of the pilot program, to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot program. | In Committee |
| A2047 | Revises State marriage license application form to permit certain changes in middle name and surname. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Health to issue a State marriage license application form that enables each of the applicants to enter changes in middle name and surname resulting from the marriage. The application form shall include two parallel sections permitting each of the applicants to enter one of the following options as their surname: (1) the surname of the other spouse; (2) any former surname of either spouse; (3) a name combining all or a segment of the premarriage surname or any former surname of each spouse into a single surname; (4) a combination name separated by a hyphen, provided that each part of such combination surname is the premarriage surname, or any former surname, of each of the spouses; or (5) the premarriage surname of a spouse as the spouse's middle name, followed by the surname of the other spouse as the new surname. The application form would include language instructing the applicants that neither party to the marriage is required to change his or her surname, and that applicants who do change their middle name or surname should contact their local Social Security Administration, so that its records and the applicant's Social Security identification card can be updated to reflect the name change. This bill is intended to streamline the process for newly married persons who wish to change either their middle name or surname as a result of their marriage. There is currently no option to do this as part of the marriage certificate application process, leaving the prospective applicant to navigate a difficult process of changing one's names with a local Social Security or Motor Vehicle Commission office, which may or may not be accommodating, or paying to have the names changed in court. It is hoped that by offering this option as part of the marriage certificate application process, other State offices will reciprocate and permit changes of both middle and surname after marriage consistently and without fee or penalty. | 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 |
| 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 |
| A2490 | Requires DHS to establish Alzheimer's disease public awareness campaign. | This bill requires the Department of Human Services (DHS) to establish Alzheimer's disease public awareness campaign. Under the bill, the Commissioner of Human Services, subject to available funds, is to establish an Alzheimer's disease public awareness and education program. The purpose of the program is to promote public awareness of Alzheimer's disease and the value of early detection and possible treatments, including the benefits and risks of those treatments. The DHS may accept for that purpose any grant of monies, services, or property from the federal government, an organization, or a medical school. The program is to include the following: (1) development of a public campaign to promote Alzheimer's disease awareness and education, including, but not limited to, the subjects outlined in the bill; (2) development of educational materials to be made available through local boards of health, physicians, hospitals, and clinics; and (3) development of educational programs for judicial staff, police officers, fire fighters, and social services and emergency medical service providers, to assist them in recognizing the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and understanding how to respond to the needs of persons with the disease in the course of performing their duties. The bill provides that the DHS, in consultation with the Greater New Jersey Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, is to prepare and make available on the DHS's Internet website, in English and Spanish, and in a manner that is easily understandable by the general public, information about the symptoms and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and any other information that the commissioner deems necessary. | 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 |
| A2106 | Permits county improvement authorities to establish student loan refinancing loan programs. | This bill permits county improvement authorities to establish student loan refinancing programs for certain borrowers. Under the bill, a student-borrower who is a resident of the county, or a parent-borrower who is a New Jersey resident or has his primary employment in the State and who is the obligor on a student loan for a student who is a resident of the county, may apply to refinance that student loan at a lower interest rate. The county improvement authority will set the interest rate and other terms of the student loan refinancing loan, provided that the interest rates charged are sufficient to pay the principal and interest on any bonds issued by the authority to fund its program. The authority is required to provide at least two different types of repayment plans, one of which must provide, to the extent practicable, deferment or forbearance options. The bill stipulates that the authority is not permitted to refinance a student loan if the payments would result in an undue hardship on the borrower, taking into consideration the borrower's current income and expenses. The bill provides that any student loan refinancing loan may not be dischargeable in bankruptcy. The bill also provides that the authority must ensure that a borrower may contact and speak with a live representative of the authority who can access the borrower's loan information and who has knowledge of the student loan refinancing program. | In Committee |
| AJR72 | Establishes commission to study effects of COVID-19 on small businesses. | This resolution establishes a commission to study the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on small businesses. COVID-19, a novel coronavirus, has caused a global pandemic leading to an unprecedented and overwhelming public health crisis. In response to the devastating effect COVID-19 has had throughout the country, the President issued a declaration of a National State of Emergency on March 13, 2020 and announced social distancing measures in an effort to halt the spread of COVID-19. The State of New Jersey, the state with the second highest incidence of COVID-19 in the United States, also enacted policies that required residents to remain at home and practice social distancing. Social distancing, while effective at slowing the spread of COVID-19, has caused considerable economic disruption throughout the State and throughout the country, with many businesses forced to close or operate at reduced capacity. These disruptions have caused financial hardships for both small business owners, who have seen a reduction in income, and small business employees, who have faced layoffs, reduced hours, and furloughs. Furthermore, the economic disruption caused by COVID-19 has resulted in a ripple effect that has affected not only small businesses and their employees, which have historically economic generators on their own, but also larger corporations who rely on their small business counterparts act as customers and business counterparts. Small businesses, those firms employing fewer than 100 employees, should be better equipped with information and access to resources to better handle similar future scenarios. A study focused on collecting data to review the number of small businesses that received grants and loans, such as those from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, along with information pertaining to the number, size, and degree to which the business was affected by the COVID-19 outbreak would greatly aid small businesses across the State. | In Committee |
| A2182 | Revises reporting requirements of "New Jersey Student and Parent Consumer Information Act." | This bill revises the reporting requirements of the "New Jersey Student and Parent Consumer Information Act." The "New Jersey Student and Parent Consumer Information Act" requires institutions of higher education to provide for public inspection on their websites information on: the cost of attendance, graduation rates of admitted students, racial disparities, student loan indebtedness, and the faculty of the institution. This bill amends current law to remove the following reporting requirements of the student consumer information report: graduation rates by major; graduation rates for student-athletes; the student transfer rate; an overview of the institutions to which former students have transferred; the total cost of attendance for the current academic year; a description of the types of financial assistance offered directly by the institution; the percent of students who receive financial assistance directly from the institution; the total projected cost of attendance for four years and for six years; the average student loan indebtedness of all students; and an indicator of each academic department's capacity to serve the students majoring within that department's programs. The bill also revises current law to require public institutions of higher education to report the number and percentage of borrowers for whom the institution has certified any type of student loan, disaggregated by certain characteristics. Additionally, this bill provides that all reporting requirements under the act will only apply to public institutions of higher education. | In Committee |
| A2189 | Requires DOT to publish information concerning vertical clearances of certain bridges overpassing certain waterways. | This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop and maintain an online database, which details the vertical clearances of bridges in the State that carry a highway or roadway across any navigable waterway. Under the bill, when a municipality or county is responsible for inspecting any bridge under a bridge inspection program implemented by the DOT, the municipality or county would be required to submit a written report to the DOT detailing the vertical clearance of the bridge. Specifically, the bill requires the municipality or county, as applicable, to submit the written report to the DOT within 14 calendar days after an inspection report has been completed, in accordance with any applicable requirements of the bridge inspection program, for the bridge. The bill also requires the DOT to determine the vertical clearance of every bridge for which the DOT retains responsibility to inspect. Using this information, the bill requires the DOT to develop and publish, on its official Internet website, a database detailing the vertical clearances of every bridge in the State, as such information is reported to, or determined by, the DOT. At a minimum, the bill requires the DOT to update this database no later than 14 calendar days after the receipt of every written report submitted by a municipality or county under the bill. Specifically, the bill defines "vertical clearance" to mean the distance between the lowest point of a bridge and the mean high water level of the underlying navigable waterway. | In Committee |
| A2387 | Amends definition of "participating county'' under County Option Hospital Fee Program. | This bill amends the definition of "participating county" under the County Option Hospital Fee Program. Under the bill, while maintaining all other provisions of the definition, the required 2020 Municipal Revitalization Index Distress score of a municipality with a population greater than 30,000 and located within a "participating county" is decreased from 35 to 33. The Municipal Revitalization Distress score serves as the State's official measure and ranking of municipal distress across social, economic, physical, and fiscal conditions. In altering this requirement, the bill provides for Gloucester County to qualify as a "participating county." The County Option Hospital Fee Program was established in November 2018 to support local hospitals in designated high-need areas to ensure continued access to critical healthcare services for vulnerable populations. To effectuate this goal, the program authorizes participating counties, and hospitals within those counties, to partner with the State through a provider assessment mechanism that enhances financial support through the Medicaid program. The current participating counties are: Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Passaic. | Dead |
| A2117 | Provides for establishment of three-year pilot program to expand provision of paratransit services in New Jersey. | This bill would require the Commissioner of Transportation, in consultation with the Commissioner of Human Services, to establish a three-year pilot program to enhance the availability and accessibility of paratransit and expand the number of community-based paratransit options for senior citizens and persons with disabilities in the State, particularly in those areas of the State that are not served by the Access Link - the paratransit service that has been implemented by the New Jersey Transit Corporation for the purposes of complying with the "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990," Pub.L.101-336 (42 U.S.C. s.12101 et seq.). The commissioners, in consultation with each other, will be required to designate at least three regions of the State, one in the southern, one in the northern, and one in the central parts of the State, in which the pilot program will operate. When designating paratransit service regions, the commissioners are to consider: 1) the demand for paratransit services in the region and the number of people who would benefit from enhanced paratransit services in the region; 2) whether, and the extent to which, the region is served by Access Link; and 3) any other factor deemed to be relevant. To the extent practicable, pilot program service regions are to be designated in areas of the State that are not well served by Access Link. The bill will require the Commissioner of Transportation to solicit applications from, and approve a sufficient number of, organizations to provide paratransit services under the pilot program. In order to be approved to provide paratransit services under the pilot program, a service provider will need to: 1) be a community-based for-profit or not-for-profit organization (with priority consideration being given to those community-based organizations that are dedicated to serving senior citizens or persons with disabilities); 2) certify that the provider is capable of complying with the transportation responsibilities established under the pilot program; 3) demonstrate that the provider has a workers' compensation policy, a general liability insurance policy, and an automobile liability insurance policy that covers all vehicles that will be used in the provision of paratransit services under the pilot program; 4) certify that, when operating under the pilot program, the provider will use vehicles that seat no less than four passengers, in addition to the driver; 5) certify that all drivers and other staff members employed by the provider are appropriately licensed or certified to provide transportation services, as required by law; 5) comply with all applicable criminal history record background check requirements imposed by the Commissioner of Transportation, in consultation with the Commissioner of Human Services, and not employ any driver or other person who has ever been convicted of a disqualifying offense, regardless of the date of the offense or conviction therefor; 6) register each vehicle to be used in the pilot program as a "commercial" or "livery" vehicle, as appropriate, and maintain a current vehicle inspection report for each such vehicle; and 7) commit to providing paratransit services within fifteen minutes of the scheduled pick-up time. Each community-based organization approved to participate in the pilot program will also be required to ensure that training is completed by the organization's drivers and by other staff members who will come into direct contact with a person receiving paratransit services, either within three months after the organization is approved to participate in the pilot program or within 30 days after the employee is hired, whichever is later. Training is to include instruction on how to provide appropriate and courteous treatment, how to engage in positive interactions with, and how to satisfy the special needs of, persons who are receiving paratransit services under the pilot program. The Commissioner of Human Services will be required to develop and distribute training materials to all approved providers. Each community-based organization approved to participate in the pilot program will be required to maintain the following records and make them available to the commissioners at the conclusion of each year of the pilot program's operation or at more frequent intervals as determined by the commissioners to be appropriate: 1) a daily and monthly paratransit log showing the types of vehicles dispatched, the number of unique passengers served, and the dedicated routes, if any, or pick-up locations that were established for and used by each vehicle; 2) a log of cases in which the waiting time for paratransit service was in excess of 15 minutes past the scheduled pick-up time; and 3) a copy of any complaints received by the provider in relation to the services provided under the pilot program, including an indication as to whether and how each complaint was resolved. Within 90 days after the conclusion of the three-year pilot program, the commissioners will be required to jointly prepare and submit a written report to the Governor and the Legislature, evaluating the success of the program. The report is to include certain details about the program, as specified by the bill, as well as an indication as to whether the pilot program should be continued on a permanent, Statewide basis and recommendations for any executive or legislative action that will be necessary to ensure the program's ongoing success, if continued. | In Committee |
| A2131 | Requires certain employers to provide certain employees with notifications concerning federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. | This bill requires an employer in the State who is designated as a qualifying employer under the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF), established under the "College Cost Reduction and Access Act," to provide information concerning the PSLF program to employees during the explanation of benefits conducted at the beginning of employment. Under this bill, a qualifying employer will be required to notify an employee about potential eligibility for the PSLF program and of the requirements to qualify for the PSLF program, which include, but are not limited to, the following:· employment by a qualifying employer;· a work schedule of at least 30 hours per week for the qualifying employer or a schedule that meets the qualifying employer's definition of full-time work, whichever is greater; · a balance with the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program offered by the U.S. Department of Education or consolidation of other federal student loans into a Direct Loan;· repayment of loans under an income-driven repayment plan; and· payment of 120 payments. | In Committee |
| A2361 | Requires calculation of national average time needed to approve applications for initial credential in profession or occupation and use of average time as standard in New Jersey. | The bill requires the boards created under Title 45 in current law to collect, from each state in the country, the amount of time, or the average amount of time, required or necessary to approve an application for an initial credential for each profession or occupation in which the New Jersey board also issues a credential. A board may contact a national or regional association to obtain data regarding average approval times in other states. Based on the data collected, a national average of the time required or necessary for application approval is to be calculated for each profession and occupation and used by the corresponding board in New Jersey as the amount of time it has to approve an application for an initial credential. The Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, or a designee, is to review and approve the calculated national averages of times prior to their use by the boards. After one year of using the calculated national average of times by the boards, the division is to review if the boards are meeting the requisite calculated average times for approval of applications for initial credentials. If the review demonstrates a board is not meeting the calculated time, licensing fees collected by the board are to be used to contract with a third-party, with expertise in the professions or occupations regulated by the specific board, to determine best practices that the board is to implement to meet the calculated average time for application approval. Upon completion of the review by the third-party, the board is to implement the best practices immediately. The division is to review the data on the approval of applications for initial credentials by the board six months after the implementation of best practices to ensure the calculated national average time is met. The boards have six months after the effective date of the bill to complete the initial collection of data and calculate the national average time. Additionally, an annual review of the calculated national average time is to be performed by each board, in collaboration with the director or a designee, to determine the accuracy of the calculations. The bill stipulates that each board is entitled to retain all funds collected as a result of fees paid for an initial credential and for the renewal, reactivation, and reinstatement of a credential in order to administer the provisions of this bill, until the board is meeting or surpassing its calculated national average time for application approval. | In Committee |
| A2710 | "Made in New Jersey Tax Credit Act"; provides CBT tax credits to taxpayers that purchase "New Jersey made" products. | This bill, designated the "Made in New Jersey Tax Credit Act," provides tax credits under the corporation business tax to taxpayers who produce purchase New Jersey made products for the purposes of retail sales, manufacturing, or a manufacturing production process. The tax credit is equal to 25 percent multiplied by the ratio between the costs incurred in the purchase of the New Jersey made products and the taxpayer's total costs incurred in the purchase of products for the purposes of retail sales or manufacturing. The total costs exclude any costs for products that the taxpayer can demonstrate could not have been substituted with a similar made in New Jersey product. However, if two-thirds or more of a taxpayer's total costs incurred are excluded, then the taxpayer is ineligible for the credit. When this credit is combined with other credits, it cannot exceed the tax liability otherwise due and cannot reduce the tax liability below the statutory minimum. The credit can be carried forward up to seven privilege periods after the privilege period for which the credit is allowed. "New Jersey made" means that all or virtually all the significant parts, processing, and labor that produce that product originate or are sourced in the State of New Jersey, and that the products do not contain or contain only negligible out of state content. | In Committee |
| A2184 | Requires registration of data brokers and prohibits brokering of certain health records. | This bill requires data brokers to register with the Division of Consumer Affairs ("the division") in the Department of Law and Public Safety and prohibits the brokering of physical or behavioral health records. Data brokers are businesses that collect and sell or license to third parties the personal identifying information of an individual with whom the business does not have a direct relationship. As used in the bill, "personal identifying information" means one or more computerized data elements about an individual that are categorized or organized for dissemination to third parties and that, alone or in combination with other information sold or licensed, would allow a reasonable person to identify the individual with reasonable certainty. Specifically, the bill requires the division to establish and maintain a public registry of data brokers doing business in New Jersey. Data brokers are required to register with the division, pay an annual registration fee of $100, and provide the division with certain information about the data broker's business as described in the bill. Collected registration fees will be used to implement the provisions of the bill. Under the bill, the information that data brokers are required to submit to the division at the time of registration includes: (1) the data broker's name and primary physical, email, and Internet addresses; (2) the data broker's policies for opting out of the data broker's collection practices; (3) whether the data broker uses a credentialing process for purchasers of data and, if applicable, a general explanation of that process; (4) a history of data breaches and other cybersecurity events affecting the data broker, including the number of individuals affected by each such data breach or cybersecurity event; (5) a separate statement detailing the data collection practices, databases, sales activities, and opt-out methods that are applicable to the personal identifying information of persons under the age of 18 and whether the data broker has actual knowledge that it possesses the personal identifying information of persons under the age of 18; and (6) any other information the division deems appropriate. Data brokers are required to update this information annually or at such other intervals as the division requires. Using the information submitted by data brokers, the division is to include in the registry, at minimum, each data broker's name and physical address, a general email address that may be used to request information about the data broker's privacy policies and data collection practices, a general Internet website address for the data broker, an Internet website address specific to the data broker's privacy policies, and any relevant opt-out information. The division is required to review and update this information at least annually. Data brokers that fail to submit and update information as required under the bill, or that fail to register and pay the registration fee required under the bill, will be liable for a civil penalty of $50 for each day the data broker is not in compliance. A business will not be considered a data broker for the purposes of the bill if the collection and sale or licensing of personal identifying information is incidental to one or more of the following activities conducted by the business: (1) developing or maintaining a third-party e-commerce or application platform; (2) providing 411 directory assistance or directory information services on behalf of or as a function of a telecommunications carrier; (3) providing publicly available information related to an individual's business or profession; or (4) providing publicly available information via real-time or near real-time alert services for health or safety purposes. A business that engages in these activities will still be considered a data broker for the purposes of the bill if the business collects and sells or licenses personal identifying information in any way that is not incidental to one or more of those activities. Additionally, a business will not be considered a data broker for the purposes of the bill if it is a financial institution or an affiliate of a financial institution subject to Title V of the federal "Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act," and the rules or regulations issued under its authority. The bill provides that in no case may a data broker sell, offer for sale, license, or otherwise furnish, provide, or transmit to any other individual or entity any physical or behavioral health record pertaining to an individual, including records describing physical or behavioral health care provided to an individual and records that otherwise identify an individual as having a physical or behavioral health condition or as receiving care or treatment for a physical or behavioral health condition. A data broker that violates this prohibition will be liable to a civil penalty of $1,000 for each physical or behavioral health record sold, offered for sale, licensed, or otherwise furnished, provided, or transmitted in violation of this prohibition. | In Committee |
| A2151 | Establishes public awareness campaign concerning programs and services for first responders, healthcare workers, other frontline workers, and their families experiencing mental health issues related to COVID-19 pandemic. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Human Services to establish a public awareness campaign to provide information to the general public concerning the programs and services available for first responders, healthcare workers, other frontline workers, and their families experiencing mental health issues related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, including, but not limited to, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder. In establishing the public awareness campaign, the commissioner will be required to develop outreach efforts and provide information to the general public on: the link between mental health issues and the COVID-19 pandemic, including, but not limited to, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder; resources for first responders, healthcare workers, other frontline workers, and their families experiencing mental health issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the programs and services provided by the Department of Human Services (DHS) and other federal, State, and local social services and mental health agencies; any telephone helpline established by the Department of Human Services for first responders and healthcare workers experiencing mental health issues due to their work during the pandemic; and anxiety reducing strategies and other methods to manage stress, depression, and other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the bill: the public awareness campaign is to target the general public and first responders, healthcare workers, other frontline workers, and their families experiencing mental health issues through a variety of media, including television, radio, print, and on the DHS's Internet website; and the commissioner will provide for the development of advertisements, by signs, billboards, placards, posters and displays placed on New Jersey Transit bus, rail, and light rail system, in English and Spanish, on the public awareness campaign. | In Committee |
| A2188 | Establishes New Jersey Veteran Gravesite Maintenance Grant Program in DMVA. | This bill would establish a grant program within the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) for qualified veterans' organizations to maintain veteran gravesites across the State. DMVA would be required to develop guidelines, procedures, and criteria for applications and awards. The grant recipients would be required to report grant fund use to DMVA. Implementation of the grant program would be subject to a future appropriation by the Legislature. The bill defines "qualified veterans' organization" as a nonprofit veterans' organization that is a section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) tax exempt organization under the Internal Revenue Code, or a federally chartered Veterans' Service Organization. | In Committee |
| A2148 | Establishes loan redemption program for licensed mental health professionals. | This bill establishes a student loan redemption program for licensed mental health professionals who provide mental health counseling services within the State. Specifically, the bill establishes the Licensed Mental Health Professional Loan Redemption Program ("program") within the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority ("authority"). The program would provide loan redemption payments to licensed mental health professionals who are employed in a full-time position providing mental health counseling services within the State ("qualifying occupation"). Under the bill, a program participant may receive a loan redemption payment, in an amount not to exceed $1,000, for each full year of mental health counseling services. However, a person may not participate in the program for longer than four years. Any loan redemption payment provided through the program is required to support the outstanding balance of the participant's eligible student loan expenses. To qualify for participation in the program, an applicant is required to: (1) be a resident of the State; (2) be a licensed mental health professional who is employed in a qualifying occupation; (3) have an outstanding balance of eligible student loan expenses and not be in default on any eligible student loan expenses; and (4) satisfy any additional criteria that the authority may deem necessary. When a person is selected for participation in the program, the person would be required to enter into a written contract with the authority. At a minimum, this contract would specify the dates that the program participant is required to be employed in a qualifying occupation. The bill permits a program participant to withdraw from the program by providing written notice to the authority. Under the bill, the authority may not provide a loan redemption payment without first receiving the following documentation from the program participant: (1) proof of residency in the State during the previous 12-month period; (2) such certification as the authority deems appropriate to demonstrate that the program participant was employed in a qualifying occupation during the previous 12-month period; (3) certification of the outstanding balance of eligible student loan expenses; and (4) any other information that the authority may deem necessary. Any person who knowingly or willfully furnishes false or misleading information for the purpose of receiving a loan redemption payment under the program is guilty of a crime of the fourth degree, which is punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to 18 months, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. | In Committee |
| A2108 | Permits qualified person with post-traumatic stress disorder to obtain handicapped parking placard. | This bill would permit a person diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to obtain a handicapped parking placard. To qualify for the handicapped parking placard, a psychiatrist or psychologist licensed in this State or a bordering state, or a psychiatrist or psychologist stationed at a military or naval installation located in New Jersey who is licensed to practice in any state, would certify the person's diagnosis of PTSD. | In Committee |
| A2272 | Establishes Department of Early Childhood. | This bill establishes as a new principal department within the Executive Branch, the Department of Early Childhood. The bill transfers the functions of the current Division of Early Childhood Education in the Department of Education to the Department of Early Childhood. In addition, the bill transfers to the new department:· all responsibilities of the Department of Education relating to students in grades preschool through three including, but not limited to, those parts of the following programs relating to this age group: teacher licensing; IDEA part B; Title I services; regional achievement centers; migrant and homeless education services; bilingual education services; parent training and information centers; and the New Jersey Council for Young Children;· all responsibilities of the Department of Human Services relating to children from pregnancy to age eight, including but not limited to, those parts of the following programs relating to this age group: subsidized child care programs and services; child care development block grants; wraparound care; New Jersey First Steps Infant Toddler Initiative; child care resource and referral agencies; childcare workforce registry; New Jersey School-Age child care; and New Jersey Inclusive Child Care; · all responsibilities of the Department of Children and Families relating to children from pregnancy to age eight including, but not limited to, those parts of the following programs relating to this age group: New Jersey Home Visitation Program; Help Me Grow Initiative; Project LAUNCH; New Jersey Strengthening Families Initiative; Project TEACH (Teen Education and Child Health); Parent Linking Program; and Family Success Centers; and· all responsibilities of the Department of Health relating to children from pregnancy to age eight, including but not limited to, those parts of the following programs relating to this age group: Improving Pregnancy Outcomes Program; New Jersey WIC Breastfeeding Services; services for perinatal mood disorders; home visitation programs; early intervention system under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); and NJ Early Care and Education Learning Collaborative Project (NJ ECELC). The bill transfers all the functions of the Department of Children and Families regarding the licensing of child care centers and the registration of family child care providers to the new Department of Early Childhood. The bill requires the Commissioner of Early Childhood, in consultation with the Commissioners of Education, Human Services, Children and Families, and Health, to develop a schedule for the orderly transfer of programs relating to early childhood and child nutrition to the new department. | In Committee |
| A2113 | Requires initial Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare eligibility determinations to be made not later than 21 days following application submission; provides that NJ FamilyCare coverage is terminated whenever required premium is not paid for three consecutive months. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Human Services to establish an eligibility determination timeliness standard for determining initial eligibility of families and children under the Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare programs. This bill also extends the period of time in which a beneficiary may fail to pay a premium required for NJ FamilyCare coverage before coverage is terminated. Specifically, this bill requires the eligibility determination timeliness standard to provide for a new applicant's determination of eligibility as soon as all factors of eligibility are met and verified, but not later than 21 days from the date of the initial application submission. When the determination of eligibility is made later than 21 days from the date of the initial application submission, the eligibility determination agency responsible for the intake and processing of the application must provide the applicant written notification, immediately upon the expiration of the 21-day processing period, setting forth the specific reasons for the delay. The commissioner is further required to report to the Governor and the Legislature on the application processing performance of eligibility determination agencies pursuant to this bill and make any recommendations the commissioner deems appropriate no later than one year following the bill's enactment, and annually thereafter. This bill also provides that a failure to pay a premium required for NJ FamilyCare coverage for three consecutive months will result in the termination of coverage. By current regulation, N.J.A.C. 10:49-9.2 and 10:79-6.7, coverage is terminated the month after a monthly plan premium payment is missed. The current law, as modified by federal regulation, provides that an individual may be "locked out" or ineligible to apply for coverage if that person was "voluntarily disenrolled" from coverage within three months of their application to the program. This bill, by providing that coverage be terminated after three consecutive missed premium payments, instead of after one missed premium payment, will reduce the number of individuals who lose coverage, and accordingly, prevent individuals from being "locked-out" of or ineligible to apply for reinstatement of coverage due to a single missed premium payment. | In Committee |
| A2177 | Removes expected family contribution from calculation of financial need under circumstances in which public institutions of higher education may reduce student's institutional financial aid. | This bill amends P.L.2021, c.223 to remove reference to expected family contribution. P.L.2021, c.223 provides that a public institution of higher education may only reduce a student's institutional financial aid, as a result of the awarding of private scholarships to the student, under certain circumstances. One of the circumstances in which an institution could reduce institutional aid under the law is if a student's total financial aid from all sources exceeds the student's financial need. In this case, the institution may only reduce the student's institutional financial aid until the student's total financial aid no longer exceeds the student's financial need. Under the law, financial need is defined as the student's cost of attendance minus the student's expected family contribution. This bill would remove expected family contribution from the calculation of financial need. | Dead |
| A2125 | Exempts personal protective equipment from sales and use tax. | This bill exempts personal protective equipment from taxation under the "Sales and Use Tax Act." The director of the Center for Disease Control emphasized the importance of masks while testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee of the United States Senate. Personal protective equipment includes coveralls, face shields, gloves, gowns, masks, respirators, and other equipment designed to protect the wearer from the spread of an infection or illness. | In Committee |
| A2123 | Requires certain solid waste incinerator facilities to install baghouse filters when making certain modifications to facility. | This bill would supplement the "Air Pollution Control Act (1954)," P.L.1954, c.212 (C.26:2C-1 et seq.) (APCA), to require certain solid waste incinerators to install baghouse filters whenever the facility undertakes a modification or expansion. A baghouse filter uses long cylindrical pieces of fabric to filter particulates from exhaust gases. They are commonly used in various industrial applications such as power plants and steel mills. The bill would apply only to solid waste incinerators that are considered "major facilities" under the APCA, due to the quantity of certain air pollutants that they emit on an annual basis, and that do not currently utilize baghouse filters or better filtering systems. As defined in the APCA, a "modification" means a physical change in, or change in the method of operation of, existing equipment or control apparatus that increases the amount of any air contaminant emitted by that equipment or control apparatus or that results in the emission of any air contaminant not previously emitted. As defined by the bill, "expansion" means an increase in the area of the footprint of a facility, the construction of a new building in the facility, or an increase in the amount of solid waste annually combusted by the facility that is greater than 10 percent of the average amount of solid waste combusted by the facility during the preceding 5 years. | In Committee |
| A2174 | Requires certain disclosures by sellers of single-family homes with solar panels installed. | This bill requires that a seller's property condition disclosure statement or contract, or rider or addendum to a contract, for sale of a single-family home with solar panels purchased by the owner installed on the home or its property is to include the name and contact information of both the business that installed the solar panels and, if different, the business that owns the solar panels or is involved in a power purchase agreement or lease. If solar panels installed on a single-family home or its property are leased or subject to a power purchase agreement, a seller's property condition disclosure statement or contract, or rider or addendum to a contract, for the sale of the home is to contain clear and precise language regarding whether the owner selling the home is transferring the lease of the panels, or power purchase agreement-related commitments, to a new residence or to the buyer of the home contracted for sale. If a lease or power purchase agreement is transferred to the buyer of the home, the name and contact information of the business that installed the solar panels and, if different, the name and contact information of the business that owns the solar panels or is involved in a form of power purchase agreement, warrantee, or lease, are to be included in the seller's property condition disclosure statement or contract for sale, or a rider or addendum to the contract. More specifically, the bill requires the property condition disclosure statement, contract for sale, or a rider or addendum to the contract for sale, to include a copy of the contractual documents, if any, to become obligations of the new owner. A licensee of the New Jersey Real Estate Commission is not held liable under the bill for information that is required to be disclosed by a seller under the bill but was not provided to the licensee. Misrepresentation or false claims made by an owner of a single family home, who is a party to a contract for the sale of the home, regarding the business that installed the solar panels purchased or leased by the owner, would make the owner liable to the buyer for the cost of the resulting damages or $1,000, whichever is greater, plus reasonable attorney's fees and court costs, in addition to any other penalty provided by law. | Dead |
| A2130 | Establishes one-time grant to study and recommend best practices for encouraging youth participation in government. | This bill will provide a one-time grant award in the amount of $100,000 to a four-year public institution of higher education for the purposes of studying and recommending best practices for encouraging youth interest and participation in government. Under this bill, a four-year public institution of higher education that wishes to apply for the grant is to submit an application to the Secretary of Higher Education. The application will include a grant proposal detailing the study objectives and a projected budget outlining how the institution intends to use the grant funds. The institution that receives the grant will issue a report to the Secretary of Higher Education, the Commissioner of Education, and the Legislature. The report must (1) identify best practices that exist to encourage youth participation in government, and (2) provide recommendations as to which practices are most effective in promoting and increasing youth participation in government. The Commissioner of Education will, within 60 days following receipt of the report, post the report on the Department of Education's Internet website and distribute a copy of the report to each school district in the State. | In Committee |
| A899 | Establishes three-year sickle cell disease pilot program; appropriates $10,200,000. | This bill establishes a three-year sickle cell disease pilot program and appropriates $10,200,000. Under the bill, the Department of Health (department), in consultation with the Department of Human Services, is to establish a three-year sickle cell disease pilot program, under which federally qualified health centers are to be selected by the department to develop and implement comprehensive sickle cell disease treatment programs and services. The department is to select federally qualified health centers for participation in the pilot program on a competitive basis based on criteria to be established by the Commissioner of Health (commissioner). First priority is to be given to federally qualified health centers located in Jersey City, Newark, Paterson, Plainfield, Trenton, Camden, and, subject to the availability of funds, to federally qualified health centers in other municipalities which demonstrate a patient population in that geographic area that is in need of sickle cell disease care. The federally qualified health centers selected for participation in the pilot program are to be eligible for financial support from funds appropriated to the department. The purpose of the pilot program is to: (1) link outpatient sickle cell disease care to sickle cell disease care in inpatient health care settings and other health care settings, which may include, if permitted by law, telehealth services; (2) provide coordinated, comprehensive, team-based medical, behavioral health, mental health, social support, and other services under the supervision of health care professionals who have expertise in treating individuals with sickle cell disease; (3) foster outreach to individuals and families with sickle cell disease and providers of medical, nursing, and social services who serve and treat persons with sickle cell disease; (4) promote sickle cell disease education and awareness; (5) develop initiatives to build a State medical workforce of clinicians who are knowledgeable about the diagnosis and treatment of sickle cell disease; and (6) establish practices for the collection of in-State data on sickle cell disease to monitor incidence, prevalence, demographics, morbidity, health care utilization, and costs. Federally qualified health centers seeking to participate in the pilot program are to develop comprehensive sickle cell disease treatment programs and services that provide coordinated, comprehensive, team-based medical, behavioral health, mental health, social support, and monitoring services under the supervision of health care professionals who have expertise in treating individuals with sickle cell disease. The department is to coordinate with federally qualified health centers participating in the pilot program and other health care facilities and health care professionals to establish centers of excellence for sickle cell disease research and innovation, as determined by the commissioner. | Dead |
| A2140 | Exempts protective face coverings from sales and use tax during public health emergencies. | This bill exempts protective face coverings from taxation under the "Sales and Use Tax Act" during a State-wide public health emergency declared by the Governor provided that agencies or official representatives of the federal or State government require or encourage New Jerseyans to wear protective face coverings to mitigate the public health emergency. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor has mandated New Jerseyans to wear protective face coverings, commonly referred to as masks, indoors and outdoors when social distancing is not feasible. By exempting protective face coverings from sales and use tax during public health emergencies, cost will become less of a barrier to purchasing protective face coverings during a time when they are necessary for safeguarding public health. As defined in the bill, protective face coverings are medical masks, respirators, or other coverings that are designed, or sold for use, to protect the wearer or others from the spread of infection or illness. | In Committee |
| A2157 | Establishes School Transportation Safety Commission in Department of Law and Public Safety. | This bill establishes the School Transportation Safety Commission in, but not of, the Department of Law and Public Safety. The commission will consist of eight members, including the Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety in the Department of Law and Public Safety, the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, and the Commissioner of Education, or their designees, serving ex-officio, and five public members. Public members will be appointed by the Governor. The commission will have the following responsibilities and duties: review State regulations pertaining to school bus safety; prepare a biannual report on school bus safety that includes a review of student transportation safety records and data; and identify the status of the implementation of the recommendations for additional action or oversight made by the Transportation Task Force of the Commission on Business Efficiency of the Public Schools or of any other task force formed to improve school bus safety. Edmond Bock IV, a first grade student at Atco Elementary School, was tragically struck by a school bus and killed on January 6, 2014. The sponsor seeks to improve safety in student transportation through this bill and other legislation. | In Committee |
| A3047 | Requires certain notice when redirecting consumers to website for ticket resale and establishes certain requirements for websites offering tickets for resale. | This bill requires additional disclosures for ticket brokers who operate a website to resell tickets. Brokers will be required to clearly and conspicuously provide notice: (1) that the website is for the secondary sale of tickets; (2) that tickets offered through the website for secondary sale do not mean that tickets for primary sale are no longer available; (3) that the price of a ticket offered for sale may exceed the face value price or the price set by the place of entertainment; and (4) of any refund policy of the ticket broker that is in place with regard to the postponement or cancellation of an event. The broker is to require a purchaser to confirm having read the information on these notices prior to completing a transaction. A ticket broker is to also clearly and conspicuously disclose the price charged by the place of entertainment that is printed or endorsed on the face of each ticket prior to the purchaser completing any transaction. The same disclosures and requirements of a ticket broker are also made applicable to ticket resale websites in the bill. Additionally, the bill requires a website operator with a ticket website for the sale or selling tickets to inform a consumer when the ticket website is redirecting the consumer to another website for the resale of tickets. The notice to consumers is to be in a clear and conspicuous location on the ticket website and in a minimum of 12-point, boldface font and is to disclose that the redirection to a website for the resale of tickets does not mean that 1) tickets offered through the ticket website for the sale or selling of tickets are sold out or 2) the prices for tickets on the ticket website for the resale of tickets are less expensive than the face value of the ticket or than the ticket website for the sale or selling of tickets. | In Committee |
| A2147 | Requires four-year institutions of higher education to offer accelerated three-year baccalaureate degree programs. | This bill requires four-year institutions of higher education to offer accelerated baccalaureate degree programs that students can complete in three years. The bill directs each four-year institution to offer a three-year degree option in designated majors that the institution determines are well-suited for an accelerated three-year program. Under the bill, a three-year baccalaureate degree program must: (1) establish eligibility criteria for students who wish to participate; (2) require a student to complete the same number of credits and other academic requirements as are required for the four-year program in that major; (3) require a student to take courses during the summer for two consecutive summers, except that a student will be permitted to opt out of this requirement if he can demonstrate that he is able to meet the degree requirements without taking courses in one or both of the summer sessions; (4) guarantee a student the availability of courses needed to complete the degree in three years; and (5) ensure that any internship requirements for the degree program are incorporated into the accelerated three-year framework. In addition, a four-year institution of higher education will offer support resources, such as advising and academic supports, to assist students in the successful completion of an accelerated three-year baccalaureate degree program. The bill provides an exemption from the requirement to offer a three-year degree program for: (1) four-year institutions of higher education that offer three or fewer undergraduate degree programs; and (2) four-year institutions of higher education that do not operate a summer session. The Secretary of Higher Education, however, will take appropriate action to encourage these institutions to implement three-year degree programs. The bill specifies that a student who participates in a three-year baccalaureate degree program may utilize financial aid from any State-funded financial aid programs for which the student is eligible, including the Tuition Aid Grant Program and the Educational Opportunity Fund, toward the costs of tuition and housing for the summer sessions. Under the bill, a four-year institution of higher education is required to submit a report to the Secretary of Higher Education by January 1, 2023. The report must identify the majors for which the institution has determined to offer an accelerated three-year baccalaureate degree program and include information regarding the anticipated financial impact of the three-year programs on the institution. The bill requires four-year institutions of higher education to offer three-year degree programs by the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year. However, if an institution, based on financial concerns, is not prepared to offer a three-year program by that date, the institution's report to the secretary may contain a petition for an extension. An extension petition must include information demonstrating that launching a three-year program by the 2024-2025 academic year would have a significant and cost-prohibitive financial impact on the institution, and that the institution has made a good faith effort to identify majors that are well-suited for a three-year degree program. The extension petition will also include an implementation plan that comports with the petition for an extension. Based on the submitted information, the secretary within 90 days will determine, on a case by case basis, whether it is reasonable for the institution to offer a three-year degree program by the 2024-2025 academic year. If the secretary determines that the institution needs more time, the secretary will provide an extension in one-year increments with a maximum extension of three years. | In Committee |
| A2192 | Requires NJT and county transit agencies to offer transit pass for individuals seeking access to One Stop Career Centers. | This bill requires the New Jersey Transit Corporation and county transit agencies to offer a one-time transit pass to an individual seeking to access a One Stop Career Center. Under the bill, an individual could use the transit pass to receive up to three round-trips, free of charge, from the New Jersey Transit Corporation or county transit agency to access a One Stop Career Center. | In Committee |
| A2183 | Authorizes MVC to enter into contract with private vendor for marketing and sale of certain license plates. | This bill authorizes the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to enter into a contract with an experienced private vendor for the marketing and sale of personalized, courtesy, or special license plates, including plates that the public may compete to obtain by auction, for a period of not less than five years with the initial contract term commencing upon the public advertisement of the license plate program but may be renewed for up to two additional contract terms for a period of not less than five years each in duration. Any contract that MVC enters into with a private vendor is required to provide for the recovery of all costs incurred by MVC in implementing the provisions of this bill but may also require that the private vendor reimburse MVC in advance for: not more than one-half of MVC's anticipated costs in connection with the contract; and MVC's anticipated costs in connection with the introduction of a new personalized, courtesy, or specialty license plate. Under the bill, instead of the fees and the license plate year terms for the registration of motor vehicles established for personalized, courtesy, and special license plates authorized by statute, including plates that the public may compete to obtain by auction, the MVC may, by rule, establish fees and license plate year terms for the registration of motor vehicles for the issuance or renewal of personalized, courtesy, or special license plates, including plates that the public may compete to obtain by auction, that are marketed and sold by the private vendor. The fees are to be reasonable and not less than the amounts necessary to allow the MVC to recover all reasonable costs associated with the implementation and enforcement of the contract, including direct, indirect, and administrative costs. License plate year terms for the registration of motor vehicles are to be offered at annual and various multi-year term lengths as approved by the MVC. The fee is to be in addition to the registration fee prescribed by law for the registration of a motor vehicle; and any renewal fee established for a special license plate by the provision of law that authorizes the issuance of the special license plate. The bill provides that any contract with a private vendor for the marketing and sale of personalized, courtesy, or special license plates, including plates that the public may compete to obtain by auction, is payable only from amounts derived from the collection of the fees established by the bill. Any fees collected in excess of the minimum fees established by MVC are to be deposited as a credit to the General Fund. The bill also provides that the MVC may approve a new design and color combinations for personalized, courtesy, or special license plates, including plates that the public may compete to obtain by auction, that are marketed and sold by a private vendor under a contract entered into with the private vendor. Each approved license plate design and color combination remains the property of the MVC and is to be in accordance with the provisions of law and the regulations promulgated pursuant thereto concerning the style and form of license plates in this State. Nothing in the bill, however, is to be construed to authorize or permit: (1) the MVC to approve a design or color combination for a special license plate that is inconsistent with the design or color combination specified for the special license plate by the provision of law that authorizes the issuance of the special license plate; or (2) the private vendor to market and sell a special license plate with a design or color combination that is inconsistent with the design or color combination specified by the provision of law that authorizes the issuance of the special license plate. The bill permits the MVC to cancel a license plate or require the discontinuation of an approved license plate design or color combination that is marketed and sold by a private vendor under contract at any time if the MVC determines that the cancellation or discontinuation is in the best interest of this State or the motoring public. | In Committee |
| A1877 | Requires carriers to offer health care providers more than one method of payment for reimbursement. | Under the this bill, any network agreement between a carrier, or the carrier's contracted vendor, and a health care provider for the provision of health or dental care services is prohibited from mandating only one form of payment to the health care provider. A carrier, or the carrier's vendor, is also prohibited from restricting the method of payment to an out-of-network health care provider providing out-of-network covered services to only one form of payment. The bill also requires a carrier, or the carrier's contracted vendor, to provide certain information to a health care provider, prior to initiating its first payment to the health care provider, where one of the available payment methods includes a fee and before changing the available payment methods. The bill prohibits a carrier from using a health care provider's preferred method of payment as a factor when deciding whether to provide credentials to a health care provider. | Dead |
| A2119 | Requires DOT to compensate local government entities for contractual delay damages resulting from shutdown of transportation projects funded by Transportation Trust Fund; authorizes local government entities to use certain funds for transportation projects. | This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to compensate municipalities, counties, or other local government entities for delay damages on transportation projects supported through the local aid program, if those delay damages resulted from the shutdown of Transportation Trust Fund projects pursuant to Executive Order No. 210 of 2016 (executive order). The bill also permits a local government entity to use its own funds to continue or complete a transportation project that was halted as a result of the executive order. The bill prohibits DOT or any other executive branch agency from withholding, revoking, or otherwise canceling certain local aid due to the local government entity's decision to use its funds to continue or complete the transportation project. | In Committee |
| A2107 | "New Jersey Intergenerational Poverty Reduction Act." | This bill would establish the New Jersey Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security ("commission"), and the Interagency Working Group on Poverty and Economic Insecurity ("interagency working group") in, but not of, the Department of Human Services. Notwithstanding this allocation, the commission and the interagency working group will be independent of any supervision or control by the department or any officer or employee thereof. The commission is to be composed of 25 voting members, including four members of the legislative branch of government, one member of the judicial branch of government, and 20 public members. The members of the newly established interagency working group will also serve as ex officio non-voting members of the commission. The purpose of the commission will be to: 1) improve policymakers' understanding of poverty, including its root causes, and its impacts on various measures of economic stability and economic outcomes, including educational attainment levels, rates of incarceration, lifetime earnings rates, access to housing, access to health care, and health care outcomes; 2) support governmental efforts to ensure that residents of the State have the equal opportunity to achieve economic security; and 3) develop a strategic plan to address poverty and economic insecurity in the State, as provided by the bill, and otherwise provide recommendations to the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government, to reduce and ultimately eliminate poverty and economic insecurity in the State. The strategic plan is to be developed within 18 months after the bill's effective date. The general goals of the strategic plan will be to: 1) ensure that State programs and services targeting poverty and economic insecurity reflect the goal of helping individuals and families to rise above poverty and achieve long-term economic stability, rather than simply providing relief from deprivation; 2) eliminate disparate rates of poverty, deep poverty, child poverty, and intergenerational poverty that are based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation or identity, English language proficiency, ability, or geographic location in a rural, urban, or suburban area; 3) reduce deep poverty in the State by 50 percent by 2026; 4) eliminate child poverty in the State by 2031; and 5) eliminate all poverty in the State by 2036. In developing the strategic plan, the commission will be required to collaborate with the interagency working group established under the bill, and will further be required to hold at least six public hearings in different geographic regions of the State, including regions that have disparate rates of poverty or historical experience with economic insecurity, in order to collect information, take testimony, and solicit input and feedback from interested parties, including members of the public who have personal experience with State programs and services targeting poverty, deep poverty, child poverty, intergenerational poverty, and economic insecurity. Information collected will be made available to the public. The strategic plan is to: 1) identify, or provide for the development of, fact-based measures to be used both in identifying rates of poverty and economic insecurity in the State and in evaluating the long-term effectiveness of existing and proposed programs and services targeting poverty and economic insecurity in the State; 2) evaluate the current status of, and establish interim goals for the improvement, throughout the State, of: access to adequate food and nutrition; access to affordable and quality health care; equal access to safe and affordable housing; equal access to quality education and training; equal access to affordable, quality post-secondary education options; access to dependable and affordable transportation; access to quality and affordable child care; opportunities to engage in meaningful and sustainable work that pays a living wage; barriers that prevent low-income individuals in poverty from accessing available affordable housing, nutritious food, quality health care, education, transportation, and child care, from utilizing programs and services available to address poverty and economic instability, or from accessing or taking advantage of meaningful and sustainable work opportunities; equal access to justice through a fair system of criminal justice that does not, in effect, criminalize poverty; access to adequate income supports; and retirement security; 3) provide various policy and fiscal recommendations regarding the actions that should be undertaken by State, local, and private actors, as appropriate, to address certain specified issues related to poverty and economic insecurity. For each recommendation, the strategic plan is to identify, in measurable terms, the actual or potential impact the recommendation will have on poverty and economic insecurity in the State and on the achievement of the goals of the strategic plan; and 4) identify best practices for the collection of data on various issues related to poverty and economic insecurity. The strategic plan is also to contain: 1) a suggested timeline for the stages of implementation for each recommendation developed thereunder; 2) short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term benchmarks to measure the State's progress toward achieving the general goals of the strategic plan, as outlined in the bill, and the specific interim goals identified in the plan itself; and 3) a summary of the extent to which the commission has collaborated with the interagency working group with respect to the review and analysis of relevant data on poverty and economic insecurity. The commission will be required to submit a number of different reports to the Governor and the Legislature, including: 1) an interim report on the commission's activities, which is to be submitted within six months after the effective date of this act; 2) a written report summarizing the commission's activities and containing a copy of the commission's strategic plan, which is to be submitted immediately following the commission's adoption of the strategic plan, and not later than 18 months after the effective date of this act; and 3) an annual report evaluating the status of the implementation of the strategic plan, and providing any supplemental recommendations the commission deems necessary to reduce or eliminate poverty and economic insecurity in the State, the first of which is to be submitted one year after the publication of the commission's strategic plan. The bill requires the State Treasurer to include, in the materials that are submitted to the Legislature outlining the Governor's proposed annual budget, a description of any budget proposals or other activities, ongoing projects, or plans of the executive branch that are designed to meet the goals and objectives of the strategic plan. The Interagency Working Group on Poverty and Economic Insecurity, established under the bill, is to be composed of the Commissioners of Human Services, Health, Labor and Workforce Development, Education, Community Affairs, Corrections, and Agriculture, and the State Treasurer, or their designees who are to be employed at the assistant commissioner or assistant treasurer level of the respective department. The working group will be required to meet at least four times a year, and will have the power and duty to: 1) identify, analyze, gain an understanding of, and propose recommendations to address, the root causes of poverty and economic insecurity, including the social, economic, and cultural factors that contribute to poverty and economic insecurity; 2) identify, analyze, gain an understanding of, and propose recommendations to address intergenerational poverty, in accordance with the bill's provisions; 3) study and measure the effect that poverty and economic insecurity have on worker productivity and economic output, and on the health and welfare of children, including children's access to health care, housing, proper nutrition, and quality education; 4) identify State programs, including those programs related to economic development, job creation, job training, the environment, disaster relief, hazard mitigation, extreme weather, and climate change, which require reform in order to better target resources to low-income, minority, rural, urban, and other populations or geographic areas suffering from economic insecurity and disparate rates of poverty; 5) measure the fiscal impact on the State of successfully transitioning individuals and families from poverty to long-term economic stability; 6) establish an ongoing system of data sharing, policy coordination, and communication among and within State agencies, local agencies, and other organizations, including the commission, which are involved in the provision of programs or services that are aimed at improving economic security and eliminating poverty; 7) identify knowledge gaps, research needs, and policy and program deficiencies associated with economic insecurity and poverty; 8) assist the commission in the development of the strategic plan, including through the sharing and analysis of relevant data and information; and 9) coordinate the implementation of the strategic plan, including by advising and assisting relevant agencies in the implementation of the strategic plan, advising relevant agencies on specific programmatic and policy matters related to the strategic plan, providing relevant subject matter expertise to each agency for the purposes of implementing the specific recommendations in the strategic plan, and identifying and addressing issues that may influence the future implementation of the strategic plan. Not later than September 1 of each year, the working group will be required to post on the Internet website of the Department of Human Services, and submit to the Governor and Legislature, a written report that includes: 1) relevant data assessing the scope and depth of intergenerational poverty in the State; 2) a 20-year history of poverty rates in this State, with a focus on any reduction or increase in the rates that has occurred during the previous 10-year period or since the inception of the working group; 3) a summary of actions taken and outcomes obtained by the working group in fulfilling its duties; 4) a summary of progress that has been made in relation to the reduction of poverty and economic insecurity in the State, including policies or procedures that have been implemented to reduce or eliminate the cycle of poverty and intergenerational poverty as a result of the data collected by the working group; and 5) any recommendations for legislative or regulatory action that can be undertaken to further the goals of the strategic plan. Finally, the bill requires the Department of Human Services to establish and maintain an electronic data tracking system to track intergenerational poverty in the State. The data tracking system is to identify and track groups that have a high risk of experiencing intergenerational poverty; identify incidents, patterns, and trends that explain or contribute to intergenerational poverty; and gather and track available local, State, and national data on official poverty rates, child poverty rates, years spent by an individual in childhood poverty, years spent by an individual in adult poverty, public assistance program enrollment rates, and related poverty information. A summary of the data, findings, and potential additional uses of the system is to be included in each annual report that is submitted by the interagency working group under the bill's provisions. | In Committee |
| A921 | Requires certain health care professionals to undergo bias training. | This bill requires certain health care professionals to undergo bias training. Under the bill, a homemaker-home health aide and any other health care professional certified or licensed pursuant to Title 45 of the Revised Statutes, who provides in-home health care services, is to be required to complete one credit of cultural competency and implicit bias training, within one year following the effective date of this bill and biennially thereafter. The cultural competency and implicit bias training curriculum is to be developed by the Department of Health, in consultation with relevant professional organizations, which is to include, but not be limited to: (1) identification and understanding of implicit biases and stereotypes related to race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability; (2) communication techniques that account for potential impacts of implicit biases; (3) strategies for recognizing and mitigating unconscious biases in healthcare decision-making processes; (4) review of applicable federal and State laws regarding discrimination in health care services; (5) cultural awareness and cultural competence in healthcare; and (6) understanding health disparities and social determinants of health. It is the sponsor's belief that this bill will help to ensure that all patients receive quality healthcare that respects their individual cultural backgrounds and experiences and that this bill is a step towards ensuring equity in healthcare delivery within New Jersey. | Dead |
| A2133 | Requires four-year public institutions of higher education to provide on website certain information on online degree students and graduate degree students. | Under the provisions of the "New Jersey College Student and Parent Consumer Information Act," P.L.2009, c.197 (C.18A:3B-43 et seq.), four-year public institutions of higher education are required to provide for public inspection on their websites information on the cost of attendance, the graduation rates of admitted students, and the faculty of the institution. The purpose of the information is to maximize the awareness of students and their families of the costs associated with enrollment in the institution, the institution's success in ensuring the graduation of its students, and the composition of the teaching faculty that a student will encounter in his coursework. This bill amends that law to require the institutions to also provide the information on students who are exclusively enrolled in online education courses at the institution, and for students enrolled in a graduate degree program at the institution. | In Committee |
| A2139 | Grants gross income tax deduction to mental health care professionals providing services in the State. | This bill allows a deduction of $1,000 from gross income to mental health care professionals who provided services in the State during the year. "Mental health care professional" means a taxpayer licensed or certified by the State to provide or administer mental health care. Gross income is the starting total from which taxpayers calculate their income tax liability. A deduction from gross income lowers the starting total and therefore lowers the taxpayer's liability. It is the sponsor's hope that this deduction will incentivize more people to become mental health care professionals and will incentivize mental health care professionals to practice in the State. | In Committee |
| A2109 | Establishes the "Neighborhood Scholar Revitalization Pilot Program." | This bill entitled the "Neighborhood Scholar Revitalization Pilot Program," is intended to aid in the revitalization of declining neighborhoods in the older cities by "seeding" them with a new middle class. The bill establishes a pilot program in four older cities, one in each region of the State, to try to attract recent college graduates to enter into a two-year commitment to settle within certain targeted residential neighborhoods. The four initial cities that will participate in the pilot program are Camden, Trenton, Jersey City, and Paterson. The cities would be responsible for identifying the targeted residential neighborhoods, although those neighborhoods would have to be primarily residential in character and located in a census tract in which the median household income is 60 percent or less of the median income for the housing region in which the census tract is located, as determined for a three-person household by the Department of Community Affairs in accordance with the latest federal decennial census. Each of the four cities participating in the pilot program would be eligible to offer up to 200 qualified graduates a financial incentive to agree to maintain their primary residence within a targeted residential neighborhood for a period of at least 24 months. To qualify for participation in the program, a graduate would need a degree from a two- or four-year accredited institution of higher education, and proof of outstanding student loan indebtedness of at least $7,000. At the end of the required residency period, the program participant would be reimbursed a total $7,000 towards their student loan obligations. This pilot program would be administered by the Urban Enterprise Zone Authority because businesses located within pilot municipalities and an enterprise zone designated pursuant to P.L.1983, c.303, (C.52:27H-60 et seq.) and subject to the "Corporation Business Tax Act (1945)," P.L.1945, c.162 (C.54:10A-1 et seq.) would be entitled to receive neighborhood scholar revitalization tax credits for contributions made to the "Neighborhood Scholar Revitalization Student Loan Reimbursement Fund" established by the bill. This would assist UEZ businesses in recruiting highly educated workers by offering the student loan reimbursement program as an additional benefit. Monies from each pilot municipality's urban enterprise zone assistance fund account could be transferred into the "Neighborhood Scholar Revitalization Student Loan Reimbursement Fund" for the purpose of funding student loan reimbursements. The bill specifies that the amount of the Corporation Business Tax (CBT) tax credit allowed to a business would be equal to the amount of each annual regulated contribution by the business to the "Neighborhood Scholar Revitalization Student Loan Reimbursement Fund" established pursuant to section 3 of the bill, but limited to 50 percent of the amount of tax otherwise due by the business in a given tax year. The bill provides for the carry-forward of unused tax credits. At the end of three years, the Urban Enterprise Zone Authority, in consultation with the Commissioner of Community Affairs, would be required to report to the Governor and Legislature on the success of the pilot program, and make recommendations regarding either the expansion or termination of the pilot program. | In Committee |
| A2178 | Requires school districts to provide information on free application for federal student aid to students in grades 11 and 12. | This bill requires each school district to incorporate information in grades 11 and 12 on the free application for federal student aid as part of the district's implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key Skills, and shall encourage students and their parent or guardian to complete the application. The bill also requires the Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Executive Director of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, to publish a list of resources for school districts, parents, and students that include instructions on how to complete a free application for federal student aid. | In Committee |
| A2167 | Establishes Gold Star Family Scholarship Program; appropriates $100,000 from General Fund to Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. | This bill establishes the Gold Star Family Scholarship Program in the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA). Under the program, a spouse, child, parent, guardian, or sibling of an individual who served in the Armed Forces of the United States or National Guard and lost his life while on active duty would be eligible to receive a scholarship to attend an institution of higher education. HESAA would be responsible for establishing eligibility criteria, and determining the amount of each scholarship award after considering the cost of attendance at the institution of higher education and other federal and State assistance for which the individual is eligible. An individual scholarship award may not exceed the average tuition charged at the four-year public institutions of higher education in the State. HESAA will award scholarships using money in the Gold Star Family Scholarship Fund created under the bill. The bill establishes an annual $2 surcharge on personalized license plates, the proceeds of which will be deposited into the fund. It also provides for a designation on the State gross income tax return that permits a taxpayer to make voluntary contributions to the fund. Last, the bill appropriates $100,000 to the fund. | In Committee |
| A2256 | Requires DOC and county correctional facilities to provide certain inmates with medication-assisted treatment. | This bill requires medication-assisted treatment to be offered to all State and county inmates who, following an initial evaluation upon admission to a State or county correctional facility, are determined to be in need of temporary or continued management of a substance use disorder. An inmate determined to be in need of treatment may voluntarily agree to receive medication-assisted treatment after being provided options utilized in the treatment plan. The bill defines "medication-assisted treatment" as the use of any medications approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration to treat substance use disorders, including extended-release naltrexone, methadone, and buprenorphine, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a whole-patient approach to the treatment of substance use disorders. Inmates who voluntarily agree to medication-assisted treatment are to have access to withdrawal management services prior to the administration of the medication; behavioral health counseling consistent with current therapeutic standards in a community setting; and a health care practitioner required to provide access to medications approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration. Under current law, the Commissioners of Human Services and Corrections are required to establish a joint plan to ensure the provision of mental health and substance use disorder services, by licensed service provider organizations, to inmates housed in State-owned, operated, or contracted correctional facilities, including prisons and halfway houses. The plan, in part, requires the commissioners to establish procedures for the provision of medication-assisted treatment, as appropriate and available. This bill requires the commissioners to establish a program to allow all designated State and county inmates the opportunity to receive medication-assisted treatment. | In Committee |
| A2807 | Requires mail-in ballot applications to include prepaid postage. | Under current law, a voter may complete and return to the county clerk by regular mail an application requesting to receive a mail-in ballot. This bill requires the mail-in ballot application form to include prepaid postage, to be paid by the State. | In Committee |
| A2193 | Requires creation of license plates that allow disabled veterans to park in parking spots reserved for persons with disabilities. | This bill requires the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to issue special license plates for qualified disabled veterans. The plates allow disabled veterans to park in a parking space or zone that is restricted for use by a person with a disability, provided that the disabled veteran displays the veteran's valid, unexpired qualified disabled veteran license plate on the motor vehicle while parked in the parking space or zone. Under the bill, these special plates are to display the words "Disabled Veteran" and a wheelchair symbol. There is to be no cost to the applicant for these special license plates. Finally, the bill specifies that these plates are not transferable and are exclusively for the use of the person to whom they are duly issued. The knowing misuse or abuse of any benefit, privilege, or consideration granted to a holder of a qualified disabled veteran license plate will be sufficient cause for the revocation of the benefits, privileges, and considerations provided to the holder of the license plate and the forfeiture of the license plate. | In Committee |
| A2648 | Requires rail passenger service to provide purchasers with proof of payment at time of purchase. | This bill prevents the New Jersey Transit Corporation (New Jersey Transit) from requiring any validation of proof of payment for rail passenger service. The bill also requires the proof of payment provided for use of rail passenger service to include the lines of service and the duration for which the proof of payment is valid. If a customer is in possession of an authentic proof of payment, that is valid pursuant to the terms on the proof of payment, and provides it to authorized employees or fare enforcement officers, then the customer is not to be considered in violation of fare policy for rail passenger service. Currently, New Jersey Transit light rail and Newark subway service utilize a payment system where passes purchased from vending machines are not valid for use until stamped at a validationmachine located on each platform, which places a time stamp on the pass giving the customer a fixed time in which they can utilize the service after they validate the pass. Many individuals are unaware of this policy, do not validate a pass that they purchase, and are subsequently fined as a result. This bill will prevent the use of the validation machines. Instead, a pass will have to identify the period of time in which it can be used at the time of purchase, and be clearly stated on the pass. | In Committee |
| A1866 | Requires Department of Health to provide information to Statewide 2-1-1 telephone system regarding the location of safe disposal sites for hypodermic syringes and needles and prescription drugs. | This bill requires the Department of Health to periodically provide the Statewide 2-1-1 telephone system with information regarding the location of safe disposal sites for hypodermic syringes and needles and prescription drugs and medication for dissemination to customers of the Statewide 2-1-1 telephone system upon customers' requests. | Dead |
| 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 |
| A2144 | Requires issuance of one free copy of birth certificate to military veteran. | This bill requires the issuance of one free copy of a birth certificate to a military veteran. Under the bill, a current or former member of the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard is to be eligible to receive one certified copy of his or her birth certificate upon request. Additional copies of the birth certificate are to be subject to the regular statutory fee. As used in the bill, "veteran" means any individual who has been discharged or released from service in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, or any 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. "Veteran" is not to include an individual discharged or released under dishonorable circumstances. | In Committee |
| AR67 | Urges Congress to pass legislation requiring mortgage lenders to consider rent payments when determining people's credit worthiness. | This Assembly resolution urges Congress to pass legislation requiring mortgage lenders to consider rent payments when determining people's credit worthiness. When most people purchase a home, money in the form of a mortgage is borrowed for the purchase from a bank, but many lower-income people who rent homes in New Jersey are disqualified due to lack of credit history. Despite little or no credit history, many renters in the State have demonstrated their creditworthiness by consistently paying rent to landlords every month. Fannie Mae, a federally backed institution that buys mortgages from banks and other financial institutions that underwrite mortgages, has begun to count certain people's rent payments when making underwriting decisions. Data from Fannie Mae shows that 17 percent of people who have not owned a home in the previous three years and would not have previously qualified would qualify if rental payments were considered on mortgage applications. Of those 17 percent, many are people of color who have limited credit histories, and who have been shut out of the housing market for a variety of reasons. Though Fannie Mae is taking a step in the right direction, many other institutions who extend mortgages do not take rent payments into account when determining a person's creditworthiness. New Jersey is limited in its ability to require mortgage lenders to consider rent payments when making determinations on applicants by federal law that preempts State regulation. If Congress takes action to require more mortgage lenders to account for rent payments when making decisions on whether to extend credit to a person who wants to buy a home, it will enable more people to own their own homes. | In Committee |
| A2169 | Requires public service employer to certify employment of qualifying employees under federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program; requires Secretary of Higher Education to develop materials to promote Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. | This bill requires a public service employer to certify the employment of qualifying employees under the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. For the purposes of certifying employment for educator employees, the employer is required to credit 3.35 hours worked for each hour of lecture or classroom time. Under the bill, this credit does not supersede any greater adjustment factor established by a collective bargaining agreement or employer policy in recognition of additional work associated with lecture or classroom time for the purpose of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. The bill also provides that, in the event that the United States Department of Education permits public service employers to certify employment for past or present individual employees or groups of employees directly with the department or its agents, notwithstanding any other provision of law, a public service employer is permitted to send to the department or its agents the information necessary for employment certification. Under the bill, in the event that a public service employer does not directly certify employment with the United States Department of Education, the public service employer is required to provide notice of renewal and a copy of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness form with the employer information and employment certification sections of the form already completed to:· any employee who requests a Public Service Loan Forgiveness form;· annually for any current employee for whom the public service employer has previously certified employment; and· upon separation for any employee who is ending his or her work with the public service employer. The bill also requires the Secretary of Higher Education, in consultation with the Student Loan Ombudsman designated within the Department of Banking and Insurance, to develop, and update as necessary, materials designed to promote and increase awareness of the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, including:· a standardized letter for public service employers to distribute to their employees that briefly summarizes the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, provides information about what eligible employees are required to do in order to benefit from the program, and recommends that eligible employees contact their student loan servicer for additional resources;· a detailed fact sheet describing the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, including the official website addresses maintained by the United State Department of Education for the program and by the United States Department of the Treasury for student loan borrower resources; and· a document containing frequently asked questions about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Under the bill, each public service employer is required to annually provide to all employees the most recent available version of those materials in written or electronic form. Each public service employer is required to provide a newly hired employee with those same materials within 30 days of the employee's first day of employment by mail, by electronic mail, or during an in-person new employee orientation. | In Committee |
| A2461 | Allows gross income tax deduction for surviving spouses of certain veterans. | This bill provides an annual exemption under the New Jersey gross income tax, in the amount of $3,000, to a taxpayer who is the surviving spouse of a qualifying veteran of active duty military service. Under current law, a taxpayer who is a veteran honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active duty in the United States Armed Forces or a reserve component thereof, or the National Guard of New Jersey in a federal active duty status, may be eligible to receive a gross income tax exemption in the amount of $6,000 for each taxable year in which the veteran qualifies. This bill extends this veterans' exemption to the surviving spouse of a veteran who has: (1) died while on active duty; (2) was honorably discharged from active duty; or (3) was released from active duty under honorable circumstances. If a surviving spouse remarries, he or she becomes no longer eligible to receive the exemption. The following terms are defined elsewhere in the statutes and are incorporated by reference: "active duty" means duty in the active military service; and "armed forces" means the land, air, and sea forces established by State or federal laws, as applicable. This bill extends the veterans' gross income tax exemption to surviving spouses in order to acknowledge the burdens borne by the widows and widowers of our veterans. Tax relief of this nature is a means to further boost the economic security of those individuals who sacrificed to safeguard our security and freedom. | In Committee |
| A1073 | Requires certain school districts to enter into dual enrollment agreements with one or more institutions of higher education. | Current law permits a school district to enter into a dual enrollment agreement with one or more institutions of higher education. This bill requires school districts to enter into these dual enrollment agreements. | In Committee |
| AR66 | Urges Congress to oppose trade agreements with United Kingdom unless Good Friday Agreement and other Irish peace elements are preserved. | The Good Friday Agreement was signed on April 10, 1998, Good Friday, and centered on the division in Northern Irish society. The conflict dates back to the early 1920's when Northern Ireland became separated from the rest of Ireland. Great Britain ruled Ireland for hundreds of years. Northern Ireland became part of the United Kingdom with England, Wales and Scotland, leaving the Republic of Ireland as a separate country. The population of Northern Ireland was divided in two: Unionists who wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom, and Nationalists who wanted Northern Ireland to be independent from the United Kingdom and join the Republic of Ireland. In 1998, after nearly two years of talks and 30 years of conflict, the Agreement was signed, resulting in a new government being formed that would see power being shared between Unionists and Nationalists. An attempt by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union on its own terms will undermine the Agreement, causing the Agreement to become a casualty of Brexit talks. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is attempting to redraw elements of the Brexit treaty with the European Union relating to Northern Ireland because he wants British ministers to have the right to interpret key parts of the Northern Ireland protocol, a legal document designed to avoid a hard border with Ireland. However, the change threatens to put London's highly-prized trade deal with the United States in jeopardy. The United Kingdom must continue to honor the Agreement, which supported the peace settlement in Northern Ireland, as it departs from the European Union. Four senior members of the U.S. Congress in a joint statement warned that the United Kingdom's plans could have disastrous consequences for the Agreement and the broader process of maintaining peace on the island of Ireland, and many in the Congress and the United States consider the issue of the Agreement and a potential United States-United Kingdom free trade agreement inextricably linked. This House supports the idea that we cannot allow the Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit and any trade deal between the United States and United Kingdom must be contingent upon respect for the Agreement and preventing the return of a hard border. This House urges Congress to oppose any agreement with the United Kingdom unless the Agreement and other elements of the Irish peace process are preserved. | In Committee |
| A2181 | Requires publication online of Senate Journals, Assembly Minutes, and their indexes. | Under current law, the Senate Journals, Assembly Minutes, minutes of the joint meetings of both Houses of the Legislature, and their indexes, are printed and bound as a volume for each annual legislative session of each House. Under this bill, the journals, minutes, and indexes would be published online by the Office of Legislative Services, and not as bound volumes. However, the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the General Assembly may have the Office of Legislative Services print not more than 10 copies of a bound volume for an entire annual session of the Senate or General Assembly. | In Committee |
| A2126 | Requires MVC to provide customer service telephone number at motor vehicle inspection facilities. | This bill requires the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to ensure the conspicuous display of a toll-free customer service telephone number at all official inspection facilities designated by the MVC. A person may call the toll-free customer service telephone number to report any technical problems. | Dead |
| A2900 | Establishes "Succeed in New Jersey" student loan reimbursement program for certain New Jersey residents employed in designated fields. | This bill would establish the "Succeed in New Jersey" student loan reimbursement program within the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA). The purpose of the program is to alleviate the burden of student loan debt for recent college graduates who are residents of New Jersey and are employed in certain fields designated as eligible for the program by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Loan reimbursement under the program will be used to reimburse an applicant for a portion of his student loan payments under a federal or New Jersey student loan program for a maximum period of three years. To be eligible to receive loan reimbursement under the program, an applicant must: (1) be a resident of New Jersey and have resided in the State for at least 3 months; (2) be a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen; (3) have earned an undergraduate degree in or after December 2014; (4) apply for the program within four years of obtaining an undergraduate degree; (5) have an outstanding student loan balance under a federal or New Jersey student loan program; (6) be employed in one of the designated fields with a primary work location in New Jersey; and (7) have an income that does not exceed 500 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Under the program, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development will designate up to five fields of employment that qualify an eligible applicant for student loan reimbursement. Each field must meet at least one of the following criteria: (1) the field currently has an unmet workforce need in the State; or (2) the field provides a public good or benefit to the citizens of the State and is a low wage field. Every three years, the department will conduct a reassessment of the eligible fields of employment under the program. The amount of a loan reimbursement award for an eligible applicant will be determined by a sliding scale based on income, as follows: (1) up to $6,000 in loan reimbursement per year for an eligible applicant with an income that is less than or equal to 300 percent of the federal poverty guidelines; (2) up to $4,000 in loan reimbursement per year for an eligible applicant with an income that is greater than 300 percent but less than or equal to 400 percent of the federal poverty guidelines; and (3) up to $2,000 in loan reimbursement per year for an eligible applicant with an income that is greater than 400 percent but less than or equal to 500 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. The bill caps total State expenditures for student loan reimbursement awards under the program at $10 million per year. As a condition of continued participation in the program for a maximum period of three years, a program participant must maintain residency in the State and remain current with payments on student loans. Participants also must submit documentation each year to HESAA verifying their employment and income. The bill requires HESAA to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature three years after the establishment of the "Succeed in New Jersey" program and every three years thereafter. The report will include information on the total number of participants receiving loan reimbursement under the program; the number of participants employed in each of the eligible fields under the program; and the total amount of loan reimbursement awards issued under the program each year. | In Committee |
| A2116 | Authorizes issuance of special license plates for alumni of four-year public institutions of higher education. | This bill authorizes the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) to issue special license plates to the alumni of four-year public institutions of higher education. Specifically, the bill directs the commission to establish and administer a license plate program for each four-year public institution of higher education. For each alumni license plate program, the bill provides that the design of the alumni license plates is to display appropriate words or a slogan and an emblem honoring the applicable four-year public institution of higher education. The chief administrator, in consultation with an alumni association of each four-year public institution of higher education, is to select the design and color scheme of the alumni license plates for the respective alumni license plate programs. In addition to all fees otherwise required by law for the registration of a motor vehicle, the bill imposes an application fee of $50 and an annual renewal fee of $10 for the alumni license plates. After the deduction of the cost of designing, producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the plates and of any computer programming changes that are necessary to implement each alumni license plate program, any additional fee collections are required to be deposited into the special non-lapsing fund established for each four-year public institution of higher education. The proceeds of each fund are to be annually appropriated to an alumni association of the applicable four-year public institution of higher education to support the organization's mission and programs. The chief administrator is required to annually certify the average cost of producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of the alumni license plates for each alumni license plate program. If the average cost per plate exceeds $50 in two consecutive fiscal years, the chief administrator may discontinue an alumni license plate program. The bill also requires the director of an alumni association to appoint a liaison to represent the alumni association in all communications with the commission regarding the alumni license plates. The bill prohibits the use of State or other public funds by the commission to cover the initial cost to implement an alumni license plate program. The bill requires an alumni association or an individual or entity designated by an alumni association to contribute non-public monies, not to exceed $25,000, to offset the initial costs to design, produce, issue, and publicize the license plates and for computer programming changes which may be necessary to implement the program. The bill authorizes an alumni association of a four-year public institution of higher education to receive funds from private sources to offset the initial costs. Under the bill, the commission is not required to design, produce, issue, or publicize the availability of alumni license plates or make any necessary programming changes, until: (1) an alumni association or the individual or entity designated by an alumni association has provided the commission with the money necessary to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission in establishing the license plate program; and (2) the liaison of an alumni association has provided the commission with a minimum of 500 completed applications for the license plates. | Dead |
| A2187 | Requires law enforcement develop protocol for social media in certain circumstances. | This bill requires the State Police and local police departments that use social media to post information regarding missing or wanted persons to develop and implement a protocol for the posting of that information and for the removal of the posting no later than six months after the issue is resolved. Currently, there is no statutory requirement for the State's law enforcement to remove social media postings of wanted or missing persons. Therefore, a person no longer sought by police could be denied opportunities, such as employment, for appearing as a wanted person. Similarly, a person who is no longer missing could endure unnecessary scrutiny. This bill seeks to alleviate the potential for harm that may be caused by the persistence of outdated information posted by the police on the Internet. | In Committee |
| A2137 | Directs MVC to implement and offer to public wireless telephone application technology that allows person to add digital version of certain identification to wireless telephone. | This bill directs the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to implement and offer to the public a wireless telephone application technology, which meets standards established by the International Organization for Standardization, that allows a person to add a digital version of the person's New Jersey driver's license or non-driver identification card to a wireless telephone. | In Committee |
| A1690 | Establishes "NJpass Program" to provide discounted fares to eligible organizations; establishes "GO NJ Transit Card Program" to develop transit cards that can be used to purchase any NJT service. | This bill requires the New Jersey Transit Corporation (corporation) to establish the "NJpass Program" and the "GO NJ Transit Card Program." The purpose of the NJpass Program is to support workforce development and increase access to public transportation in the State by providing discounted rates to approved classes of certain eligible organizations when purchasing a ticket or pass for a New Jersey Transit Corporation service (corporation service). Under the program, the corporation would be required to contract with eligible organizations that have been approved by the corporation to participate in the NJpass Program to provide discounted rates to approved classes of the eligible organizations. The corporation would be required to establish eligibility criteria and develop an application process for eligible organizations to apply to participate in the NJpass Program. Upon approval of an application, the corporation and the eligible organization will have the opportunity to negotiate the terms and conditions of the contract to be entered into, including, but not limited to, the amount of the discounted fares to be offered and the types of corporation services to be accessed under the NJpass Program. Following any negotiations necessary between the corporation and the eligible organization, the corporation will enter into a contract with the eligible organization to provide discounted group rates to the approved class of the eligible organization. The terms and conditions of the contract are required to include, at a minimum: (1) the discounted rates to be offered to the approved class of the eligible organization; (2) specific information as to what the approved class of the eligible organization will be; (3) information concerning any limitations on times of use or types of corporation services available to the approved class; and (4) the amount of compensation or reimbursement required from the eligible organization, if any, to cover the administrative costs of the corporation. A contract under the NJpass Program will be valid upon the approval of the corporation for a term of not more than two years, except that the first contract with an eligible organization cannot exceed 12 months. The bill also requires the corporation to establish the "GO NJ Transit Card Program." The purpose of the GO NJ Transit Card Program is to develop GO NJ Transit Cards (transit cards) and a system in which the transit cards can be purchased and utilized to purchase a ticket or pass for any corporation service in the State. Under the program, transit cards would be available for purchase. Individuals who purchase a transit card would be able to load money onto the transit card and utilize the transit card to purchase a ticket or pass for any corporation service within the State. Money loaded onto a transit card never expires. In establishing the transit cards under the GO NJ Transit Card Program, the corporation is required to: (1) develop and implement a fare capping system to ensure individuals who utilize a transit card are paying the lowest authorized fare for any period of travel, without having to pay the full cost upfront; and (2) provide discounted fares, in an amount to be determined by the corporation, to transit card users, which are to be in addition to any other discounted fares already provided by the corporation, including, but not limited to, the discounted fares provided to any senior citizen or person with a disability who receives reduced fares for transportation provided by the corporation, or provided under contract with the corporation. The bill requires the corporation to publish information concerning the NJpass Program and the GO NJ Transit Card Program on its Internet website and update the information as necessary. The bill also requires the corporation to submit reports to the Governor and the Legislature on the effectiveness of each of the programs established by the bill. In establishing and implementing the programs, the corporation is required to consider the efforts other states have taken to implement similar programs. | In Committee |
| A2170 | Establishes "State House Flag Program"; makes appropriation. | This bill establishes the "State House Flag Program." The "State House Flag Program" will be operated by the Building Management office within the State House Joint Management Commission. At the request of a member of the Legislature, the Building Management office will fly a New Jersey State flag on top of the State House. A certificate will be created for each flag flown, including the information of when it was flown and for which individual, group, or organization the flag is flown. The Building Management office will mail the flag to the individual, group, or organization. This bill directs the Director of Public Information of the Office of Legislative Services to provide information about the "State House Flag Program" to the Legislature and the public in order for members and constituents to be informed of the program's existence. The bill makes to make an appropriation from the General Fund in order to properly implement the provisions of the bill. | In Committee |
| A2142 | Requires NJTA and SJTA to extend payment period for violations of electronic toll collection monitoring system, commonly known as E-ZPass, during COVID-19 public health emergency and state of emergency. | This bill requires the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority (authorities) to permit the owner of a vehicle to pay the required toll and, if applicable, reasonable administrative fee within 90 days from the date that an advisory and payment request (APR) is sent for any violation of the toll collection monitoring system, commonly known as E-ZPass, that was committed during the COVID-19 public health emergency and state of emergency. The bill also prohibits the owner of a vehicle from being charged any additional administrative fee for the E-ZPass violation during the extension of the payment period for the APR authorized pursuant to the bill. Nothing in this bill is to be construed to authorize: the increase of the administrative fee that is established by the authorities: or the establishment of any additional fees for the administration of the extension provide for pursuant to the bill. Under current law, the owner of a vehicle has 30 days from the date that an advisory and payment request is sent to pay the required toll and the reasonable administrative fee for an E-ZPass violation. During the COVID-19 public health emergency and state of emergency, the authorities implemented cashless tolling to prevent face-to-face interactions and the spread of the Corona virus. It is the sponsor's intent to prevent the authorities using the pandemic to charge the $50 administrative fee on every cashless toll when New Jersey residents without an E-ZPass account have no other way of paying the toll and to prevent the accumulation of excessive administrative fees on E-ZPass violations without a reasonable amount of time to pay. | In Committee |
| A2134 | Prohibits four-year public institution of higher education from charging tuition and fees to student who is spouse or dependent child of disabled veteran. | This bill prohibits four-year public institutions of higher education from charging tuition or fees to the spouse or dependent child of a disabled veteran. Under the bill, the spouse or dependent child of a disabled veteran is eligible to attend a four-year public institution of higher education tuition-free and fee-free provided that: (1) the spouse or child has been accepted to pursue a course of undergraduate study and is enrolled as an undergraduate student in good standing at that institution; (2) the spouse or child has applied for all available State student grants and scholarships and all available federal student grants and scholarships for which the spouse or child is eligible; and (3) the spouse or child has applied for tuition benefits available through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for which the spouse or child is eligible under the "Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008," Pub.L.110-252 (38 U.S.C. s.3301 et seq.). The bill directs the State to reimburse each institution of higher education for the costs of waiving tuition and fees pursuant to the bill's provisions. | In Committee |
| AR68 | Urges the Federal Railroad Administration to stop Class I freight railroads from using precision-scheduled railroading. | This resolution urges the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to stop Class I freight railroads from using precision-scheduled railroading (PSR). PSR is a strategy associated with an increase in efficiency and a decrease in costs. However, many railroad stakeholders and employees associate PSR with safety issues, including employee fatigue and locomotive upkeep. Although the FRA has begun to implement programs to combat some of the anticipated risks of PSR and continues to study the safety of PSR, this resolution urges the FRA to stop the use of PSR by Class I freight railroads. | In Committee |
| A2121 | Requires registration of private education lenders; establishes protections for private education borrowers. | The bill prohibits a creditor, lender, or student financing company from extending student financing or a private education loan to a New Jersey resident without first registering with the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance and with the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System and Registry. Creditors, lenders, and student financing companies are required to provide the commissioner, at the time of registration and not less than once per year thereafter, certain information about the entities and the student loans that they provide. The commissioner is required to post on the department's website information about private education lenders registered in the State. The bill also requires creditors, lenders, and student financing companies to post on their websites a copy of each model promissory note, agreement, contract or other instrument used by the creditor, lender, or student financing company to substantiate a private education loan. The bill provides that the commissioner may impose a civil penalty not exceeding $25,000 on any person for a violation of the registration provisions of the bill. Each violation, which constitutes a knowing violation, is a crime of the third degree. The bill requires private education lenders to deliver certain information to a cosigner related to impacts on the cosigner in certain circumstances, prior to the extension of a private education loan that requires a cosigner. For any private education loan that obligates a cosigner and provides for cosigner release, a lender is required to provide the borrower and the cosigner an annual written or electronic notice containing clear and conspicuous information about cosigner release. Under the bill, if the borrower has met the applicable payment requirement to be eligible for cosigner release, the lender must send the borrower and the cosigner a notification informing them that the payments requirement to be eligible for cosigner release has been met. The bill requires a lender to provide written notice to a borrower who applies for cosigner release, but whose application is incomplete. Within 30 days after a borrower submits a completed application for cosigner release, the lender is required to send the borrower and cosigner a written notice that informs them whether the cosigner release application has been approved or denied. The bill prohibits a lender from imposing any restriction that permanently bars a borrower from qualifying for cosigner release. For any private education loan executed after the effective date of the bill, a lender is prohibited from requiring greater than 12 consecutive, on-time payments of principal and interest as criteria to apply for cosigner release. Under the bill, if a borrower or cosigner requests a change in terms that restarts the count of consecutive, on-time payments, the lender must notify the borrower and cosigner in writing, by mail or by electronic mail, of the impact of the change and provide the borrower or cosigner the right to withdraw or reverse the request. The bill provides that a borrower has the right to request an appeal of a lender's determination to deny a request for cosigner release, and the lender is required to permit the borrower to submit certain additional documentation. The bill requires lenders to establish and maintain a comprehensive record management system. The bill prohibits private education loans executed after the effective date of the bill from including a provision that permits the private educational lender to accelerate, in whole or in part, payments on the private education loan, except in cases of payment default. The bill prohibits a private education loan executed prior to or after the effective date of the bill from including a provision that permits a lender to attempt to collect against the cosigner's estate, other than for payment default. Upon receiving notification of the death or bankruptcy of a cosigner, when the loan is not more than 60 days delinquent at the time of the notification, the lender may not change any terms or benefits under the promissory note, repayment schedule, repayment terms, or monthly payment amount or any other loan provision. Under the bill, a lender, upon determination of the total and permanent disability of a borrower, is required to release any cosigner from his obligations under a private education loan. Upon determination of the total and permanent disability of a cosigner, a lender is required to release that individual cosigner from the obligations of the cosigner. The bill requires lenders to notify borrowers and cosigners if a cosigner or borrower is released from the obligations of the private education loan, within 30 days of the release. The bill requires lenders that extend private education loans to provide the borrower the option to designate an individual to have the legal authority to act on behalf of the borrower with respect to the private ?education loan in the event of the total and permanent disability of the borrower. In the event a cosigner is released from the obligations of a private education loan, a lender may not require the borrower to obtain another cosigner on the loan obligation. The bill provides that lenders may not declare a default or accelerate the debt against the borrower on the sole basis of the release of the cosigner from the loan obligation. The bill requires lenders, upon determination of the total and permanent disability of a borrower, to discharge the liability of the borrower and cosigner on the loan. After making the determination of the total and permanent disability of a borrower, a lender may not attempt to collect on the outstanding liability of the borrower or cosigner or monitor the disability status of the borrower after the date of discharge. The bill requires private education lenders to deliver a statement that benefits and protections applicable to an existing loan may be lost due to refinancing before offering a person a private education loan that is being used to refinance an existing education loan. If a lender offers any borrower flexible repayment options in connection with a private education loan, those flexible repayment options must be made available to all borrowers of loans by the lender. The bill provides that a private education lender may not: offer any private education loan that is not in conformity with the bill, or that is in violation of any other State or federal law; engage in any unfair, deceptive, or abusive act or practice; or make, advertise, print, display, publish, distribute, electronically transmit, telecast or broadcast, in any manner, any statement or representation which is false, misleading or deceptive. The bill requires private education lenders to publish the criteria used to determine borrower interest rates in all places where the interest rate is published, if the lender does not offer the same interest rate to all borrowers. The bill provides that a debt collector attempting to collect a private education loan must provide certain documentation related to the loan in the first debt collection communication with the borrower and at any other time the borrower requests the documentation. The bill also prohibits creditors from collecting or attempting to collect a private education loan debt unless the creditor possesses certain information and documentation related to the loan. Following a payment default on a private education loan by a borrower, and before a creditor may accelerate the maturity of the loan or commence a legal action against the borrower, a lender is required to provide to the borrower a notice of intention to accelerate the loan. The creditor must provide the notice at least 30 days, but not more than 180 days, in advance of the action, and must provide a copy of the notice to the department at the same time it is provided to the borrower. The bill provides that an action to enter a default judgment against a borrower must be commenced within six years of the date the borrower failed to make a payment. The bill requires a creditor or lender seeking to commence legal action against a borrower to attach .certain documentation and information to a complaint filed in a court of competent jurisdiction. If a creditor fails to comply with the filing requirements of the bill, a borrower may bring an action, including a counterclaim, against the creditor to recover or obtain certain relief and damages. The bill also provides that a borrower or cosigner who suffers damage as a result of a violation may bring an action in a court of competent jurisdiction to recover certain relief and damages. | In Committee |
| A2112 | Requires availability of free parking at polling places on election day. | This bill requires the availability of free parking at polling places on election day. Under current law, preference in locations to be selected as polling places is given to schools and public buildings. Current law also requires each polling place to be accessible to individuals with disabilities and the elderly in compliance with the "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990." This bill would institute an additional requirement for polling places to have onsite parking available free of charge. | In Committee |
| A2132 | Permits use of preferred names on student diplomas. | This bill permits graduating students to use preferred names on diplomas conferred by public and nonpublic schools, institutions of higher education, and proprietary institutions licensed to offer academic degrees. Graduating students would not be required to provide legal documentation sufficient to demonstrate a legal name or gender change in order to use a preferred name. Schools and institutions have the right to deny a preferred name request if the preferred name is intended to misrepresent the person's identity or misappropriate the identity of another person, avoid a legal obligation, harm the reputation or interests of the school or institution, or be derogatory, obscene, or otherwise inappropriate. Schools and institutions would also be required to update a former student's records provided that the former student provides sufficient documentation demonstrating a legal name or gender change. Acceptable documents include a state-issued driver's license, birth certificate, passport, social security card, or court order indicating a legal name or gender change, or both. Upon receipt of proper documentation sufficient to demonstrate a legal name or gender change, a school or institution is required to reissue any documents conferred upon the former student with the former student's updated legal name or gender upon request. Documents that could be reissued include, but are not limited to, a transcript or diploma conferred by the school or institution. Schools and institutions would be permitted to charge a nominal fee for the reissuance of any document requested by a former student pursuant to this bill. | In Committee |
| A1151 | Requires health insurers, SHBP and SEHBP to provide coverage for diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of lymphedema. | This bill requires health insurers and health maintenance organizations, as well as health benefits plans or contracts which are issued or purchased pursuant to the New Jersey Individual Health Coverage Program, New Jersey Small Employer Health Benefits Program, State Health Benefits Program, and School Employees' Health Benefits Program, to provide coverage for expenses incurred in the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of lymphedema that is determined to be medically necessary by the treating physician. Lymphedema is caused by an abnormality of the lymphatic system leading to excessive build-up of tissue fluid that forms lymph, known as interstitial fluid. Interstitial fluid can build up in any area of the body that has inadequate lymph drainage and cause lymphedema. Left untreated, lymphedema leads to chronic inflammation, infection and hardening of the skin that, in turn results in further lymph vessel damage and distortion of the shape of affected body parts. Lymphedema is a condition that develops slowly and once present is usually progressive. Although some people are born with abnormalities in the lymphatic system, a condition known as Primary Lymphedema, most lymphedema in the United States is Secondary Lymphedema. This type of lymphedema occurs from damage to the lymphatic system, commonly from cancer and its treatment, but also from trauma to the skin such as from burns or infections. Lymphedema can occur as a result of breast cancer, melanoma, gynecologic cancer, head and neck cancer, and sarcoma. Early diagnosis of lymphedema is important since treatment is most effective when commenced at the earliest stage of the disease. Lymphedema has no cure, but can be successfully managed when properly diagnosed and treated. Every patient diagnosed with lymphedema should have access to established effective treatment. | In Committee |
| A2190 | Requires State Board of Education to reduce clinical practice requirements for certain teacher candidates. | This bill requires the State Board of Education to reduce certain clinical practice requirements for a teacher candidate to be eligible for a certificate of eligibility with advanced standing. A "certificate of eligibility with advanced standing" is defined as a certificate with lifetime validity issued by the State Board of Examiners to candidates who meet degree, academic, and test requirements for teacher certification and complete an educator preparation program. The bill defines "clinical practice" as a field-based experience or internship in a kindergarten through grade 12 environment where a teacher candidate demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to be an effective educator. Under current State Board of Education regulations, a teacher candidate seeking a certificate of eligibility with advanced standing is required to complete clinical practice that (1) occurs during at least two semesters; and (2) includes the completion of at least 175 hours prior to one full-time semester, of which at least 100 of the 175 hours are to be completed in the semester immediately preceding the semester of full-time clinical practice. This bill authorizes the State Board of Education to reduce these clinical practice requirements. This bill requires the Commissioner of Education to develop recommendations for reducing the clinical practice requirements and those recommendations are required to be submitted to the State board. In developing the recommendations, the commissioner is required to consult with representatives of the education community including, but not limited to, the New Jersey Education Association, the New Jersey School Boards Association, the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, and the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association. It is the intent of this bill to reduce the 175 hours of clinical practice in order for a teacher candidate to fulfill the clinical practice requirements in only one semester. Reducing the amount of clinical practice hours will help eliminate the burden of a costly and redundant second semester of clinical practice. | In Committee |
| A2185 | Establishes Urban Enterprise Zone Microloan Program in EDA to help certain businesses in Urban Enterprise Zones and UEZ-Impacted districts; appropriates $5 million. | This bill establishes the "Urban Enterprise Zone Microloan Program" (loan program) within the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) to provide qualified businesses with funding for operational or capital expenses, or both, to establish a business in an enterprise zone (zone) or UEZ-impacted business district (district). Loan Program Qualifications The loan program provides low-interest loans to qualified businesses that demonstrate to the EDA that: 1) the qualified business will become newly engaged in a viable trade or business in that zone or district; 2) the qualified business employs or plans to employ at least five employees during every calendar month of the 24-month period following the date of application for the loan program, with at least 50 percent of those employees being residents of that zone or district. Any owner or persons with a controlling interest in the qualified business may be residents of the zone or district but cannot be included in the count of employees for the purposes of the loan application; and 3) the qualified business lacks sufficient resources to effectively implement the business activities or trade without assistance from the loan program. Application Criteria A qualified business that seeks assistance under the loan program is required to submit an application to the EDA, in a form and manner prescribed by the EDA. In addition to any other information that the EDA may deem appropriate, the application is required to request an applicant to submit: information demonstrating that the applicant meets the eligibility requirements; a business plan demonstrating the viability of the business and the ability of the business to employ the requisite number of employees as required by the bill; and an outline of the anticipated use of loan proceeds. Under the bill, the EDA is required to approve applications for the loan program on a rolling basis, subject to the availability of funds. Loan Requirements Upon approval of an application, the authority is to provide low-interest loans to the qualified business. In addition to any other terms and conditions that the EDA may deem appropriate, each loan issued under the loan program may include provisions for the forgiveness of the loan, in whole or in part, within two years of loan fund disbursement, if the qualified business notifies the EDA that, after a bona-fide effort, the qualified business no longer exists because the trade or business was not viable. This provision of the bill should not be construed to provide for compulsory loan forgiveness by the EDA, and no loan will be forgiven in the event of fraud or mismanagement of funds. Each loan issued under the program is required to: 1) be issued for a term not to exceed six years, with payments not commencing until one year after the loan's approval; 2) bear interest at rates not more than three percent for qualified businesses, and not more than zero percent for qualified businesses that are also veteran-owned businesses; and 3) provide more flexible repayment terms than are customarily made available through conventional business loans issued by private lenders. Any qualified business that receives assistance under the loan program is required to submit an annual report to the EDA until such time as the full balance of the loan has been repaid to the EDA. At a minimum, the annual report is required to include information outlining the expenses supported by the loan, describing bona fide efforts to ensure the viability of the business, and assessing the performance of the qualified business, including whether the business still exists. Loan Fund and Appropriation Finally, the bill appropriates $5 million from the General Fund to the EDA to support the operations of the loan program. These monies are to be deposited into a non-lapsing revolving loan fund, known as the "Urban Enterprise Zone Microloan Fund," which the EDA is required to administer for the purposes of the loan program. Any interest collected from loans provided by the loan program may be used by the EDA to offset the costs of the administration of the loan program, or otherwise are required to be deposited in the "Urban Enterprise Zone Microloan Fund." | In Committee |
| A2095 | Requires NJT rail stations and bus and rail terminals to display historical information about area in or around stations and terminals. | This bill requires all New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJT) rail stations and bus and rail terminals to display historical information about the area in or around the stations and terminals. The NJT is required to identify a series of New Jersey historic sites and memorials, as that term is defined in the bill, located within or around its rail stations and bus and rail terminals. The NJT is then to design, purchase, erect, and maintain a historic marker describing the persons, places, and events commemorated and having other suitable inscription as the NJT may deem necessary. The New Jersey historic sites and memorials are to be inclusive of all eras and diverse cultural aspects of New Jersey's history, as well as be geographically representative of the entire State. Finally, the NJT may seek the assistance and cooperation of local government officials and entities, owners or operators of historic sites and memorials in the State, or entities that identify and compile data on historical sites and memorials to facilitate the goal of this bill. | In Committee |
| A2110 | Exempts 100 percent disabled veterans from payment of motor vehicle registration fees; requires notification of eligible motorists. | This bill exempts from motor vehicle registration fees one passenger motor vehicle owned by any resident who has been honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active service in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States who is adjudicated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, or its successor, as being permanently 100 percent disabled. The bill also requires the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs, in consultation with the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, to notify all eligible motorists of the availability of the fee exemption. | In Committee |
| A2111 | Exempts customer with account for electronic toll collection system, commonly known as E-ZPass, from certain fees if motor vehicle is stolen. | This bill exempts a customer who has an account with a New Jersey electronic toll collection system, commonly known as EZPass, and reports in a timely manner the theft of a motor vehicle containing the customer's electronic vehicle identification system transponder (transponder) from liability for: 1) unauthorized charges of $50 or more incurred prior to reporting the motor vehicle as stolen; or 2) unauthorized charges incurred after the reporting of the motor vehicle as stolen. The bill prohibits a customer who reports the theft of a motor vehicle containing the customer's transponder in a timely manner and submits to the operator a copy of the police report of the theft, from being charged any fees for the stolen transponder or for a replacement transponder. Under current law, a customer who has an E-ZPass account may only be exempt from unauthorized charges and the replacement fees for a transponder if the transponder is reported stolen or lost. The bill also defines "Electronic toll collection system" as the electronic system employed or utilized by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority or South Jersey Transportation Authority to register and collect the toll required to be paid for a vehicle entering a toll plaza owned or operated by, or upon the behalf of, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority or South Jersey Transportation Authority. | In Committee |
| 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 |
| A2129 | Create COVID-19 Memorial Commission. | This bill establishes a COVID-19 Memorial Commission in the Department of Health. The memorial will honor the New Jersey residents whose lives were lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The commission will consist of 11 members and will be responsible for selecting a suitable design and location for the construction of a COVID-19 memorial, and determining appropriate methods of financing the construction and maintenance of the memorial. A non-lapsing fund will be established for the design, construction, and maintenance of the memorial. The COVID-19 outbreak spread across the United States and the world. The outbreak was recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, and on March 9, 2020, Governor Murphy signed an executive order declaring a State of Emergency and Public Health Emergency. Statistics show that, as of February 1, 2021, New Jersey had approximately 700,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and approximately 21,500 deaths related to COVID-19. The highly contagious nature of the virus prevented many from spending time with their friends and loved ones, especially those who died alone and afraid in hospitals and nursing homes. The highly contagious nature of the virus also prevented many from giving their loved ones a proper burial or funeral service, preventing a final and peaceful goodbye. Most New Jerseyans know someone, whether directly or indirectly, who was affected by COVID-19. The establishment of a memorial to honor the New Jersey residents whose lives were lost to COVID-19 is necessary and appropriate. | In Committee |
| A1478 | Requires study of ocean energy potential; directs BPU to establish wave and tidal energy generation goals and take other action to establish NJ as nationwide leader in ocean energy. | This bill provides for a comprehensive study of the State's ocean energy potential and requires the State's clean energy plans to be updated to incorporate new goals related to the generation of wave and tidal energy, which are both forms of clean energy derived from ocean resources. Specifically, the bill requires the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to solicit and approve an application for the implementation of one pilot wave and tidal energy project. Under the bill, data associated with this project would be used to prepare a comprehensive study and written report concerning the use of wave and tidal energy. Within 12 months after the completion of the pilot project, the BPU and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) would be required to commence a comprehensive study to evaluate the feasibility and benefits of using wave and tidal energy as forms of clean energy in the State. In this study, the BPU and DEP would be required to evaluate various factors related to the increased use of wave and tidal energy in the State, including: (1) the actual and potential impacts of increased wave and tidal energy usage; (2) the feasibility and desirability of establishing a renewable energy credit program to encourage the development of wave and tidal energy; and (3) the feasibility and desirability of alternative incentives for the development of wave and tidal energy. Additionally, within 15 months after the completion of the pilot project, the President of the BPU and the Commissioner of Environmental Protection would also be required to submit a written report to the Governor and the Legislature identifying the findings of the comprehensive study and providing recommendations for legislative, executive, and other actions that can be taken to promote the development of wave and tidal energy technologies, infrastructure, and facilities in the State. Among other things, the report would be required to include a strategic plan for the deployment of wave and tidal energy technologies, infrastructure, and facilities in the State. The strategic plan would identify, at a minimum, specific wave energy generation goals, tidal energy generation goals, or both, in megawatts, that the State should endeavor to meet by 2030, 2040, and 2050, in order to ensure the timely and effective deployment of wave and tidal energy technologies and the sufficient incorporation of wave and tidal energy into the State's energy portfolio. Based on the recommendations of this report, the BPU would also be required to undertake certain additional actions to promote the development of the wave and tidal energy sector. The bill also requires the Energy Master Plan Committee to incorporate information into the Energy Master Plan regarding the wave and tidal energy strategic plan developed under the bill and, to the extent practicable, the wave and tidal energy generation goals recommended by the strategic plan. | In Committee |
| A1447 | Provides secondary classroom experience credit towards meeting requirements of classroom training portion of registered apprenticeship. | This bill provides that partners participating in a consortium applying for a grant under the "Youth Transitions to Work Partnership Act," P.L.1993, c.268 (C.34"15E-1 et seq.), are required to consult and gain approval from the United States Department of Labor before making agreements which provide that secondary classroom experience may count as credit toward meeting the requirements of the classroom training portion of a registered apprenticeship. This requirement applies to any school-to-apprenticeship linkage program or apprenticeship program established under the grant. | In Committee |
| A2781 | Provides for voluntary contributions by taxpayers on gross income tax returns to support public humanities programming in NJ. | This bill provides for voluntary contributions by taxpayers on gross income tax returns to support public humanities programming in New Jersey. The bill establishes a special fund to be known as the "New Jersey Council for the Humanities Fund" to which all donations collected from voluntary contributions are to be deposited. The bill requires the Legislature to appropriate moneys deposited in the fund to the New Jersey Council for the Humanities to be used for the provision of grant funding to individuals and entities to support humanities programming in this State. The bill provides, however, that costs incurred by the Division of Taxation for collection or administration attributable to the New Jersey Council for the Humanities Fund may be deducted from contributions collected prior to the appropriation of funds. | In Committee |
| A2224 | Establishes gross income tax credit for cost of certain postage for sending goods to members of United States Armed Forces and National Guard who are serving their country away from home. | This bill establishes a gross income tax credit for the amount of postage taxpayers pay the United States Postal Service to send parcels as priority mail to individuals serving in the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard at military installations in the United States or abroad. Homesickness frequently befalls members of the Armed Forces and the National Guard while serving their country afield. To boost their morale, many send military personnel packages with cherished items from back home. The cost of postage can strain the ability of the home front to take care of those stationed or deployed afield. In allowing a tax credit for certain postage expenses, this bill removes a cost-prohibitive deterrent to sending goods of appreciation and caring to loved ones serving away from home. | In Committee |
| A2160 | Establishes pilot program to provide guidance to students applying for federal financial aid. | This bill directs the Commissioner of Education to establish a three-year pilot program to provide information on and assistance in the proper completion and submission of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The goal of the pilot program is to ensure that each 12th grade student has the opportunity and instruction necessary to apply for federal financial aid. Under the bill, a school district that wants to participate in the program must submit a proposal to the commissioner. The commissioner will select four districts in each of the southern, central, and northern regions of the State to participate in the program. The bill requires the board of education of a participating school district to ensure that each student receives information at least once before the student enters grade 12 on how to properly complete and submit the FAFSA. Information may be disseminated through classroom instruction during regular school hours. Information may also be provided through an existing school program, family information sessions, or group or individual sessions with school counselors. The information provided must include, but need not be limited to, material related to: (1) the types of documentation and personal information that each student financial aid application requires; (2) an explanation of terms used for each application; (3) eligibility requirements for student financial aid; and (4) application timelines and submission deadlines for the FAFSA. The bill also requires the board of education of a participating school district to ensure that the parent or guardian of each student entering grade 12 receives, via written or electronic means, information on the FAFSA and how to properly complete and submit the form. Under the bill, the board of education of a participating school district must ensure that a paper copy of the FAFSA is provided upon request to each high school student or his parent or guardian. The board of education must also ensure that any information shared by a student, parent, or guardian pursuant to this bill is handled according to applicable State and federal privacy laws and regulations. At the conclusion of the pilot program, the Commissioner of Education is directed to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature. The report must contain information on the implementation of the pilot program including the commissioner's recommendation on the feasibility of implementing the program on a Statewide basis. | In Committee |
| A944 | Eliminates certain practice restrictions for advanced practice nurses. | This bill eliminates practice restrictions for advanced practice nurses (APNs), including restrictions that limit the ability of APNs to prescribe medications and administer anesthesia, and establishes new requirements for APNs to prescribe medications. The bill expressly provides that, notwithstanding the provisions of any other law or regulation to the contrary, an APN with greater than 24 months or 2,400 hours of licensed, active, advanced nursing practice will be authorized to practice without a joint protocol with a collaborating provider. With regard to prescribing medications, the bill requires the use of New Jersey Prescription Blanks and satisfying continuing professional education requirements related to pharmacology and prescribing controlled substances. An APN with fewer than 24 months or 2,400 hours of licensed, active, advanced nursing practice in an initial role will be permitted to prescribe medication only if a formal joint protocol with a physician or experienced advanced practice nurse is in place. The bill revises the requirements for APNs to authorize patients for medical cannabis and to issue written instructions for medical cannabis, to provide that the APN will only be required to meet the requirements set forth under the "Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act," P.L.2009, c.307 (C.24:6I-1 et al.). Those requirements include: possessing active State and federal registrations to prescribe controlled dangerous substances; being the health care practitioner responsible for the ongoing treatment of a patient's qualifying medical condition; and complying with various other requirements for issuing written instructions for medical cannabis. The bill further provides that every APN who is an APN-Anesthesia and who has completed 24 months or 2,400 hours of licensed, active, advanced nursing practice in an initial role will be authorized to practice as an APN-Anesthesia to the full scope of practice for APNs-Anesthesia, without any requirement for supervision by a licensed physician and without any requirement that the APN-Anesthesia enter into joint protocols with a licensed physician. The bill provides that any State law or regulation that requires the signature or similar endorsement of a physician will be deemed to require the same of an APN, to the extent consistent with an APN's scope of practice. The bill revises and repeals certain sections of law that are obviated by the changes made under the bill. | In Committee |
| A1332 | Supports activities of New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, Inc. | This bill would establish a permanent new source of funding of up to $1.5 million for the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, Inc., (NJMEP) or an appropriate successor from the Workforce Development Partnership Fund. The NJMEP is a private, non-profit organization that seeks to improve the profitability and competitiveness of manufacturers in this State. NJMEP helps organizations to enhance their productivity and efficiencies, reduce costs, and improve employee performance. Under current law, of the total revenues dedicated to the Workforce Development Partnership Funds, 37% is reserved for and appropriated to the Office of Customized Training. The bill reduces this allocation by $1.5 million. | In Committee |
| 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 |
| A1055 | Allows shore municipalities to provide spouse and dependent children of veterans free or reduced cost access to beaches. | This bill would permit shore municipalities, by ordinance, to provide free or reduced fee beach access to the spouse and dependent children, over the age of 12 years, of veterans who have served in any of the Armed Forces of the United States and who were discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable and who either served at least 90 days in active duty or were discharged or released from active duty by reason of a service-incurred injury or disability. Current law permits municipalities, by ordinance, to provide free or reduced fee beach access to the spouse or dependent children, over the age of 12 years, of persons who are in active military service in any of the Armed Forces of the United States or who are active members of the New Jersey National Guard and who have completed Initial Active Duty Training. This bill would authorize municipalities to provide the same benefit to the spouse and dependent children of qualifying veterans. | In Committee |
| A2175 | Enhances requirements for applicant seeking to locate substance use disorder treatment center within 500 feet of school. | This bill would modify the requirements that must be met before the Commissioner of Human Services may authorize a substance use disorder treatment center to be located within 500 feet of a school. The bill would require an applicant for a certificate of approval or initial licensure to locate and operate a substance use disorder treatment center within 500 feet of a school to provide notice to the governing body of the municipality and the governing body and the county planning board of the county within which the proposed treatment center would be located, and to provide those notices prior to submitting an application for development under the "Municipal Land Use Law," P.L.1975, c.291 (C.40:55D-1 et seq.). The bill would also require an applicant to request the governing body of the municipality to adopt a resolution demonstrating support for the proposed treatment center, and require the applicant to submit, together with the certificate of approval or license application, the municipal governing body's resolution demonstrating local support for the substance use disorder treatment center at the proposed location. | In Committee |
| A2380 | Provides $1,000 income tax deduction for certain volunteer firefighters and members of first aid and rescue squads. | This bill would allow eligible volunteer firefighters and first aid and rescue squad members to take an additional $1,000 personal 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 the drills, and have passed an approved training program or qualified as an emergency medical technician. 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 above requirements. | In Committee |
| AJR71 | Urges Congress to pass "National Apprenticeship Act of 2021." | This joint resolution urges the 117th Congress to pass, and for the President to sign, the "National Apprenticeship Act of 2021." Apprenticeships helped build the U.S. economy and continue to provide assistance in American economic development. An option available for individuals seeking apprenticeships is a Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP). First started in Wisconsin in 1911, RAPs are structured programs sponsored by an employer or a group of employers to apply industry standards to the training and education of the registered apprentices. Upon completion of a RAP, an apprentice receives a certification that is recognized nationwide and allows the apprentice to be considered a journeyman in the profession for which that individual received certification. RAPs are recognized federally by the U.S. Department of Labor, which is authorized under federal law to promote the furtherance of labor standards required to protect the welfare of apprentices. The State established the New Jersey Apprenticeship Program to create and expand on existing pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs that are registered with the U.S. Department of Labor. Current federal legislation, H.R. 447, the "National Apprenticeship Act of 2021," invests more than $3.5 billion over a period of five years to expand opportunities and access to RAPs and enjoys bipartisan support. | 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 |
| A2176 | "Student Loan Debt Relief Tax Credit Act"; establishes gross income tax credit of up to $5,000 for certain student loan payments and makes an appropriation. | This bill establishes a refundable gross income tax credit of up to $5,000 for student loan payments made by qualified taxpayers. A qualified taxpayer must have incurred a minimum $20,000 in student loan debt for attendance at an institution of higher education and have at least $5,000 in student loan debt outstanding to be eligible for a tax credit. The bill requires a taxpayer to submit with their gross income tax return such additional information as may be required by the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority necessary to determine the taxpayer's eligibility for a tax credit. Tax credits may be awarded for the taxable years in which student loan payments were made. The bills requires a taxpayer to use the tax credit to repay a portion of their student loans in the two tax years following the tax year for which a credit is awarded. The bill appropriates from the General Fund such amounts as are necessary to make payments of refunds to taxpayers whose tax liability is reduced to below zero due to the bill. | In Committee |
| A2150 | Creates New Jersey Cold War medal. | This bill creates a Cold War medal to be presented by the Governor to a veteran who is a resident of the State, or who was a resident on the date of commencement of service, in recognition of his or her honorable service during the Cold War between the dates of September 2, 1945 and December 26, 1991, inclusive. The Cold War was a long and costly struggle between the forces of freedom and democracy led by the United States and the forces of communism led by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The Cold War started after World War II and ended with the collapse of the government of the Soviet Union in December of 1991. Tens of thousands of soldiers, sailors, marines, and air force personnel served during this period of crisis and struggle and some paid with their lives to protect the freedom and democracy we have today. | In Committee |
| A2122 | Establishes "Remote Work Study Commission." | This bill establishes the "Remote Work Study Commission." The commission will consist of 11 members, which include: the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, or a designee; two members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate; two members of the General Assembly appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; three public members appointed by the President of the Senate, which will include a representative from the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, an expert in issues of remote work, and a person who performs professional, desk, managerial, or administrative work; and three public members appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, which will include a representative from the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, an expert in issues of remote work, and a person who performs professional, desk, managerial, or administrative work. It will be the duty of the commission to evaluate:· whether the advantages of remote work exceed its disadvantages;· whether remote work has positive effects on the productivity of workers; and· the effect that the coronavirus 2019 pandemic has had on remote work. The commission shall issue a final report of its findings and conclusions to the Governor and the Legislature no later than one year following the first meeting of the commission. The commission and this act will expire upon the submission of the commission's report. | In Committee |
| A2127 | Concerns certain requirements regarding experience and examination for nonresident military spouses seeking professional or occupational licensure. | This bill addresses the ability of nonresident military spouses of active duty members of the Armed Forces of the United States to apply for a professional or occupational license. Under the bill, a nonresident military spouse is to demonstrate two years experience in the past seven years in the profession or occupation in which licensure is sought instead of the past five years. Additionally, if a board concludes that an applicant is to sit for an examination, the applicant is to be issued a temporary license that would expire after 30 days, during which time the applicable board is to make its best efforts to provide the opportunity for the applicant to sit for the required examination. At the discretion of the board, a 30-day temporary license may limit an applicant to only performing specific services. Additionally, any courtesy license granted a nonresident military spouse is to be valid for the period of time until the next renewal period. The nonresident military spouse is allowed to apply for licensure renewal, if applicable. | In Committee |
| A2155 | Requires MVC to operate call center to assist with online transactions. | This bill requires the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) to maintain a telephone call center located within New Jersey where commission employees, or persons under contract with the commission, are available in real-time, at a minimum, during weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., to assist individuals in navigating the commission's Internet website and processing online transactions. The commission is required to offer all call center services in both English and Spanish. In order to reduce total call center staffing needs, the commission may provide additional web-based tutorial support and recorded help messages. The commission is also required to collect and make available on its Internet website quarterly performance metric reports which are required to include, but are not limited to, information pertaining to the number of calls, the length of individual wait times, the call purpose, and the length of calls at the telephone call center. | In Committee |
| A2136 | Establishes "Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning Affairs." | This bill establishes the "Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning Affairs" (commission). Under the bill, the purpose of the commission is to: (1) develop and review recommendations for legislation and regulations that impact lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning individuals; (2) develop and review policies pertaining to health and human services, housing, education, employment, business, and other areas which impact lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning individuals; (3) provide assistance to State agencies and departments to ensure anti-discriminatory employee hiring, retention, and promotion policies therein; (4) serve as a liaison to federal, State, and local agencies to ensure that programs affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning individuals are effectively utilized and promoted; (5) provide forums for developing strategies and programs that expand the civic, social, educational, cultural, and economic status of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning individuals; (6) identify programs, scholarships, mentoring programs, sources of funding, and other resources for the benefit and advancement of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning individuals; (7) promote the cultural arts of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning individuals; and (8) identify State activities and initiatives that impact lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning individuals. Under the bill, the commission is to consist of 17 members as follows: (1) nine members to be appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the head of the department, division, or office from which the member is to be appointed: a representative of the Department of Banking and Insurance whose duties or expertise includes insurance and banking services and policies as applied to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning individuals; a representative of the Department of Human Services whose duties or expertise includes expanding access for minority populations to the department's services or eliminating discrimination in the delivery of departmental programs, policies, or initiatives; a representative of the Department of Health whose duties or expertise includes expanding access for minority populations to clinically-appropriate healthcare services or eliminating discrimination in the delivery of healthcare programs, policies, or initiatives; a representative of the Department of Education whose duties or expertise includes protecting the rights of minority students or eliminating discrimination in the delivery of educational programs, policies, or initiatives; a representative of the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education whose duties or expertise includes protecting the rights of minority students in the higher education system or eliminating discrimination in the delivery of higher educational programs, policies, or initiatives; a representative of the Division on Civil Rights in the Department of Law and Public Safety whose duties or expertise includes expanding access for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning individuals to the department's services or eliminating discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning individuals in the delivery of the division's programs, policies, or initiatives; a representative of the Department of Children and Families whose duties or expertise includes expanding access for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth to the department's services or eliminating discrimination in the delivery of departmental programs, policies, or initiatives with regard to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth; a representative of the Department of Corrections whose duties or expertise includes protecting the safety of minority populations or eliminating discrimination in the delivery of departmental programs, policies, or initiatives; and a representative of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development whose duties or expertise includes expanding access for minority populations to the department's services or eliminating discrimination in the delivery of departmental programs, policies, or initiatives; (2) two public members to be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, one of whom is to be a physician who specializes in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning health issues, and one of whom is to be a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning individual; (3) two public members to be appointed by the President of the Senate, one of whom is to be a parent or guardian of a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning individual, and one of whom is to be an attorney specializing in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning rights; and (4) four public members to be appointed by the Governor, with at least one of whom is to be a representative of a social service agency that provides services and supports to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning individuals. | In Committee |
| A2164 | Provides gross income tax deduction for volunteers of New Jersey Medical Reserve Corps that serve at least 150 hours during public health emergency. | This bill provides a gross income tax deduction of $1,000 to a taxpayer who is a volunteer member of the New Jersey Medical Reserve Corps (NJMRC) during a declared public health emergency and completes at least 150 hours of volunteer service during that public health emergency. The NJMRC is a network of community-based, locally organized units comprised of volunteers who help ensure their communities are healthy, prepared, and resilient. The NJMRC promotes healthy living throughout the year and stands ready for deployment in the event of a disaster or other emergency. | In Committee |
| A2186 | Requires ticket website operators to display certain information regarding ticket availability. | This bill requires ticket website operators display certain information regarding ticket availability. Specifically, the bill requires website operators to display the total number of tickets per venue that will be made available; the number of tickets that had been released to date; and the number of tickets that had been sold to date. Requiring that ticket website operators publicly display this information will create greater transparency about ticket supply and combat the practice of surge pricing, where ticket website operators greatly increase the price of tickets with high demand. Making this information available to consumers will allow them to make a more informed decision when purchasing tickets online. | In Committee |
| A2162 | Authorizes county vocational school districts to establish electric vehicle certification programs. | This bill authorizes a county vocational school district with an automotive program to enter into a partnership with one or more private entities to develop and establish an electric vehicle certification program. Under the program, the county vocational school district will identify needed skills, develop training programs, and train students for careers in one or more electric vehicle-related fields including, but not limited to, automotive technology, engineering and design, and maintenance and repair. Under the bill, the county vocational school district will issue an electric vehicle certification to each person who successfully completes the training program. The bill provides that a county vocational school district may review national standards established by various industries, and consult with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, in developing an electric vehicle certification program. | In Committee |
| A3077 | Provides for reciprocity of certain out-of-State EMT certification; establishes criminal history record background check process. | This bill allows a person who possesses an EMT certification in good standing from another state, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to obtain a New Jersey EMT certification from the Commissioner of Health provided that the standards of the other jurisdiction exceed or are equal to New Jersey's certification standard and is not disqualified under this bill. The Commissioner of Health is required to make a determination upon candidates' applications for EMT certification within 30 days of the receipt of the complete application and criminal history records background check. The bill also provides that an EMT certified by the department prior to the bill's enactment is required to undergo a criminal history record background check following the bill's enactment upon renewal of the certification. A follow-up criminal history record background check of federal records is to be conducted at least once every three years as a condition of recertification for every EMT. The bill establishes certain crimes for which a person would be disqualified from receiving an EMT certification. Those crimes or offenses include: homicide; assault; kidnapping; sexual assault; robbery; arson; causing or risking widespread injury or damage; crimes or offenses involving forgery; crimes or offenses against the family, children or incompetents, meaning those crimes and disorderly persons offenses set forth in N.J.S.2C:24-1 et seq.; certain crimes involving theft; certain crimes involving controlled dangerous substances; and sex offenses for which a person would be required to register under Megan's Law. A person with a disqualifying criminal record would be entitled to affirmatively demonstrate to the commissioner clear and convincing evidence of the rehabilitation under certain circumstances. A person convicted of Megan's Law sex offenses would not be entitled to demonstrate evidence of rehabilitation. The commissioner shall not issue an EMT certification or shall revoke a certification of a person who refuses to consent to or cooperate in securing a criminal history background check. The bill also provides for a written notice of criminal history disqualification and a request for a hearing on the accuracy of a person's criminal history record information or on the demonstration of the rehabilitation of the person from a listed crime or offense. The Department of Health may require an EMT certification candidate to bear the costs of a criminal history record background check. | Dead |
| A2120 | Requires DMVA promote Veterans History Project at Library of Congress. | This bill requires the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to develop and maintain an informational campaign to promote awareness of the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress. | In Committee |
| ACR70 | Celebrates flag of Ireland, St. Patrick's Day, and 25th anniversary of Good Friday Agreement. | This resolution celebrates the flag of Ireland, St. Patrick's Day, and the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. The Good Friday Agreement was signed on April 10th, 1998, making 2023 the 25th anniversary of the historic document. The agreement was a peacekeeping measure to end several decades of violence and conflict in Northern Ireland, called The Troubles. In 1921, when Northern Ireland was created, it remained part of the UK, while the Republic of Ireland became a free state. From then on, unionists, who believed Northern Ireland should stay in the UK, and nationalists, who believed Northern Ireland should join the Republic of Ireland, clashed in violence. Almost 3,500 people were killed over 30 years due to The Troubles. The Good Friday Agreement established the Northern Ireland Assembly, a new government in Northern Ireland that represented both unionists and nationalists. The new Assembly was given control over significant areas of policy by the UK government. The agreement also allows the people of Northern Ireland to become part of the Republic through referendum, allows both Irish and British born people to reside there, and resolved weaponry and imprisonment issues that occurred during the conflict. March 17th of each year is St. Patrick's Day, a day in which people from around the world celebrate the feast day of St. Patrick. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and is said to have died on March 17th, 416 A.D., after establishing a legacy of spreading Christianity to thousands of people in Ireland. Today, the holiday is celebrated in Ireland with a day off of work and school to spend time with family and friends by listening to traditional music, dancing, attending parades, and more. It is celebrated in other countries with a variety of traditions established by the Irish diaspora. In the United States, it is common to wear green and eat corned beef, cabbage, and soda bread. The Irish flag seen today was first flown in 1848, in Waterford, Ireland by Thomas F. Meagher, making 2023 the 175th anniversary of the first flying of the vertical tricolor Irish flag. Thomas F. Meagher, a leader of the Young Irelanders, is said to have been gifted the tricolor flag by a group of French women who sympathized with Irish nationalism. Thomas F. Meagher has become a significant figure in both Irish and American history. He received a life prison sentence to be carried out in Tasmania for his participation in the Irish nationalist Rebellion of 1848, and escaped to the United States, where he served in the U.S. Army as Brigadier General in the Civil War. He is remembered in the United States for leading the Irish Brigade and motivating Irish immigrants to fight for the Union. The tri-color flag that Meagher flew was not widely recognized across the country until the Easter Rising of 1916. It was officially designated the national flag by the new Constitution of Ireland in 1937. | In Committee |
| A2114 | Allows gross income tax deduction for employees for amounts paid by employers for certain educational assistance programs for employees and for employee's student loans. | This bill allows a gross income tax deduction for employees for amounts paid by employers for certain educational assistance programs for employees and for employee's student loans. Making these forms of employer-provided assistance tax free under the New Jersey gross income tax can incentivize employers and employees to establish programs that provide a personal "financial wellness" benefit to employees without actually raising taxable salaries and wages. These forms of tax-free assistance can aid employees in meeting their current costs of pursuing their higher education goals while they hold a job, and can also help address high student debt burdens facing the college-educated workforce. The deduction for certain educational expenses incurred pursuant to an educational assistance program will have to meet the requirements under the federal income tax exclusion allowed under section 127 of the federal Internal Revenue Code. The New Jersey gross income deduction for employees will be limited to the $5,250 annual limit under the federal income tax exclusion. Tax-free educational assistance provided by an employer includes payments for tuition, fees, textbooks, and equipment. To qualify, the courses need not be work-related or be part of a degree program but cannot involve sports, games, or hobbies. The educational assistance program must be set out in a written plan offered by the employer. Payments for educational assistance compensate the employee for costs of certain coursework undertaken by the employee while employed by the employer, as opposed to student loan debt that the employee had already accrued. Amounts paid by an employer toward an employee's student loan debt are taxable compensation for federal income tax purposes, and are taxable under the New Jersey gross income tax as taxable "salaries, wages, tips, fees, commissions, bonuses, and other remuneration received for services rendered." The New Jersey gross income deduction under this bill for employer-provided student loan assistance is modeled on one of several pending congressional bills that address student loan debt and federal income taxation. Under this gross income deduction, as under the federal legislation, this assistance includes the payment of principal or interest on student loan indebtedness incurred by an employee for higher education expenses. Under this bill, tax-free assistance will cover up to $5,250 of assistance in a taxable year. An employee is allowed to deduct both forms of assistance in a taxable year, up to their combined limits, along with other exemptions and deductions the taxpayer otherwise may be allowed to claim under other New Jersey gross income tax provisions. | In Committee |
| A2152 | Authorizes grants to purchase and rehabilitate abandoned homes for homeless veterans. | This bill would amend the "New Jersey Housing Assistance for Veterans Act," P.L.2017, c.258 (C.52:27D-516 et seq.) to expand the purposes of the pilot program established by that act to include the purchase and rehabilitation of abandoned homes for homeless veterans. Currently, the pilot program established by this law authorizes grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to rehabilitate existing primary residences of disabled or low-income veterans. Under the bill, a nonprofit veterans' organization that has experience in rehabilitating housing for homeless veterans, or others, would be eligible to receive a grant to purchase and rehabilitate abandoned homes for homeless veterans. The bill would afford a preference in awarding grants to nonprofit organizations that serve communities that are in the greatest need of homeless services. The bill would allow the administrator of the current pilot program to give preferences in awarding grants in order to achieve a fair distribution among homeless veterans in different geographical regions of the State. Finally, this bill adjusts the existing law, through defining "rehabilitation" and other language changes, to clarify that pilot program funds may be expended for a broad range of project types, including repairs, renovations, reconstruction, as well as the installation of appropriate new fixtures and other alterations. | Dead |
| A2118 | Increases fines for littering; requires DOT to develop program for litter reporting. | This bill would require the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish a program that enables people to report acts of littering that they witness. The program would allow reports to be submitted via phone or electronically, including on the DOT 's website or using a mobile application. The electronic reporting methods would allow people to submit images. The DOT would be required to review the reports, and, if credible, to send a formal notice to the litterer about the littering offense and the penalties associated with littering. The notice would also urge the litterer to help keep New Jersey clean. The bill would also increase the fees for littering in R.S.39:4-63, R.S.39:4-64, and P.L.1985, c.533 by $100 each. The extra funds collected would be remitted to the DOT to be used to fund the litter reporting program. The program is based on an existing program in North Carolina, known as "Swat-A-Litterbug." | In Committee |
| A2168 | Establishes Veteran-Owned Business Contract Financing Loan Program in EDA to help certain veteran-owned businesses perform public contracts; appropriates $5 million. | This bill establishes the "Veteran-Owned Business Contract Financing Loan Program" (loan program) within the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) to assist veteran-owned businesses in the performance of public contracts. Specifically, the loan program would provide low-interest loans to veteran-owned businesses that have secured a public contract but lack the financial resources necessary to perform the contract. Under the bill, the EDA would approve applications for the loan program on a rolling basis, subject to the availability of funds. However, the EDA would give preference to applications submitted by service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. Under the bill, a program loan may not exceed $500,000 and may only be used to support working capital, purchase equipment, and finance other expenses incurred in the performance of the contract. The bill also requires each program loan to be secured through the assignment of contract payments to the EDA. Additionally, the bill provides that each program loan would mature no later than the term of the public contract, except as otherwise extended by the EDA. Notably, the bill appropriates $5 million from the General Fund to the EDA to support the operations of the loan program. These monies would be deposited into a non-lapsing revolving loan fund, known as the "Veteran-Owned Business Contract Financing Loan Fund," which the EDA would be required to administer for the purposes of the loan program. | In Committee |
| A2149 | Creates Office of Sustainability. | This bill would create the Office of Sustainability in the Department of the Treasury. The office would be responsible for developing and implementing environmental sustainability measures in all State buildings and coordinating with all owners of real property in which State agencies are located in an effort to implement environmental sustainability practices in those buildings. These measures and practices would include using resources efficiently and minimizing raw material resource consumption, maximizing resource reuse, creating healthy working environments, and protecting and restoring the natural environment. Specifically, the office would: (1) develop and implement initiatives to improve energy efficiency, increase water conservation, reduce carbon footprints, and implement applicable principles set forth in various green building rating systems, in State buildings; (2) oversee standardized energy audits at least once every three years at all State buildings, and oversee the implementation of the recommendations contained in those audits; and (3) coordinate with the Division of Purchase and Property for the procurement by every State agency of various energy efficient and environmentally sustainable products. | In Committee |
| A2324 | Requires hazard mitigation plans to include climate change-related threat assessments and hazard prevention and mitigation strategies. | This bill would require any hazard mitigation plan (HMP) that is adopted or revised on or after the date the bill is enacted into law, either by the State Office of Emergency Management (OEM) or by a county office of emergency management, to address the current and future impacts of climate change, identify the specific hazards and risks associated with climate change, and include strategies to prevent and mitigate the impacts of climate change on the natural hazards identified through the planning process. The bill would require each HMP, among other things, to: (1) identify and analyze the existing and future threats to, and vulnerabilities of, resources of value including buildings, facilities, and equipment, which result from natural hazards that are caused or worsened by climate change; (2) identify the critical facilities, utilities, roadways, and other types of infrastructure that are necessary for evacuation, for sustaining assets and systems that protect life and property during a natural disaster, or for facilitating rapid recovery after a natural disaster; (3) include a social vulnerability assessment that evaluates how, and to what extent, socially vulnerable and underserved communities may be disproportionately impacted by climate change-related natural hazards; (4) include an assessment as to whether, how, and to what extent, identified climate change-related threats and vulnerabilities will impact the State's or county's ability, over time, to successfully implement other components of its HMP; (5) describe the proactive and preventive means, methods, strategies, procedures, protocols, and design and building standards that will be used under the HMP to eliminate or reduce climate change-related threats and vulnerabilities, to mitigate the hazardous impacts of climate change, and to mitigate the impacts of climate change on socially vulnerable communities; and (6) describe the means, methods, strategies, procedures, protocols, and design and building standards that will be used under the HMP to remediate or off-set the effects of natural hazards. The bill requires the climate change-related components of an HMP to be based on the most recent natural hazard projections and best available science. Finally, the bill further requires the provisions of a floodplain management plan, emergency response plan, post-disaster recovery plan, capital improvement plan, or similar plan, which is adopted or revised by the State, a county, or a local government or other local jurisdiction on or after the date the bill is enacted into law, to be consistent with, and to reflect, the natural hazard risks of the applicable HMP. | Dead |
| A2173 | Establishes New Jersey Grow Your Own Teacher Pilot Program. | This bill establishes in the Department of Education a four-year "New Jersey Grow Your Own Teacher Pilot Program." The purpose of the program is to address teacher shortages in selected school districts, charter schools, or renaissance school projects and to diversify the teacher workforce in those schools by recruiting, developing, and supporting minority students in becoming teachers in the school districts from which they graduated. The department would provide annual grants to the three selected Grow Your Own Partnerships throughout the four-year pilot program that, at a minimum, would cover the tuition and fee and room and board costs for any students participating in the program who are attending an institution of higher education. To receive support under the pilot program, a school district, charter school, or renaissance school project or a group of school districts, charter schools, or renaissance schools would form a Grow Your Own Partnership with an institution of higher education in the State. The bill provides that a Grow Your Own Partnership may also include a supporting nonprofit organization. Under a Grow Your Own Partnership, a student seeking to become a teacher, who attends a partner institution of higher education and who graduated high school from a school district, charter school, or renaissance school project that is part of the partnership, would enter into an agreement with that partnership, to teach in a participating district or school for a period of at least three years upon graduation from the partner institution of higher education. Under the bill, a Grow Your Own Partnership seeking support from the State under the pilot program would apply to the Commissioner of Education in accordance with application procedures and requirements prescribed by the commissioner. The bill establishes certain minimum details and information that would be included on an application submitted by partnership. The bill requires the commissioner to prioritize partnerships that include one or more SDA districts. The commissioner would also give equal consideration to partnerships located in the north, central and southern geographical regions of the State. The bill requires the Department of Education to organize a New Jersey Grow Your Own Consortium, consisting of the Grow Your Own Partnerships selected for participation in the pilot program. The department would organize and convene meetings of the consortium, which shall occur on a quarterly basis during the four-year pilot program. The purpose of the meetings would be to provide opportunities for the partnerships to share their experiences administering the programs supported under the bill and to share best practices and potential ideas for furthering the programs. Lastly, the bill requires the department, on an annual basis throughout the duration of the pilot program, to submit to the Governor and to the Legislature, a report evaluating the effectiveness and progress of the pilot program to date. | In Committee |
| A2154 | Prohibits open public records requests for commercial purposes. | This bill prohibits requests for access to government records for commercial purposes. The bill also requires a requestor to certify that the information requested will not be used for a commercial purpose, and a requestor who is found to have intentionally failed to certify that a records request is for commercial purposes will be subject to a fine of $500 for the first offense, $1,000 for the second offense, and $2,000 for each subsequent offense. | In Committee |
| A2179 | Eliminates five percent down payment requirement for bond ordinances approved by counties and municipalities. | This bill makes permissive the down payment requirement for counties and municipalities to issue bonds. Under current law, most bond ordinances require an appropriation of at least five percent of the amount of the authorized obligation for final adoption of the bond ordinance. Although this appropriation is excluded from the property tax levy cap, relief from the requirement to make the down payment is intended to free-up scarce resources for other purposes of the county or municipality. | In Committee |
| AJR70 | Designates December 12 of each year as "Frank Sinatra Day" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates December 12 of each year as "Frank Sinatra Day" in New Jersey. Francis Albert Sinatra was born on December 12, 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey. He had a distinguished career as a singer, actor, entertainer, and humanitarian. He became one of the most popular and important entertainers of the 20th century He will always be remembered for his song styling and the depth and emotion he brought to the lyrics. He signed his first recording contract with RCA Studios, located in Camden, New Jersey. His musical awards and honors include selling over 250 million records worldwide, achieving more than 34 gold albums, and winning 11 Grammy Awards. Frank Sinatra was also a great actor, appearing in such movie classics as "From Here To Eternity" and "The Manchurian Candidate." His film honors include winning Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Frank Sinatra was also a humanitarian, outspoken against racism, and concerned about poor people. He worked publicly and privately to help the struggle for equal rights, including playing a significant role in the desegregation of Nevada hotels and casinos. His many awards and recognitions include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Congressional Gold Medal. He has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for motion pictures, one for recordings, and one for television, and a park named in his honor in Hoboken, New Jersey. Given Frank Sinatra's significance, it is appropriate for the State of New Jersey to honor this great American entertainer and humanitarian, and designate December 12 of each year as "Frank Sinatra Day" in New Jersey. | In Committee |
| A2153 | Requires undergraduate students to file degree plan and requires institutions of higher education and certain propriety institutions to develop pathway systems to graduation. | This bill requires undergraduate students enrolled in four-year institutions of higher education to file a degree plan with the institution. An undergraduate student enrolled in a four-year institution would be required to file a degree plan as soon as practicable, but not later than by the completion of 60 credit hours of course work. An undergraduate student who transfers to a four-year institution with at least 45 credit hours of course work would be required to file a degree plan during the student's second semester at the institution. The bill requires degree-seeking undergraduate students enrolled in county colleges or proprietary institutions to file a degree plan as soon as practicable, but not later than by the completion of 30 credit hours of course work. The bill also requires an institution of higher education or proprietary institution to provide notice to a student who selects a new academic major or minor, or who experiences such other change in circumstance as defined by the institution, that the student shall file a revised degree plan with the institution as soon as practicable. The bill defines "degree plan" as a statement of the course of study requirements that an undergraduate student enrolled in an institution of higher education or a proprietary institution must complete in order to graduate from the institution. A student's degree plan must be developed in consultation with an appropriate academic official in the student's degree program, or if such official is not available, with an appropriate academic official at the institution. The degree plan must follow a pathway to a degree to the extent practicable. The bill defines a "proprietary institution" as a proprietary institution licensed to offer academic degrees. In addition, the bill requires institutions of higher education and proprietary institutions to develop pathway systems that establish graduation progress benchmarks for each academic major and for the general education program for students who have not declared a major. The pathway for each first-time degree-seeking student must include credit-bearing mathematics and English courses that are applicable towards degree requirements in the first 24 credit hours of course work completed at the institution of higher education or proprietary institution. The pathway for each degree-seeking student enrolled in a remedial course in mathematics, reading, or English must include the credit-bearing course in that subject concurrent with or in the semester immediately following completion of the remedial course. Under the bill, the graduation progress benchmarks established by an institution of higher education or proprietary institution must specify the credit and course criteria that indicate satisfactory progress toward a degree. Academic departments at the institution must establish schedules for periodic reviews of student progress, and students who are in danger of falling behind the graduation progress benchmarks will be required to consult with an appropriate academic official. | In Committee |
| A2124 | Establishes New Jersey Baby Bond Account Program. | This bill establishes the New Jersey Baby Bond Account Program and Baby Bond Account Fund in the Department of the Treasury and appropriates the sum of $70,000,000 from the General Fund to the Baby Bond Account Fund. The purpose of the program is to credit each eligible individual in the State with a $2,000 deposit into an individual account in the Baby Bond Account Fund by the program. An eligible individual is any infant born on or after January 1, 2021 to a family domiciled in this State or outside of this State, provided the individual establishes residence in the State within six months of birth, and who resides in a household having an annual household income on the individual's date of birth that does not exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The bill requires the State Treasurer to establish in the fund an account for each eligible individual and credit each account with $2,000. The State Treasurer will credit to each individual account the amounts credited to the fund, which are attributable to the account holder of the account. In the event a person or entity wishes to make a deposit into an individual account or an account holders wishes to transfer money to the individual account of a family member or dependent, the bill authorizes the State Treasurer to accept such deposits and to process such transfers, in a manner and method to be determined by the State Treasurer. The money within an individual account may only be distributed when the account holder attains the age of 18, with an exemption of qualified tuition and related expenses for eligible students, defined by the federal Internal Revenue Code of 1986. The moneys within an individual account may only be used for the following expenses: (1) post-secondary educational expenses of the account holder; (2) acquisition costs of a primary residence of the account holder; (3) qualified business capitalization expenses of the account holder, as determined by the program; and (4) any other investment in financial assets or personal capital that provides long-term gains to wages and wealth, as determined by the program. This bill requires that the money in the Baby Bond Account Fund will be managed by an 11-member Baby Bond Account Board, established pursuant to this bill, and will be invested in permitted investments or held in interest-bearing accounts. The board will consist of five ex-officio members, as follows: the State Treasurer or the State Treasurer's designee; the State Comptroller or the State Comptroller's designee; the Director of the Office of Management and Budget or the director's designee; the Chief Executive of the Economic Development Authority or the chief executive officer's designee; the Commissioner of Human Services or the commissioner's designee; and six public members with the Governor, the Speaker of the General Assembly, and the Senate President each appointing two members each. The board will hold a fiduciary duty to the fund and will make investments with the reasonable expectation that the return on each investment will be commensurate with the risk associated with each investment. The board will select and employ an executive director who will be responsible for the administration of the Baby Bond Account Program. The executive director will also be required notify each eligible individual's family of their potential eligibility for the Baby Bond Account Program. The executive director will also provide each eligible individual's family with information about the program's eligibility criteria, application process, guidelines, procedures, and requirements for withdrawing money from an individual account to be used for qualified expenses. Lastly, the executive director will be required to make economic literacy training available to each eligible individual's family. The board will determine the economic literacy training curriculum to fulfill this provision, provided that, at a minimum, the curriculum offers a basic understanding of budgets and savings accounts, credit and interest, how to use financial services, and how to use a savings plan to reach the account holder's savings goal for an individual account. | In Committee |
| A2146 | Establishes Outstanding Scholars Recruitment Program. | This bill establishes the Outstanding Scholars Recruitment Program, originally initiated in the FY 1997 annual appropriations act, as part of the permanent statutory law. The program was eliminated from the annual appropriations act in FY 2010. The Outstanding Scholars Recruitment Program will provide public and independent institutions of higher education with campus-based funding to finance scholarships as a mechanism to recruit high achieving New Jersey students as measured by class rank and SAT scores. The program's State funding, which is matched by institutional funds, will serve as a retention mechanism for New Jersey's brightest students. Under the program the State will pay up to 70 percent of the scholarship at a public institution and up to 40 percent at an independent institution, with the institution financing the balance of the scholarship award. The Higher Education Student Assistance Authority will provide campus-based funding to a participating institution in accordance with a contract entered into between the authority and the institution. Under the bill's provisions, a student with an SAT score above 1,500 and a class rank in the top 5 percent of the student's high school graduating class will receive an annual scholarship of up to a maximum of $7,500. The scholarship amount would decrease to $2,500 for a student with an SAT score between 1,350 and 1,390 and a class rank between the 85th and 89th percentiles. The institution will select the individual scholarship recipients. To be eligible for a scholarship under the program, a student is required to be a State resident, apply for all other available forms of State and federal financial aid, exclusive of loans, and enroll in a full-time course of study at an institution of higher education, not including any credit hours in a remedial or developmental curriculum. Under the bill, a recipient of the scholarship is required to maintain a 3.0 grade point average, and continuous enrollment in a full-time course of study at an institution of higher education in order to receive a renewal scholarship, except in the case of a physical or mental health condition, family emergency, or deployment to active duty. Eligibility for the program will be limited to a total of four years or eight semesters, unless the student is enrolled in an approved five year program or provides evidence that a student's physical or mental health evaluation or the recent death of a student's parent or spouse requires the student to enroll in less than 12 credits. | In Committee |
| A2128 | Authorizes South Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Association license plates with proceeds to veterans' and emergency management operations. | This bill authorizes the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission ("commission") to issue South Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Association license plates for a motor vehicle owned or leased and registered in this State. The bill requires a $50 application fee and a $10 annual renewal fee for these license plates, in addition to the fees otherwise prescribed by law for the registration of a motor vehicle. The additional fees are to be deposited in the "South Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Association License Plate Fund" ("fund"), in the Department of the Treasury, created in this bill. The funds are to be appropriated equally on an annual basis to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs for the aid of veterans organizations and to the Emergency Management Section of the New Jersey State Police for use by local emergency management organizations. The commission is to be reimbursed for the costs incurred for producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of the special plates from donors and the fees collected prior to their deposit into the fund. The Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission ("chief administrator") is to annually certify the average cost per license plate incurred in the immediately preceding year which cost is to be certified by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, or its successor. If the certified average cost per license plate exceeds the $50 application fee for two consecutive years, the chief administrator may discontinue issuing the South Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Association license plate. | In Committee |
| A3429 | Exempts sales of certain baby products from sales and use tax. | Exempts sales of certain baby products from sales and use tax. | Introduced |
| A5743 | Establishes targets for roadside solar projects in State's solar energy incentive program. | Establishes targets for roadside solar projects in State's solar energy incentive program. | Introduced |
| A5741 | Requires certain school facilities projects constructed by SDA to include solar energy component. | Requires certain school facilities projects constructed by SDA to include solar energy component. | Introduced |
| A5742 | Establishes pilot program for solar energy generation on roadside right-of-way areas. | Establishes pilot program for solar energy generation on roadside right-of-way areas. | Introduced |
| Bill | Bill Name | Motion | Vote Date | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1277 | Establishes centralized directory for affordable housing, and housing for senior citizens and veterans. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| S862 | Requires DOT to provide additional information in annual report on pavement condition; makes report available to public. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| SJR30 | Designates June 23 of each year as "International Widows' Day." | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| S1439 | Requires health benefits coverage for additional orthotic and prosthetic appliances under certain circumstances; requires coverage for orthotic and prosthetic appliances obtained through podiatrists. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| S1400 | "Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act"; provides alternative process for handling partition actions filed in court concerning real property with multiple owners, at least one of whom had acquired title from relative. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| AJR62 | Designates first week of May of each year as "Children's Mental Health Awareness Week." | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A3008 | Requires certain health care facilities to offer lactation counseling and consultations to persons who have given birth. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A3361 | Establishes limit on rent increase for certain dwelling sites for modular or industrialized buildings or manufactured homes. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A1996 | Establishes requirements to evaluate certain people who are pregnant and who have given birth for preeclampsia. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A3036 | "Swift Access For Emergency Response Actions Preservation Program (SAFER APP)"; authorizes Attorney General to order turn-by-turn navigation systems to reroute vehicular traffic under certain conditions. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A913 | Authorizes medical cannabis for treatment of sickle cell anemia. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A3157 | Requires DMVA create Bereavement Counseling Program for family members and volunteer caregivers of certain veterans. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A2415 | Requires Silver Alert System receive same broadcast alerts as Amber Alert System. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| AJR56 | Designates May of each year as "Older Americans Month" in New Jersey. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| S2332 | Allows complaint for guardianship of minor to be filed six months before minor reaches age 18 under certain circumstances; establishes certain standards for filing guardianship complaints. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A3424 | Establishes certain program requirements for school counselor certification; outlines role and duties of school counselor; requires professional development for school counselors; establishes position of School Counselor Liaison in DOE. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A3759 | Prohibits internet sale of lottery tickets by State Lottery Commission. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| S2886 | Requires pharmacies to provide certain information regarding insulin manufacturer assistance programs. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A3941 | Changes classification of State Investigators in civil service. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A3981 | Subjects certain rooming and boarding houses to municipal land use regulations; requires owners and operators of cooperative sober living residences to submit certain approvals with license applications. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4178 | Authorizes State Treasurer to grant temporary deed of easement in Borough of Sea Girt in Monmouth County. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4276 | Requires DOH to use Basic Screening Survey to access oral health in children. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| AJR171 | Celebrates career of New Jersey resident John Sterling. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4331 | Establishes licensure for cosmetic retail services. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4535 | Concerns State regulation of cooperative sober living residences and boarding houses generally; appropriates $100,000. | Assembly Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4562 | Allows State, municipality, and county to implement automatic enrollment of their employees in deferred compensation plans. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4618 | Requires official inspection facility employees covered by collective bargaining agreement to be offered employment following contract renewal or award of new contract; requires collective bargaining agreement to be binding in certain cases. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4652 | Establishes offense of inciting public brawl; upgrades penalty for disorderly conduct in certain circumstances. | Assembly Floor: Table Motion | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4652 | Establishes offense of inciting public brawl; upgrades penalty for disorderly conduct in certain circumstances. | Assembly Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4767 | Limits regulated perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in menstrual products. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4763 | Requires development of educational fact sheet on water safety for public and nonpublic schools; requires DOE to maintain list of locations providing swim lessons. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4753 | Requires hospitals and birthing facilities to request new parents watch water safety video prior to discharge. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4762 | Designates May of each year as "Water Safety Month" in NJ; encourages DOE to provide resources on water safety. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4857 | Extends anti-SLAPP protections to complainants of sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4854 | Modifies method of allocating State aid for providing auxiliary and remedial services to nonpublic school students. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4899 | Limits amount of residential rental property application fee; establishes penalty. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4913 | Establishes certain State funding preferences for municipalities that enhance opportunities to develop housing. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| S3787 | Requires municipal tax collectors who obtain payments in lieu of taxes under "Long Term Tax Exemption Law" to transmit county portion directly to county. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4969 | Ensures boards of elections have discretion to make initial determination of validity of cast ballots; requires Secretary of State to establish uniform guidelines for assessing validity of ballots. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A4986 | Codifies early language instruction program for deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind children in DHS. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| S3850 | Permits county boards of elections to extend distance within which electioneering is prohibited. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5017 | Exempts certain personal information collected by insurance-support organizations from certain requirements concerning notification and disclosure of personal data. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| S3928 | Limits general application of certain consumer contracts. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| S3961 | Requires public and certain nonpublic schools to offer no-fee option to parents for making school lunch and other payments; requires payment processing platforms used by certain schools to provide users with information on user fees. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5170 | Requires State to purchase certain unused tax credits issued under New Jersey Economic Recovery Act of 2020. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5211 | Establishes New Jersey Pathways to Career Opportunities Initiative Act. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Abstain |
| A5264 | Requires establishment of automated platform to expedite construction code approval of applications to install residential solar energy systems. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| S4121 | Amends Fiscal Year 2025 annual appropriations act to assign distribution of funding for Community Security Initiatives to Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5358 | Revises New Jersey Secure Choice Savings Program. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| S4162 | Limits use or disclosure of certain education records. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5378 | Modifies provisions of Cultural Arts Incentives Program; eliminates Community-Anchored Development Program. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5395 | Requires cancellation option for any subscription service and establishes certain standards pertaining to use of negative option features. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5424 | Promotes housing availability and prevents speculation by imposing fee for institutional ownership of certain unproductive residential property. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5442 | Requires BPU members to have certain experience and complete certain training. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5432 | Establishes standards for determining an unconscionable rent increase; excludes from public access landlord tenant records in certain circumstances. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| 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. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5466 | Requires BPU to study effects of data centers on electricity costs. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5463 | Requires electric public utilities to submit annual report on voting to BPU. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5463 | Requires electric public utilities to submit annual report on voting to BPU. | Assembly Floor: Table Motion | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5545 | Authorizes soil conservation districts to have more than five supervisors. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5598 | Modifies requirements to obtain licensure in public accountancy. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5572 | Establishes quorum standards for professional licensing entities under certain circumstances. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5606 | Amends Fiscal Year 2025 annual appropriations act to clarify distribution of Meals on Wheels Program grant to Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5618 | Requires Administrative Office of the Courts to collect and publish statistical information about consumer debt lawsuits. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| A5733 | Provides for State agency reviews and increases of income thresholds for residential customers to participate in certain utility bill payment assistance and energy efficiency programs. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| AR193 | Affirms support for SNAP and program's progress in reducing hunger among vulnerable populations in New Jersey. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 05/22/2025 | Yea |
| S862 | Requires DOT to provide additional information in annual report on pavement condition; makes report available to public. | Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee: Reported with Amendments | 05/08/2025 | Yea |
| A1423 | Requires MVC to conduct unscheduled surprise inspections of certain school buses. | Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee: Reported Favorably | 05/08/2025 | Yea |
| A2596 | Requires DOT to provide additional information in annual report on pavement condition; makes report available to public. | Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee: Reported with Amendments | 05/08/2025 | Yea |
| A4618 | Requires official inspection facility employees covered by collective bargaining agreement to be offered employment following contract renewal or award of new contract; requires collective bargaining agreement to be binding in certain cases. | Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee: Reported Favorably | 05/08/2025 | Yea |
| A5362 | Prohibits casino licensees from using non-wagering casino games to solicit future gaming. | Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee: Reported Favorably | 05/08/2025 | 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 Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee: Reported with Amendments | 05/08/2025 | Yea |
| A5562 | Requires Division of Gaming Enforcement to arrange study and implement certain language requirements in gambling advertisements; restricts advertisements and promotions in certain locations. | Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee: Reported Favorably | 05/08/2025 | Yea |
| A5612 | Concerns parking violations that obstruct NJT bus operations and bicycle lanes in certain circumstances. | Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee: Reported Favorably | 05/08/2025 | Yea |
| A5623 | Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend certain sums to make loans for transportation infrastructure projects for FY2026; makes appropriation. | Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee: Reported Favorably | 05/08/2025 | Yea |
| S1548 | Requires school districts to adopt policies concerning student use of sunscreen and sun-protective clothing at school and school-sponsored functions. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| S2236 | Exempts nursing mothers from jury duty. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| S1320 | Requires certain information be included in certain contracts with licensed public adjusters. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A3340 | Clarifies which health care professional may provide documentation to school district of need for home instruction due to student's health condition. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A3025 | Exempts poll workers wages from affecting unemployment compensation. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| AJR67 | Designates last week of April of each year as "Reentry Week." | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A1211 | Upgrades criminal penalties for use or possession of payment card scanning device; requires merchant to take reasonable safety measures to prevent scanning of payment card. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A3283 | Directs certain unclaimed electric, gas, and water public utility deposits in Unclaimed Utility Deposits Trust Fund and societal charge revenues to be paid to Statewide nonprofit public utility assistance organizations meeting certain eligibility criteria. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A1973 | Establishes requirements to evaluate certain people who are pregnant and who have given birth for endometriosis. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A1715 | Requires public institution of higher education to invite Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey on institution's campus. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A1700 | Requires DOH to establish public awareness campaign and develop policies and procedures to promote recognition and treatment of perinatal anxiety. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A1825 | Establishes certain guidelines for SHBP, SEHBP, and Medicaid concerning step therapy protocols. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A2115 | Requires public transportation employees and certain motorbus operators to complete training course on handling and responding to suspected human trafficking; requires inclusion of certain content in certain courses. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A1389 | Requires seizure of ammunition and certain firearm components in response to domestic violence restraining order or conviction. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A3540 | Establishes criminal penalties for production or dissemination of deceptive audio or visual media, commonly known as "deepfakes." | Assembly Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A3541 | Establishes legislative internship program. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| S2594 | Appropriates $28,670,924 in 2003 and 1992 bond act monies for loans for dam restoration and repair projects and inland waters projects. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A3598 | Requires patient to receive notification of abnormality in chest x-ray; designated as Claudia's Law. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A3732 | Establishes third degree crime for certain trespasses involving victim of domestic violence. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A3734 | Permits court to order transfer of billing responsibility for, and rights to, wireless telephone number to certain victims of domestic violence or stalking. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A3881 | Requires State Police to establish online portal allowing persons to obtain status of expungement orders. | Assembly Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A3940 | Modifies regulation of mortuary science and establishes oversight of mortuary and embalming science. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| SJR102 | Designates May 17 of each year as "Necrotizing Enterocolitis Awareness Day" in New Jersey. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A4163 | Requires health insurers to provide coverage for biomarker precision medical testing. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| A4163 | Requires health insurers to provide coverage for biomarker precision medical testing. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 03/24/2025 | Yea |
| State | District | Chamber | Party | Status | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NJ | New Jersey Assembly District 05 | Assembly | Democrat | In Office | 01/14/2020 |