Legislator
Legislator > Brian Bergen
State Assemblymember
Brian Bergen
(R) - New Jersey
New Jersey Assembly District 26
In Office - Started: 01/09/2024
contact info
Denville Office
5 E. Main St.
Suite 22B
Denville, NJ 07834
Suite 22B
Denville, NJ 07834
Phone: 973-539-8113
General Capitol Building Address
P.O. Box 068
State House, 145 W. State St.
Trenton, NJ 08625-0068
State House, 145 W. State St.
Trenton, NJ 08625-0068
Phone: 609-847-3905
| Bill | Bill Name | Summary | Progress |
|---|---|---|---|
| A3558 | Establishes State definition of antisemitism. | Establishes State definition of antisemitism. | In Committee |
| A5939 | Requires Department of Agriculture to conduct inspections of on-farm dairy processing activities. | This bill would transfer the authority of all on-farm dairy processing inspection activities from the Department of Health to the Department of Agriculture. The Department of Agriculture would be required to collaborate with the Department of Health and local boards of health to oversee all on-farm dairy processing activities. | In Committee |
| S1439 | Requires health benefits coverage for additional orthotic and prosthetic appliances under certain circumstances; requires coverage for orthotic and prosthetic appliances obtained through podiatrists. | An Act concerning health benefits coverage and prosthetic appliances and amending P.L.2007, c.345. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S1067 | Directs DHS to conduct landscape analysis of available mental health services. | Directs DHS to conduct landscape analysis of available mental health services. | Vetoed |
| A3856 | Requires health benefits coverage for additional orthotic and prosthetic appliances under certain circumstances; requires coverage for orthotic and prosthetic appliances obtained through podiatrists. | Requires health benefits coverage for additional orthotic and prosthetic appliances under certain circumstances; requires coverage for orthotic and prosthetic appliances obtained through podiatrists. | In Committee |
| A1825 | Establishes certain guidelines for SHBP, SEHBP, and Medicaid concerning step therapy protocols. | An Act concerning step therapy protocols and supplementing Titles 30 and 52 of the Revised Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3466 | Extends expiration date of special appraisal process for Green Acres and farmland preservation program; provides aid for watershed lands. | An Act concerning the preservation and protection of land in the Highlands Region, amending P.L.1999, c.152, and amending and supplementing P.L.2004, c.120. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| AR179 | Adopts articles of impeachment concerning Matthew Platkin, Attorney General. | This Assembly Resolution adopts articles of impeachment in the matter of Matthew Platkin, Attorney General, provides for the presentation of articles to the Senate, and impeaches Matthew Platkin. In light of his record of failing to address ongoing issues within the Division of Criminal Justice and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability; exceeding his statutory authority and unlawfully superseding the Paterson Police Department; failing to defend State law in court proceedings and making a unilateral decision on the constitutionality of State law; targeting certain organizations based upon the political beliefs of the organization, specifically pro-life pregnancy centers; violating the public trust; and his overall failure to perform the duties of his office, it is altogether fitting and proper and within the public interest for the General Assembly to adopt articles of impeachment against Matthew Platkin, and present the articles to the New Jersey Senate in accordance with the New Jersey Constitution, Article VII, Section III, paragraph 2. | In Committee |
| A1673 | "Right to Mental Health for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Act"; establishes certain requirements concerning provision of mental health services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. | "Right to Mental Health for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Act"; establishes certain requirements concerning provision of mental health services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. | In Committee |
| A2145 | Provides employment protections for paid first responders diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder under certain conditions. | This bill establishes employment protections for paid first responders who are diagnosed with certain cases of work-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Under the bill, an employer would be prohibited from discharging, harassing, or otherwise discriminating against an employee, or threatening to do so, with respect to the compensation, terms, conditions, duties, or privileges of employment on the basis that the employee took or requested any leave related to a qualifying diagnosis of PTSD. The bill provides that if an employer violates its provisions, an employee or former employee would be authorized to institute a civil action in the Superior Court for relief. All remedies available in common law tort actions would be available to a prevailing plaintiff. Additionally, the bill provides that a court would be authorized to order any or all of the following relief: (1) an assessment of a civil fine of $5,000 and $10,000 for each subsequent violation; (2) an injunction to restrain the continued violation of any of the provisions of the bill; (3) reinstatement of the employee to the same position or to a position equivalent to that which the employee held prior to unlawful discharge or retaliatory action; (4) reinstatement of full fringe benefits and seniority rights; (5) compensation for any lost wages, benefits and other remuneration; (6) payment of reasonable costs and attorney's fees. | In Committee |
| A4627 | Extends expiration date of special appraisal process for Green Acres and farmland preservation program; provides aid for watershed lands. | Extends expiration date of special appraisal process for Green Acres and farmland preservation program; provides aid for watershed lands. | In Committee |
| A5249 | Prohibits sports wagering advertisements on television broadcasts in this State. | This bill prohibits sports wagering licensees, and their employees, agents, and contracted operators, from broadcasting any sports pool related advertising, and from sponsoring or financing any such advertisement to be broadcast via a cable television service or cable television system based in this State. The bill also directs the Division of Gaming Enforcement to establish such rules and undertake such legal actions as may be necessary to enforce this prohibition. | In Committee |
| A5230 | Requires automatic voter registration to be available when applying for certain licenses and permits. | This bill requires the establishment of an automatic voter registration process at an agency, office, or local police force providing certain licenses and permits. The bill requires the automatic voter registration process to be available for persons applying for hunting, fishing, or trapping licenses, all around sportsman licenses, beaver trapping, wild turkey, or deer permits under the Division of Fish and Wildlife in the Department of Environmental Protection, and firearms purchaser identification cards or permits to carry handguns at local police forces or the Division of State Police in the Department of Law and Public Safety. The bill requires the respective agencies, offices, and local police forces to establish an automatic voter registration process similar to that currently applicable at the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJMVC). The bill also adds licenses to operate a power vessel, also known as boating licenses, under the NJMVC's current automatic voter registration process. Under the bill, any agency, office, or local police force that provides the above mentioned licenses and permits, that the Secretary of State verifies already collects documents that would provide proof of eligibility, including age, citizenship, and residence address, would be required to establish and implement, upon approval by the Secretary of State, a procedure for automatically and electronically transmitting voter registration information to the Secretary of State of persons who are eligible to vote for the purpose of registering such persons to vote or updating their voter registration. Each person from whom voter registration information is collected would be offered an opportunity to decline automatic voter registration. The bill requires compliance with the automatic voter registration requirements established under current law for the NJMVC, including the provision of required notices to their clients, to the extent applicable as determined by the Secretary of State. | In Committee |
| A5207 | Prohibits online advertisements for sports wagering in this State. | This bill prohibits sports wagering licensees, and their employees, agents, and contracted operators, from posting, distributing, broadcasting, disseminating, or otherwise making viewable to the public any sports pool related advertising via the Internet or any other web-based platform, including mobile applications, and from sponsoring or financing any such advertisements in this State. The bill also directs the Division of Gaming Enforcement to establish such rules and undertake such legal actions as may be necessary to enforce this prohibition. | 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 |
| A1878 | Makes supplemental appropriation of $500,000 to DOH for Huntington's Disease Grant Program. | This bill makes a supplemental appropriation of $500,000 to Division of Community Health in the Department of Health (DOH) for the Huntington's Disease Grant Program. The amount appropriated under the bill, in addition to any other State or federal funds allocated for the same purposes, is to be allocated to support grants to institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, or New Jersey based and operated research organizations for the provision of pre-symptomatic testing, neurology and psychiatry services, neurophysiological evaluations, treatment, disease management, and counseling for people living with or at risk for Huntington's disease. According to the department's Notice of Fund Availability, the Huntington's Disease Grant Program is currently estimated to distribute $200,437 in FY 2023. This supplemental appropriation would increase that amount to $700,437. Huntington's disease is a fatal rare, inherited disease that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. It deteriorates a person's physical and mental abilities during their prime working years and has no cure. Huntington's disease has a wide impact on a person's functional abilities and usually results in movement, cognitive, and psychiatric disorders. Many describe the symptoms as having amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease simultaneously. According to the DOH, there are approximately 900 to 1,200 New Jersey residents who are living with Huntington's disease. The incidence of the disease is estimated between 1 in 8,000 and 1 in 10,000 State residents. There are also about 7,000 at-risk individuals in New Jersey. But since this is a fatal disease, this number may be low since the majority of people who go through genetic counseling decide to not get tested. | In Committee |
| A2717 | Authorizes proportional property tax exemption for honorably discharged veterans having a service-connected permanent disability and proclaims that the State shall reimburse municipalities for costs of exemption. | The bill grants a property tax exemption to honorably discharged veterans having a service-connected disability in proportion to their disability percentage rating. The exemption is only granted to those with a disability percentage rating of at least 30 percent, and the exemption is capped at $10,000. Those with a 100 percent disability percentage rating would still be allowed a 100 percent property tax exemption without a cap, as is the case under current law. In addition, the bill grants those honorably discharged veterans having less than a 100 percent service-connected disability, but who are unemployable, a 100 percent property tax exemption, which matches the current 100 percent property tax exemption for honorably discharged veterans having a 100 percent disability percentage rating. As under current law, the bill allows the 100 percent property tax exemption to extend to the surviving spouse of a veteran. However, the newly allowed property tax exemption for a veteran with a less than 100 percent property tax exemption would not extend to the surviving spouse. The bill also eliminates all references to medical conditions so that any service-connected disability, as determined by the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs, will make a veteran eligible for the property tax exemption. Finally, the bill proclaims that the State shall annually reimburse taxing districts, including for administrative costs, for the property tax exemptions granted to disabled veterans and their surviving spouses. The bill includes reporting provisions so proper reimbursement can be made. | In Committee |
| A4460 | Provides certain requirements concerning railroad safety. | This bill provides certain requirements concerning railroad safety. Under the bill, the owner or operator of a dangerous hazardous train is to require at least a two-person crew on all dangerous hazardous trains. The owner or operator of a dangerous hazardous train is to further require that all dangerous hazardous trains clearly display the name of the railroad company that owns the dangerous hazardous train. The bill provides for certain exceptions to the two-person crew requirement, including: when a train is performing helper service; when a train is a tourist, scenic, historic, or excursion operation that is not part of the general railroad system of transportation; when a train is a locomotive that is not attached to railcars, is located inside a rail yard, and is being moved between tracks or moved to or from a maintenance shop; and when the owner or operator has been exempted from the two-person crew requirement by the Commissioner of Transportation. However, the bill specifies that the two-person crew requirement is mandatory when a train is transporting one or more loaded freight cars containing any material poisonous by inhalation or transporting 10 or more loaded freight cars or freight cars loaded with bulk packages or containing certain hazardous materials. The bill also prohibits a railroad company, including a short line, from operating any train that exceeds 8,500 feet in length on any main line or branch line within the State. Any person or railroad company that violates this maximum length is liable for a civil penalty of at least $500 but not more than $1,000 per foot exceeding the maximum train length allowed under the bill. The maximum penalty allowed is $250,000 in instances of gross negligence or a pattern of repeated violations that cause an imminent hazard of death or injury or that have caused death or injury, regardless of train length. The owner or operator of a privately owned railroad is required to submit a copy of federally required bridge inspection reports to the Commissioner of Transportation, the Governor, and the Legislature. Under the bill, the Board of Public Utilities (board), in conjunction with Department of Transportation (DOT), is required to work with each railroad company that operates in the State to ensure that wayside detector systems are installed and are operating along railroad tracks on which the railroad company operates and to ensure that such systems meet certain standards. If a railroad company refuses to work or otherwise cooperate with the board and the DOT in good faith, the board and the DOT are required to investigate the railroad company's safety practices and standards to determine whether the company appears to be in compliance with federal railroad safety standards. If the railroad company does not appear to be in compliance, the board and the DOT are then required to make a report to the Federal Railroad Administration (administration), within 60 days after this determination, detailing the results of the investigation and recommending that the administration take enforcement action against the railroad company. The bill requires the board and the DOT to send a copy of the report to the Governor and Legislature. The bill requires that all non-profit labor organizations representing a class or craft of employees of rail carriers or rail carrier contractor officials (non-profit labor organizations) be permitted onto railroad property to assist in inspecting for safety hazards and are permitted to identify any alleged safety hazards. Finally, the bill requires the DOT to work with non-profit labor organizations and local emergency response service providers to apply for federal grants. With the exception of the maximum length provisions of the bill, this bill does not apply to certain Class III carriers as defined by the Surface Transportation Board. | In Committee |
| A1341 | Requires certain group homes to install electronic monitoring devices in common areas, upon request and with uniform resident consent, and to permit consensual use of such devices in private rooms. | This bill would provide certain requirements in association with the use of electronic monitoring devices (EMDs) at group homes for individuals with developmental disabilities. An "EMD" is a camera or other electronic device that uses video, but not audio, recording capabilities to monitor the activities taking place in the area where the device is installed. The safety and quality of life of individuals with developmental disabilities who receive care from group homes is of paramount concern, and the use of video monitoring is one way in which the State can better ensure the prevention of, and the institution of a more proactive response to, the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of group home residents. This bill would make video monitoring technology more readily available in group home settings, while taking great care to strike the important and delicate balance between protecting the privacy rights and protecting the overall well-being of group home residents. Specifically, the bill would enable, but not require, group home residents or their authorized representatives, as the case may be, to cooperatively and collectively decide whether to allow for the installation and use of EMDs in the common areas of the group homes, and to individually decide whether to allow for the installation and use of EMDs in the private residential room of each such resident, so that the treatment of such residents can be recorded and instances of abuse, neglect, or exploitation documented with video evidence. In providing these authorizations, the bill respects the rights of all individuals with developmental disabilities, places a premium on their individuality, and recognizes that different people have different needs and preferences with respect to the use of video surveillance. Scope of Bill The term "group home" is defined more broadly in this bill than it is in other laws. Specifically, the term is defined to mean a living arrangement that is operated in a residence or residences leased or owned by a licensee; which living arrangement either provides the opportunity for multiple adults with developmental disabilities to live together in a non-institutional, home-based setting or provides the opportunity for a single adult with developmental disabilities and extreme behavioral difficulties to live more independently, outside of an institution, while still receiving full-time care; and in which on-site staff provides supervision, training, or assistance, in a variety of forms and intensity, as required to prevent or delay the institutionalization of the individual or individuals residing in the home or to otherwise assist the individual or individuals as they move toward independence. "Group home" does not include a living arrangement that is dedicated for use by children with developmental disabilities. The revised definition used in the bill makes it clear that this term not only includes facilities that house multiple persons with developmental disabilities, but also includes facilities that, while commonly referred to as supervised apartments, provide group home-style living for a single person who has developmental disabilities and particularly severe behavioral difficulties that prevent them from being housed in a group home with other disabled persons. The bill would require group homes, as defined thereunder, to install EMDs in the common areas, upon the agreement, request, and uniform consent of all residents. "Common areas" is defined to include entrances, living areas, dining areas, stairwells, and outdoor areas, but not bathroom areas. The bill would additionally require group homes to permit the installation and use of EMDs in the private rooms of group home residents. The bill is not intended to impose new electronic monitoring requirements on those group home providers who already engage in electronic monitoring pursuant to an internal organizational policy. As a result, the bill includes a provision that grandfathers-in and exempts from the bill's provisions those group homes that have already installed, and are utilizing, EMDs as of the bill's effective date. Specifically, the bill provides that any such group home: 1) may continue to use previously installed EMDs in accordance with the organization's written policies; 2) will not be required to comply with the bill's consent requirements in order to continue utilizing the devices; and 3) will not be required to remove the existing devices from service unless the residents collectively indicate, within six months after the bill's effective date, that they want such devices to be removed. To the extent that a group home's common areas or private rooms do not contain EMDs on the bill's effective date, the licensee will be required to comply with the bill when installing new EMDs in such unmonitored areas. The bill is intended to give residents - particularly those with severe behavioral difficulties - the right to request electronic monitoring in the group home, as necessary to ensure their safe care. The bill is not intended to impose new electronic monitoring requirements on providers that already engage in electronic monitoring; and it is not intended to require other group home providers to commence electronic monitoring, except in those cases where the residents have requested and agreed to such monitoring. Installation and Use of EMDs in Common Areas Under the bill's provisions, any group home that does not have EMDs already installed in the group home's common areas will be required to install EMDs in those common areas, upon the collective request of the residents and the residents' authorized representatives, if all of the residents of the group home and their authorized representatives agree to have EMDs installed and expressly consent to the installation and use of such devices. A licensee will be prohibited from requiring the group home's current residents to consent to the installation and use of EMDs in the common areas as a condition of their continued residency in the group home. A licensee operating a group home that does not have EMDs already installed in the common areas will be required: 1) within six months after the group home adopts an internal electronic monitoring policy pursuant to the bill's provisions, to take affirmative action to determine whether the residents of the group home and their authorized representatives want and collectively consent to have EMDs installed and used in the group home's common areas; 2) annually provide written notice to all residents and their authorized representatives informing them of their right to collectively request and consent to the installation and use of EMDs in the group home's common areas; and 3) install new EMDs in the common areas within one year after receipt of a collective request therefor. The bill would require any group home that installs and uses EMDs in its common areas, pursuant to the agreement, request, and consent of the residents, to: 1) require each person employed by the group home to provide express written consent to the use of the EMDs in the group home's common areas, as a condition of the person's employment; 2) ensure that a prominent written notice is posted at the entrance and exit doors to the home informing visitors that they will be subject to electronic video monitoring while present in the home; and 3) ensure that, following the installation of EMDs in the common areas, the group home only allows residence by those individuals who consent to the ongoing use of EMDs in the group home's common areas. The licensee is to comply with the first two of these requirements within one year after receiving a collective request from residents authorizing electronic monitoring of the common areas. The EMDs installed in a group home's common areas are to be unobstructed and recording at all times. Each licensee will be required to inspect the devices, and document the results of each inspection, on a weekly basis. The DHS will further be required to annually conduct an on-site device inspection, as part of its broader group home inspection authority, in order to ensure that the EMDs installed in a group home's common areas are functioning properly, as required by the bill. A resident or the resident's authorized representative will be authorized to access and review any footage that is recorded by an EMD in the common areas of the group home; provided that the person first submits a request indicating that the resident has experienced, or that the resident or authorized representative has witnessed, an incident of abuse, neglect, or exploitation occurring in the common areas. A group home licensee may require that a resident or the resident's authorized representative remain on the premises of the group home when accessing and reviewing footage recorded in the common areas. All of the costs associated with installation and maintenance of an EMD in the group home's common areas are to be paid by the group home licensee. The bill would specify that an individual's refusal to consent to the use of EMDs in a group home's common areas may not be used as a basis to prevent the timely placement of the individual in appropriate housing without surveillance. Removal of EMDs from Common Areas A group home that has EMDs installed in the common areas will be required to remove those EMDs from service, as provided by the bill, if all of the residents of the group home and their authorized representatives collectively agree to, and request, the removal of the EMDs from the common areas. The bill provides that, if the EMDs in a group home's common areas were already in operation as of the bill's effective date, the licensee will be required to take affirmative action, within six months after the bill's effective date, to determine whether the residents of the group home and their authorized representatives want, and collectively agree, to have the existing EMDs removed from the common areas. If the residents do not collectively agree to the removal of the EMDs, the licensee will be authorized to: 1) continue using the devices in the common areas, in accordance with the group home's internal policies, as provided by section 7 of the bill (which is the section of the bill that exempts from the bill's requirements any group home that already has EMDs installed as of the bill's effective date); and 2) accept, as new residents, only those persons who consent to the ongoing use of the devices in the common areas. The bill further provides that, if the EMDs in a group home's common areas were not in operation as of the bill's effective date, or if the EMDs existing in a group home's common areas on the bill's effective date were removed by the licensee pursuant to the collective agreement of residents, as described above, the licensee will be required to provide written notice to all residents and their authorized representatives, within 10 days after EMDs are newly placed into the common areas under the bill, and annually thereafter, informing the residents and their authorized representatives of their right to collectively request the removal of existing EMDs from the group home's common areas. The bill requires a group home licensee to remove any EMDs from the common areas within one year after receipt of a collective request from residents therefor. Installation and Use of EMDs in Private Rooms The bill would further require all group homes to permit EMDs to be installed and used, on a voluntary and noncompulsory basis, in the private rooms of residents. The installation and use of EMDs in a private single occupancy room may be done by the resident or the resident's authorized representative, at any time, following the resident's provision of written notice to the licensee of the resident's intent to engage in electronic monitoring of the private room. Such written notice is to be submitted to the licensee at least 15 days prior to installation of the devices in the private single occupancy room. Any resident, or the authorized representative thereof, who provides such a notice of intent to install EMDs in a private single occupancy room, or who so installs such devices, will be deemed to have implicitly consented to electronic monitoring of the private room. The installation and use of EMDs in a private double occupancy room may be effectuated only with the express written consent of the roommates of the resident who requested the monitoring, or of the roommates' authorized representatives, as the case may be. A roommate may place conditions on his or her consent to the use of EMDs within the double occupancy room, including conditions that require the EMDs to be pointed away from the consenting roommate at all times during operation, or at certain specified times. The roommate's consent to electronic monitoring, and any conditions on the roommate's consent, are to be memorialized in a formal electronic monitoring agreement that is executed between the consenting roommate and the resident who requested the monitoring, or between their authorized representatives, as appropriate. The licensee, either through its own activities or through a third-party's activities, will be required to ensure that the conditions established in the agreement are followed. If a resident's roommate or the roommate's authorized representative, as appropriate, refuses to consent to the installation and use of an EMD in a private double occupancy room, or if the licensee is unable to ensure compliance with the conditions on such installation and use that are imposed by a consenting roommate or the roommate's authorized representative, the licensee will be required, within a reasonable period of time, and to the extent practicable, to transfer the resident requesting the installation of the device to a different private room, in order to accommodate the resident's request for private monitoring. If a request for private monitoring cannot be accommodated, the resident or resident's authorized representative may notify the DHS, which will be required to make every reasonable attempt to timely transfer the resident to a group home that can accommodate the request. All of the costs associated with installation and maintenance of an EMD in a private room are to be paid by the resident who requested the monitoring, or by the authorized representative thereof. Any recordings produced by an EMD installed in a private room will remain the property, and are to be retained in the possession, of the resident or the authorized representative who installed the EMD in the private room. The bill would specify that a licensee may not require a resident or the resident's authorized representative, as a condition of installing or using an EMD in the resident's private room, to turn over to the licensee, or to otherwise allow the licensee to access or review, any recordings that are produced by the EMD in the private room. Whenever an EMD is proposed to be installed in a private double occupancy room, the consenting roommate or authorized representative thereof, as the case may be, may elect to provide that, as a condition of the installation and ongoing use of the device in the room, the roommate and the roommate's authorized representative shall have the right and ability to access and review any recordings that are produced by the EMD, upon request submitted to the resident or authorized representative who owns the device. This condition, if elected by a consenting roommate or the roommate's authorized representative, is to be memorialized in the electronic monitoring agreement that is executed pursuant to bill's provisions. Any such electronic monitoring agreement will also be required to describe the procedures or protocols that are to be used by the owner of the device to ensure that the consenting roommate or the authorized representative thereof, as the case may be, is provided with timely access to all relevant footage recorded by the device, upon submission of a request therefor.Removal of EMDs from Private Rooms A resident, or the authorized representative thereof, who installs an EMD in a private single-occupancy room or private double-occupancy room will be authorized to remove the device from service at any time following its installation. Any resident or authorized representative who removes an EMD will be required to provide written notice of such removal, to the licensee, within 48 hours after the device is removed from service. Whenever the roommate of a resident, or the roommate's authorized representative, revokes the roommate's previously granted consent for the use of EMDs in a private double-occupancy room, the licensee will be required to transfer the resident who installed the devices to another private room, if possible, or to another group home, if necessary, to accommodate the resident's preexisting request for electronic monitoring. (This is the same requirement that applies, under the bill, whenever a roommate refuses to consent to, or imposes unattainable conditions on, the use of an EMD in a private double-occupancy room). Additional Provisions The bill would require a group home licensee, when seeking to obtain consent from residents for electronic monitoring, to comply with best practices that apply to professional interactions or communications being undertaken with persons with developmental disabilities, and particularly, with those persons who have difficulty with communication or understanding. The DHS would be authorized to impose any additional consent or consent declination requirements that it deems to be necessary. Any recordings produced by an EMD in a group home's common areas will be the property of the group home licensee, and are to be retained by the licensee for a period of 90 days. Any consent forms, consent declination forms, and notice of intent forms submitted under the bill are to be retained by the group home for a period of time to be determined by the DHS. The bill requires each group home employee to maintain the confidentiality of each recording that is retained by the licensee pursuant to the bill, and it prohibits group home employees from disclosing any such recording to any person who is not authorized by law to receive or review it. The bill similarly provides that any authorized representative who installs an EMD in a private single-occupancy or double-occupancy room, and any resident of a private double-occupancy room where an EMD has been installed, will be required to maintain the confidentiality of recordings produced by the installed device and will be prohibited from disclosing any such recording to any person who is not authorized by law to receive or review it. The bill would specify that nothing in its provisions is to be construed to prohibit a group home employee or resident, or a resident's authorized representative, from disclosing a recording, upon request or otherwise, to a State or local law enforcement agency or officer or to any other person who is authorized by law to investigate, prosecute, or take other official remedial action to address instances of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or other improper care or treatment occurring in the group home. Within 180 days after the bill's effective date, each group home will be required to develop and submit to the division a written internal policy specifying the procedures and protocols that are to be used by program staff when installing and utilizing EMDs, when removing EMDs from the common areas, and when transferring, to another room or group home, a resident whose request for private electronic monitoring cannot be accommodated. The internal EMD policy is also to: 1) describe the make and model of EMDs that may be used within the group home; 2) authorize the use of various types of EMDs in the home; and 3) indicate how the licensee will ensure the proper installation, positioning, and use of EMDs in a private double-occupancy room, in a manner that is consistent with all conditions established by the consenting roommate, and establish protocols and procedures to be used by the licensee when an EMD in a private double-occupancy room makes an unauthorized recording of the roommate. Finally, the policy is to describe the procedures and protocols that will be used in the review of footage recorded by EMDs in the group home. Among other things, such procedures and protocols are to identify the persons who will have access to recorded footage, and the standards that are to identify, at a minimum, the types of information that will constitute incidents of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, as are required to be submitted by a resident or the resident's authorized representative in order to receive authorization to access and review any footage that is recorded by an electronic monitoring device in the common areas of the group home. Whenever a licensee receives notice about a complaint, allegation, or reported incident of abuse, neglect, or exploitation occurring within the group home, the licensee will be required to forward to the DHS, for appropriate review, all potentially relevant footage recorded by EMDs in: 1) the common areas of the group home; 2) the private room of the resident who is the alleged victim of the abuse, neglect, or exploitation; and 3) any other private room where the abuse, neglect, or exploitation is alleged to have occurred. Notwithstanding the provisions of the bill to the contrary, any resident or authorized representative who is in possession of potentially relevant footage related to an incident of abuse, neglect, or exploitation will be required to turn over the pertinent recording or recordings to the licensee, upon request, for transmission to the division. However, the bill specifies that nothing in its provisions may be deemed to authorize a licensee to review, or to make copies of, any footage contained on those private recordings, absent the express written consent of the resident or authorized representative. Any residential program that fails to comply with the bill's requirements will be subject to a penalty of $5,000 for the first offense, and a penalty of $10,000 for the second or subsequent offense, as well as an appropriate administrative penalty, the amount of which is to be determined by the DHS. However, a group home licensee will not be subject to penalties or other disciplinary action for failing to comply with the bill's requirements if the group home licensee establishes, through documentation or otherwise, that the group home is exempt from compliance with the bill's provisions related to the placement of EMDs in unmonitored areas. The Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the assistant commissioner of the Division of Developmental Disabilities, will be required to annually report to the Governor and Legislature on the implementation of the bill's provisions. Each annual report is to include: 1) a list of group homes that are currently using EMDs in the common areas; 2) a list of group homes that have not installed EMDs in the common areas; 3) a list of group homes that have failed to install and use EMDs in the common areas, despite the licensee's receipt of uniform resident consent, and an indication of the penalties imposed in response to such failures; 4) a list of group homes that are exempt from the bill's provisions; 5) a list of group homes that have authorized the use of EMDs in the private rooms of one or more residents, and an indication of the number and percentage of private single occupancy rooms and the number and percentage of private double occupancy rooms in each such facility where EMDs are installed and being used; 6) a list of group homes that have removed EMDs from the common areas, pursuant to the collective request of residents; 7) to the extent known, a list of group homes that have failed to remove EMDs from the common areas, despite the licensee's receipt of a collective request from residents, and an indication of the penalties imposed in response to such failures; and 8) recommendations for legislative, executive, or other action that can be taken to improve compliance with the bill or otherwise expand the consensual use of EMDs in group homes. The commissioner, in consultation with the assistant commissioners, will also be required to post, at a publicly accessible location on the department's Internet website, the various lists of group homes that the department has produced for its annual reports. Each list posted online is to be searchable both by location and by name of group home. The commissioner will be required to annually update the website to ensure that each posted list contains the most recently reported data. In addition to the commissioner's annual reports, the bill requires the Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and Their Families to include, in each of the ombudsman's annual reports, a section evaluating the implementation of the bill and providing recommendations for improvement. The bill further requires the commissioner, within five years of the bill's effective date, to provide the Governor and Legislature with a written report that: 1) identifies best practices for the installation and use of EMDs under the bill; 2) identifies best practices and provides recommendations regarding the obtaining of informed consent for electronic monitoring under the bill; and 3) provides recommendations for the implementation of new legislation, policies, protocols, and procedures related to the use of EMDs in group homes. | Dead |
| A4012 | Establishes minimum Medicaid reimbursement rate for structured day program services provided to beneficiary eligible for brain injury services. | This bill amends existing law, which established minimum Medicaid reimbursement rates for brain injury services, to include structured day program services. Current law is limited to community residential services. Under existing law, "brain injury service" means community-based services, residential services, day care services, and home care services provided to a Medicaid beneficiary requiring treatment for traumatic or non-traumatic brain injuries, regardless of whether such services are provided through the Medicaid fee-for-service delivery system or the managed care delivery system. Specifically, the bill requires the Medicaid per diem or encounter reimbursement rates for Structured Day Program Services provided to a Medicaid beneficiary requiring treatment for a brain injury, approximately $3.65 for every 15 minutes of services, when such services are provided by an approved brain injury service provider, to be equal to the average of the reimbursement rates for Day Habilitation Services - Tiers D and Tier E provided to a Medicaid beneficiary eligible for services provided by the Division of Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Human Services, currently at $9.38 for every 15 minutes of service. | In Committee |
| A4407 | Increases daily compensation for election workers and increases additional compensation rate for election workers managing signature copy registers. | This bill increases the daily compensation for election workers from $300 per day to $400 per day. It also increases the additional compensation rate for election workers who obtain and return signature copy registers. Under current law, if one election worker obtains or returns the signature copy registers, the additional compensation is $12.50. If two election workers share the responsibility, each receives an additional $6.25. This bill will increase the compensation rate to $20 and $10, respectively. Under current law, election workers are paid $300 per day each time the primary election, general election, or any special election is held. The State reimburses $225 of the payment to the election workers while the counties account for the rest. This bill increases the State's reimbursement to $325 while keeping the counties sum at $75. | In Committee |
| A4410 | Requires green building standards and impact studies for carbon, traffic, storm water, and schools for certain affordable housing development. | This bill requires newly-built affordable housing inclusionary developments of 10 units or more to report the results of a traffic impact study, school impact study, and storm water impact study to the municipality in which the development is to be located. A newly-built inclusionary development requiring the clearing of more than one acre of land would also be required to report the results of a carbon impact study. The bill also requires newly-built inclusionary developments to be designed, constructed, and certified to at least LEED silver standards, or equivalent green building system standards, if the development consists of 10 or more units or four or more floors. The bill directs the Commissioner of Community Affairs to adopt rules and regulations by the first day of the eighth month following enactment. This bill takes effect on the first day of the thirteenth month next following enactment, and would not apply to developments for which an application for development is submitted prior to that date. | In Committee |
| A4412 | Establishes certification process for non-physicians to perform laser tattoo removal. | This bill directs the Board of Medical Examiners to establish requirements to allow a non-physician to obtain certification to perform laser tattoo removal. The requirements are to include qualifications of a non-physician to provide tattoo removal services, development or approval of testing, and continuing education for certification renewal. Under the bill, a non-physician is required to obtain certification before offering laser tattoo removal services. A certification in tattoo removal services is to be renewed on a biennial basis with the board. | In Committee |
| A2388 | Requires inspections of retail cigarette and vapor product dealers. | This bill requires inspections of retail cigarette and vapor product dealers. The bill amends section 2 of P.L.2008, c.91 (C.2A:170-51.6) and section 1 of P.L.2019, c.425 (C.2A:170-51.12) to remove the following provision: an official authorized by "statute or ordinance to enforce the State or local health codes or a law enforcement officer having enforcement authority in that municipality shall issue a summons for a violation of the provisions of subsection a. of this section, and shall serve and execute all process with respect to the enforcement of this section consistent with the Rules of Court." The bill amends section 2 of P.L.2008, c.91 (C.2A:170-51.6) and section 1 of P.L.2019, c.425 (C.2A:170-51.12) to provide the following: (1) an official authorized by the Attorney General or the Commissioner of Health, including any county or municipal law enforcement agencies or their employees to enforce this section shall inspect retail dealers at least twice annually. A follow-up inspection shall be conducted within three months following a violation of this section; (2) when so ordered by the Attorney General or the Commissioner of Health and in accordance with the procedure set forth in section 1 of P.L.2011, c.80 (C.54:40B-13.1), any cigarettes or vapor products that are found to be the subject of a violation of this section, by a court of competent jurisdiction, shall be declared prima facie contraband goods, and may be subject to seizure and disposal or destruction; and (3) a penalty recovered under the provisions of this subsection shall be paid into the treasury of the municipality in which the violation occurred for the general uses of the municipality. | In Committee |
| A4290 | Eliminates dual governmental pay to members of Legislature for legislative duties. | This bill shall be designated and known as the "End the New Jersey Gravy Train Act." Current law allows members of the Legislature who hold county and municipal jobs to take unlimited paid days off from those jobs in order to do their legislative "work." People with some measure of conscience, morals, and ethics would feel a tinge of embarrassment about this, but New Jersey politicians have long since moved past that. Taxpayers bear the burden of this insanity, while lawmakers ride the gravy train. This bill would right this wrong. According to this bill, lawmakers who just gave themselves an undeserved raise to $82,000 per year will have to take unpaid time from their county or municipal jobs when they go to Trenton for their legislative "work" there. Anyone with a brain would understand that this is only fair and that the incredibly inflated and insane $82,000 a year they make as lawmakers should compensate them for their time away from their local government job. This bill is a small step in an important direction of ending the obscene acts by members of the Legislature to pad their pockets at the expense of taxpayers. | In Committee |
| A3873 | Allows certain public high school student-athletes to substitute study hall for physical education during their athletic seasons. | Allows certain public high school student-athletes to substitute study hall for physical education during their athletic seasons. | In Committee |
| A1115 | Excludes under gross income tax certain contributions to qualified pension plans, deferred compensation plans and provides deduction for certain individual retirement savings. | This bill excludes from gross income taxation the employee and employer contributions that public and private sector employees make to federally qualified tax exempt pension plans under section 401(a) of the federal Internal Revenue Code. The bill also excludes from gross income taxation elective contributions that employees of the public and non-profit sectors may make toward their retirement savings, and allows a deduction for federally qualifying IRA contributions. The New Jersey gross income tax currently allows the employees of private, for profit, businesses to make tax-deferred contributions to the retirement savings plans authorized under section 401(k) of the federal Internal Revenue Code. Contributions mandated under most qualified retirement plans are not accorded tax deferral under the New Jersey gross income tax. Also employees of public and nonprofit sectors are not afforded the same access to 401(k) plans as private sector employees that includes the gross income tax contributions tax deferral. This bill incorporates New Jersey gross income tax deferrals for private and public sector employee contributions and for contribution designated as "employer contributions" for federal income tax purposes under qualified retirement plans established under section 401(a) of the federal Internal Revenue Code. This bill also incorporates tax deferrals for the elective deferred compensation systems allowed to employees of governments and nonprofits. Charitable, educational and religious organization employees and public school employees are authorized by federal law to contribute toward their retirement savings under plans established under subsection (b) of section 403 of the federal Internal Revenue Code of 1986. State and local government and authority employers are authorized by federal law to make contributions under plans established under section 457 of the federal Internal Revenue Code, and federal employees are authorized by the federal Internal Revenue Code to make contributions to the federal Thrift Savings Plan. This bill gives the employees of federally tax-exempt charitable, educational or religious organizations; the employees of public school systems; the employees of state and local government and federal employees similar tax incentives for retirement savings that are provided under the New Jersey gross income tax to private sector employees. This bill also allows a gross income tax deduction for contributions to individual retirement accounts, or premiums paid to individual retirement annuities, that qualify for federal income tax deductions. IRA's are a significant retirement savings vehicle for employees whose employers do not offer a pension plan. | In Committee |
| A1854 | Requires minimum annual State appropriation of $10 million for Public Health Priority Funding. | This bill supplements the "Public Health Priority Funding Act of 1977" and requires a minimum annual State appropriation of $10 million for Public Health Priority Funding, thereby reinstating New Jersey's only State appropriated, unrestricted fund for local health departments. From 1966 to 2010, under the "State Health Aid Act" and later amended as the "Public Health Priority Funding Act of 1977," the State provided local health departments with flexibility to address local needs, emerging threats, and other priorities via the appropriation of dedicated funds. The State eliminated Public Health Priority Funding in the FY 2011 Appropriations Act, undermining the ability of local health departments to operate as the front line service ensuring health of the public. For context, in FY 2010, Public Health Priority Funding amounted to approximately 15 percent of the total funding for local health departments. Currently, local health departments in New Jersey are funded via local property taxes and State and federal funding that is designated for specific purposes, such as vaccines or environmental health services. The re-establishment of dedicated, Public Health Priority Funding is critical to allowing local health departments to plan for operational expenses and support core local public health programs. | In Committee |
| AR51 | Adopts articles of impeachment concerning Robert Asaro-Angelo, Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development. | This Assembly Resolution adopts articles of impeachment in the matter of Robert Asaro-Angelo, Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and provides for the presentation of articles to the Senate, and impeaches Robert Asaro-Angelo. In light of his record of failing to address the ongoing unemployment crisis in New Jersey, failure to take reasonable measures to expeditiously process and pay unemployment claims and address unemployment, including the failure to open the One-Stop Career Centers to the public for in-person services, violation of the public trust, and his overall failure to perform the duties of his office, it is altogether fitting and proper and within the public interest for the General Assembly to adopt articles of impeachment against Robert Asaro-Angelo, and present the articles to the New Jersey Senate in accordance with New Jersey Constitution, Article VII, Section III, paragraph 2. | In Committee |
| A3167 | Authorizes DMVA to grant preference in awarding contracts to vendors that employ veterans. | The purpose of this bill is to help alleviate the high rate of unemployment among military veterans by creating an incentive for vendors seeking contracts with the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs to employ veterans. The bill provides that in awarding contracts for the purchase of goods or services by the department, with or without public advertising for bids, the Adjutant General may grant a preference to vendors based upon the number of full-time employees of that vendor who are veterans. If the Adjutant General determines to grant such a preference for a particular contract, the Adjutant General will determine for each of the top three vendors the number of the vendor's full-time employees and the number of the vendor's full-time employees who are veterans. The contract will be awarded to the vendor having the highest percentage of such employees who are veterans. The bill defines "veteran" to include a disabled veteran. In making this determination, the Adjutant General may rely on information submitted by each vendor. However, the Adjutant General must verify that information within 30 calendar days and if it is determined that any business has knowingly and willfully misrepresented the number of its employees or the number of its employees who are veterans, the Adjutant General will immediately debar that business and its principals from contracting with the department for a period of five years. If the misrepresentation was committed by the vendor that has been awarded the contract, the Adjutant General will also terminate that contract. The department of Military and Veterans' Affairs, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq., will adopt such rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement the bill's provisions. This act will be known and may be cited as the "Boosting Rates of American Veteran Employment (BRAVE) Act." | In Committee |
| AJR79 | Designates September 22nd of each year as "Veterans Suicide Awareness & Remembrance Day." | This joint resolution designates September 22nd of each year as "Veterans Suicide Awareness & Remembrance Day" in New Jersey. By having an annual observance, we elevate the public health challenge of the increased suicide rates of veterans and active duty military personnel into the public consciousness and raise our continued awareness to this challenge. This continued awareness facilitates discussion about Veteran/Military suicide, thereby taking away the societal stigma associated with mental health treatment. By normalizing the subject of mental health among Veterans and Active Military, we will allow them to receive necessary treatment without fear of judgment while simultaneously showing that we care as a State and nation, about preventing living Veterans and Active Military from dying by suicide. The joint resolution calls on the Governor to annually issue a proclamation calling on the people of this State to mark this day with appropriate activities and programs. Individuals who have served in the United States military made significant sacrifices to defend the United States and its people. Members of the military are often deployed to remote locations far from family and friends and may not have regular contact with their loved ones. During their deployments these individuals can miss important milestones including the birth of a child, family birthdays, or the funeral of a loved one. Members of the military engaged in combat operations face added stresses including situations where they may witness the death of their fellow service members and living in constant fear of their own injury or death. These stress factors contribute to a sharp increase in the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress among service members and United States military and veterans. Since 2010 more than 65,000 veterans and active military have died by suicide, more than the total number of American combat deaths from the Vietnam War and the post-9/11 conflicts combined. The New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, the federal Department of Veterans Affairs, and various nonprofit entities provide resources to veterans and active military who are at risk of suicide including telephone hotlines and mental health workshops. Increasing public awareness about the increased risk of suicide amongst veterans and military can help inform veterans, their families, and the public about the resources available to these veterans and military and help eliminate the stigma associated with mental health treatments. Designating September 22nd of each year as "Veterans Suicide Awareness & Remembrance Day" will raise our continued awareness to this critical threat to the health and safety of individuals who have sacrificed so much for their fellow Americans in service of our beloved country. This annual observance originated with Kevin W. Hertell, a U.S. Air Force Veteran who lost his cousin to suicide in 2016, Senior Airman Robert McRae Dean, U.S. Air Force. Mr. Hertell established this observance to recognize and forever remember the life and death of Senior Airman Robert McRae Dean and all other Veterans and Active Military members who have died by suicide. | In Committee |
| AJR83 | Designates first full week of May of each year as "Teacher Appreciation Week." | This joint resolution designates the first full week of May of each year as "Teacher Appreciation Week" in the State of New Jersey. Following the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the people of New Jersey are reminded of the tireless contributions of their teachers, who have risen to the occasion to support our children during a period of unprecedented crisis. During the public health emergency, which resulted in the closure of all public, private, and parochial schools in the State, teachers quickly responded by developing innovative lesson plans to allow over 1.4 million public school students to continue their education through remote instruction. Despite the many challenges posed by remote instruction, the State's educators successfully employed unique teaching strategies using online platforms to help students understand abstract concepts and develop critical-thinking skills, all of which are essential to academic development. During this time, teachers also spent countless hours collaborating with parents to ensure that every student remains engaged with their schoolwork, even while many of these teachers continue to care for their own children who are also at home. Although the societal effects of COVID-19 may recede with time, the contributions of educators during this public health emergency will always be remembered. In light of these contributions, it is altogether fitting and proper for the State of New Jersey to designate the first full week in May as "Teacher Appreciation Week," which week has been annually observed as "National Teacher Appreciation Week" since 1985. | In Committee |
| A2743 | Establishes Veterans Suicide Prevention Commission. | This bill creates the Veterans Suicide Prevention Commission act. The purpose of the commission will be to assess, support, and create programs for the successful transition, adjustment, and reintegration of service members back into civilian life through the coordination of the collective efforts of State agencies with the goal of preventing veteran suicides. The commission will coordinate with State agencies to effectively and responsibly meet the needs of the military community. In performing these responsibilities, the commission will conduct planning, research, education, training, and evaluation activities to improve the operations and coordination of the systems of care and support provided by the agencies. The commission will coordinate its activities with the activities of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs for its veterans, service members, and their families. The commission will consist of 13 members. Members of the commission will be appointed for a term of four years and until a successor is appointed and qualified. Upon expiration of the initial term, each member may be reappointed for an additional term of four years. The commission, in its discretion, may divide its membership into subcommittees in the course of carrying out its duties. The commission will hold at least six meetings each year, but otherwise will meet at the call of the chair. The primary focus of the commission will be on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of those State programs and services related to the military community with the goal of the prevention of veteran suicides. The commission will review the activities related to the military community of each State agency to ensure there is efficient and effective coordination and alignment with the needs of the military community. The commission will ensure accountability by tracking the progress of initiatives, programs, and services; develop strategic collaborations among State agencies; and increase public awareness of the services and support available to the military community to prevent veteran suicides. The commission will promote coordination and efficiency among State, county, and local units of government through knowledge sharing, mobilization of resources, and an aligned approach to serving the military community to prevent veteran suicides. The commission will issue periodic reports, which will include, but not be limited to, its strategic goals, its public research agenda, and its performance and progress in meeting its goals. | In Committee |
| ACR85 | Proposes constitutional amendment to increase amount of annual veterans' property tax deduction from $250 to $1,250. | If approved by the voters of the State, this proposed constitutional amendment would increase the amount of the veterans' property tax deduction from the current $250 to $1,250, beginning in 2024. The voters of the State last approved an increase in the amount of the deduction in 1999, from $50 to $250, to be increased by $50 each year over a period of four years. The amount of the deduction has been $250 since 2003. | In Committee |
| A2731 | Provides free or reduced fee beach access to certain New Jersey National Guard members. | This bill adds persons who have served in the New Jersey National Guard and who were discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable, to the list of persons eligible to receive free or reduced beach access granted by a shore municipality. Current law permits shore municipalities, by ordinance, to provide free or reduced fee beach access to persons who are active members of the New Jersey National Guard who have completed Initial Active Duty Training and to their spouse or dependent children over the age of 12 years. This bill permits a shore municipality to provide free or reduced fee beach access to any person who has served in the New Jersey National Guard and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable. | In Committee |
| AR81 | Honors life and contributions of baseball legend Hank Aaron. | This resolution honors the life and contributions of baseball legend Henry Louis Aaron, better known as Hank Aaron. Hank Aaron was born in 1934 in Mobile, Alabama. Aaron showcased exceptional talent at a young age, catching the eyes of several scouts. Following his performances on multiple independent and semi-pro teams, Aaron was signed by the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League. For three months in 1952, Aaron performed at an incredibly high level with the Clowns, catching the eyes of multiple Major League Baseball (MLB) scouts. In 1952, the Boston Braves of the National League purchased Aaron's contract from the Clowns for $10,000, in a deal that was considered a steal by the Braves' general manager. For 2 years, Aaron dominated the minor leagues and quickly worked his way up the Braves system. On April 13, 1954, Aaron made his MLB debut. For 23 years, Aaron was one of the most dominant players in MLB history. He accumulated 3,771 hits, 2,297 RBIs, 25 all-star game appearances, 755 home runs, the 1957 MVP award, and one World Series championship. He still holds several MLB career records. Aaron's dominance led MLB to create the Hank Aaron Award in 1999, awarded annually to the most effective hitter in each league. Despite Aaron's incredible accomplishments, he, like the other black players in MLB at the time, experienced racism and discrimination. Aaron was forced to arrange his own housing and meal accommodations during Braves' road trips. He consistently received hate mail for his achievement on the field and suffered harassment at the hands of fans during the games. Aaron's poor treatment was compounded by his chase for Babe Ruth's home run record. Babe Ruth's 714 career home runs was considered a near sacrosanct record. Aaron ended the 1973 season with 713 home runs, two shy of breaking Ruth's record. His off-season consisted of hate mail and death threats, many of which reached the necessary threshold for the FBI to investigate. On April 8, 1974, Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record when he hit his 715th home run. The moment is most notable for the two college students who rushed the field to congratulate Aaron as he rounded second base, initially startling him. Aaron would end his career with 755 home runs. Following his retirement, Aaron was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and joined the Braves as an executive, becoming one of the few minorities in high-level positions. Off-the-field, Aaron contributed to his community in several ways, including his support of the NAACP. Aaron passed away in his sleep from natural causes on January 22, 2021. His legendary career and contributions on and off-the-field deserve recognition and acknowledgement from this State. | In Committee |
| A2718 | Requires public institutions of higher education to waive tuition and fees for Medal of Honor and Purple Heart Medal military recipients. | This bill requires public institutions of higher education to waive the tuition and fees for any service member or veteran living in New Jersey who is the recipient of a Medal of Honor or Purple Heart Medal provided that the service member or veteran has: (1) been accepted to pursue a course of undergraduate study and is enrolled as an undergraduate student in good standing at that institution; and (2) applied for all available State student grants and scholarships and all available federal student grants and scholarships for which the service member or veteran is eligible. The service member or veteran is permitted to attend regularly-scheduled courses at the institution and receive up to 16 credits per semester tuition-free for a maximum of eight semesters. Under the bill, a service member or veteran will demonstrate eligibility for waived tuition and fees in a manner and by a date determined by the governing board of the public institution of higher education. | In Committee |
| A2706 | Limits to 14 days effective period of certain emergency orders, rules, or regulations. | This bill provides that any order, rule, or regulation issued by the Governor pursuant to the "Civil Defense and Disaster Control Act" will terminate on the 15th day after issuance, unless the Legislature approves a greater period of time by way of concurrent resolution. The bill prohibits the Governor from issuing an order, rule, or regulation to the same or substantially same effect as one terminated pursuant to the bill for the same emergency. The bill does not apply to orders, rules, or regulations: (1) rescinding an order, rule, or regulation issued pursuant to the "Civil Defense and Disaster Control Act"; (2) issued pursuant to direction by or agreement with the federal government, in compliance with federal law, or to the extent that application of the bill would jeopardize the receipt of federal funds by the State; (3) applying exclusively to the executive branch; (4) issued under the Governor's authority as the Commander-in-Chief of the military and naval forces of the State; or (5) issued pursuant to a provision of law providing for a greater period, notwithstanding that the order, rule, or regulation may also cite to an authority provided under the "Civil Defense and Disaster Control Act." | In Committee |
| A788 | Permits any member of PERS to receive accidental disability retirement allowance for disability resulting from participation in 9/11 World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup options. | A law recently enacted, P.L.2019, 157, provided that a member or retiree of the Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS), the State Police Retirement System (SPRS), and the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) is eligible to receive an accidental disability retirement allowance for a permanent and total disability resulting from participation in 9/11 World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations. The law provides that permanent and total disability resulting from a qualifying condition or impairment of health will be presumed to have occurred during and as a result of the performance of a member's regular or assigned duties if the member participated in World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations for a minimum of eight hours. The law permits a member who did not participate in those operations for a minimum of eight hours to be eligible for the presumption under certain circumstances. The law also provides for a reclassification of a retiree's retirement from a service retirement or an ordinary disability retirement to an accidental disability retirement under certain circumstances. The law applies regardless of whether the PERS member or retiree was enrolled in the PERS at the time of the participation in the rescue, recovery and cleanup operations. Currently, the PERS portion of the bill applies only to: any member or retiree who is or was enrolled in the PERS because the member or retiree did not meet the age or medical requirements for enrollment in the Police and Firemen's Retirement System on the basis of the position held; and to any emergency medical technician who is a member or retiree of the Public Employees' Retirement System. The bill amends the relevant provisions of the PERS to provide this benefit to any member of the PERS. | In Committee |
| A2724 | Authorizes issuance of Operation Desert Storm license plates. | This bill authorizes special Operation Desert Storm license plates. The license plate is to display the words and images that honor members of the military that served in Operation Desert Storm, which was a military operation to defend and expel Iraqi forces that invaded Kuwait. An application to obtain Operation Desert Storm license plates is to include satisfactory proof that the applicant served in Operation Desert Storm. In addition to the required motor vehicle registration fees, there is an application fee of $50 and an annual renewal fee of $10 for the Operation Desert Storm license plates. After deducting the cost to implement the license plates, the additional fees collected are to be deposited into the "Operation Desert Storm License Fund" and the funds are to be appropriated annually to the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs (department) for programs to benefit combat veterans. The Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) is required to annually certify the average cost of producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of the specialty license plates. If the average cost per plate exceeds $50 in two consecutive fiscal years, the chief administrator may discontinue the license plate program. The bill provides that State or other public funds are not to be used by the commission for the initial cost to implement the Operation Desert Storm license plate program. The bill requires that an individual or entity designated by the department contribute non-public monies, not to exceed $25,000, to offset the initial cost to design, produce, issue, and publicize the license plates and for any computer programming necessary to implement the program. The bill authorizes the department to receive funds from private sources to be used to offset the initial costs. The commission is not required to design, produce, issue, or publicize the availability of the license plates or make any necessary programming changes, until: (1) the individual or entity designated by the department 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 appointed by the department has provided the commission with a minimum of 500 completed applications for the license plates. The provisions of the bill will remain inoperative until the first day of the 13th month following the date on which the money to offset the initial costs to establish the license plate program and a minimum of 500 applications are provided to the commission. The bill expires on the last day of the 12th month after enactment if sufficient applications and fees to offset the initial costs are not received by that date. | In Committee |
| A433 | Repeals law providing that violation of rear seat belt law be treated as secondary offense; establishes certain reporting requirements; requires AG to issue report. | This bill makes it a primary offense to violate the law requiring a rear seat motor vehicle passenger to wear a seat belt. Under current law, failure to wear a seatbelt in the rear seat of a motor vehicle constitutes a secondary offense, which means a law enforcement officer cannot stop and issue a ticket to a person solely for a violation of the rear seat belt law, but only when the motor vehicle has been stopped for some other suspected violation of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes or other law. This bill repeals the current law requiring that enforcement of the rear seat safety belt law be accomplished by treating a violation as a secondary offense. In addition, one year after the effective date of this bill, all State and local law enforcement agencies are required to submit a report to the Attorney General containing information from the preceding year on any traffic stop where a passenger received a citation for a violation of subsection c. of section 2 of P.L.1984, c.179 (C.39:3-76.2f). The information is to include the alleged traffic violation that led to the motor vehicle stop, any citation or warning issued as a result of the motor vehicle stop, whether a search was instituted as a result of the motor vehicle stop, and whether the motor vehicle stop led to an arrest of a driver or any passenger of the vehicle. The Attorney General is to compare the data contained in this report with any traffic stop data available from two years prior to the effective date of this bill, in order to determine the effect of the implementation of this bill on law enforcement practices. Within six months of receiving a report by State and local law enforcement agencies, the Attorney General is to issue a report to the Governor and the Legislature which details the Attorney General's conclusions regarding the impact of this act on law enforcement practices. Finally, the bill provides that information pertaining to the implementation of this bill is to be included in the State of New Jersey Highway Safety Plan sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Highway Administration. The information is to include, but not be limited to, the effect of the implementation of this act on the number of injuries and fatalities resulting from motor vehicle accidents in this State. | In Committee |
| A972 | Prohibits imposition of builder's remedy in exclusionary zoning litigation. | This bill prohibits the imposition of a builder's remedy in exclusionary zoning litigation. The builder's remedy, as a method of achieving fair share housing, has been contrary to the public interest and public policy goals in that it resulted in the development of extraordinary amounts of market rate housing in densely populated regions while producing comparatively little affordable housing, to the overall detriment of specific communities and the State as a whole. Municipalities have attempted to navigate the rulings of the court for nearly four decades, but have been unable to adequately address the affordable housing needs of the State despite the threat of builder's remedy lawsuits. Under the bill, if a court determines that a municipality has failed to meet its obligation to provide a reasonable opportunity for the development of affordable housing, a court may impose a remedy other than a builder's remedy. For the purposes of the bill, "builder's remedy" means a court imposed remedy for a litigant who is an individual or a profit-making entity in which the court requires a municipality to utilize zoning techniques such as mandatory set-asides or density bonuses which provide for the economic viability of a residential development by including housing which is not for low and moderate income households. | In Committee |
| A2734 | Increases annual property tax deduction for senior citizens and disabled persons from $250 to $500. | This bill would increase the amount of the annual property tax deduction provided to eligible senior citizens and disabled persons from the current $250 to $300.00 in tax year 2023, $350.00 in tax year 2024, $400.00 in tax year 2025, $450.00 in tax year 2026, and $500.00 in tax year 2027 and in each tax year thereafter. The amount of this annual property tax deduction has not been increased since 1983. The provisions of the bill will remain inoperative until the approval by the voters of the State of a constitutional amendment authorizing this increased property tax deduction for senior citizens and disabled persons. | In Committee |
| A2726 | Exempts honorably discharged veterans from payment of passenger motor vehicle registration fee; requires notification of eligible motorists. | This bill prohibits the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (chief administrator) from charging a fee for the registration of a motor vehicle of passenger type, which is not to be used for hire, that is owned by any resident of this State, individually or jointly with a spouse, who is an "honorably discharged" veteran as defined in the bill. The bill requires the chief administrator, after consultation with the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs (adjutant general), to determine the manner for application and the documentation that an honorably discharged veteran is to use to provide proof of eligibility for the registration fee exemption. The bill requires the adjutant general, in consultation with the chief administrator, to notify all eligible motorists of the availability of the fee exemption. | In Committee |
| A3220 | Permits car wash business to operate during state of emergency or public health emergency. | This bill provides that if, during a state of emergency or public health emergency, the Governor orders all non-essential businesses to suspend operations, car wash businesses will be deemed essential and may continue to operate as they would under normal circumstances. Nothing in the bill prohibits the owner of a car wash business from choosing to suspend operations of the car wash during a state of emergency or public health emergency. The bill provides that the designation of car wash businesses as essential during a state of emergency or public health emergency does not relieve the owner of a car wash from complying with safety standards issued in response to a state of emergency or public health emergency for the continued operations of essential businesses. | In Committee |
| A3050 | Expands EDA small business loan program to include certain broadband telecommunications service providers. | This bill requires the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA), in consultation with the Board of Public Utilities (BPU), to offer loans to broadband telecommunications service providers providing broadband telecommunications service to rural areas under an existing small business loan program administered by the EDA. The bill defines a "broadband telecommunications service provider" as a person, business, for-profit or nonprofit corporation, unincorporated association, or partnership, including, but not limited to, a rural electric cooperative, which is certified by the BPU to offer broadband telecommunications service within a rural area of this State. The bill also defines the terms "broadband telecommunications service" and "rural area." The bill requires that an EDA-approved loan under the program is to be made pursuant to a loan agreement, bear interest at rates and terms deemed appropriate by the EDA, and contain other terms and conditions considered appropriate by the EDA that are consistent with the purposes of the bill and with regulations adopted by the EDA to implement the bill. The bill requires the EDA, in consultation with the BPU, to adopt rules and regulations as are necessary to effectuate the purposes of the bill. | In Committee |
| A1340 | Establishes child care costs reimbursement grant program in DCF; appropriates $500,000. | This bill establishes in the Department of Children and Families a grant program in which an eligible parent or guardian with a child who is enrolled or will be enrolled in a child care center licensed pursuant to the provisions of P.L.1983, c.492 (C.30:5B-1 et seq.) as a result of school closures or the use of virtual or remote school instruction due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency will be reimbursed for child care tuition costs incurred by the parent or guardian. The grant program is to be funded from monies appropriated to the DCF from a portion of the federal block grant funds allocated to the State from the federal "Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act," Pub.L.116-136, and any other monies appropriated or made available for the grant program. Under the provisions of the bill, an eligible parent or guardian who wishes to participate in the grant program is to submit an application to the Commissioner of Children and Families (commissioner), in a manner and on forms determined by the commissioner. The commissioner is to: establish selection criteria for awarding grants under the program; award grants under the program based upon review of the applications and subject to the limit of funds appropriated or otherwise made available for the program; allocate the approved grant funds to each eligible parent or guardian participating in the program in a timely manner; and establish the amount of each grant awarded for an eligible parent or guardian. The bill stipulates that the grant awarded to an eligible parent or guardian will be used to reimburse child care tuition costs incurred by the parent or guardian who are required to enroll their child in a licensed child care center as a result of school closures or the use of virtual or remote school instruction due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. As used in the bill, "eligible parent or guardian" means an individual who: is employed full-time or part-time; and has a child who is enrolled or will be enrolled in a child care center licensed pursuant to the provisions of P.L.1983, c.492 (C.30:5B-1 et seq.) as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency. | In Committee |
| AJR81 | Designates August 22 of each year as General Norman Schwarzkopf Day in NJ. | This joint resolution designates August 22 of each year as General Norman Schwarzkopf Day in New Jersey. General Norman Schwarzkopf served his country with courage and distinction for more than 35 years in the United States Army. When the country entered into the Vietnam War, Norman Schwarzkopf did not shy away from serving, instead he volunteered. During his service in the Vietnam War, General Norman Schwarzkopf risked his life for the men in his command and returned his surviving men home safely. He continued to serve in the United States Army rising through the ranks to become Major General where he served as Deputy Commander of the United States forces during the 1983 invasion of Grenada. Out of his many impressive accomplishments within the United States Army, General Norman Schwarzkopf, also known as "Stormin Norman", is most remembered for his role in the Persian Gulf War. General Norman Schwarzkopf planned and lead Operation Desert Storm, which resulted in the removal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait and the liberation of Kuwait. General Norman Schwarzkopf's long and accomplished career within the United States Army should be remembered and celebrated among the citizens of New Jersey. | In Committee |
| AJR55 | Designates March 16 as "Paws Healing Heroes Day" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates March 16 as "Paws Healing Heroes Day" in New Jersey. Service dogs play an important role in assisting veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), military sexual trauma, and seizure disorder. It is estimated that 29 percent of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom may experience PTSD, and 28 percent of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom may experience TBI. New Jersey has a current veteran population of over 300,000. However, despite federal law to expand the availability of service dogs to veterans, the training and placement of service dogs falls primarily upon community non-profit organizations that depend on charitable donations, such as Paws Healing Heroes of Glassboro. The average cost to rescue, train, and present a service dog to a veteran can be $3,000 to $5,000, which is not covered by insurance or other veterans' benefits. Designating "Paws Healing Heroes Day" will promote greater awareness of the unique role of service dogs in assisting veterans. | In Committee |
| AR78 | Urges Congress to extend time limitation for upgrading certain military honors. | This resolution respectfully urges Congress to extend the time limitation for upgrading certain military honors. A Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, or Distinguished Service Medal must be awarded within five years of a service member's actions justifying the award. However, after an initial recommendation and award, the Department of Defense may determine that a previously awarded action may deserve an upgrade to a higher honor. The five-year limitation and the inability of the President to waive the limitation under certain circumstances, absent congressional authorization, makes it difficult to upgrade a service member's award after the five-year limitation. Over the past few years, there has been a bipartisan effort in Congress to have the late Sergeant First Class Alwyn Cashe's Silver Star upgraded to the Medal of Honor. Sergeant First Class Cashe, along with others, is an example of a valiant solider whose acts were later determined to merit a higher honor; however, the honored action is more than five years old. On October 17, 2005, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Sergeant First Class Cashe, with no regard for his own safety or wellbeing, repeatedly entered a burning Bradley Fighting Vehicle to evacuate his fellow soldiers after it struck an improvised explosive device. Sergeant First Class Cashe's actions saved the lives of six of his soldiers. While evacuating his fellow soldiers, Sergeant First Class Cashe suffered second and third-degree burns over 72 percent of his body. On November 8, 2005, Sergeant First Class Cashe died from his wounds and was later posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his heroism, the third-highest military combat honor. Recently, the Secretary of Defense, Mark T. Esper, in a letter to congressional lawmakers, asserted, "after giving the nomination careful consideration, I agree SFC Cashe's actions merit award of the Medal of Honor." However, before the President and the Department of Defense can take action to upgrade the military honor, Congress must waive or extend the five-year time limit. Given the leadership, devotion to duty, and sheer bravery of Sergeant First Class Cashe and other soldiers impacted by the time limit, this House should respectfully urge Congress to extend the five-year time limit on upgrading certain military honors. | In Committee |
| A1363 | The "New Jersey Bleacher Safety Act." | The "New Jersey Bleacher Safety Act" would require stricter safety standards to be adopted for existing bleachers at places of public accommodation within the State. Each year, there are an average of 19,100 injuries to people in the United States, many of them children, directly attributable to falls from bleachers or unsafe conditions of bleachers. In the past twenty years, there have been at least 10 deaths related to falls from bleachers, four of them involving children under the age of 15. Recently in New Jersey, three-year old Adam J. Graham suffered severe injuries when he tumbled through a gap in the bleacher seating at a school athletic event. According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, falls from bleachers can occur when guardrails are missing from the backs or open sides of bleachers. Falls from bleachers also occur when there are large enough openings between components in the seating and the guardrails to permit a person to pass through them. Often the falls involve openings between the components of the seating, such as between the footboard and seat board, as was the case with Adam's fall, but other falls through spaces related to the guardrails have occurred as well. In addition to the risk of falls, some bleachers are dilapidated or poorly constructed, and are at risk of collapsing. Although the New Jersey State Uniform Construction Code (UCC) has incorporated standards for bleacher safety, these standards are applicable to new bleachers only, and do not require the retrofitting of existing bleachers with safety features to prevent falls or injuries. This bill would require the Commissioner of Community Affairs to adopt, within six months of the effective date of the bill, safety standards for existing bleachers, which would involve replacement of these bleachers, or their retrofitting to make them safe. In promulgating the standards, the commissioner is directed by the bill to utilize the guidelines created by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for the retrofitting of existing bleachers, or to use standards for the retrofitting of bleachers developed by nationally or internationally recognized model code agencies. The commissioner is also directed by the bill to establish certification and inspection procedures. The bill requires a place of public accommodation, defined as a public or privately- owned sports or entertainment arena or park, gymnasium, auditorium, stadium, hall, special event center in a public park or other facility for public assembly, to replace or retrofit existing bleachers in compliance with the code. Governmental entities from which funding would be available for such purposes are required to comply immediately after regulations are adopted by the commissioner. An example of governmental entities which may have access to funding for such purposes would be school districts, which are eligible for funds from bond acts or other funding for school facilities. Governmental entities not having access to immediate funding would have one year from the date of the promulgation of the regulations requiring retrofitting to comply. Private or nonprofit entities would have two years to comply with the regulations. Entities would be required to post a warning notice on bleachers that have not yet been certified as being in compliance with the UCC for safety features. A bleachers that is not certified as in compliance with the State Uniform Construction Code by the end of the allotted time period (one year for governmental entities, two years for all others) will be required to have a notice posted in a conspicuous place forbidding its use until certification has occurred. | In Committee |
| A2713 | Provides additional home ownership assistance for certain military service members. | This bill provides additional home ownership assistance for certain military service members. The assistance would be in addition to the "First-Time Homebuyer Mortgage Program" and the "Down Payment Assistance Program" and would permit the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) to award an additional $5,000 to eligible service members or surviving spouses for down payment and closing cost assistance on primary residences. Eligible service members would be defined as a person who is or was a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, the National Guard of New Jersey or another state, or a Reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States, who served at least 90 days of active duty service beginning on or after September 11, 2001, or during the period of Operation "Desert Shield/Desert Storm" of the Persian Gulf Conflict, beginning August 2, 1990, and ending April 6, 1991, and was honorably discharged or generally discharged under honorable conditions. Eligible service members would also include an eligible service member who was honorably discharged prior to the 90-day active duty threshold due to injuries occurred during the dates listed above. | In Committee |
| A2739 | Increases mandatory minimum term of imprisonment for certain repeat sex offenders. | This bill requires that a person convicted of a second or subsequent sex offense be sentenced to an increased mandatory minimum term. The provisions of the bill require that any person who is convicted of any second or subsequent crime of sexual assault, criminal sexual contact, or lewdness involving a minor be sentenced to not less than 85 percent of the maximum ordinary sentence applicable to the degree of the crime without eligibility for parole. The bill permits the court to impose a reduced term of imprisonment of less than 85 percent of the term if the defendant pleads guilty to a negotiated agreement, or plea bargain, that the court finds is in the best interest of the victim, in which case the court may impose a term that is no less than the term set forth in the agreement. In the absence of an agreement, the court may impose a term that is less than the maximum term if the court finds that serious injustice would result which overrides the need to deter the defendant and others, in which case the court is required to impose the greatest term that would not constitute a serious injustice. The court is required to state with specificity its reasons for imposing any term that is less than the maximum term of imprisonment. Under the bill, if the court imposes a sentence that is less than the maximum term of imprisonment, the sentence would not become final for a period of 10 days in order to permit the prosecution to appeal the sentence. The bill further provides that the Attorney General is to develop guidelines to ensure that the prosecution and plea negotiation of second or subsequent sex offenses subject to sentencing under the bill are conducted in a uniform manner throughout the State. Under current law, a person who is convicted of a second or subsequent crime of sexual assault or aggravated criminal sexual contact is subject to a mandatory minimum term of five years. Under the bill, the following mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment would be imposed in second or subsequent convictions of the following crimes: ? 85 percent of 20 years for aggravated sexual assault under subsection a. of N.J.S.2C:14-2 (a crime of the first degree);? 85 percent of 10 years for sexual assault under subsections b. or c. of N.J.S.2C:14-2 (a crime of the second degree); ? 85 percent of five years for aggravated criminal sexual contact under subsection a. of N.J.S.2C:14-3 (a crime of the third degree); ? 85 percent of 18 months for criminal sexual contact under subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:14-3 (a crime of the fourth degree); and ? 85 percent of 18 months for lewdness under subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:14-4 (a crime of the fourth degree). The bill specifies that in the event of a conflict between a provision of the bill and another mandatory minimum sentencing provision, the greater mandatory minimum sentence will be imposed. | In Committee |
| A2599 | Requires electric public utility to charge residential rate for service used by residential customer for electric vehicle charging at charging stations within certain designated parking spaces. | This bill requires an electric public utility (utility) to charge a residential rate for service delivered to a residential utility customer of record (customer) if the customer uses an electric vehicle charging station (charging station) at a designated parking space located at the customer's premises or upon the premises of the planned real estate development (development) where the customer resides. The bill also prohibits a utility from charging greater than a residential rate, or greater than an equivalent electricity rate or load management program that is offered by an electric public utility specifically for residential electric vehicle charging, for service delivered to a development for the use of a charging station located at the development intended for the use of a specific resident in the development. However, in the event that the development has a contract for the purchase of electricity from a party other than the utility serving the development, the utility may charge the development an agreed upon rate. The bill's provisions would not prevent a development that has installed an electric vehicle charging station from setting the price of the sale of electricity for the use of its electric vehicle charging equipment provided as a service pursuant to section 10 of P.L.2019, c.362 (C.48:25-10). | In Committee |
| A2737 | Allows public schools to let certain students not enrolled in school participate in high school interscholastic athletics; allows public high schools in same district to enter into cooperative sports programs under certain conditions. | This bill requires the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) to allow public high schools in the same school district to enter into a cooperative sports program for any sport at the varsity level if either of the schools demonstrates an inability to field a team at the varsity level due to: a decline in interest or participation in the sport at one of the schools that impacts the ability of that school to safely field a team; or budgetary constraints which force the elimination of certain sports programs at one of the schools. The bill also permits school districts to allow students who attend nonpublic schools to try out for, and participate in, a high school interscholastic athletics team or squad in the student's district of residence if the district is unable to field a team due to a decline in interest or participation in the sport that impacts the ability of the district to safely field a team or squad, and if the nonpublic school does not sponsor a high school interscholastic sports team or squad in the sport in which the student wishes to participate. Comparable provisions are included in the bill that will permit school districts to also allow homeschooled students and charter school students to try out for, and participate in, a high school interscholastic athletics team or squad in the district. Public school students who may wish to participate in a school-sponsored high school interscholastic athletics team or squad at a charter school would also be permitted to do so, under similar criteria. School districts and charter schools are permitted to charge students who participate in a school-sponsored high school interscholastic athletics team or squad pursuant to this bill, other than students with a financial hardship, a fee no greater than the actual cost per pupil of participating in the sport. | In Committee |
| ACR84 | Proposes constitutional amendment to require two-thirds majority vote by Legislature for bills proposing a new or increased State tax, fee, surcharge or civil penalty. | This concurrent resolution proposes an amendment to the State Constitution requiring all bills or joint resolutions proposing a new or increased State tax, be passed by a two-thirds majority of the authorized membership of each house of the Legislature. The purpose of this measure is to strengthen the procedural standard which must be satisfied before the State embarks upon certain traditional revenue raising methods. Currently, the Constitution of the State of New Jersey requires only a majority vote of the members in each house of the Legislature to pass a bill. This means that the Legislature could deliver a new or increased tax to the Governor's desk for signature with no more than a simple majority in each house. This measure would ensure that no bill or joint resolution proposing a new or increased State tax could be enacted without a two-thirds majority vote in each house. This enhanced procedural standard will ensure that the revenue raising methods subject to this proposal must be agreeable to a supermajority of the Legislature before securing enactment. | In Committee |
| A945 | Prohibits payment to public employees at retirement for certain unused sick leave, provides for forfeiture of payment for unused sick leave for certain criminal convictions, and requires documentation for use of sick leave. | This bill prohibits the payment by the State, local governments, and boards of education of supplemental compensation to any current or future public officer or employee for accumulated unused sick leave earned after the bill's effective date. Supplemental compensation for any time earned prior to that date will be payable as under current law. In addition, the bill provides that the payment of supplemental compensation for unused sick leave will be suspended if an officer or employee is indicted for any of the crimes which under current law are grounds for pension forfeiture and that supplemental compensation will be forfeited upon conviction. The bill also requires all public officers and employees to provide medical documentation for absences of six or more consecutive days and imposes penalties for the failure to do so. The bill requires the Attorney General to develop guidelines or establish procedures to ensure that public employers are notified when a public officer or employee is indicted for, or convicted of, any crime or offense that triggers the suspension or forfeiture of payment for supplemental compensation. It also provides that the suspension or forfeiture of payment for supplemental compensation will apply only in the case of crimes or offenses committed after the bill's effective date. The bill will take effect on the first day of the second month following enactment. | In Committee |
| AJR84 | Designates Monday of Manufacturing Week as Women in Manufacturing Day in New Jersey. | This resolution designates the Monday of Manufacturing Week as Women in Manufacturing Day. This day recognizes the historical and modern contributions of women to the manufacturing industry in the State of New Jersey. Throughout history, women have played a crucial role in the manufacturing industry. Since the Industrial Revolution, women have made up a significant portion of the workforce, contributing as laborers, leaders, and innovators. Women like Tabitha Babbitt, Margaret Knight, and Stephanie Kwolek revolutionized the manufacturing industry with their inventions, paving the way for increased productivity and better safety measures. Women continue to play an important role in the manufacturing industry. Manufacturing is crucial to New Jersey's economy and women constitute a substantial portion of the workforce in both labor and leadership positions. New Jersey is the third highest state for percentage of women working in the manufacturing industry and is among the states with the largest number of women working in key manufacturing fields like pharmaceuticals and textiles. The women who work in New Jersey's manufacturing industry are a vital part of its success. Women are an essential part of any plan to grow the manufacturing industry. Gender diversity in a business is proven to result in an improved ability to innovate and increases profitability, and as such helps any company to expand and evolve. One of the key components to recruiting more women to the field of manufacturing is encouraging women from a younger age, and the celebration of women's contributions to the field would capture the interest of girls and young women. | In Committee |
| ACR102 | Urges Department of Education to impose moratorium on new Student Learning Standards. | This resolution respectfully urges the Department of Education to impose a moratorium on the development and implementation of new Student Learning Standards for a period of two years. The most recent Student Learning Standards were adopted by the State Board of Education in June 2020, however there has been considerable discontent among parents and guardians with regards to the standards. As a result, there are numerous bills pending before the Legislature that may affect the Student Learning Standards. Additionally, the United States has been falling in the global education rankings, reaching its lowest level ever in overall competitiveness in the most recent administration of the Program for International Student Assessment. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant learning loss for students around the State, exacerbating the United States' decline compared to other countries. It would be appropriate to impose a moratorium while the Legislature considers bills that may impact the Student Learning Standards and that would focus on addressing learning loss. | In Committee |
| A2704 | Establishes credit under sales and use tax for certain small businesses that collect and remit sales and use tax. | This bill provides a credit against a seller's remittance of sales and use tax if that seller is deemed a small business pursuant to the definition set forth in the bill. The credit is equal to 10 percent of a seller's monthly remittance or $100 per month, whichever amount is less. The credit is provided to a seller at the time the seller files their sales and use tax return. The Director of the Division of Taxation can require a seller to submit any documentation, records, and other information as deemed necessary to verify that the seller is a small business. The bill defines small business as a business that is independently owned and operated and employs fewer than 20 full-time employees. If a seller willfully and knowingly falsifies any document, record, or other information required by the director to claim the credit, that seller is subject to a penalty of $100 for a first offense and $200 for each subsequent offense thereafter. The bill takes effect immediately and applies to sales and use tax collections remitted to the State on or after the first day of the sixth month next following the date of enactment. | In Committee |
| A2723 | Requires law enforcement officers in State to annually pass physical fitness examination; appropriates $500,000. | This bill requires law enforcement officers in this State to annually pass a physical fitness examination. Law enforcement officers in this State currently are required to meet certain physical fitness testing requirements as part of the Police Training Commission's basic training. A trainee who does not meet the minimum physical fitness testing requirements is dismissed from the training academy. This bill requires all full-time, part-time, permanent, and temporary law enforcement officers in the State who are empowered to enforce, act for the detection, investigation, arrest, conviction, and detention of the State's criminal laws, and who are required to complete a training course approved by the Police Training Commission to annually pass a physical fitness examination. Under the bill, the Police Training Commission, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Director of the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety, is required to develop and approve, in accordance with an officer's age and gender, minimum physical fitness testing standards for the annual exam. These physical conditioning testing standards are to be reviewed at least every two years and modified as necessary. The provisions of the bill also require the Police Training Commission to issue a recommendation to the employer of any officer who fails the annual physical fitness examination regarding disciplinary actions to be taken against the officer including, but not limited to, demotion or termination. The Police Training Commission also is required to adopt rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of the bill which also shall address the consequences of an officer's failure to pass a physical fitness exam including, but not limited to, demotion or termination. Finally, the bill appropriates $500,000 from the General Fund to the Police Training Commission to effectuate the provisions of the bill. | In Committee |
| A2646 | Redistributes fiscal year 2023 transportation and security aid from remote school districts to in-person school districts. | This bill requires that 50 percent of the amount of transportation aid and security aid allocated to "remote school districts" in the 2022-2023 school year will be redistributed to "in-person school districts" on an equal per pupil basis. The bill defines an in-person school district as a school district whose superintendent certifies under penalty of perjury that it offered all of the students of the district in-person instruction on 75 percent or more of school days during the 2021-2022 school year. A remote school district is defined as a school district whose superintendent certifies under penalty of perjury that it offered all of the students of the district in-person instruction on 50 percent or less of school days during the 2021-2022 school year. | In Committee |
| A967 | Requires COAH to administer affordable housing obligations of municipalities based on statewide obligation. | This bill would require that affordable housing obligations be calculated and administered at the State level. Affordable housing is an issue of Statewide concern and importance. It is also a highly complex issue that requires technical expertise, often ends up in litigation, and is expensive to administer. This bill would eliminate the current municipality-to-municipality patchwork approach to affordable housing. The bill would centralize administration of this issue in the State agency with the necessary Statewide policy perspective and technical expertise, and which can serve as a cost-effective, fair forum to address this issue - the Council on Affordable Housing (the "council"). Currently, affordable housing need is calculated at the regional level and fair share plans are created by municipalities. Under the bill, the council would calculate the affordable housing need of the entire State. The council would then select which municipalities will have a role to play in fulfilling this Statewide need and will assign them a fair share of this obligation. Such municipality would then submit a housing element that provides basic information on the current housing stock and properties suited for affordable housing development that could satisfy the municipal fair share. After receipt of the housing element, the bill requires the council to grant the municipality a substantive certification that shields it from exclusionary zoning suits. The council would next draft a fair share plan for the municipality that directs the municipality on how to satisfy its fair share obligation. The municipality would be required to adopt a fair share ordinance effectuating that fair share plan. The council would be required to engage in a mediation process if an objection is made to its fair share plan for a municipality. Any exclusionary zoning suit to a fair share plan for a municipality would have to be brought against the council, with the municipality having the option to be a party in the litigation. | In Committee |
| A962 | Reduces number of manufacturing jobs required to qualify for NJEDA financing and incentive programs. | This bill reduces by 50 percent, the number of manufacturing jobs required to be eligible for New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) financing and incentive programs. The sales and use tax exemption program permits certain companies to obtain a sales tax exemption certificate for the purchase of items to construct or rehabilitate a new business location. Under the bill, a life science or manufacturing company relocating 125 full-time manufacturing jobs or 250 full-time non-manufacturing jobs may be eligible for the exemption. The program currently requires the relocation of 250 full-time employees regardless of whether the job is a manufacturing job or not. The GROW NJ program provides tax credits to eligible businesses based upon defined job creation and capital investment criteria. Under the bill, the number of full-time jobs that must be created or retained to qualify for the GROW program is reduced by 50 percent for manufacturing jobs, but remains the same for non-manufacturing jobs. The definition of a mega project is altered so that the number of jobs that must be created to qualify as a mega project is reduced by 50 percent for manufacturing jobs, but remains the same for non-manufacturing jobs. The alternate benefit calculation for a GROW project in a Garden State Growth Zone which qualifies for the "Municipal Rehabilitation and Economic Recovery Act," divides the total capital investment by the number of jobs to be created, with the number of full-time manufacturing jobs used in this calculation being reduced by 50 percent for each investment and job creation category used to make the calculation. The Urban Enterprise Zones (UEZ) manufacturers energy sales tax exemption allows UEZ certified manufacturers an exemption from the sales and use tax on electricity and natural gas and its transmission consumed at the UEZ certified location. Under the bill, the employment requirement for a business is reduced from 250 full-time employees, with at least 50 percent being involved in the manufacturing process to 188 full-time employees with at least 33 percent being involved in the manufacturing process. | In Committee |
| A2742 | Requires certain funds from Main Street Recovery Fund to be used for grants for veteran-owned small businesses. | This bill requires certain funds from the Main Street Recovery Fund to be used for grants for veteran-owned small businesses. Pursuant to current law, as part of the Main Street Recovery Finance Program, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority provides grants to eligible small businesses from the Main Street Recovery Fund, subject to appropriation or the availability of federal funds. This bill requires seven percent of the grant funds to be made available to eligible small businesses that are owned and controlled by veterans and service-disabled veterans as defined at 15 U.S.C. s.632(q). | In Committee |
| A2663 | Allows NJ gross income tax deduction for charitable contributions of food made from business inventory. | This bill allows gross income tax deductions for charitable contributions of food made to and accepted by an organization in the tax year from business inventory, as allowed under paragraph (3) of subsection (e) of section 170 of the federal Internal Revenue Code of 1986. The deduction mirrors the federal income tax deduction for contributions of food made from business inventory and is allowed regardless of whether the federal itemized deduction is taken by the taxpayer. The deduction is an itemized deduction for charitable contributions of food, where "food" is "apparently wholesome food." Under federal law, "apparently wholesome food" means "food that meets all quality and labeling standards imposed by Federal, State, and local laws and regulations even though the food may not be readily marketable due to appearance, age, freshness, grade, size, surplus, or other conditions." The contribution is required to be made to an organization that is determined by the Internal Revenue Service to be an organization eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions. | In Committee |
| A2732 | "Assistance to Firefighters' Families Act"; doubles pension amounts for beneficiaries of certain deceased volunteer emergency service providers; provides for burial expenses and adjusts life insurance coverage for volunteer firefighters; permits fire code inspection surcharge. | This bill, designated as the "Assistance to Firefighters' Families Act," would double the survivor pension amounts that the State is required to pay to beneficiaries of volunteer firefighters, first aid workers, rescue squad workers, and emergency medical technicians who die as the result of injuries sustained while performing their duties. Additionally, this bill would require municipalities served by volunteer fire companies to pay reasonable funeral and burial expenses of an assured firefighter to the extent those costs are not covered by the New Jersey State Firemen's Association or a firemen's relief association. The bill also increases from $25,000 to $250,000 the maximum group life insurance policy coverage that a municipality may undertake or pay the premium for. Municipalities may raise funds to provide these benefits to volunteer firefighters by establishing a surcharge for each fire code inspection in the municipality. | In Committee |
| A2298 | Limits "tobacco and vapor products tax" on cigars to up to $0.50 per cigar. | This bill limits the taxation of cigars under the Tobacco and Vapor Products Tax Act to a maximum of 50 cents per cigar. Currently, the tax on cigars is 30 percent of the wholesale price. Under this bill, the tax will still be 30 percent of the wholesale price, but the tax will be capped at 50 cents per cigar. The bill also amends current law to clarify tax payment responsibilities of tobacco product wholesalers and distributors. Every state imposes some tax on non-cigarette tobacco products. Ten states have adopted a tax cap per cigar. Cigar retailers with establishments in those states have claimed that prior to the establishment of the cap their retail sales prices suffered a serious competitive disadvantage with out-of-state, Internet, and catalog businesses that did not collect state tobacco products tax. Setting a maximum tax per cigar is proposed to encourage New Jersey consumers to make more of their cigar purchases from New Jersey "brick and mortar" retailers who are often small locally-owned businesses. A 50 cent per cigar tax cap will level the playing field for New Jersey retailers and potentially increase State revenues collected under the tax. | In Committee |
| A2721 | "Volunteer Medical Professional Health Care Act." | This bill, which is designated as the "Volunteer Medical Professional Health Care Act," provides that a physician or dentist who is certified as a volunteer medical professional by the Department of Health (DOH) is immune from civil liability in accordance with its provisions. In order to be certified as a volunteer medical professional and receive civil immunity under the bill, an individual must, at the time of application for certification:· be a physician or dentist licensed to practice in New Jersey;· be deemed to be an employee of the federal Public Health Service as a free clinic health professional providing qualifying health services pursuant to section 224 of the "Public Health Service Act," (42 U.S.C. s.233); and· have provided at least four hours of qualifying health services at a free clinic or a free clinic offsite program each week for four consecutive weeks within the calendar quarter of application. In order to maintain certification as a volunteer medical professional, an individual must: · continue to meet the State licensure requirement;· continue to be deemed as an employee of the federal Public Health Service as a free clinic health professional; and· provide a total of at least 48 hours per calendar quarter of qualifying health services (equivalent to approximately four hours per week) at a free clinic or a free clinic offsite program. Physicians and dentists seeking and maintaining certification, and medical directors of free clinics, as applicable, are required to provide DOH with documentation certifying that the above criteria have been met. The bill provides that a volunteer medical professional certified by DOH is immune from civil liability for any personal injury or wrongful death that is a result of any act or omission in the course of providing care or treatment if the care or treatment was reasonably provided in good faith and the volunteer medical professional was acting within the scope of his practice, except that the immunity does not extend to an act or omission that was the result of gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct. The exclusive remedy for injury or damage suffered as the result of any act or omission of the volunteer medical professional is by commencement of an action against the State in a court of competent jurisdiction. The bill takes effect on the first day of the seventh month next following the date of enactment, but the Commissioner of Health is authorized to take prior administrative action as necessary for its implementation. | In Committee |
| A1328 | Provides gross income tax deduction to surviving spouses of certain veterans. | This bill provides a gross income tax deduction to surviving spouses of certain veterans in the amount of $6,000. 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 deduction in the amount of $6,000 for each taxable year in which the veteran qualifies. This bill provides a gross income tax deduction to the surviving spouse of a veteran who has died while on active duty; was honorably discharged from active duty; or was released from active duty under honorable circumstances. If a surviving spouse remarries or cohabitates with another person and holds that person out to be his or her spouse, the surviving spouse becomes ineligible to receive the deduction. A surviving spouse who remarries remains eligible for the personal deduction if the remarriage was void or has been annulled, unless it was determined that the annulment was obtained through fraud or collusion, or if the surviving spouse remarries after the age of 57. | In Committee |
| A3181 | Requires certain employees and candidates for public school employment or service and youth camp employees to undergo child abuse record information check. | This bill requires certain public school employees, employees of contracted service providers, school bus drivers, and candidates for those positions to undergo a child abuse record information check. Under the bill, candidates for employment with a school district and employees of a contracted service provider, including school bus drivers, who are required by current law to undergo a criminal history record check also will be required to undergo a child abuse record information check. The bill provides for the check to be conducted by the Department of Children and Families, which maintains the State's child abuse registry pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1971, c.437 (C.9:6-8.11). The bill requires the candidate for employment or service to provide prior written consent for the check and to pay for the cost of the check. In the case of a school bus driver, the check will be required prior to initial employment and upon application for renewal of a school bus driver's license. If the department determines upon a search of its child abuse registry that an allegation of child abuse or neglect has been substantiated against the candidate, the bill provides that the candidate will be permanently disqualified from employment or service with a school district. In the case of a school bus driver, the individual also will be ineligible to operate a school bus. In addition, the bill requires child abuse record information checks for employees of a school district or a contracted service provider who are already employed on the effective date of the bill in positions that require a criminal history record check as a condition of employment. The bill requires the department to establish a schedule for conducting the checks of current employees and to complete the checks within five years of the bill's effective date. If the department determines upon a search of its child abuse registry that an allegation of child abuse or neglect has been substantiated against a current employee, the bill provides that the employee will not be eligible for continued employment, and will be permanently disqualified from employment or service with a school district. The bill also requires youth camp employees and candidates for employment with a youth camp to undergo a child abuse record information check conducted by the Department of Children and Families. The youth camp employee or candidate must provide prior written consent for the check and pay for the cost of the check. If the department determines upon a search of its child abuse registry that an allegation of child abuse or neglect has been substantiated against the employee or candidate, the individual will be permanently disqualified from employment with a youth camp. The bill requires the Commissioner of Children and Families to adopt regulations necessary to implement the bill, and provides for the immediate filing of those regulations with the Office of Administrative Law, effective for a period not to exceed one year. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment. | In Committee |
| A2729 | Requires MVC to make mobile units available to reduce service delays at overcrowded agencies. | This bill requires the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) to utilize mobile units to reduce service delays and to assist processing customer transactions in the event that one or more commission agencies are overcrowded and experiencing service delays. Under the bill, if the number of mobile units is fewer than the number of commission agencies that are overcrowded and are experiencing service delays, then the commission is required to utilize the mobile units in a manner that maximizes the number of individuals the commission is able to serve or provides the greatest reduction in service delays. | In Committee |
| A2707 | Requires law enforcement officers and recruits to undergo self-defense training; appropriates $250,000 to Police Training Commission. | This bill requires the Police Training Commission in the Department of Law and Public Safety to establish a self-defense training course for law enforcement officer recruits and an in-service self-defense course for law enforcement officers. Under the bill, the basic course for law enforcement officer recruits would include one and one-half hours of instruction conducted three times per week while the law enforcement officer recruit is enrolled in basic training and a final, 40 hour self-defense course at the end of basic training. In addition, a law enforcement officer for a State, county, or municipal law enforcement department is required to annually undergo 48 hours of in-service self-defense training. The instructor providing in-service training are required to meet the same training requirements established for law enforcement officer recruits under the bill. The time expended on in-service training would not be included in a law enforcement officer's overtime compensation. The bill appropriates $250,000 to the Police Training Commission for the purpose of establishing the self-defense basic course and in-service training course. | In Committee |
| A968 | Authorizes municipal challenge to non-redevelopment housing projects ordered by COAH unless order is based on exclusionary zoning; excludes flood-prone land from affordable housing vacant land analysis; provides housing obligation cap. | This bill allows a municipality to challenge an order by the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) to construct, or allow to be constructed, a non-redevelopment housing project on undeveloped land. The municipal challenge would be successful, unless the order by COAH is based on exclusionary zoning practices occurring in the municipality at the time the order is made. Additionally, this bill caps the number of units a municipality may have allocated as its fair share affordable housing obligation with regard to the size of the municipal population. Current law provides that no municipality shall be required to address a fair share of affordable housing units beyond 1,000 low and moderate income units within 10 years from the grant of substantive certification; except that a municipality may be allocated more than 1,000 units if, based upon an evidentiary hearing, it is found likely that the municipality, through its zoning powers, could create a realistic opportunity for more than 1,000 low and moderate income units within that 10-year period. For some municipalities in the State, this many additional units may increase the overall municipal population dramatically. In order to prevent the disparate impact this can create for municipalities with small populations, this bill provides that an allocation of units to a municipality as its fair share shall not exceed an amount that would result in an increase of the municipal population by more than five percent. Finally, this bill requires the exclusion of flood-prone land when computing a municipal adjustment of available land resources as part of the determination of a municipality's fair share affordable housing obligation. Currently, land may not be considered in determining a municipality's available land resources for affordable housing purposes if it contains any one of various special features, consisting of: (a) land owned by a government entity, and intended for a public purpose, (b) certain park land, open space and other land dedicated for conservation, (c) certain very small land parcels held in private ownership, (d) historic and architecturally important sites, (e) agricultural land with restricted development rights, (f) sites designated for active recreation, and (g) environmentally sensitive land where development is prohibited by law. This bill would also exclude from determinations of available land resources for affordable housing purposes any land that is (1) lower than the most recent "flood elevation determination," measured under federal standards, (2) lower than the applicable flood elevation standard required under regulations adopted pursuant to the "Flood Hazard Area Control Act," P.L.1962, c.19 (C.58:16A-50 et seq.), or (3) within 100 feet of category one waters, as designated by the Department of Environmental Protection. As defined under 44 C.F.R.59.1, a "flood elevation determination" refers to a determination by the Federal Insurance Administrator of the water surface elevations of a "base flood," also understood as a flood level that has a one percent or greater chance of occurrence in any given year. This bill directs the Department of Environmental Protection to adopt rules and regulations to guide determinations of flood-prone lands by the first day of the seventh month next following enactment. This bill remains inoperative until the first day of the seventh month next following enactment. | In Committee |
| A2699 | Requires distribution of State aid to certain municipalities located in whole or in part in the Highlands preservation area. | This bill would require the distribution of State aid to municipalities located in whole, or in part, in the Highlands preservation area of the Highlands Region. The Highlands Region was designated in the "Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act," P.L.2004, c.120 (C.13:20-1 et al.), which controls and limits, as appropriate, development in the New Jersey Highlands, an essential source of drinking water for one-half of the State's population, covering portions of 88 municipalities in seven counties, through a regional approach to land use planning and more stringent environmental standards. The Highlands Region consists of a planning area and a preservation area. The law designated a preservation area of the New Jersey Highlands to be subject to stringent standards governing major development. As part of the "Highlands Water and Planning Protection Act," the Legislature included a 10-year State aid program to municipalities located in whole or in part in the Highlands preservation area, to provide these municipalities with funds for the vacant land that was subject to development restrictions. Due to State budgetary restrictions, the FY 2010 Appropriations Act was the last State budget that provided this aid. However, the land in the preservation area is still subject to the permanent development restrictions enacted in the "Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act," and therefore, municipalities located in the preservation area have little ability to approve development projects that will provide property tax relief to property taxpayers. This bill is intended to provide a new, permanent State program to provide property tax relief to the taxpayers in those municipalities located in whole, or in part, in the preservation of the Highlands. This bill would establish the "Highlands Preservation Area Municipal Property Tax Relief Fund" in the General Fund as a special nonlapsing fund for the purpose of providing State aid to qualified municipalities pursuant to the bill. In each State fiscal year, the bill requires that there be credited from the "Highlands Protection Fund" to the "Highlands Preservation Area Municipal Property Tax Relief Fund" such sums as shall be necessary to provide State aid to qualified municipalities. A "qualified municipality" under the bill would be a municipality located entirely in the Highlands preservation area; or a municipality wherein, of the total municipal land area that is located in the Highlands Region, at least 60 percent of that land is located in the Highlands preservation area; and which has conformed its municipal master plan and development regulations to the Highlands regional master plan pursuant to the "Highlands Water and Planning Protection Act." Under the bill, every qualified municipality would be eligible for a distribution from the fund. The bill would set property tax year 2023 (calendar year 2023) as the base year for the calculation of the State aid to be provided under the bill. The bill would require the assessor of every qualified municipality to certify to the county tax board on or before December 1 annually, a report of the assessed value of each parcel of vacant land in the base year and the change in the assessed value of each such parcel in the current tax year attributable to successful appeals of assessed values of vacant land to the county tax board, or attributable to a revaluation approved by the director and implemented or a reassessment approved by the county board of taxation. Upon receipt of these reports, the county tax board would compute and certify to the director on or before December 20 of each year, in such manner as to identify for each qualified municipality the aggregate decline, if any, in the true value of vacant land, comparing the current tax year to the base year. The aggregate changes identified for each qualified municipality would constitute its valuation base. The State Treasurer would certify to each qualified municipality, on or before February 15, its property tax stabilization amount, and the State Treasurer would pay to each qualified municipality its State aid in two equal installments, pursuant to a schedule prescribed by the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs. The bill would require that, in the event the amount available in the "Highlands Preservation Area Municipal Property Tax Relief Fund" in any year is insufficient to pay the full amount to which each qualified municipality is entitled, the payments would be made from the Property Tax Relief Fund. | In Committee |
| A1331 | Gradually reduces CBT rate. | This bill gradually reduces the corporation business tax rate from 9 percent to 2.5 percent of income. For privilege periods ending between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021, the rate will be 7 percent. For privilege periods ending between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022, the rate will be 5 percent. For privilege periods ending between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023, the rate will be 3 percent. For privilege periods ending after December 31, 2023, the rate will 2.5 percent. For a taxpayer with less than $100,000 of income, the rate of tax will be reduced faster. Currently, the rate is 7.5 percent for taxpayers with income between $50,000 and $100,000, and 6.5 percent for taxpayers with less than $50,000 of income. Pursuant to this bill, the rate will be 3.5 percent for taxpayers with less than $100,000 of income for privilege periods ending between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021. For privilege periods ending after December 31, 2021, the rate will be 2.5 percent. A "privilege period" is the 12 month accounting period for which tax is due for the privilege of doing business in the State. | In Committee |
| A2712 | Establishes NJ Military Family Relief Fund; provides for designation on State gross income tax return to permit taxpayers to make voluntary contributions to military family relief fund. | This bill establishes the "New Jersey Military Family Relief Fund" and provides for a designation on the State gross income tax return that will permit taxpayers to make voluntary contributions to the military family relief fund. Under the bill, a separate, nonlapsing fund to be known as the "New Jersey Military Family Relief Fund" is established in the Department of the Treasury. Moneys in the fund would be held by the State Treasurer and made available for the purposes of the bill. The purpose of the military family relief fund would be to provide grants up to $2,500 to defray the costs of food, housing, medical services, and other essential expenses for (1) members of the United States Armed Forces, or a Reserve component thereof, and their families, (2) members of the New Jersey National Guard and their families, (3) veterans and their families, or (4) the surviving spouse of a member of the armed forces, or a reserve component thereof, a member of the national guard, or a veteran. The bill provides that the Legislature would annually appropriate all funds deposited in the "New Jersey Military Family Relief Fund" to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, which would be credited with: (1) moneys received by the State as gifts, grants, or donations for the purpose of military family relief, including, at the discretion of the Adjutant General, grants accepted by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs; (2) moneys that the Legislature may appropriate; and (3) other moneys made available including, but not limited to, funds provided by the federal government. Under the bill, the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs would determine the application process, and establish the eligibility documentation required for a person to be considered a qualified applicant, and issue the grant from the "New Jersey Military Family Relief Fund," if adequate moneys are available, to those qualified applicants. To be qualified, the applicant is required to be a New Jersey resident and must have resided in the State for a period of not less than 12 consecutive months immediately prior to submitting an application. An applicant must also provide documentation of financial hardship to the department in order to receive the grant and is prohibited from receiving a grant from the "New Jersey Military Family Relief Fund" more than once in any 12-month period. Under the bill, "veteran" means an individual who received an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions from active service in any branch of the United States Armed Forces, or a Reserve component thereof, or the New Jersey National Guard. | In Committee |
| A1575 | Requires Division of Developmental Disabilities to develop guidelines for tiered group home placements and transfers. | This bill requires the Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Human Services to establish guidelines for placing individuals with developmental disabilities in Level 1 and Level 2 group homes, as well as guidelines for transferring individuals with developmental disabilities between Level 1 and Level 2 group homes. Level 1 group homes are group homes for individuals with developmental disabilities who may have some minimal or challenging behavioral issues, but who are generally able to be safely placed with other individuals with developmental disabilities in a less-restrictive setting. Level 2 group homes are group homes designed for individuals with developmental disabilities who present with persistent challenging behaviors that risk serious harm to self or others. Under the bill, Level 2 group homes will be required to provide services designed to support the reintegration of residents into a less-restrictive treatment setting, such as a Level 1 group home. The bill outlines certain criteria to be included in the guidelines developed by the assistant commissioner, and additionally directs the assistant commissioner, to the extent appropriate, to seek to align the guidelines developed under the bill with existing guidelines for group home placements and transfers for individuals with developmental disabilities that have been developed by the Division of the Children's System of Care in the Department of Children and Families. This bill was inspired by Aidan Burke, a young man with developmental disabilities who resides in a group home in New Jersey. Aidan was assaulted by another resident with a history of challenging behaviors. It is the sponsor's intent to protect Aidan and all group home residents so they can be safe in their own homes. | In Committee |
| AJR82 | Designates May 27 of each year as "Richard Rescorla Day." | This joint resolution designates May 27 of each year as "Rick Rescorla Day" in New Jersey. Colonel Rick Rescorla, born as Cyril Richard Rescorla on May 27, 1939 in the town of Hayle in Cornwall, England, was a United States Army officer and decorated Vietnam veteran. Rick Rescorla, assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Calvary Division, successfully led his platoon during America's first major battle of the Vietnam conflict, the Battle of Ia Drang. Rick Rescorla's leadership and bravery in Vietnam earned him two Bronze Stars, a Silver Star, the Purple Heart, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. On September 11, 2001, Rick Rescorla, a resident of Morristown, New Jersey, was serving as Vice President of Security for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter at their headquarters in the World Trade Center. Following the attacks on the World Trade Center, Rick Rescorla dismissed Port Authority announcements to remain in the building and led a massive evacuation of Morgan Stanley's 2,700-person workforce located in the South Tower. After the last of the employees had evacuated the South Tower, Rick Rescorla returned to the building, despite fears that the towers would fall, to make a final sweep. Rick Rescorla was last seen alive accompanying firemen up the stairwell on the tenth floor, shortly before the South Tower collapsed, moving toward danger much in the same way he had done 36 years prior at the Battle of Ia Drang. Although Rick Rescorla's remains were never found, the brave military officer is forever memorialized at the Raptor Trust Bird Rehabilitation Center in Long Hill, New Jersey where his epitaph is enshrined at the bald eagle sanctuary that served as a place of solace for him and his wife. Additional public memorials and accolades include the following: · an engraving at the South Pool, on Panel S-46 at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum; · a statue of Rick on permanent display at the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning, Georgia, along with a dedicated portion of the museum's forthcoming exhibit covering the Global War on Terror;· the Rick Rescorla National Award for Resilience created by the Department of Homeland Security, · a passenger train operated by Great Western Railways in the United Kingdom commissioned in honor of Rick; · a plaque honoring Rick at Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial;· a 2009 induction into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame;· a stone monument in Cornwall, England; · the Department of Homeland Security's highest honor, the Distinguished Public Service Medal, awarded posthumously; and· the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second-highest civilian award, award posthumously. It is fitting and proper for the State of New Jersey to designate May 27 of each year, Rick Rescorla's birthday, as "Rick Rescorla Day" to honor a decorated Vietnam veteran who made a valiant and selfless sacrifice on one of our nation's darkest days. | In Committee |
| AR80 | Urges Rutgers, The State University to memorialize United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by naming a building on campus after her. | Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, only the second woman to ever be appointed to the United States Supreme Court, was a legal trailblazer whose tireless advocacy against gender discrimination paved the way for women's equality under the law and for women's rights to be seriously addressed by the courts and society. Justice Ginsburg's death on September 18, 2020, marked the passing of a civil rights luminary who will be remembered as a legal giant for her work as a Justice on the United States Supreme Court, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, a trailblazing litigator for equal rights and justice, and a law professor at Columbia University and Rutgers Law School. Justice Ginsburg's interest in addressing gender discrimination in the law and her journey to becoming a pioneer in women's legal rights began during her time as a faculty member of the Rutgers Law School in Newark, where she served from 1963 to 1972. Justice Ginsburg has credited Rutgers University students in sparking her interest in women's legal rights and aiding in the course she then pursued. During her time at Rutgers Law School, Justice Ginsburg was an inspiration to many women law school students and served as the inaugural advisor to the Women's Rights Law Reporter, the first law journal in the United States focused on issues of gender equality and justice. This resolution urges Rutgers University to memorialize Justice Ginsburg's roots at Rutgers Law School and her legacy as a path breaking champion of women's rights by naming a building on the university's campus in her honor. Such a commemoration will serve as a reminder to generations of students, faculty, and staff that, in order to honor Justice Ginsburg's life fighting for the equality of all people, more must be done to carry on her legacy. | In Committee |
| A2741 | Allows tax credits for employing members of NJ National Guard and members of reserve component of US Armed Forces. | This bill allows a corporation business tax credit or a gross income tax credit for employing members of the New Jersey National Guard or the reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States. The credit amount is: $1,500 for each member who is employed by the taxpayer and who has not completed or returned from a deployment or activation; and $2,500 for each member who is employed by the taxpayer and who has completed or returned from a deployment or activation. | In Committee |
| A2715 | Requires EDA to establish program providing grants to qualified veterans purchasing franchises. | This bill requires the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) to establish a program that provides grant funding to a veteran, approved by the EDA for program participation, who becomes a "franchisee," as defined in the bill, after the effective date of the bill. The EDA is to establish the terms and conditions by which a veteran may apply and receive approval from the EDA for program participation. The EDA is to enter into an agreement with a qualified veteran concerning the EDA's provision of grant funding to a qualified veteran for this purpose. The EDA is to provide a one-time grant of no more than $10,000 to each veteran approved by the EDA for participation in the program. The EDA is to provide priority assistance to a qualified veteran who submits an application and receives program approval within six months after the effective date of the bill providing proof the veteran is a franchisee, or has received a valid offer from a franchisor for the veteran to become a franchisee, operating at a location within this State. The bill requires the EDA to establish and maintain a fund to provide grant funding to a veteran that participates in the program and to administer the program. The fund is to be credited with an appropriation made to the EDA, with monies made available by the EDA for the purpose of the fund, and monies received by the EDA from any other public or private donations. In administering the program and the fund, the EDA is to establish: 1) procedures and timelines for applications for the program and approvals thereof; 2) criteria for determining grant funding to be disbursed from the fund to a qualified veteran; 3) reporting requirements for a veteran participating in the program and the qualified veteran's receiving grant funding from the fund; and 4) any other policies deemed necessary by the EDA for the administration of the program and the fund. The EDA, in its sole discretion, may amend these policies at any time if the policies are established or amended in a manner consistent with the provisions of the bill. The reporting requirements require a veteran receiving grant funding under the program to report to the EDA, in a form and manner determined by the EDA, within a year of receiving grant funding. The report is to include: 1) proof that the veteran used grant funding to purchase a franchise within the State; and 2) any other information the EDA requires in a form and manner determined by the EDA. | In Committee |
| A2708 | Prohibits elected officers of municipality from accepting employment with municipality in which they hold office. | This bill would prohibit an elected local government officer of a municipality from accepting any other paid position or employment with the municipality in which the officer holds elected office. The bill adds this prohibition to the list of ethical requirements under the "Local Government Ethics Law," P.L.1991, c.29 (C.40A:9-22.1 et seq.). While this law may already prohibit such hires in some cases through its restrictions against local officers securing unwarranted privileges, advantages, or financial gain for themselves, there may be some circumstances in which such a hire is permissible or in which a violation may be difficult to prove. By establishing a flat ban on this practice, this bill would prevent any such abuses of office from occurring and eliminate the appearance of such abuses. | In Committee |
| A2645 | Dedicates State reserve of certain federal funds to in-person and hybrid school districts. | This bill intends to reward and compensate those school districts that offered substantial in-person instruction in the 2020-2021 school year for their extraordinary efforts and the costs incurred in meeting the challenges of educating children during a global pandemic. The bill requires that the total amount of the State reserve of moneys received by New Jersey under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief II (ESSER II) Fund be distributed to "in-person school districts" and "hybrid school districts." The distribution would be made on an equal per pupil basis, except that in-person school districts would receive a per pupil amount that is 1.5 times greater than the per pupil amount received by hybrid school districts. Under the bill, a hybrid school district is defined as a school district whose superintendent certifies under penalty of perjury that it offered all of the students of the district in-person instruction on more than 25 percent but less than 75 percent of school days during the 2020-2021 school year. An in-person school district is defined as a school district whose superintendent certifies under penalty of perjury that it offered all of the students of the district in-person instruction on 75 percent or more of school days during the 2020-2021 school year. The ESSER II Fund was authorized pursuant to the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act. Of the total $1.23 billion that New Jersey received from the ESSER II Fund, a minimum of 90 percent is required to be awarded to local education agencies (LEAs) in proportion to the amount of funds the LEAs received under part A of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. No more than 10 percent of the funds received by New Jersey under the ESSER II Fund may be reserved by the State Department of Education for certain emergency needs to address issues responding to COVID-19. | In Committee |
| A970 | Establishes additional factors for municipal adjustment used in calculating fair share affordable housing obligations; provides population-based cap for these obligations. | This bill would establish additional specific factors to be used in calculating the municipal adjustment for a municipality's fair share affordable housing obligation. The bill also caps the number of units a municipality may have allocated as its affordable housing obligation with regard to the size of the municipal population. The additional factors to be used in calculating the municipal adjustment are as follows: (a) population of the municipality; (b) water supply and sewerage capacity in the municipality; (c) school class sizes and school services in the municipality; (d) public safety services in the municipality; and (e) public transportation and traffic in the municipality. The bill requires a municipal adjustment if maintaining approximately the same school class sizes would be a significant cost or if adequate school, public safety, and public transportation resources are not available or would be a significant cost to provide. A municipal adjustment would also have to be made if present traffic conditions would be substantially disrupted. The additional municipal adjustment factors required by the bill would require a more holistic examination of the actual state of affairs in a municipality, as well as of the potential impacts of additional development, in calculating its fair share affordable housing obligation. This will help ensure that reasonable numbers are arrived at that will not be disruptive to the quality of life and provision of local government services in a municipality. The bill's population cap would protect those municipalities that may face dramatic municipal population increases if mandated to add a large amount of additional affordable housing. Current law provides that no municipality shall be required to address a fair share of affordable housing units beyond 1,000 low and moderate income units within 10 years from the grant of substantive certification; except that a municipality may be allocated more than 1,000 units, if based upon an evidentiary hearing, it is found likely that the municipality through its zoning powers could create a realistic opportunity for more than 1,000 low and moderate income units within that 10-year period. In order to prevent the disparate impact such a potentially large affordable housing mandate can create for municipalities with small populations, this bill provides that an allocation of units to a municipality as its fair share shall not exceed an amount that would result in an increase of the municipal population by more than five percent. | In Committee |
| A2740 | Exempts certain veterans from gross income tax. | This bill exempts certain veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard of New Jersey from the gross income tax. To qualify for the exemption, a veteran must: (1) be honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States, a reserve component thereof, or the National Guard of New Jersey in a federal active duty status; and (2) have gross income of $50,000 or less. | In Committee |
| A946 | Provides that public employee pension benefits are calculated on base salary exclusive of various forms of extra compensation. | This bill provides that the compensation of a public employee subject to pension and group life insurance contributions and creditable for retirement and death benefits in a State-administered retirement system or fund will be limited to base salary and will not include extra compensation. The bill's definition of forms of extra compensation includes, but is not limited to, overtime pay; pay for extra work, duty or service beyond the normal workday or work year; bonuses; lump-sum payments for longevity, holiday pay, vacation, compensatory time or accumulated sick leave; or increments or adjustments in recognition of the member's forthcoming retirement. The bill further provides that the Division of Pensions and Benefits will investigate increases in compensation reported for credit which exceed the reasonably anticipated annual compensation increases for members of a retirement system. | In Committee |
| AJR52 | Designates month of May of each year as "Law Enforcement and Correctional Police Officer Appreciation Month" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates the month of May of each year as "Law Enforcement and Correctional Police Officer Appreciation Month" and calls upon public officials and the residents of New Jersey to observe the month with appropriate activities and programs. In light of recent negativity directed toward law enforcement nationally, this joint resolution appropriately honors law enforcement and correctional police officers. It is the Sponsor's intent to ensure that the citizens of New Jersey recognize the difficult career these officers have chosen and that these officers deserve our highest respect and deepest gratitude. | In Committee |
| A3053 | "Michelle's Law"; requires health benefit plans to cover mammogram for an individual if recommended by health care provider. | This bill requires health benefit plans to cover the cost of a mammogram if a health care provider recommends the examination. Presently, health benefit plans are only required to cover mammograms for women who are 40 and over or women under the age of 40 if they have a family history of breast cancer or other breast cancer related risk factor. Health benefit plans must also cover additional testing of an entire breast or breasts after a baseline mammogram examination. Under this bill, health benefit plans will be required to cover the cost of a mammogram examination, and any additional testing after the examination, if the health care provider of the subscriber or other person covered under the plan recommends it. Mammograms for women 40 and over will still be covered under this bill. This bill, named "Michelle's Law," is in response to the tragic death of Michelle DeVita. Michelle was a 38-year-old woman who lost her battle to breast cancer. Under the requirements of the current law, insurance was not required to provide her coverage for a mammogram. | In Committee |
| A2745 | Directs DCA to end veteran homelessness within three years. | This bill would direct the Commissioner of Community Affairs to develop and implement a plan to end veteran homelessness in New Jersey within three years in accordance with the criteria and benchmarks established for this purpose by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. The bill directs the commissioner to develop and implement a strategy to end veteran homelessness through the following means: (1) the coordination with State and local government entities, and private community organizations to continuously assess progress; (2) the management of a Statewide comprehensive, by-name list of veterans experiencing, or at-risk of experiencing homelessness; (3) facilitating the sharing of data among relevant service providers; (4) the establishment of a system of priority for veterans in accessing benefits through the Homeless Prevention Program, emergency assistance benefits, and any other existing benefit and housing placement processes; (5) the establishment of a system to connect veterans experiencing, or at-risk of, homelessness to available health, mental health, employment, and training resources; (6) committing to housing first principles; and (7) The identification of funding sources, as needed from private, foundation, and other potential partners. The bill would require the commissioner, after the initial three-year period and every three years thereafter, to develop and then implement an updated plan to ensure that veterans do not experience homelessness in the State. The bill would also impose reporting requirements. This bill would take effect immediately. | In Committee |
| A2709 | Authorizes voluntary donation of expired food or food waste to farmers; authorizes donations if farmer waives liability. | This bill authorizes any retail seller or distributor to donate expired food or food waste to a farmer for use as animal feed, provided the farmer signs and submits to the retail seller or distributor a liability waiver. The bill also directs the Farm Liaison, established pursuant to P.L.2019, c.94 (C.4:1-48), to: 1) collaborate with farmers and retail sellers and distributors to develop contacts and networks to request, process, and receive expired food or food waste donations; and 2) coordinate communications about expired food or food waste available for donation and distribution. The bill specifies the liability waiver provide that the person signing the waiver: 1) understands and accepts the potential dangers and negative impacts for people or animals consuming expired food or food waste; 2) releases the retail seller or distributor from any liability with regard to the donated expired food or food waste; and 3) waives any right to legal action as a result of accepting the donated expired food or food waste. | In Committee |
| A971 | Prohibits affordable housing obligation exemptions for urban aid municipalities. | This bill would revise the "Fair Housing Act," P.L.1985, c.222 (C.52:27D-301 et al.), to prohibit any categorical affordable housing obligation exemption for municipalities that are eligible for the Municipal (Urban) Aid Program. Prior rules of the Council on Affordable Housing excluded these municipalities from providing any contribution toward a region's affordable housing need. Those exemptions, however, can lead to undue development burdens on the other municipalities in the region. Additionally, directing more affordable housing development to urban municipalities would help minimize urban sprawl and would direct development to areas that already have extensive infrastructure in place, allowing for more cost-effective accommodation of new development. | In Committee |
| ACR33 | Proposes constitutional amendment authorizing municipalities, by ordinance, to provide partial property tax exemption on primary residence of certain volunteer first responders. | If approved by the voters of the State, this proposed constitutional amendment would authorize a municipality, by ordinance, to provide a partial property tax exemption on the primary residence of volunteer first responders serving in the municipality. The exemption would mean the volunteer first responder would not pay property taxes on part of the home's assessed value. An eligible first responder would be an active member of a volunteer fire department or a volunteer first aid or ambulance squad who owns a home in the municipality in which the volunteer serves, and the home must be the volunteer's primary residence. The municipality would decide the percentage amount of the exemption, which cannot exceed 10 percent of the assessed value. The State would not be required to reimburse municipalities for the cost of the exemption. | In Committee |
| ACR46 | Proposes amendment to New Jersey Constitution to prohibit exclusionary zoning and clarify municipal obligations regarding affordable housing construction. | This concurrent resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to clarify municipal obligations regarding affordable housing. The amendment would place language in the State Constitution to specifically prohibit the practice of exclusionary zoning. Exclusionary zoning can prevent the development of low income housing units and has been declared illegal by federal and State courts. Pursuant to the amendment, towns would not have an obligation to actually construct, or cause to be constructed, affordable housing units. This would eliminate litigation that results in the forced construction of specific residential projects. It has been more than 40 years since the first court case was initiated in New Jersey concerning the opportunities for poor and minority families to obtain affordable housing. The opinion of the New Jersey Supreme Court in this case and subsequent decisions have become known as the Mount Laurel doctrine. Since that time, the demographics of the State have changed markedly, including increased population growth and density, wider disparity of income levels among residents, and perhaps most importantly, tremendous increases in the average cost of housing. The early judicial decisions concerning this issue identified certain local government zoning practices as a bar to increasing the opportunities for housing for low and moderate income households. A somewhat melded judicial and statutory scheme was created to impel municipalities to eliminate these practices voluntarily. Certain regulatory measures were implemented requiring municipal financial expenditures if certain zoning mechanisms were not embraced. Competing financial concerns for resources, such as new infrastructure and schools, have played a role in the complicated interpretation of the Mount Laurel mandate. This amendment is intended to overturn the Mount Laurel mandate regarding the actual construction of affordable housing units and eliminate the so-called "builder's remedy" lawsuit, while reaffirming the State's commitment to elimination discriminatory zoning practices. The courts could remedy constitutional violations of the prohibition on discriminatory zoning by striking down zoning ordinances, rather than forcing the specific construction of any particular project. | In Committee |
| A1108 | Excludes payments made for unemployment compensation benefits related to layoffs resulting from coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic from calculation of employer contribution for unemployment compensation benefits. | This bill excludes from the calculation of employer contributions to the unemployment compensation fund payments made for unemployment compensation benefits related to layoffs from the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Under current law, an employer's contribution rate to the unemployment compensation fund is affected by the employer's experience rating; that is, the number of times a former employee of an employer collects benefits impacts the employer's contribution rate for the following year. This bill excludes from the calculation of the employer contribution rate benefits paid to employees in relation to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. | In Committee |
| A1334 | Provides one-time deduction of $10,000 for certain taxpayers under GIT. | This bill provides a one-time deduction of $10,000 from gross income that can be claimed in addition to other deductions. This deduction applies to households and joint filers earning under $250,000 and single filers earning under $125,000. The purpose of the bill is to provide relief in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. | In Committee |
| A2736 | Authorizes deer hunting on Sunday with bow and arrow or firearms on federal military land subject to approval of appropriate federal military authority. | This bill would authorize Sunday hunting for deer with a bow and arrow or firearm on federal military land, subject to proper permission granted by the appropriate federal military authority having jurisdiction over the federal military land on which the person is hunting. Under current State law, hunting is prohibited on Sundays, with certain limited exceptions. Although federal agencies may permit hunting on their lands, these agencies are subject to both State and federal laws regarding hunting. Thus, under current law, an individual may not hunt on Sundays on federal military installations in the State. | In Committee |
| ACR83 | Proposes Constitutional Amendment to limit to 12 number of successive years members of General Assembly can serve. | This concurrent resolution would amend the State Constitution to limit the successive number of years that a member of the General Assembly can serve. A member of the General Assembly would not be eligible to serve more than 12 successive years in office, except that a member or official who is serving a term at the end of the 12th successive year would be allowed to complete that term. Service for one year or more to fill an unexpired term of office is included in the limitation imposed by this amendment. Years of service would be considered successive unless there is a break in service consisting of one intervening term of office. This amendment would apply to successive years served by members of the General Assembly after the adoption of the amendment. A member of the General Assembly who is serving on the date of adoption of the amendment will not have the years served as a member before the adoption counted toward the limitation. | In Committee |
| A2720 | Limits requirements for school districts to include instructions on diversity and inclusion as part of implementation of New Jersey Student Learning Standards to grades 9 through 12. | This bill provides that students will receive diversity and inclusion instruction in grades 9 through 12. Under current law, school districts are required to provide students in grades kindergarten through 12 instruction on diversity and inclusion as part of the implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards. This type of instruction is not age appropriate for young children and is better suited for students in high school. | In Committee |
| A2744 | Requires DHS to prepare and submit report to Governor and Legislature regarding impact of Medicaid expansion on veterans and their families. | This bill requires the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services in the Department to Human Service to submit, no later than six months after the effective date of the bill, a report to the Governor and to the Legislature outlining the effects, to date, of expanding NJ Family Care eligibility, pursuant to the federal "Affordable Care Act (ACA)," on access to health benefits coverage and services for the State's veterans and their families. The ACA extended Medicaid eligibility to all adults under age 65, including parents and adults without dependent children, with incomes below 133 percent of the federal poverty level. The report is mandated to include any recommendations for improvement to enrollment outreach, as well services provided, to veterans and their families eligible for NJ Family Care under the ACA expansion group. The bill directs the division to notify the public when the report has been finalized, which notification is to include a link to the report on division's website. Under the bill, "veteran" means any resident of the State who has been discharged honorably or under general honorable conditions in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, or a Reserve component thereof, or the National Guard of this State or another state. | In Committee |
| A2711 | Establishes New Jersey Veteran Grant Program in Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. | This bill establishes the New Jersey Veteran Grant Program for veterans enrolled in public institutions of higher education. The purpose of the program is to assist veterans in achieving their higher education goals. The program will be administered by the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. Under the program, an eligible student may attend a public institution of higher education at no cost to the student. The bill provides that a grant under the program will be in an amount established by the authority and subject to the amount of available appropriations. A grant will be subject to the prior application of other grants and scholarships against the cost of tuition and mandatory fees for up to 18 credit hours in any semester, for an eligible student enrolled in a course of undergraduate or graduate study at a public institution of higher education. In the event that the grant amount does not cover the total cost of tuition and mandatory fees, the public institution of higher education at which the student is enrolled will be required to waive any remaining balance. In order to qualify for the program, the bill requires that a student must: (1) have fulfilled at least one year of federal active duty service in the Armed Forces of the United States, which includes active duty service in the New Jersey National Guard or a Reserve Component of the Armed Forces; or served in a foreign country in a time of hostilities in that country; or received a medical discharge due to an illness or injury related to the performance of duties; (2) have received an honorable discharge from military service, or is currently honorably serving; (3) be a State resident; (4) have applied for all other available forms of State and federal need-based grants and merit scholarships, exclusive of loans; (5) be enrolled in good academic standing in an undergraduate or graduate course of study at a public institution of higher education in the State; (6) not be a current scholarship recipient of the Reserve Officer Training Corps; and (7) not be in default on any student loan, or owe a refund on any State or federal grant. The bill provides that a student who is dismissed for academic or disciplinary reasons from a public institution of higher education will no longer be eligible for the program. If a student participating in the program is dismissed for disciplinary reasons, the student must repay in full all amounts received under the program. The bill provides that a student grant may be renewed upon the student's filing of a renewal financial aid application and providing evidence that the student has satisfied the program's requirements. Finally, the bill annually appropriates from the General Fund to the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority such funds as are necessary to effectuate the bill's purposes. | In Committee |
| A2395 | Permits board of education to employ certain veterans in coaching positions in school district's interscholastic athletic program. | Under current New Jersey regulations, in order to be eligible to work in a school district's interscholastic athletic program, an individual is required to hold either a New Jersey teaching certificate or a substitute credential. Under this bill, a board of education may employ an eligible veteran who does not hold a New Jersey teaching certificate or substitute credential in a full-time or part-time coaching position in the school district's interscholastic athletic program. An eligible veteran is defined as any resident of the State who has been honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from military service in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, or a reserve component thereof, following at least four years of service. | In Committee |
| A2728 | Revises factors for determining employment or independent contractor status under certain State labor laws. | This bill revises the factors that are used to determine whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor under certain State labor laws. The "ABC" test is widely used under current State labor law for determining whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. It is used to determine employee and employer obligations and entitlements under the following laws: the "unemployment compensation law," the "Temporary Disability Benefits Law," the New Jersey wage payment law, and the "New Jersey State Wage and Hour Law." It is also used under the "New Jersey Gross Income Tax Act," for purposes of determining whether an employer is required to deduct and withhold State income taxes. The "ABC" test provides that an individual who performs services for remuneration is presumed to be an employee unless the employer can show to the satisfaction of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development that: (A) Such individual has been and will continue to be free from control or direction over the performance of such service, both under his contract of service and in fact; and (B) Such service is either outside the usual course of the business for which such service is performed, or that such service is performed outside of all the places of business of the enterprise for which such service is performed; and (C) Such individual is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, profession or business. If an employer fails to prove any one of the three criteria for showing a worker is an independent contractor, the worker will be classified as an employee, and will be eligible for benefits pursuant to the labor laws listed above. Additionally, the employer and employee will be required to comply with the contribution and participation obligations of the respective labor laws. This bill revises the factors for showing a worker is an independent contract. Under the bill, to determine whether an individual is an employee or an independent contractor, all information that provides evidence of the degree of control and the degree of independence is to be considered. Facts that provide evidence of the degree of control and independence fall into three categories: (A) behavioral control; (B) financial control; and (C) the type of relationship of the parties. In making an employment determination any guidance on determining a worker's employment status provided by the federal Internal Revenue Service in the United States Department of the Treasury is to be considered. This bill aligns the test for employment status under State law with the test in use by the Internal Revenue Service in the Department of the Treasury. | In Committee |
| AR28 | Urges federal government to approve construction of oil and natural gas pipelines within United States including those that have been shut down or have had approval denied. | This resolution urges the federal government to take action to approve the construction of oil and natural gas pipelines within the United States, including approving pipelines that have been shut down or disapproved. The United States relies, and will continue to rely for many years, on gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel despite the recent focus on renewable energy and alternative sources of energy. In order to fuel the country's economy, the United States will need more oil and natural gas while also developing additional alternative energy sources. Constructing more pipelines within the United States would help the country achieve energy independence and enhance national security by reducing reliance on energy from the Middle East, Russia, and Venezuela. Constructing more pipelines within the United States would also result in lower oil prices and provide a significant economic advantage to the United States. Although the United States has achieved significant levels of energy independence in recent years, there is always room to improve the country's energy independence. Steps have been taken to create greater North American energy independence, including the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would have connected the United States oil supply to oil fields in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in Alberta, providing oil at a rate of up to 830,000 barrels per day. The Keystone XL Pipeline would have increased the United States' energy independence, lowered the cost of gasoline, produced up to 11,000 high-paying jobs for United States citizens, and resulted in more stable trade relationships. President Trump issued a Presidential Permit to begin construction on the cross-border segment of the Keystone XL Pipeline, however, the permit for this construction was revoked by President Biden. The reapproval and continued construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline is very important for the energy independence of the United States. In addition, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia has resulted in global tension and fear. The United States and other European nations have responded by enforcing strict economic sanctions on Russia. One of the sanctions is the decertification of the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline, which stretches for 1,200 kilometres from Vyborg, Russia through the Baltic Sea to Lubmin, Germany and was designed to carry natural gas from Russia to Western Europe. The decertification of the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline will likely also have global economic consequences. It is more important than ever for the United States to become more energy independent. Based on the geopolitical, energy security, environmental, and economic benefits of oil and natural gas pipeline construction within the United States, it is in the country's, and by extension New Jersey's, best interests to support the construction of oil and natural gas pipelines, including the approval of pipelines that have been shut down or disapproved, within the United States. | In Committee |
| A2714 | Establishes "Bring Veterans to New Jersey Program." | This bill establishes the "Bring Veterans to New Jersey Program" in the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs. This program shall help New Jersey employers recruit qualified veterans to fill positions in New Jersey by providing relocation assistance to those qualified military veterans through eligible employers. The department shall contract with a nonprofit organization in New Jersey to administer the program. The department shall enter into an agreement with participating employers, who agree to provide relocation assistance to eligible veterans for eligible expenses. The department shall reimburse these expenses to participating employers in an amount not to exceed $5,000. The department shall develop criteria for the granting of relocation assistance. The process for receiving relocation assistance shall be as follows: (1) A veteran must create a profile with the nonprofit contracted to administer the program. A participating employer shall use these profiles to select and contact candidates regarding available positions. (2) After accepting a position, document the eligible expenses necessary for reimbursement. Upon receipt of the documentation, the participating employer shall reimburse the veteran for relocation expenses that are eligible in accordance with its relocation policy or procedure in an amount not to exceed $5,000 per household. The Adjutant General may adopt rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the program. | In Committee |
| A2722 | Provides employment protections for certain medical professionals diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder under certain conditions. | This bill establishes employment protections for certain medical professionals who are diagnosed with certain cases of work-related post-traumatic stress disorder. 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 post-traumatic stress disorder. The bill also provides that following a period of leave related to a qualifying diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, an employer would be required to reinstate an employee whose fitness to return to work was documented by a licensed physician or licensed mental health professional. Under the bill, reinstatement would be to the position and duties held by the employee prior to the leave. Under the bill, a PTSD diagnosis qualifies if it is made by a licensed physician or licensed mental health professional and as determined by the practitioner, the post-traumatic stress disorder arose: (1) as a direct result of the employee experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event during and within the scope of the performance of regular or assigned duties of the employee; or (2) due to vicarious trauma experienced by the employee as a direct result of the performance of regular or assigned duties of the employee. 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. The bill defines "employee" as a medical professional providing health care services to natural persons, including but not limited to a physician, podiatrist, dentist, nurse, optometrist, chiropractor, physical therapist, occupational therapist, pharmacist, psychologist, dietitian, psychiatric social worker or speech therapist. | In Committee |
| A2730 | Exempts transfers of residential real property between family members from inheritance tax. | This bill amends the New Jersey transfer inheritance tax to eliminate the tax on transfers of residential real property between family members who co-own residential real property. Currently, transfers of property between family members are only exempt from taxation if the family members are spouses, civil union partners, domestic partners, children, legally adopted children, mutually-acknowledged children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, parents, grandparents, and stepchildren. This bill amends the New Jersey transfer inheritance tax to exempt property transfers between certain family members who co-own the residential real property. This bill will take effect immediately and apply to taxable years beginning on or after January 1 of the year next following enactment. | In Committee |
| A1333 | Increases, from 18 percent to 30 percent, amount of rental payments defined as rent constituting property taxes for purposes of deduction from gross income for property tax payments. | This bill amends the "Property Tax Deduction Act," (N.J.S.A.54A:3A-15 et seq.) to provide additional income tax relief for tenants by increasing, from 18 percent to 30 percent, the amount of rent defined as "rent constituting property taxes". Under the "Property Tax Deduction Act," a taxpayer is entitled to a deduction of up to $15,000 from gross income for property taxes, or the rental equivalent thereof paid by tenants, due and paid for that calendar year on a taxpayer's homestead. For tenants, the amount of the deduction is based on the amount of "rent constituting property taxes". Current law sets the amount of rent constituting property taxes at 18 percent of the rent paid by the taxpayer for the occupancy, during the taxable year, of a unit of residential real property which the taxpayer occupies a principal residence. This bill increases the amount rent constituting property taxes from 18 percent of rent paid to 30 percent of rent paid. Increasing the cap on the amount of rental payments defined as rent constituting property taxes would allow eligible gross income taxpayers to deduct a higher amount of rent from their gross income, thereby lowering in the amount of gross income subject to taxation and reducing a tenant's tax burden. | In Committee |
| A2703 | Excludes military compensation of military personnel serving outside of this State from gross income tax. | This bill allows an exemption for certain military compensation from the gross income tax for those servicemen and women domiciled in New Jersey but serving their duty outside of the State of New Jersey. | In Committee |
| A969 | Requires COAH to calculate affordable housing obligations on Statewide basis. | This bill would change the calculation of affordable housing obligations to a Statewide perspective rather than a local level. In addition, under the bill, the Council on Affordable Housing would submit a report every five years on housing affordability. The report would calculate the ratio of the median cost, including property taxes, mortgage rates and payments, insurance, cost of utilities, and other necessary factors in the discretion of the council, to maintain the home to the median income for the State. This report would be used to update the growth-share calculation each time the council issues a report. | In Committee |
| A2705 | Authorizes issuance of license plates series honoring military academies that represent five branches of United States military. | This bill authorizes the issuance of a series of special license plates honoring the military academies that represent the five branches of the United States military. The bill provides that the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (chief administrator), in consultation with the Adjutant General of the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs, is to select the design and color scheme for each of the military academy license plates. In addition to the registration number and other markings or identification otherwise prescribed by law, a license plate is to be created to honor each of the following: 1) The United States Military Academy; 2) The United States Naval Academy; 3) The United States Air Force Academy; 4) The United States Merchant Marine Academy; and 5) The United States Coast Guard Academy. In addition to all fees otherwise required by law for the registration of a motor vehicle, there is a fee of $15 for the military academy license plates. The chief administrator is required to notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain a set of military academy license plates by publicizing the availability of the license plates on the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission's website. | In Committee |
| ACR47 | Proposes constitutional amendment to require Statewide calculation of affordable housing obligation. | This amendment to the State Constitution would require that the constitutional affordable housing obligation be calculated at the State level. Currently, municipal affordable housing obligations mandated by the State Constitution are calculated based upon regional housing needs. This amendment would eliminate that requirement. Accordingly, any affordable housing obligation placed on a municipality would no longer be based on regional housing needs. Instead, this amendment would require the Legislature to pass laws providing for the calculation of the affordable housing needs of the entire State. This single number calculation of affordable housing units needed Statewide would represent the exclusive affordable housing obligation required by the State Constitution. | In Committee |
| A2735 | Increases from $750 to $3,000 annual State payment made to certain veterans and their surviving spouses. | This bill increases the annual payment made by the State to a veteran with certain specified service-connected injuries and the surviving spouse of that veteran. The payment will increase from $750 to $3,000 annually. The amount is paid to a veteran who has sustained a total loss of sight, or who has paraplegia and permanent paralysis of both legs and lower parts of the body, or who has osteochondritis and permanent loss of the use of both legs, or who has hemiplegia and permanent paralysis of one leg and one arm or either side of the body, resulting from injury to the spinal cord, skeletal structure, or brain, or who has had hands or feet amputated, or who has lost the use of both feet or both legs, due to multiple sclerosis, sustained through enemy action, or accident, or resulting from disease contracted while in active military service. The surviving spouse of the veteran continues to receive the payment. There are currently 207 persons receiving the benefit. | In Committee |
| A2716 | Exempts qualified veterans from paying certain firearm related fees. | This bill exempts qualified veterans from paying the application and issuance fees associated with applying for a firearms purchaser identification card, a permit to purchase a handgun, a permit to carry a handgun, and a license to possess and carry a machine gun or assault firearm. Current law requires an applicant to submit the following fees associated with firearms:· Firearms purchaser identification card - $5 submitted upon application to the chief of police of the municipality where the applicant resides or the Superintendent of State Police, as the case may be. · Permit to purchase a handgun - $2 per handgun permit requested, submitted upon application to the chief of police of the municipality where the applicant resides or the Superintendent of State Police, as the case may be.· Permit to carry a handgun - $20 submitted upon issuance of the permit to the county clerk of the county where the permit was issued.· License to possess and carry a machine gun or assault firearm - $75 submitted to the Superior Court upon application. Under the provisions of this bill, the fees would be waived for applicants who are qualified veterans. The bill defines a "qualified veteran" as a resident of this State who is: (1) certified by the federal Department of Veterans Affairs as having any degree of service-connected disability; (2) the recipient of the Medal of Honor; or (3) the recipient of a Purple Heart Medal. The bill additionally provides that a qualified veteran applicant would submit an application for a permit to purchase a handgun and a firearm purchaser identification card to the Superintendent of State Police, irrespective of whether the applicant resides in a municipality with an organized full-time police department. Under the bill, if the superintendent issues either the permit or the identification card to a qualified veteran residing in a municipality with a chief of police, the chief would be notified of the issuance. | In Committee |
| A3227 | Establishes Office of Ombudsman for Children. | This bill establishes the Office of the Ombudsman for Children in, but not of the Office of the Attorney General in the Department of Law and Public Safety. The bill provides that the office is to ensure the provision of effective, appropriate, and timely services for children at risk of abuse and neglect in the State, respond to the concerns and addressing the needs of children in the resource family care, and that children under State supervision due to child abuse or neglect are served adequately and appropriately by the State. The Office of the Ombudsman for Children is deemed a child protective agency for the purposes of N.J.S.A.9:6-8.10a. The bill requires the ombudsman to: (1) investigate, review, monitor, or evaluate any State agency response to, or disposition of, an allegation of child abuse or neglect in this State, or the out-of-placement of children under the care, custody, and supervision of the State; (2) inspect and review the operations, policies, procedures, and contracts of all juvenile detention centers or facilities, resource family homes, group homes, residential treatment facilities, shelters for care of abused or neglected children, homeless youth, or juveniles considered as juvenile-family crisis centers, or independent living arrangements operated, licensed, or approved for payment, by the Departments of Children and Families, Community Affairs, or Health, or any other public or private setting in which a child has been placed by a State or county agency or department; (3) review, evaluate, report on, and make recommendations concerning the procedures established by any State agency providing services to children who are at risk of abuse or neglect, children in State or institutional custody, children in out-of-home placement, and children who receive child protective or permanency services; (4) review, monitor, and report on the performance of State-funded private entities charged with the care and supervision of children due to abuse or neglect or children, as deemed necessary by the ombudsman to assess the performance of the entities; (5) intervene in or institute administrative proceedings before any department, commission, agency, or State board, to assert the broad public interest of the State in the welfare of children and to protect and promote the rights of children; (6) hold a public hearing on the subject of an investigation or study underway by the ombudsman, and receive testimony from agency and program representatives, the public, and other interested parties, as the ombudsman deems appropriate; and (7) establish and maintain a 24-hour toll-free telephone hotline to receive and respond to calls from members of the public referring problems to the ombudsman, both individual and systemic, in how the State, through its agencies or contract services, protects children. The bill also provides that the ombudsman report annually to the Governor, Commissioner of Children and Families, and Legislature on: (1) the activities of the office; (2) priorities for children's services that have been identified by the ombudsman; and (3) recommendations for improvement or needed changes concerning the provision of services to children who are at risk of abuse or neglect, children in State or institutional custody, children in out-of-home placement, and children who receive child protective or permanency services by State agencies and State-funded private entities. The report is to be posted on the Office of the Attorney General's and the Department of Children and Families' websites. | In Committee |
| A434 | Establishes "New Jersey Pandemic Bill of Rights for the Welfare of Individuals." | This bill establishes the "New Jersey Pandemic Bill of Rights for the Welfare of Individuals." The bill accords the citizens of the State of New Jersey with the following rights during a pandemic, a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease, or a declared public health emergency: (1) to have effective safeguards in place to protect a resident of a nursing home or long-term care facility or a person with a preexisting condition against an infectious disease that is the basis of the pandemic or declared public health emergency; (2) to be fully evaluated and treated in a health care facility, and not to be released from that facility without knowing whether one has tested positive for an infectious disease that is the basis of the pandemic or declared public health emergency, thereby depriving one of care and further spread of disease; (3) to receive adequate nourishment, medical care, and other necessities from a properly staffed health care facility, as a patient of that facility; (4) to be provided appropriate physical and occupational therapies and to be periodically moved to prevent debilitating wounds if a patient is confined to a bed; (5) to be permitted visitation as a patient or resident of a health care facility in accordance with the need for proper support by family or loved ones; (6) to have safeguards implemented by a health care facility to protect against the infectious disease that is the basis of the pandemic or declared public health emergency; (7) to have the needs and wishes stated in a legal or medical directive met without government interference or mandates that prohibit health care professionals from carrying out such directive, including, but not limited to, do not resuscitate orders; (8) to have attorneys designated as essential workers and to have attorney offices remain open during a pandemic, a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease, or a declared public health emergency; and (9) to have full access to legal services and have the ability to visit an attorney's office during a pandemic, a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease, or a declared public health emergency. The bill requires the Commissioner of Health to publish a notice of the rights enumerated in the bill, and to make the notice available to the public on the Department of Health's Internet website. All health care facilities, including nursing homes and long-term care facilities, are to post a copy of the notice in a conspicuous location that is available to the public. | In Committee |
| A2738 | Requires grants from federal COVID-19 relief programs be disbursed proportionally based on population. | To the extent consistent with federal law and regulations of the federal agencies involved, all federal funding for COVID-19 relief, aid, or stimulus provided to the State to disburse to local governments in the form of a grant program, and not already dispersed, committed, or incurred as of the effective date of the bill, would be disbursed proportionally according to population with no minimum population required to receive federal funding. Prior to enactment of the bill, the Department of the Treasury, in consultation with the Department of Community Affairs, the Department of Health, and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, would be required to promulgate regulations, and post the regulations on its Internet website, defining the new criteria for the grant programs, based on need, for local governments to apply. The bill would take effect 90 days after enactment and shall expire upon the disbursement of all federal COVID-19 grant monies for local governments. | In Committee |
| AJR85 | Declares January 13 of each year as Korean American Day in New Jersey. | This joint resolution declares January 13 of each year as "Korean American Day" in New Jersey. On January 13, 1903, 102 courageous Korean immigrants arrived in the United States initiating the first wave of Korean immigration to America. These pioneering Korean immigrants faced tremendous social and economic obstacles as well as language barriers in America. They established a new home in a new land through resilience, tenacious effort, and immense sacrifice, which became the bedrock for their children and future generations of Korean Americans. Korean Americans have made significant contributions to the economic vitality of the United States, and the global marketplace. Korean Americans have also made enormous contributions to the military strength of the United States and served with distinction in the Armed Forces during World War I, World War II, the Vietnam conflict, the Korean conflict, and subsequent military conflicts across the globe. President George W. Bush proclaimed a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first arrival of Korean immigrants in 2003. Then, in 2005, the United States House and Senate passed resolutions to encourage observing Korean American Day on January 13th across the nation. With over 168,000 New Jersey residents able to claim Korean ancestry, this State should commemorate the arrival of the first Korean immigrants to the United States, and recognize the invaluable contributions Korean Americans have made to this State and to the United States. | 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 |
| A2719 | Provides employer and employee protections pursuant to the use of legalized cannabis items. | This bill in section 1 amends section 48 of P.L. 2021. c. 16 concerning certain rights and obligations of employers and employees concerning the use of cannabis items. The bill provides that a drug test for cannabis shall not be done as part of a pre-employment screening, except for the employees outlined in paragraph (1) of subsection b. of 48 of P.L. 2021, c. 16. The bill provides an employer may determine to employ or not to employ a Workplace Impairment Recognition Expert in the employer's discretion. Nothing in subsection a. of section 48 of P.L. 2021, c. 16 shall be interpreted to require that an employer use a Workplace Impairment Recognition Expert for either drug testing or determinations of suspicion of an employee's usage of a cannabis item while engaged in the performance of the employee's work responsibilities nor shall the use of the Workplace Impairment Recognition Expert be deemed the industry standard for testing or making such suspicion determinations. An employer shall remain free to use scientifically reliable testing services and to exercise its own judgment in making a good faith suspicion determination. The bill provides that no employer shall take any action which has the effect of prohibiting an employee using cannabis products during non-work hours except under the following circumstances: (1) Upon a determination by an employer that the nature of the work of an employee at a critical infrastructure facility or a construction site has an exceptionally high risk of potential harm to other employees or to public safety if the employee were to be impaired through the use of cannabis. The approval to designate categories of such employees, or a specific employee of an employer, shall be made by the commission upon application of the employer. The commission shall approve such application upon finding that the standards in the bill have been met; (2) when the nature of the work of an employee is operating, maintaining, constructing or repairing a public utility that is subject to the jurisdiction of the Board of Public Utilities; (3) when such actions are required under the federal Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991, 49 U.S.C. s. 5331; or (4) when the employer is subject to the Railway Labor Act, 45 U.S.C. § 151 et seq. (5) when the employee is a law enforcement officer and the duties of the employment require the possession of a firearm. Section 2 of the bill amends N.J.S.A. 52: 17B-71 to provide that the Police Training Commission shall consult with the New Jersey State Police with respect to its administration of police training courses or programs for the training of police officers to be certified as a Drug Recognition Expert for detecting, identifying, and apprehending drug-impaired motor vehicle operators, and to consult with the Cannabis Regulatory Commission established by 31 of P.L.2019, c.153 (C.24:6I-24) with respect to developing standards and course curricula for certification as a Workplace Impairment Recognition Expert in detecting and identifying an employee's usage of, or impairment from, a cannabis item or other intoxicating substance, and for assisting in the investigation of workplace accidents. | In Committee |
| A2725 | Provides supplemental appropriation of $20 million for loan redemption program and tuition reimbursement program for certain teachers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. | This bill provides a supplemental appropriation totaling $20 million for a modified version of the loan redemption program and tuition reimbursement program established for certain teachers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) established under P.L.2019, c.401. Under this bill, an individual would be eligible for loan redemption or tuition reimbursement if that person:· in the case of the loan redemption program, is graduating from a certificate of eligibility with advanced standing educator preparation program in the 2021-2022 academic year and has been initially hired by a school district as a novice teacher to teach a STEM subject or is enrolled in a certificate of eligibility educator preparation program and has been initially hired by a school district as a novice teacher to teach a STEM subject. In the case of the tuition reimbursement program, an individual is required to be graduating in the 2021-2022 academic year from a master's degree or Ph.D. program in STEM or is completing 30 credits in a coherent sequence of courses in STEM;· is eligible pursuant to State Board of Education regulations to teach a STEM subject in a New Jersey public school; and · executes a contract with the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority in which the individual agrees to teach STEM classes at a public school in New Jersey for four full school years. A contract executed for the redemption of loans or the reimbursement of eligible tuition expenses would specify: the program participant's dates of required service; the total amount of student loan debt to be redeemed by the State or the total amount of reimbursement of eligible tuition expenses to be received by a program participant; and certain performance standards established by the authority for the program participant to adhere to in the participant's course of service. A contract would also stipulate that, in the event that a program participant does not complete four full school years of service or otherwise violates any other provisions of the contract relating to service requirements, the loan redemption or tuition reimbursement payment provided to the participant would be paid back to the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority as a loan. The amount of loan redemption or tuition reimbursement for a program participant would equal 25 percent of the participant's eligible student loan or tuition expenses. The loan redemption or tuition reimbursement payments, however, would not exceed $20,000 for any eligible individual. The bill stipulates that the loan redemption and tuition reimbursement payments would be issued as upfront, lump sum payments. | In Committee |
| A1125 | "Fully Funding Schools and Cutting Property Taxes Act"; repeals certain sections of law; requires additional aid to lower property taxes commensurate with residents' ability to support schools; appropriates $2.9 billion. | The bill is to be known as the "Fully Funding Schools and Cutting Property Taxes Act." The bill requires that, beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, State school aid will be provided to school districts at levels consistent with the School Funding Reform Act of 2008 (SFRA) up to their adequacy budget, and prevents future cuts to State aid. It also requires a school district to reduce its tax levy in an amount equal to any increase in State school aid above the prior budget year under certain circumstances, allowing the district to subsequently increase its levy from a lower level than the prior budget year. It is the sponsors' intent to bring equity to New Jersey's school system by increasing State aid contributions to SFRA adequacy budget levels in a manner consistent with the "thorough and efficient" education clause in the State Constitution (N.J. Const. art. VIII, sec. 4, par.1). Providing school aid in this manner will reduce property taxes based on the ability of each school district's residents to support schools. The bill repeals certain sections of law enacted as part of P.L.2018, c.67 (commonly referred to "S2") that resulted in loss of aid and higher property taxes in certain school districts. The bill requires the State to provide aid to school districts equal to the greatest amount of:· aid according to the SFRA; · aid according to the SFRA and, if applicable, additional aid to provided to school districts that lost funding as a result of the implementation of S2; or· State school aid received in any of the school years between and including the 2017-2018 school year and the 2022-2023 school year. Under the bill, a district may petition the Commissioner of Education and State Treasurer for additional aid if it demonstrates a willingness to reduce its adjusted tax levy by an amount equal to any additional aid received. The bill requires a school district to reduce its school tax levy by the same amount of their State school aid increase above the prior year if the total tax levy of the municipality or municipalities comprising the district is more than five percent of school district income. After lowering its levy commensurate with a State aid increase, a school district may increase its levy by an amount necessary to cover an increase in per pupil administrative costs and deferred revenue. The bill requires a district to submit a proposal to voters of the district if it wishes to exceed this limitation. If the voters do not approve the proposal, a school district may add to its adjusted tax levy the difference between the maximum amount to be raised by taxation for the current budget year and the actual amount to be raised by taxation for the current school year if the amount of State school aid and the adjusted tax levy is below the adequacy budget in the next three succeeding budget years. Lastly, the bill appropriates $2,946,618,000 for the purposes of providing additional aid under the bill. The bill stipulates that any unexpended balances are appropriated to the Schools Development Authority for the purposes of supporting school facilities projects and supporting emergent needs and capital maintenance in school districts. | In Committee |
| AR57 | Urges immediate moratorium on sonar testing and wind turbine mapping due to recent unexplained deaths of marine life off the coast of New Jersey. | This resolution urges the State and federal governments to impose an immediate moratorium on sonar testing and wind turbine mapping due to recent unexplained deaths of whales and dolphins off the coast of New Jersey. Since December 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has recorded at least twelve whale deaths off the coast of New Jersey, eight of which have been humpback whales. In addition, there were also five deaths of dolphins recorded in February 2023 alone. Most of these deaths remain unexplained, but have occurred in or near areas of offshore wind energy development. Given the unprecedented number of these recent deaths, their occurrence in or near areas of offshore wind energy development may be more than coincidental and warrants State and federal investigation. A possible cause of these deaths is the increased use of sonar and other underwater mapping technologies for the development of offshore wind energy projects, which may interfere with marine mammals' ability to hear, communicate, and navigate underwater. Therefore, an immediate moratorium on sonar testing and wind turbine mapping for these offshore wind energy projects is urged, so that further scientific study of these projects' impact on marine life can be conducted. | In Committee |
| A426 | Repeals law that prohibits certain establishments from providing or selling various single-use products to customers. | This bill repeals sections 1 through 9 of P.L.2020, c.117 (C.13:1E-99.126 through C.13:1E-99.134), which currently does the following: (1) prohibits certain establishments from providing or selling various single-use products, such as plastic carryout bags, paper carryout bags, polystyrene foam service products, and plastic straws, to customers; (2) establishes penalties for noncompliance; (3) establishes a Plastics Advisory Council within the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP); (4) requires the Department of State, in consultation with the DEP, to develop a program to assist businesses in complying with the law; (5) and requires the DEP to develop rules and regulations as necessary to implement the law. By repealing this law, certain establishments throughout the State would be permitted to provide and sell various single-use products to customers. Specifically, stores and food service business would be permitted to provide or sell single-use plastic carryout bags to customers; food banks and food pantries would be permitted to provide single-use plastic carryout bags to customers; grocery stores would be permitted to provide or sell single-use paper carryout bags to customers; food service businesses would be permitted to provide or sell food in a polystyrene foam food service product; the sale of polystyrene food service products would be permitted; and food service businesses would be permitted to provide single-use plastic straws to customers without requiring the customer to request a single-use plastic straw. This bill also amends section 5 of P.L.2002, c.128 (C.13:1E-217) to reflect the repeal of P.L.2020, c.117 by deleting language added to that section in P.L.2020, c.117. | In Committee |
| A2698 | Requires taxation as real property of improvements on publicly owned real property used for purpose and protection of public water supply. | This bill would subject improvements, including buildings, dams, or other structures, located on land owned by counties, municipalities, and other municipal and public agencies of the State used for the purpose and for the protection of a public water supply, to taxation as real property by the municipality in which those improvements are located. The purpose of the bill is to provide property tax relief to municipalities in which publicly owned watershed land is located. Under current law, the land itself is subject to property taxation, but buildings or other improvements are not. However, improvements on privately owned watershed property are subject to property taxation. This bill would allow municipalities in which publicly owned watershed property is located to tax improvements thereon in the same manner as improvements on privately owned watershed land are taxed. | In Committee |
| AR79 | Recognizes October 13, 2020 as "Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day" in New Jersey. | This resolution designates October 13, 2020 as "Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day" in New Jersey in order to raise public awareness of metastatic breast cancer, and to salute the numerous health and wellness organizations that advocate for critical research of, provide advanced treatment for, and make significant contributions in the fight against, metastatic breast cancer. | In Committee |
| A2733 | Provides gross income tax deduction for certain donated vehicles. | This bill allows a taxpayer to deduct from gross income the fair market value of a qualified vehicle that the taxpayer donates to a State or local law enforcement agency in the taxable year. A State or local law enforcement agency that accepts the donation of a qualified vehicle shall provide the taxpayer written acknowledgment that includes the name of the taxpayer; the make, model, and year of the vehicle; the vehicle or other identification number; and, if the value of the vehicle is greater than $500, the fair market value of the vehicle based on an independent appraisal provided by the taxpayer. Under the bill, a State or local law enforcement agency is not required to accept any vehicle offered as a donation. | In Committee |
| A1735 | Authorizes municipal dredging of lagoon community waterways and levying of special assessment or issuing of bonds to finance such dredging. | This bill authorizes a municipality in which a lagoon community is located to have waterways servicing the lagoon community dredged, and the dredged material properly disposed of, for the purpose of maintaining transportation by boat into, out of, and throughout the lagoon community. The bill further authorizes the municipality to finance the dredging and disposal through the levy of a special assessment on any property owners that the municipality determines to benefit from the dredging, or by issuing bonds for the dredging as a capital improvement. "Lagoon community" is defined in the bill as any residential development in a coastal municipality where the waterways function as streets and provide access to, from and throughout the development via boat. | In Committee |
| A2727 | Removes requirement that certain special law enforcement officers turn in firearm at end of shift. | This bill removes the requirement that Class Two and Class Three special law enforcement officers turn in their firearms at the end of their shift. Current law authorizes Class Two and Class Three special law enforcement officers to carry a firearm while on duty. These officers generally are required to return the firearm at the end of the officer's workday to the officer who is in charge of the station house. These officers would no longer be subject to this requirement under the bill. The bill also conforms current law to the provisions of P.L.2013, c.21 that authorizes county sheriffs to appoint special law enforcement officers to perform court security duties. This bill does not alter current statutory law concerning these officers' right to carry a weapon. Class Two officers generally are prohibited from carrying off duty. Class Three retired police officers who are approved by the State Police have the right to carry a weapon while off duty. Special law enforcement officers are police officers appointed temporarily or intermittently to perform duties similar to those performed regularly by members of a municipal police force or to perform county court security duties. They also are authorized to provide assistance to a police force during unusual or emergency circumstances or at individual times or during regular seasonal periods in resort municipalities. Class Two officers are authorized to exercise full powers and duties similar to those of permanent, regularly appointed full-time police officers. Class Three officers are retired law enforcement officers who provide security in this State's public and nonpublic schools and county colleges. According to the sponsor, it is both inconvenient and inefficient for Class Two and Class Three special law enforcement officers to turn in their weapons after every shift. These officers are statutorily authorized to enforce the laws of this State and, as such, should be considered capable of safely and reliably transporting their weapons back and forth to work. | In Committee |
| Bill | Bill Name | Motion | Vote Date | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S2167 | Requires public and certain nonpublic schools to comply with breakfast and lunch standards adopted by USDA. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S317 | Revises "Athletic Training Licensure Act." | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| S1403 | Requires employer or contractor engaged in work for public body to submit payroll records to DOLWD. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| S1320 | Requires certain information be included in certain contracts with licensed public adjusters. | Assembly Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Abstain |
| A775 | "Fairness in Women's Sport Act." | Assembly Floor: Table Motion | 06/30/2025 | Abstain |
| A2929 | Requires disclosure of lead drinking water hazards to tenants of residential units; prohibits landlords from obstructing replacement of lead service lines; concerns testing of certain property for lead drinking water hazards. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A2090 | Requires solid waste management district to develop strategy to reduce food waste; requires DEP to adopt certain rules and regulations regarding composting facilities. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A3099 | Establishes option for students nearing completion of program in chiropractic medicine to participate in preceptorship provided by State-licensed chiropractor. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Abstain |
| A3361 | Establishes limit on rent increase for certain dwelling sites for modular or industrialized buildings or manufactured homes. | Assembly Floor: Suspend Rule 22:5b | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A3361 | Establishes limit on rent increase for certain dwelling sites for modular or industrialized buildings or manufactured homes. | Assembly Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A3007 | Increases maximum age for pediatric long-term care facility residents to 26. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3128 | Authorizes HMFA to use certain tax credits; directs HMFA to conduct tax credit auctions to provide financial assistance for certain housing purposes. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Abstain |
| A3035 | Prohibits certain vehicles from parking in electric vehicle charging spaces under certain circumstances. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A1682 | Requires State Board of Education to adopt New Jersey Student Learning Standards pertaining to labor movement; requires school districts to provide instruction on labor movement. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A1675 | Extends membership in TPAF to 10 years after discontinuance of service and to 15 years for those who were laid off or had 10 or more years of continuous service upon voluntary termination. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A2998 | Permits court to order counseling for children in households with domestic violence in appropriate cases; establishes presumption of award of custody to domestic violence victim in appropriate cases. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A2390 | Requires municipalities in compliance with affordable housing obligations be provided priority consideration for certain State grants and assistance. | Assembly Floor: Table Motion | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A2390 | Requires municipalities in compliance with affordable housing obligations be provided priority consideration for certain State grants and assistance. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A551 | Permits certain consumers up to five business days to cancel home improvement contracts and up to three days to cancel certain consumer goods contracts. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2335 | Requires school districts to provide instruction on history of Latinos and Hispanics as part of implementation of New Jersey Student Learning Standards. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3518 | Requires MVC to create digital driver's licenses and digital non-driver identification cards. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| AJR128 | Designates August of each year as "American Artist Appreciation Month" in New Jersey. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A3742 | Requires Secretary of Agriculture to establish Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse school districts for costs expended in sourcing and procuring local foods for students; appropriates $4,500,000. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2783 | "Travel Insurance Act." | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2788 | Appropriates $128.241 million from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues to State Agriculture Development Committee for farmland preservation purposes. | Assembly Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3802 | Differentiates certain legal services from traditional insurance products. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3974 | Prohibits use of deceptive marketing practices by substance use disorder treatment providers. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3979 | Requires certain providers of substance or alcohol use disorder treatment, services, or supports to be assessed for conflicts of interest prior to receiving State funds, licensure, or certification. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3973 | Revises law concerning patient referrals to substance use disorder treatment facilities, recovery residences, and clinical laboratories. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2961 | Establishes minimum qualifications for persons employed on public works contract. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A4085 | Allows for natural organic reduction and controlled supervised decomposition of human remains. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3052 | Concerns grade options at public institutions of higher education for service member and dependents unable to complete course due to military obligation. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3041 | Prohibits cooperative from receiving public works contract when cooperative-approved vendor fails to pay prevailing wage; concerns cooperative purchasing agreements with other states; and permits contracting units to award certain indefinite contracts. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4182 | Concerns conditions of employment of certain cannabis workers. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| S3132 | Imposes certain requirements on secondhand dealers of cellular telephones and wireless communication devices. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4215 | Directs BPU to adopt rules and regulations concerning small modular nuclear reactors; authorizes EDA to incentivize construction and operation of such reactors. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4248 | Requires certain documentation as proof of voter identity to vote; updates procedures for challenging voters regarding proof of identity. | Assembly Floor: Table Motion | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A4295 | Establishes New Jersey-India Commission. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A4302 | Amends current child labor laws to protect minor working as vlogger in certain circumstances. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| S3189 | Makes various changes to "New Jersey Angel Investor Tax Credit Act" and Technology Business Tax Certificate Transfer Program; repeals "New Jersey Ignite Act." | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4429 | Expands prohibitions on employers concerning requirements for employees to attend or listen to communications related to political matters. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3309 | Establishes "Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act"; revises motor vehicle franchise agreements. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4455 | Allows exemption from New Jersey gross income of certain capital gains from sale or exchange of qualified small business stock. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4479 | Requires social media platforms to cooperate with nonprofit organization initiatives to remove nonconsensual intimate images or videos. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4521 | Concerns provision of services to defendants on pretrial release. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A4544 | Expands eligibility requirements of State's child care assistance program to include full-time graduate and post-graduate students. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3418 | Authorizes certain types of permanent structures, recently constructed or erected on preserved farmland, to be used, in certain cases, for purposes of holding special occasion events thereon. | Assembly Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Abstain |
| A4577 | Requires State departments and Office of Technology to provide reports on proposed technology upgrades. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4636 | Requires that notice concerning gift card fraud be posted by retail mercantile establishments that sell gift cards to consumers. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A4643 | Creates penalty for child endangerment via use of social media. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4651 | Establishes penalties for certain conduct related to public brawl and disorderly conduct. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A4712 | Establishes Office of Veteran Advocate and ombudsman for DMVA; appropriates funds. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4714 | Broadens riot; enhances penalties for certain crimes committed during riot; creates new crimes of mob intimidation and cyber-intimidation by publication; establishes duty in municipality to permit law enforcement to respond appropriately. | Assembly Floor: Table Motion | 06/30/2025 | Abstain |
| A4765 | Requires driver education and testing on responsibilities when approaching and passing pedestrians and persons operating bicycles and personal conveyances; requires driver's manual to include information on sharing roadway with motorists for certain road users. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4818 | Reduces and clarifies requirements for municipal tourist development commission disbursements for advertising. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3618 | Directs DEP and DOT to establish "Wildlife Corridor Action Plan." | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3663 | Establishes reproductive health travel advisory. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| S3711 | Makes annual allocation of $500,000 from Clean Communities Program Fund for public outreach concerning single-use plastics reduction program permanent. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| S3776 | Establishes Chronic Absenteeism Task Force. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3773 | Concerns requirements to report separations from employment under employee leasing agreements. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A4937 | Concerns satellite cannabis dispensaries, Cannabis Regulatory Commission membership, and post-employment restrictions on State employees. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A4937 | Concerns satellite cannabis dispensaries, Cannabis Regulatory Commission membership, and post-employment restrictions on State employees. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A4971 | Requires EDA to provide grants to certain small businesses affected by State infrastructure and construction projects. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5000 | Requires Medicaid coverage for fertility preservation services in cases of iatrogenic infertility caused by medically necessary treatments. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5004 | Creates separate crime for items depicting sexual exploitation or abuse of children; concerns computer generated or manipulated sexually explicit images. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5049 | Removes certain limitations on receipt of retirement or death benefits under PFRS under certain circumstances. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5077 | Extends statutory pause on collection of student growth objective data. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3910 | Makes various changes to provision of preschool aid and facilities requirements; establishes Universal Preschool Implementation Steering Committee; requires full-day kindergarten in all school districts. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| S3933 | Establishes School Supervisor Mentorship Pilot Program; appropriates $500,000. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| S3944 | Provides that certain non-profit corporation alcoholic beverage theater licensees include disregarded entities of such corporations; allows certain community theaters to sell alcoholic beverages. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5146 | Removes exception to civil service working test period for political subdivision employees. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Abstain |
| S3982 | Requires certain information be provided to parent at least two business days prior to annual Individualized Education Program (IEP) team meeting; establishes IEP Improvement Working Group in DOE. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3992 | Modifies capital reserve funding requirements for certain planned real estate developments. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5213 | Establishes "New Economy Opportunity Skills System Pilot Program" to strengthen alignment and collaboration between local workforce development boards, community colleges, and county vocational school districts; makes appropriation. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5199 | Requires resident and fellow physicians employed by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, who are eligible for coverage in SHBP, to be eligible to enroll and receive health insurance on first day of employment. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5195 | Requires producer of certain firefighting equipment containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances to provide written notice to purchaser; prohibits sale, manufacture, and distribution of certain firefighting equipment containing intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5267 | Requires BPU to procure and incentivize transmission-scale energy storage. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A5267 | Requires BPU to procure and incentivize transmission-scale energy storage. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Abstain |
| A5260 | Prohibits sale, manufacture, and distribution of certain apparel containing intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Abstain |
| S4122 | Revises apportionment of State lottery contributions. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A5277 | Establishes public awareness campaign and call center for certain property tax relief programs; requires submission of annual report by Stay NJ Task Force. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A5278 | Establishes "New Jersey Menopause Coverage Act"; requires health insurance coverage of medically necessary perimenopause and menopause treatments. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5309 | Permits up to three credits of continuing medical education on menopause to be used by advanced practice nurses and physicians for license renewal. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| SJR154 | Directs BPU to investigate PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.'s Reliability Pricing Model; directs State to promote affordable energy practices and to urge PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. to implement certain reforms. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A5362 | Prohibits casino licensees from using non-wagering casino games to solicit future gaming. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5378 | Modifies provisions of Cultural Arts Incentives Program, New Jersey Aspire Program, and Grow New Jersey Program; eliminates Community-Anchored Development Program. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A5383 | Requires unrestricted Medicaid coverage for ovulation enhancing drugs and medical services related to administering such drugs for certain beneficiaries experiencing infertility. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5381 | Provides medical documentation requirement for certain members of PERS, PFRS, and SPRS to receive accidental disability retirement allowance for participation in 9/11 World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations; removes filing deadline. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5420 | Permits 30-calendar day extension to cure period for certain businesses to address and resolve certain violations. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5421 | Requires development of online tax training for small and micro-businesses. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5422 | Allows businesses to receive information via email concerning new regulations and economic incentives that affect business. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4263 | Revises certain provisions concerning, and establishes certain education and data reporting requirements related to, involuntary commitment. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| AR180 | Urges DEP, Pinelands Commission, and Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council to engage in alternative forest management practices during periods of drought when prescribed burning is unsafe. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5447 | Prohibits sweepstakes model of wagering; establishes new penalties for unlawful gambling operations and practices; directs Division of Consumer Affairs and Division of Gaming Enforcement to enforce penalties. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5462 | Requires electric public utilities to develop and apply special rules for certain data centers to protect non-data center customers from increased costs. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A5463 | Requires electric public utilities to submit annual report on voting to BPU. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| S4293 | Requires owner or operator of data center to submit water and energy usage report to BPU. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A5517 | Directs BPU to study feasibility of developing advanced reactors Statewide. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A5533 | Establishes requirements for receipt and purchase of scrap metals containing lithium-ion or propulsion batteries. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| A5563 | Establishes "Summer Termination Program" for certain utility customers. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Nay |
| State | District | Chamber | Party | Status | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NJ | New Jersey Assembly District 26 | Assembly | Republican | In Office | 01/09/2024 | |
| NJ | New Jersey Assembly District 25 | Assembly | Republican | Out of Office | 01/14/2020 | 01/12/2024 |