Legislator
Legislator > Renee Burgess
State Senator
Renee Burgess
(D) - New Jersey
New Jersey Senate District 28
In Office - Started: 09/29/2022
contact info
Irvington Office
660 Stuyvesant Ave.
Irvington, NJ 07111
Irvington, NJ 07111
Phone: 862-231-6577
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | 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. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3961 | Requires public and certain nonpublic schools to offer no-fee option to parents for making school lunch and other payments; requires payment processing platforms used by certain schools to provide users with information on user fees. | Requires public and certain nonpublic schools to offer no-fee option to parents for making school lunch and other payments; requires payment processing platforms used by certain schools to provide users with information on user fees. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S1439 | 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. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4544 | Expands eligibility requirements of State's child care assistance program to include full-time graduate and post-graduate students. | Expands eligibility requirements of State's child care assistance program to include full-time graduate and post-graduate students. | Passed |
| S4293 | Requires owner or operator of data center to submit water and energy usage report to BPU. | Requires owner or operator of data center to submit water and energy usage report to BPU. | Passed |
| A2390 | Requires municipalities in compliance with affordable housing obligations be provided priority consideration for certain State grants and assistance. | Requires municipalities in compliance with affordable housing obligations be provided priority consideration for certain State grants and assistance. | Passed |
| A3973 | Revises law concerning patient referrals to substance use disorder treatment facilities, recovery residences, and clinical laboratories. | Revises law concerning patient referrals to substance use disorder treatment facilities, recovery residences, and clinical laboratories. | Passed |
| A1675 | Extends membership in TPAF to 10 years after discontinuance of service and to 15 years for those who were laid off or had 10 or more years of continuous service upon voluntary termination. | Extends membership in TPAF to 10 years after discontinuance of service and to 15 years for those who were laid off or had 10 or more years of continuous service upon voluntary termination. | Passed |
| S1067 | Directs DHS to conduct landscape analysis of available mental health services. | Directs DHS to conduct landscape analysis of available mental health services. | Vetoed |
| S3769 | Revises law requiring certain student identification cards to contain telephone number for suicide prevention hotline. | Revises law requiring certain student identification cards to contain telephone number for suicide prevention hotline. | In Committee |
| S4376 | Establishes Department of Veterans Affairs. | Establishes Department of Veterans Affairs. | Passed |
| S2961 | Establishes minimum qualifications for persons employed on public works contract. | Establishes minimum qualifications for persons employed on public works contract. | Passed |
| A2929 | Requires disclosure of lead drinking water hazards to tenants of residential units; prohibits landlords from obstructing replacement of lead service lines; concerns testing of certain property for lead drinking water hazards. | Requires disclosure of lead drinking water hazards to tenants of residential units; prohibits landlords from obstructing replacement of lead service lines; concerns testing of certain property for lead drinking water hazards. | Passed |
| A3802 | Differentiates certain legal services from traditional insurance products. | Differentiates certain legal services from traditional insurance products. | Passed |
| S3858 | Requires school bus personnel members to call 911 emergency line in potential life-threatening emergencies; requires certain school buses transportating students with disabilities to be equipped with certain safety features; makes appropriation. | Requires school bus personnel members to call 911 emergency line in potential life-threatening emergencies; requires certain school buses transporting students with disabilities to be equipped with certain safety features; makes appropriation. | Crossed Over |
| S3663 | Establishes reproductive health travel advisory. | This bill requires the Department of State to establish the "New Jersey Reproductive Health Travel Advisory" to inform New Jersey residents of the extent to which states within the United States restrict access to reproductive healthcare services. While many pregnancies are safe and uneventful, there is always some risk that a pregnancy will unexpectedly result in a medical emergency endangering the life or health of the patient. The effective treatment of such emergencies sometimes requires termination of the pregnancy. In the states that limit reproductive health care services, it is unclear to what extent necessary medical treatment for pregnancy-related emergencies will be permitted. There is thus a need to create an advisory that will inform New Jersey residents of the extent to which states within the United States limit reproductive health care services so that they may make informed travel decisions while pregnant. Pursuant to this bill, the travel advisory is to provide a description of each state in the United States with respect to reproductive healthcare services, including but not limited to, gestational duration bans, waiting periods, insurance coverage bans, medication restrictions, constitutional protections, reproductive health care funding, and criminal and civil liability for patients and healthcare providers. The travel advisory is required to provide the information according to the following tiered system: (1) "Blue: Exercise normal caution," which signifies that pregnant individuals have access to all forms of reproductive medical care without fear of civil or criminal prosecution; (2) "Yellow: Exercise increased caution," which signifies that pregnant individuals have restricted access to reproductive medical care that could result in civil or criminal prosecution; and (3) "Red: Reconsider travel," which signifies that pregnant individuals have extremely restricted access to reproductive medical care that could result in an adverse medical outcome, pregnant individuals being subject to civil or criminal prosecution, and individuals seeking emergency reproductive medical care not being provided life-saving care due to state law. The Department of State is to publish the travel advisory in a prominent location on its website and update the advisory for each state every time a state experiences a change in its law, rules, or regulations concerning reproductive healthcare services. | Passed |
| A4897 | Revises law requiring certain student identification cards to contain telephone number for suicide prevention hotline. | Revises law requiring certain student identification cards to contain telephone number for suicide prevention hotline. | Passed |
| S4567 | Appropriates $107,999,000 from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues and various Green Acres funds to DEP for local government open space acquisition, park development, and planning projects, and for certain administrative expenses. | This bill appropriates $107,999,000 from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax (CBT) revenues and various Green Acres funds to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Of the total amount appropriated by the bill, $102,679,000 would be used by the DEP to provide grants or loans, or both, to assist local government units in the State to acquire or develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes, $3,000,000 would be used for a new planning grant program, and $2,320,000 would be used for the DEP's associated administrative costs. The total amount of funding allocated for local government projects listed in this bill is $102,679,000. Of this amount, $22,427,000 is for projects to acquire lands for recreation and conservation purposes identified in section 4 of the bill, and $80,252,000 is for projects to develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes identified in section 5 of the bill. Of the sum for projects to acquire lands for recreation and conservation purposes: $19,959,000 is allocated for planning incentive open space acquisition projects (i.e., projects located in municipalities and counties that have an open space tax and an approved open space plan); $2,086,000 is allocated for open space acquisition projects in urban aid municipalities or sponsored by densely populated counties; and $382,000 is allocated for site-specific incentive acquisition projects (i.e., projects located in municipalities that have an open space tax, but do not have an open space plan). Of the sum for projects to develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes: $29,145,000 is allocated for local park development projects in urban aid municipalities or sponsored by densely populated counties; $11,951,000 is allocated for local park development projects in densely or highly populated municipalities or sponsored by highly populated counties; $6,638,000 is allocated for standard local park development projects (i.e., projects located in municipalities that do not meet the criteria of the prior two categories); $4,247,000 is allocated for stewardship activity projects; and $28,271,000 is allocated for completely inclusive playground projects, pursuant to section 4 of P.L.2018, c.104 (C.13:8C-27.1), otherwise known as "Jake's Law." The projects approved by the bill include projects in "urban aid" and densely or highly populated municipalities and counties. The bill defines a "densely or highly populated municipality" as a municipality with a population density of at least 5,000 persons per square mile or a population of at least 35,000 persons; a "densely populated county" as a county with a population density of at least 5,000 persons per square mile; and a "highly populated county" as a county with a population density of at least 1,000 persons per square mile. In addition, the bill would appropriate $3 million to the DEP in order to establish a new a Planning Grant program, the purpose of which would be to provide matching grants to local governments to fund the preparation of plans and other activities necessary to identify needs and opportunities for additional recreation and conservation initiatives in the State. To the extent that there are funds remaining after the local government unit projects listed in this bill are offered funding, the bill also authorizes the DEP, with the approval of the JBOC, to use those funds to provide additional funding for local government unit projects listed in this bill as well as for local government unit projects previously approved for funding pursuant to various other laws. The projects listed in the bill have been approved by the DEP and the Garden State Preservation Trust (GSPT). | Passed |
| S4263 | Revises certain provisions concerning, and establishes certain education and data reporting requirements related to, involuntary commitment. | Revises certain provisions concerning, and establishes certain education and data reporting requirements related to, involuntary commitment. | Passed |
| S3061 | Differentiates certain legal services from traditional insurance products. | Differentiates certain legal services from traditional insurance products. | In Committee |
| S1034 | Requires disclosure of lead drinking water hazards to tenants of residential units; prohibits landlords from obstructing replacement of lead service lines; concerns testing of certain property for lead drinking water hazards. | Requires disclosure of lead drinking water hazards to tenants of residential units; prohibits landlords from obstructing replacement of lead service lines; concerns testing of certain property for lead drinking water hazards. | In Committee |
| S1927 | Extends veteran's gross income tax exemption to spouses of deceased veterans. | This bill extends the veteran's gross income tax exemption to spouses of deceased veterans. Currently, veterans are allowed a $6,000 exemption, which can be taken as a deduction from their income, for purposes of calculating their State gross income tax liability. If a veteran dies during a taxable year, the spouse of the veteran is allowed the exemption for that taxable year if filing a joint return. However, the spouse is not allowed the exemption in subsequent years. Under this bill, the spouse of the deceased veteran would be allowed to continue to claim the exemption until the spouse remarries. | In Committee |
| S3895 | Establishes crime of reckless discharge of firearm. | Establishes crime of reckless discharge of firearm. | In Committee |
| S4148 | Establishes "New Jersey Menopause Coverage Act"; requires health insurance coverage of medically necessary perimenopause and menopause treatments. | This bill establishes the "New Jersey Menopause Coverage Act" and requires health insurance coverage of medically necessary perimenopause and menopause treatments. Under the bill, health insurance carriers (including insurance companies, hospital service corporations, medical service corporations, health service corporations, health maintenance organizations authorized to issue health benefits plans in New Jersey, entities contracted to administer health benefits in connection with the State Health Benefits Program and School Employees' Health Benefits Program, and the New Jersey FamilyCare Program) will be required to cover medically necessary treatment for perimenopause, menopause, and symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause, including but not limited to: (1) hormonal therapies such as hormone replacement therapy and bioidentical hormone treatments; (2) non-hormonal treatments, including medications to manage menopausal symptoms; (3) behavioral health care services; (4) pelvic floor physical therapy; (5) bone health treatments, including screenings, medications, and supplements, due to hormonal changes related to perimenopause and menopause; (6) preventative services for early detection and treatment of health conditions related to perimenopause and menopause such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and cancer; and (7) counseling and education regarding menopause management. The bill also requires that carriers are to provide clear and accessible information to covered persons regarding perimenopause and menopause treatments. For the purpose of this bill, "menopause" means the natural and permanent end of a female's menstrual cycle, diagnosed by a licensed medical provider after 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period. "Perimenopause" means the transitional period leading to menopause, marked by fluctuating hormone levels and changes in menstrual cycles. | In Committee |
| S3894 | Establishes crime of possessing digital instructions to illegally manufacture firearms and firearm components. | Establishes crime of possessing digital instructions to illegally manufacture firearms and firearm components. | In Committee |
| S3890 | Requires public institution of higher education to provide students with information on food assistance programs. | Requires public institution of higher education to provide students with information on food assistance programs. | Crossed Over |
| S4477 | Bans carcinogens, reproductive toxicants, flame resistant chemicals, and volatile organic compounds from certain hair products. | This bill bans certain materials from being intentionally added to hair products manufactured, sold, or distributed in this State. The bill defines hair product to mean a product made through the synthesis of artificial materials such as polyester, nylon, acrylic, or cellulose to create fibers that undergo various processes to resemble human hair. Under the bill, carcinogens, reproductive toxicants, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and flame resistant chemicals are prohibited from being intentionally added to hair products. The bill defines a carcinogen as a chemical identified by the World Health Organization as a "Group 1 carcinogen" or "group 2A carcinogen"; a chemical identified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as "known to be a human carcinogen" and "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen"; or a chemical recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as "group A carcinogens" or "group B carcinogens." The bill also defines reproductive toxicant to mean any chemical identified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as a reproductive or developmental toxicant. The bill provides that it is an unlawful practice and a violation of the consumer fraud act for any person to manufacture, sell, distribute, or offer for sale in this State a hair product that emits VOCs when used as intended, or contains an intentionally added carcinogen, reproductive toxicant, or flame resistant chemical. A violation of the bill's provisions is punishable by a monetary penalty of not more than $10,000 for a first offense and not more than $20,000 for any subsequent offense. In addition, a violation can result in cease and desist orders issued by the Attorney General, the assessment of punitive damages, and the awarding of treble damages and costs to the injured. | In Committee |
| S1939 | Requires children's meals served in chain restaurants to meet certain nutritional standards. | Requires children's meals served in chain restaurants to meet certain nutritional standards. | In Committee |
| S3091 | Requires New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority to establish public awareness campaign on benefits of doula and midwife services. | Requires New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority to establish public awareness campaign on benefits of doula and midwife services. | In Committee |
| S4592 | Imposes 30 percent electric public utility windfall surtax on certain taxpayers with allocated taxable net income in excess of 20 percent above five-year average income under CBT. | This bill imposes a 30 percent surtax, to be called the electric public utility windfall surtax, on the windfall income of electric public utilities. Under the bill, "windfall income" means the amount of allocated taxable net income of an electric public utility that is 20 percent greater than the average allocated taxable net income of the utility during the five immediately preceding privilege periods. The bill defines "allocated taxable net income" to mean the same as the term "taxable net income" is defined in the "Corporation Business Tax Act" for purposes of calculating a taxpayer's corporation business tax liability. The electric public utility windfall surtax is to be imposed in addition to the taxpayer's regular corporation business tax liability. No credits are to be allowed against the electric public utility windfall surtax, except for credits for installment payments, estimated payments made with a request for an extension of time for filing a return, or overpayments from prior privilege periods. All revenues collected from the electric public utility windfall surtax, except for amounts constitutionally dedicated for open space, farmland, and historic preservation, are to be annually appropriated to the Board of Public Utilities (board) for distribution to the ratepayers of each electric public utility subject to the electric public utility surtax. The bill requires the board to prescribe the method by which the funds appropriated from surtax proceeds are distributed, except that these monies are required to be distributed proportionally among all ratepayers of the electric public utility. | In Committee |
| S3865 | Concerns credit inquiries for rental applications. | This bill prohibits landlords from performing, or causing to be performed, hard credit inquiries on prospective tenants who apply for low- or moderate-income housing, defined in the bill as "affordable housing applicants." Landlords may, however, perform soft credit inquiries on affordable housing applicants. Hard credit inquiries can lower an individual's credit score while soft inquiries are conducted with consent of the applicant, and are meant to have no impact on one's credit score. Landlords who violate the provisions of the bill would be subject to a penalty of not more than $100 for the first offense in a one-year period, and up to $200 more for subsequent offenses in a one-year period. This bill also requires a consumer reporting agency that receives multiple hard credit inquiries, concerning the same individual, for the purpose of rental housing applications over a one-month period, to consider those inquiries to be one hard inquiry for purposes a consumer report concerning the individual. This bill requires the Director of the Division of Housing and Community Resources in the Department of Community Affairs, within six months of the bill's enactment, to make information available on its Internet website concerning certain requirements of the bill. | In Committee |
| S3429 | Expands eligibility requirements of State's child care assistance program to include full-time graduate and post-graduate students. | Expands eligibility requirements of State's child care assistance program to include full-time graduate and post-graduate students. | In Committee |
| S4555 | Requires Medicaid coverage for assisted living services for individuals with serious mental illnesses. | This bill requires the State Medicaid program to cover assisted living services for individuals diagnosed with a serious mental illness who do not require assistance with activities of daily living, but who demonstrate the inability to perform the instrumental activities of daily living necessary for independent living, as determined by a licensed mental health professional. The bill defines "activities of daily living" (ADLs) to mean those activities related to basic self-care, whether done independently or with supervision or assistance, such as bathing, dressing, feeding, or walking. "Instrumental activities of daily living" (IADLs) are activities, whether performed independently or with supervision or assistance, that enable an individual to live independently. IADLs typically require more complex organizational and cognitive skills than ADLs and include, but are not limited to, managing medications, following a prescribed medical or mental health treatment plan, managing personal finances, and cleaning personal living spaces. The Commissioner of Human Services will establish a functional assessment process by which a licensed mental health professional will determine whether an individual with a serious mental illness meets the criteria for assisted living services under the bill. The factors to be considered as part of this assessment include the individual's medical records, psychiatric history, functional evaluations, and input from treating physicians, mental health professionals, and family members. The commissioner will apply for any Medicaid State plan amendments or waivers necessary to implement the provisions under the bill and secure federal financial participation for State Medicaid expenditures under the federal Medicaid program. The provisions of the bill will become effective on the first day of the sixth month following the date of enactment. | In Committee |
| S4545 | Expands epinephrine administration mechanisms permitted in schools. | This bill modifies current law regulating the method in which epinephrine is administered in schools during emergency circumstances where a pupil is experiencing anaphylaxis. Specifically, the bill amends current law requiring the use of a pre-filled auto-injector mechanism to administer epinephrine in a school setting to allow any FDA approved epinephrine administration mechanism to be used during an in-school anaphylaxis emergency. | In Committee |
| S4560 | "NJ Healthy Schools Act"; prohibits sale and distribution of ultraprocessed foods in schools participating in federally funded or assisted meal programs. | This bill, designated the "NJ Healthy Schools Act," would prohibit, beginning in September 2026, any school participating in federally funded or assisted meal programs from serving, selling, or permitting a third party to sell ultraprocessed foods on school property during the school day. The bill would not restrict a parent or guardian from providing ultraprocessed food to their child. The bill defines "ultraprocessed food" as any food or beverage containing certain chemical additives, including potassium bromate, propylparaben, titanium dioxide, brominated vegetable oil, and various synthetic dyes such as FD&C Yellow 5 and 6, Red 3 and 40, Green 3, and Blue 1 and 2. These substances are associated with potential health risks, particularly for children. By limiting access to foods containing these ingredients, the bill seeks to promote healthier eating environments in schools and protect student well-being. To support implementation, the bill also requires the Department of Education to create a standardized compliance certification form that schools may use to attest they are following the law. The Department must also publish and maintain a publicly accessible list of all schools that have submitted this certification, updated annually. | In Committee |
| SCR114 | Urges Congress to enact "Find It Early Act." | Urges Congress to enact "Find It Early Act." | In Committee |
| S4366 | Requires Division of Gaming Enforcement to arrange study and implement certain language requirements in gambling advertisements; restricts advertisements and promotion in certain locations. | This bill requires the Division of Gaming Enforcement in the Department of Law and Public Safety to arrange for the conduct of a study of the effectiveness of using various words and phrases in advertisements for casino games and sports pools to deter illegal or irresponsible gambling, challenge perceptions of gambling, and to encourage the use of responsible gambling tools. The study will evaluate whether: (1) certain words of phrases resonate with members of the public; (2) certain words or phrases are more likely to cause persons engaged in gambling activities to bet responsibly; (3) the placement of words and phrases in different locations on an advertisement may better draw the attention of viewers; (4) the size of the font and any distinguishing features of the text, such as bold or underline, may emphasize the message for members of the public; (5) the use of different messages would be more effective in reaching problem gamblers, persons on the list of self-excluded persons established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2001, c.39 (C.5:12-71.2), and persons under the legal age to gamble in this State; and (6) the repeated use of the same words and phrases diminishes their effectiveness. The bill requires the study to be completed within 12 months and for the division to publish a copy of the study on its Internet website. The division will then review and use this study as the basis for developing not less than three, but not more than 10 key words or phrases to be included in advertisements for casino games and sports pools, in addition to language already required such as "If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800 GAMBLER." These words and phrases will also be required to be used in advertisements at a frequency which optimizes their effectiveness. The division may modify these words or phrases from time to time, as necessary to maintain their effectiveness. The bill also authorizes the division to adopt rules and regulations to prevent advertising and promotions, to the extent practicable, from being placed in or near locations, such as schools or college campuses, or on media which would predominantly target underage or other prohibited persons, including those on the list of self-excluded persons. | In Committee |
| S4522 | Provides for State agency reviews and increases of income thresholds for residential customers to participate in certain utility bill payment assistance and energy efficiency programs. | This bill requires the Department of Community Affairs, Department of Human Services, Board of Public Utilities (BPU), and any other State agency that administers a utility bill payment assistance program or energy efficiency program to, within one year of the bill's effective date, complete a review of the program, as provided for in the bill, and increase the income threshold if the department, board, or agency determines an increase to be appropriate. The bill requires that a State agency request public comment, in a form and manner determined by that State agency, or seek assistance from other State agencies, to determine an appropriate increase to the program's income threshold. The bill further specifies that if an increase in income thresholds for the State's low-income energy efficiency programs is ordered, the BPU is required to assess if further guidance is necessary to change income thresholds in the utilities' triennium energy efficiency and peak demand reduction programs for moderate-income energy efficiency programs to ensure that low- and moderate-income customers are eligible for only one energy efficiency assistance program and to expand access to moderate-income programs, if appropriate. | In Committee |
| S4523 | Requires State agencies that administer utility bill payment assistance or energy efficiency programs to review, and potentially increase, income thresholds for residential customers to participate in programs. | This bill requires the Department of Community Affairs, Department of Human Services, Board of Public Utilities (BPU), and any other State agency that administers a utility bill payment assistance program or energy efficiency program to, within one year of when the BPU issues a final order in the proceeding entitled "In the Matter of Addressing New Jersey Energy Affordability for Low- and Moderate-Income Households" (Docket No. QO24110853), complete a review of the program, as provided for in the bill, and increase the income threshold if the department, board, or agency determines an increase to be appropriate. The bill requires that a State agency request public comment, in a form and manner determined by that State agency, or seek assistance from other State agencies, to determine an appropriate increase to the program's income threshold. The bill further specifies that if an increase in income thresholds for the State's low-income energy efficiency programs is ordered, the BPU is required to assess if further guidance is necessary to change income thresholds in the utilities' triennium energy efficiency and peak demand reduction programs for moderate-income energy efficiency programs to ensure that low- and moderate-income customers are eligible for only one energy efficiency assistance program and to expand access to moderate-income programs, if appropriate. | In Committee |
| S712 | Establishes certain benefits for Class Two special law enforcement officers; allows arson investigators to carry a firearm at all times. | This bill establishes certain benefits for Class Two special law enforcement officers. Under current law, Class Two special law enforcement officers only have full police powers while on duty and are required to return their firearms to the officer in charge of their station at the end of each workday. This bill authorizes all Class Two special law enforcement officers who successfully complete the statutorily required training programs to exercise full police power and carry their firearms at all times when in this State. The bill also allows arson investigators to carry a firearm at all times while in this State. In addition, the bill establishes new requirements for Class One and Class Two special law enforcement officers. Specifically, the bill requires all special law enforcement officers to be between 21 and 75 years of age and to submit to a drug test at the time of appointment. The bill also waives the training requirements to become a Class Two special law enforcement officer for persons who previously served as a full-time corrections officer, sheriff's officer, or law enforcement officer. This bill also clarifies that Class Two special law enforcement officers are granted the same protections as all law enforcement officers. Under current law, a simple assault is upgraded to an aggravated assault if committed against a law enforcement officer while clearly identifiable as being engaged in official duties or due to law enforcement status. Current law also makes it a fourth degree crime to impersonate a law enforcement officer and a second degree crime to knowingly take or attempt to exercise unlawful control over a law enforcement officer's firearm. This bill clarifies that the same penalties for the crimes of assaulting, impersonating, or disarming a law enforcement officer apply if committed against a Class Two special law enforcement officer. The bill also specifically extends to Class Two special law enforcement officers the same immunity from civil liability granted to regular full-time law enforcement officers. Under the bill, Class Two special law enforcement officers would be permitted to act as security at polling place on the day of an election to ensure that qualified voters are not obstructed from voting. The bill authorizes the automatic expungement of criminal charges that are filed against any law enforcement officer, including any Class Two special law enforcement officer, in the course of official duties if the officer is found not guilty. Class Two special law enforcement officers also would be entitled to paid leave to attend any State or national convention of the Special Police Organization. Under current law, paid leave is only granted to members of an organization affiliated with the New Jersey Policemen's Benevolent Association, Inc., the Fraternal Order of Police, the Firemen's Mutual Benevolent Association or the Professional Fire Fighters Association. Currently, special law enforcement officers are prohibited from working more than 20 hours per week except: 1) during periods of emergency, 2) in resort municipalities, 3) or to provide public safety and law enforcement services to a public entity. This bill requires counties and municipalities in which special law enforcement officers work more than 20 hours per week to purchase liability insurance for acts or omissions committed by special law enforcement officers acting in the course of their official duties. The bill also allows a department, commission, or agency to dismiss a complaint filed by a private citizen or an inmate against a regularly appointed, full-time law enforcement officer or Class Two special law enforcement officer without full investigation if it determines that the complaint does not constitute a violation of law or departmental rule or regulation. A complaint filed by a private citizen or an inmate also may be dismissed if the complainant failed to substantially comply with the complaint procedure prescribed by the employing department. Finally, the bill expands the list of retired law enforcement officers who are eligible to receive a permit to carry a handgun to include retired arson investigators and Class Two special law enforcement officers who retire after four years of service. Under current law, certain retired law enforcement officers may annually apply for a permit to carry a handgun, until those officers reach age 75, at which time they are no longer eligible. The permit allows a retired law enforcement officer to carry a handgun at all times. Under this bill, retired arson investigators and Class Two special law enforcement officers who retire after four years of service would be eligible to receive a carry permit. | In Committee |
| S664 | Increases amount of cigarette and other tobacco products tax revenues provided to New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research to $10 million; establishes dedicated, non-lapsing Cancer Research Fund. | This bill increases the amount of cigarette and other tobacco products tax revenues provided to the New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research (NJCCR) to $10 million. The bill also establishes a dedicated, non-lapsing Cancer Research Fund within the Department of the Treasury. In doing so, the bill prioritizes funding: 1) to expand the NJCCR's capacity to fund research regarding the causes, prevention, treatment, and palliation of all cancers and to serve as a resource of information to providers and consumers of cancer care and treatment services; and 2) for cancer research grants that reduce and eliminate disparities among the various racial and ethnic populations within the State's minority and vulnerable communities by increasing access to clinical trials and high-quality cancer care and treatment. Pursuant to current statute, the NJCCR annually receives $1 million in cigarette and other tobacco products tax revenues. This money is deposited into an existing lapsing Cancer Research Fund and then appropriated to the commission. In recent years, pursuant to the annual appropriations act, this money has been transferred from the Cancer Research Fund to the General Fund. The appropriations act then provides the NJCCR funding via a budget line. Despite the statutory requirement, in FY 2022, the NJCCR was appropriated $4 million in funding. Under the bill, the existing lapsing Cancer Research Fund is replaced by a non-lapsing, revolving fund. This fund is to be the repository of the $10 million in cigarette and other tobacco products tax revenues deposited into the account under the bill and any other funds approved by the Department of Health or the NJCCR. Moneys deposited in the fund, and any interest earned thereon, are to be used exclusively for providing grants for cancer research projects authorized and approved by the commission, with at least $5 million to be used to fund general cancer research and at least $5 million to be used to fund pediatric cancer research. The State Treasurer will be the custodian of the fund and all disbursements from the fund are to be made by the State Treasurer upon vouchers signed by the chairperson of the NJCCR or the chairperson's designee. The monies in the fund are to be invested and reinvested by the Director of the Division of Investment in the Department of the Treasury in the same manner as other trust funds in the custody of the State Treasurer, in the manner provided by law. Interest received on the monies in the fund are to be credited to the fund. | In Committee |
| S4482 | Prohibits electric generation service and gas supply service rates from exceeding basic generation service and basic gas supply service rates. | This bill requires electric power suppliers and gas suppliers to charge residential customers no more than the price of basic generation service or basic gas supply service. The Board of Public Utilities (board) approved an increase in electricity rates, which will become effective in June 2025. According to the board, this increase will raise electricity bills by approximately 17 to 20 percent, depending on a ratepayer's electric public utility. Electricity and gas are not luxuries; they are essential services powering homes, schools, medical devices, and transportation. As the cost of living continues to rise and many wages stagnate, New Jersey residents need protection from utility rate increases, which exacerbate the effects of inflation on consumers. This bill aims to safeguard ratepayers by implementing regulatory measures that promote fairness and transparency in pricing. It is the sponsor's intent to prevent excessive rate hikes and unfair or deceptive practices by electric power suppliers and gas suppliers by capping rates charged to residential consumers at the price of basic generation service. This measure is intended to address economic hardships and promote fair electric generation service and gas supply service pricing. New Jersey families, individuals, and businesses deserve reliable, affordable energy without facing undue financial strain. | In Committee |
| S4478 | Requires electric public utilities and gas public utilities to implement or maintain public utility warranty programs that cover full cost to repair or replace covered appliances. | This bill requires electric public utilities and gas public utilities to implement or maintain public utility warranty programs that cover the full cost to repair or replace covered appliances. Under the bill, a "covered appliance" includes, but is not limited to: furnaces, water heaters, HVAC systems, refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, grills, gas fireplaces, and space heaters. The bill also requires electric public utilities and gas public utilities to advertise their public utility warranty program in a bill insert to its customers every billing cycle for one year following the effective date of the bill. | In Committee |
| S4479 | Requires BPU to prohibit electric and gas public utilities from charging residential customers certain types of payments based on certain billing practices. | Certain electric and gas public utilities offer equal payment plans that average a customer's estimated energy usage over 12 months to provide consistent billing. Customers may face lump-sum payments if actual usage exceeds the estimate. This bill requires the Board of Public Utilities (board) to require each electric public utility and gas public utility to offer an equal payment plan for residential customers. This bill prohibits electric and gas public utilities from: (1) charging lump-sum payments under equal payment plans; (2) recovering any outstanding balance due based on the difference between a residential customer's actual yearly usage and any forecasted yearly utility usage; and (3) increasing a residential customer's monthly bill under an equal payment plan except annually, based only on that customer's utility usage data. Further, separate from equal payment plans, at certain times electric and gas public utilities may charge customers using estimated meter bills, which are based on prior usage information or predictive modeling instead of the customers' actual usage. When a customer's estimated meter bill is lower than a later-obtained meter reading, the electric and gas public utility may bill the customer for the difference in a utility billing procedure known as underbilling. This bill also prohibits electric and gas public utilities from underbilling and further prohibits electric public utilities and gas public utilities from incorporating any outstanding balance due based on the difference between a customer's estimated meter bill and a later-obtained actual meter reading into that customer's future utility bills. It is the sponsor's intent that this bill provides a crucial step in addressing economic hardships and promoting fair electric public utility and gas public utility pricing. New Jersey families, individuals, and businesses deserve reliable, affordable energy without facing undue financial strain. The board approved an increase in electricity rates, which will become effective in June 2025. According to the board, this increase will raise electricity bills by approximately 17 to 20 percent. Electricity and gas are not luxuries; they are essential services powering homes, schools, medical devices, and transportation. As the cost of living continues to rise and many wages stagnate, New Jersey residents need protection from utility rate increases, which exacerbate the effects of inflation on consumers. It is the sponsor's intent that this bill will safeguard ratepayers by implementing regulatory measures that promote fairness and transparency in pricing. | In Committee |
| S4483 | Imposes 10 percent electric public utility windfall surtax on taxpayers with allocated taxable net income in excess of $10 million under CBT. | This bill imposes a 10 percent surtax, to be called the electric public utility windfall surtax, on electric public utilities with allocated taxable net income in excess of $10 million to fund vital utility assistance programs that annually serve hundreds of thousands of people in this State. The bill defines "allocated taxable net income" to mean the same as the term "taxable net income" is defined in the "Corporation Business Tax Act," N.J.S.A.54:10A-1 et seq. for purposes of calculating a taxpayer's corporation business tax liability. The electric public utility windfall surtax is to be imposed in addition to the taxpayer's regular corporation business tax liability. No credits are to be allowed against the electric public utility windfall surtax, except for credits for installment payments, estimated payments made with a request for an extension of time for filing a return, or overpayments from prior privilege periods. All revenues collected from the electric public utility windfall surtax, except for amounts constitutionally dedicated for open space, farmland, and historic preservation, are to be annually appropriated to the Board of Public Utilities (board) for the funding of utility assistance programs. The bill prohibits the board from approving any rate increase or charge to ratepayers that includes the cost of compliance with its provisions. The board approved an increase in electricity rates, which will become effective in June 2025. According to the board, this increase will raise electricity bills by approximately 17 to 20 percent, depending on a ratepayer's electric public utility. Electricity and gas are not luxuries; they are essential services powering homes, schools, medical devices, and transportation. As the cost of living continues to rise and many wages stagnate, New Jersey residents need protection from utility rate increases, which exacerbate the effects of inflation on consumers. This bill aims to safeguard ratepayers by implementing regulatory measures that promote fairness and transparency in pricing. This bill is designed to ensure that excessive profits of electric public utilities are taxed and that the resulting revenues benefit utility assistance programs, without passing through the costs of compliance with the bill to ratepayers. This measure is a crucial step in addressing economic hardships and promoting fair electric public utility and gas public utility pricing. New Jersey families, individuals, and businesses deserve reliable, affordable energy without facing undue financial strain. | In Committee |
| S4480 | Requires electric and gas public utilities de-privatization study; appropriates $100,000. | This bill requires the Division of the Rate Counsel (division) to engage a third party to conduct a feasibility and cost savings study on the de-privatization of electric public utilities and gas public utilities in the State. The third party is authorized to request information and reasonable assistance from any electric public utility, gas public utility, or public entity in order to conduct the study, which is to examine the feasibility of and cost savings associated with de-privatization options, including, but not limited to: (1) acquisition or operation of existing electric public utilities and gas public utilities, in part or in whole, by a public entity; and (2) joint ownership or operation of existing electric public utilities and gas public utilities, in part or in whole, between a public entity and existing electric public utilities and gas public utilities. The study is to include: (1) the short- and long-term challenges and benefits of each option examined, including, but not limited to, any anticipated environmental effect, impact on service, and cost to ratepayers; (2) the strengths and weaknesses of selecting each public entity considered for potential acquisition, ownership, or operation, in whole or in part, of electric public utilities and gas public utilities, as well as potential organizational structures; (3) an estimation of costs, including, but not limited to, financial costs, as well as the long-term financial impact on the State and any public entity involved in each option; (4) an estimation of the cost savings associated with each option examined; (5) an estimation of the amount of revenue generated by clean energy programs; and (6) any other analysis as the division directs. Any electric public utility, gas public utility, or public entity is required to promptly respond to, cooperate fully with, and provide any requested information to the third party. Within a year of the bill's effective date, the division is required to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature summarizing the findings from the study and providing recommendations as to the feasibility of, need for, cost savings associated with, and plan for the de-privatization of electric public utilities and gas public utilities in this State. The report is to include recommendations for legislative, executive, and other actions. The bill appropriates $100,000 from the General Fund to the division to implement the provisions of the bill. The board approved an increase in electricity rates, which will become effective in June 2025. According to the board, this increase will raise electricity bills by approximately 17 to 20 percent, depending on a ratepayer's electric public utility. Electricity and gas are not luxuries; they are essential services powering homes, schools, medical devices, and transportation. As the cost of living continues to rise and many wages stagnate, New Jersey residents need protection from utility rate increases, which exacerbate the effects of inflation on consumers. With this bill, the sponsor intends to encourage the State to explore opportunities to provide electric public utility and gas public utility services as a public good for electric public utility and gas public utility customers across New Jersey. This measure is a crucial step in addressing economic hardships and promoting fair electric public utility and gas public utility pricing. New Jersey families, individuals, and businesses deserve reliable, affordable energy without facing undue financial strain. | In Committee |
| S4481 | Resets electric and gas public utility rates to 2020 levels for five-year period. | This bill resets electric public utility and gas public utility rates to 2020 levels for a five-year period. Specifically, the bill requires an electric public utility or gas public utility that does business in the State to file with the Board of Public Utilities (board) an updated schedule of rates for approval, which schedule is to reflect utility rates equal to or less than the electric public utility's or gas public utility's rates at any point during the calendar year 2020. The bill then requires the board to approve an updated schedule of rates within 30 days of its receipt of the updated schedule. Upon the board's approval, an updated schedule of rates is to remain in effect for a period of five years. The board approved an increase in electricity rates, which will become effective in June 2025. According to the board, this increase will raise electricity bills by approximately 17 to 20 percent, depending on a ratepayer's electric public utility. Electricity and gas are not luxuries; they are essential services powering homes, schools, medical devices, and transportation. As the cost of living continues to rise and many wages stagnate, New Jersey residents need protection from utility rate increases, which exacerbate the effects of inflation on consumers. This bill aims to safeguard ratepayers by implementing regulatory measures that promote fairness and transparency in pricing. The bill is designed to prevent excessive rate hikes and ensure that essential energy services remain affordable and accessible. By temporarily resetting electric public utility and gas public utility rates, the bill seeks to: (1) provide financial relief for households experiencing rising expenses; (2) prevent unwarranted profit inflation by electric public utilities and gas public utilities; and (3) establish regulatory oversight to ensure fair rate adjustments that align with consumer needs. This measure is a crucial step in addressing economic hardships and promoting fair electric public utility and gas public utility pricing. New Jersey families, individuals, and businesses deserve reliable, affordable energy without facing undue financial strain. | In Committee |
| S4446 | Establishes Animal Cruelty Offender Registry; prohibits purchase, adoption, and breeding of animals by animal cruelty offenders. | This bill would provide for the establishment and implementation of an animal cruelty offender registry that would require the continuing registration of animal cruelty offenders and allow for the public disclosure of certain information pertaining to those offenders. Requiring the registration of animal cruelty offenders is necessary because the overwhelming evidence accumulated since 1970 shows that persons who cruelly abuse or torture animals are likely to engage in recidivist acts of violence against both animals and humans. In particular, studies have shown that early incidents of animal abuse are often part of the criminal histories of serial killers, child, spouse, and elder abusers, and sexually violent predators, and may be characteristic of the developmental histories of up to 66 percent of violent offenders, in general. In addition, it has been shown that those who abuse animals through participation in animal fighting rings also often engage in other crimes associated with violence, and will often continue to engage in animal abuse and other violence-related offenses even after serving jail time. The bill would require registration for any person convicted of an enumerated animal cruelty offense who maintains, establishes, or re-establishes a primary residence or secondary residence in this State or who is otherwise physically present in the State for more than 14 consecutive days or a period exceeding 30 days in a calendar year. In particular, a person would be required to register if they have been convicted, adjudicated delinquent, found not guilty by reason of insanity, or found civilly liable for any of the following animal cruelty offenses: (1) overdriving, overloading, driving when overloaded, overworking, depriving of necessary sustenance, abusing, or needlessly killing a living animal by direct or indirect means, including through the use of another living animal; (2) tormenting, torturing, maiming, hanging, poisoning, unnecessarily or cruelly beating, or needlessly mutilating a living animal by direct or indirect means, including through the use of another living animal, whether or not such actions cause the death of the animal; (3) cruelly killing, by direct or indirect means, a living animal, including through the use of another living animal; (4) causing, allowing, or permitting the fighting or baiting of a living animal for amusement or gain; (5) engaging in the management of, or receiving money or other consideration for the admission of a person to, a place that is kept or used for the purposes of fighting or baiting a living animal; (6) owning, possessing, keeping, training, promoting, purchasing, or knowingly selling a living animal for the purposes of fighting or baiting that animal; (7) allowing or suffering a place under a person's ownership or control to be used for the purposes of fighting or baiting a living animal; (8) acting as a spectator, gambling on the outcome of a fight, or otherwise encouraging or assisting in activities occurring at a place that is kept or used for the purposes of fighting or baiting a living animal; (9) carrying a living animal in or upon a vehicle or otherwise, in a cruel or inhumane manner; (10) impounding or confining a living animal and failing to supply it during such confinement with a sufficient quantity of good and wholesome food and water; (11) abandoning a maimed, sick, infirm, or disabled animal to die in a public place; (12) abandoning a domestic animal; (13) unlawfully debarking or silencing a dog; (14) using a live pigeon, fowl, or other bird as a target or to be shot at for amusement or as a test of skill in marksmanship, or shooting such a bird, except where such use or shooting conforms with the rules pertaining to the shooting of game animals; and (15) any comparable offense in another state, country, or jurisdiction. The bill establishes a prohibition against the animal cruelty offender from adopting, purchasing, or engaging in any part of breeding animals after being required to register and during any period of time when the animal cruelty offender is required to register. If it is the first time the animal cruelty offender has been required to register and the animal cruelty offender owns, or has in the animal cruelty offender's residence, any animals, the appropriate municipal official shall inspect the conditions under which the animals are kept and the health and environment of the animals, and determine if the animals are in good physical health, and appear to receive necessary care as defined pursuant to R.S.4:22-15, and do not seem to be suffering from any abuse or neglect. If such a determination is made, the animal cruelty offender would be permitted to continue to own, care for, or live with the animals in the animal cruelty offender's residence. If the determination is that the animals are in poor physical health, do not receive necessary care, or show signs of abuse or neglect, or the animal cruelty offender has committed a second offense that would require registering, the animals would be immediately forfeited and offered for adoption. The bill would require the Attorney General to provide for the release of the animal cruelty offender from registration requirements after the animal cruelty offender has remained incident-free for 10 years. The Attorney General is required to provide for the annual archiving of the registry and any animal cruelty offender's name and other required information would remain accessible to law enforcement and the public, regardless of whether the animal cruelty offender is currently required to register. The bill would require that notice of the duty to register be provided by the Attorney General within 30 days after the bill's enactment, and by the Motor Vehicle Commission upon application for a driver's license or identification card. The court or local law enforcement agency with which an offender is required to initially register pursuant to this bill would be required to notify the offender of the specific requirements of the bill, and the penalties for noncompliance. The information to be included in an offender's registration would consist of the following: (1) A statement in writing, signed by the animal cruelty offender, acknowledging that the offender has been advised of the duty to register, and including the offender's name, social security number, age, race, sex, date of birth, height, weight, hair and eye color; address of primary residence and secondary residence if any, or county and municipality of physical presence if a non-resident or homeless resident; address of anticipated or current places of employment; any anticipated or current school enrollment; the commission date and a brief description of the conviction offenses for which registration is required; and the indictment number associated with each such offense; (2) A photograph of the defendant; and (3) Any other information that the Attorney General deems necessary to properly inform the public about the identity of the offender and to assess the risk of re-offense. The bill would require each offender to verify the address on the registration statement on an annual basis, and would additionally require each offender to notify law enforcement officials of any change in address. Any person who fails to register as required by the bill's provisions would be guilty of a crime of the third degree and would be subject, in addition to any other penalties provided by law, to pay a fine of $2,500. Any registered animal cruelty offender who fails to comply, or who falsifies information in complying with the change of address requirements or address verification requirements provided by the bill, would be guilty of a crime of the fourth degree, and would be subject, in addition to any other penalties provided by law, to pay a fine of $1,500. The Attorney General would be required to maintain a central registry of all registrations submitted in accordance with this bill's provisions, and would additionally be required to develop a system for making certain offender information from the central registry available to the public on the Internet. The Attorney General would be responsible both for ensuring that the Internet registry contains appropriate warnings and notifications, and for maintaining the accuracy of, and for timely updating the information contained therein. An Animal cruelty offender Internet Registry Advisory Council would be established to consult with and make recommendations to the Attorney General concerning the publication of registration records on the Internet. All records maintained pursuant to the bill would be open to any law enforcement agency in the State, any other state, or the United States government, and would be able to be released to the Office of Animal Welfare in the Department of Health, or to the Division of Child Behavioral Health Services, the Division of Prevention and Community Partnerships, or the Division of Youth and Family Services in the Department of Children and Families for use in carrying out the office's and the divisions' respective responsibilities under law. Any official would be immune from civil liability for damages for any discretionary decision to release relevant records unless it is shown that the official acted with gross negligence or in bad faith. Upon receipt of an offender's registration or notification of an offender's change in address, and pursuant to the procedures outlined in the bill's provisions, the chief law enforcement officer of the municipality (or county) wherein the offender's primary residence and secondary residence, if any, is located, or wherein the offender is generally present if a non-resident or a homeless resident of the State, would be required to provide notification to the community of the offender's presence therein, in accordance with guidelines to be established by the Attorney General relating to the offender's risk of re-offense. The bill would establish a temporary advisory council to assist the Attorney General in establishing these guidelines and procedures for risk assessment and community notification. The bill would require the Attorney General to consider various factors relevant to an offender's risk of re-offense, and would require the regulations adopted by the Attorney General to provide for two tiers of community notification based on whether the offender is determined to have a low risk of re-offense, or whether the offender is determined to have a moderate or high risk of re-offense. The bill would require the regulations adopted by the Attorney General to prohibit a "low risk" categorization in a case where the registered animal cruelty offender (1) has more than one prior conviction for an animal cruelty offense, as defined by the bill, (2) has one prior conviction for an animal cruelty offense in addition to one or more convictions for a violent offense against a person, or (3) has been diagnosed with Conduct Disorder - a disorder characterized by a general and ongoing disregard for societal laws and the feelings of others, and for which animal abuse is a symptom. In the case that an offender is determined to have a low risk of re-offense, notification of the offender's presence in the community would be provided only to law enforcement agencies likely to encounter the person, and the person's registration information would be prohibited from publication on the Internet unless such publication is ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction. In the case that an offender is determined to have a moderate or high risk of re-offense, notification of the offender's presence in the community would be provided to law enforcement agencies likely to encounter the offender, as well as to members of the public likely to encounter the offender, and to animal shelters, pet adoption societies, humane societies, veterinarian's offices, and other animal welfare or control groups in the offender's community. Furthermore, registration information for offenders having a moderate to high risk of re-offense would be made available for public viewing, without limitation, on the Internet registry. The bill would require the Attorney General's regulations to ensure that an offender will be provided with notice of the results of the risk assessment and will be afforded an opportunity to have that determination reviewed prior to Internet publication or any notification of community members. Because the courts have found that there may be some limited privacy interest in the disclosure of the offender's exact address, the bill would allow disclosure of the offender's exact address only to individuals and businesses in the offender's community having a particular need for the information, and would prohibit publication of this information on the Internet registry - providing, instead, for the Internet publication only of the general vicinity of the offender's address. Moreover, private citizens and businesses in the offender's community would be entitled to obtain the offender's exact address only after signing a receipt of notice form, prepared by the Attorney General, which explicitly prohibits the disclosure of the offender's exact address to persons who are not members of the household or employees of the business, as the case may be, and which provides express notice that any harassment or harming of the offender, the offender's family, or the offender's property is prohibited and punishable by law. Any information disclosed pursuant to the bill's provisions could be used by any person in any manner to protect an animal at risk, or for any other lawful purpose consistent with the enhancement of public safety. Except in the case of willful or wanton misconduct, any person who provides or fails to provide information to the community, or who discloses or fails to disclose information on the Internet registry in accordance with the bill's provisions, would be immune from civil or criminal action. The bill would provide, however, that any person using the information disclosed pursuant thereto to commit a crime would be guilty of a crime of the third degree, and that any person using the information disclosed to commit a disorderly persons or petty disorderly persons offense would be guilty of a disorderly persons offense and subject to pay a fine of $500 to $1,000, in addition to any other penalty imposed. Evidence that a person obtained information about an offender from law enforcement or from the Internet registry within one year prior to committing a criminal offense against that offender would give rise to an inference that the person used information in violation of the bill's provisions. The bill would also provide that any person who uses any information disclosed pursuant to the bill's provisions to encourage, solicit, or assist a registered animal cruelty offender or other person to engage in criminal activity or an animal cruelty offense would be guilty of a crime of the third degree and, in addition to any other penalties provided by law, subject to pay a fine of $2,500. The bill would additionally prevent the use of information disclosed pursuant thereto for purposes of health or other insurance; loans; credit; education, scholarships, or fellowships; benefits, privileges, or services provided by a business establishment, unless consistent with enhancement of the public safety; or housing and accommodations. However, the bill would specifically allow a humane society, animal welfare organization, or other similar group to use the information disclosed pursuant to its provisions in order to screen applicants for employment or for pet adoption services. The use of any information disclosed pursuant to the bill's provisions for any of the specifically prohibited purposes would make the user of the information liable for actual damages, attorney's fees, and any amount that may be determined by a jury or a court sitting without a jury, which is not less than $250, and not more than three times the amount of actual damage, or for a civil penalty of not more than $25,000. Furthermore, the bill would authorize civil action for injunctive or other preventative relief in the case that there is reasonable cause to believe that any person or group is engaged in a pattern of misuse of information disclosed pursuant to the bill's provisions. The bill would establish the "Animal Cruelty Offender Registration Fund," separate and distinct from the General Fund, in order to provide a dedicated source of moneys by which to finance the ongoing administrative and maintenance costs associated with the Animal Cruelty Offender Registry and the expenses associated with the community notifications required under the bill. The fund would be credited with: (1) fifty percent of all civil and criminal fines collected by a court in relation to the animal cruelty offenses for which registration is required; (2) any excess fines collected by a court as a result of an offender's failure to register, failure to notify authorities of a change in address, failure to timely verify the offender's address, or falsification of any information in the course of complying with the bill's requirements in this regard; (3) any excess fines collected by a court from the unlawful use of information disclosed pursuant to the act's provisions to encourage, solicit, or assist a registered animal cruelty offender or other person to engage in criminal activity or commit an animal cruelty offense; (4) any interest or other investment income accrued on moneys deposited in the account; (5) any moneys gifted to the fund; and (6) any other moneys appropriated by the Legislature and allocated to the fund for its purposes. Finally, the bill would provide that a registered animal cruelty offender may make application to the Superior Court to terminate the obligation to register under this bill upon proof that the person has not committed an animal cruelty offense or an offense constituting violence against humans within 15 years following conviction or release from a correctional facility for any term of imprisonment imposed, whichever is later, and is not likely to pose a threat to the safety of others. A registered animal cruelty offender would also be able to make application to the Attorney General to terminate the obligation to register under this bill upon the submission of evidence, sufficient in the determination of the Attorney General, to establish that the offender no longer maintains primary residence or secondary residence in this State, and will not be present in the State for more than 14 consecutive days, or for an aggregate period of 30 days or more. However, such an offender would be required to re-register with the State in the event that he re-establishes primary residence or secondary residence in the State or re-establishes physical presence therein for the requisite period of time. | In Committee |
| SR131 | Honors life of Congressman William J. Pascrell, Jr. | This resolution honors late Congressman Pascrell. Congressman Pascrell, a tireless advocate for public health and safety who served New Jersey for decades, leaves behind a legacy of distinguished public service. Congressman Pascrell founded the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, an initiative that has played a critical role in advancing national policy, research, and resources for individuals affected by brain injuries. Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) occur due to a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that disrupts normal brain function, while acquired brain injuries (ABI) result from internal causes such as strokes, aneurysms, or tumors. Individuals who suffer from TBI or ABI often experience long-term disabilities ranging from minor impairments to severe and life-altering conditions, which affect their cognitive, physical, emotional, and social well-being. Over the years the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force has worked to increase awareness of brain injuries, support groundbreaking research initiatives, promote rehabilitation services, and address the long-term effects of brain injuries on individuals, families, and communities. As a co-chair of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, Congressman Pascrell advocated for research initiatives focused on treatment, rehabilitation, and potential cures for TBI. Brain injuries impact thousands of New Jersey residents in every congressional district, affecting children, veterans, athletes, seniors, and survivors of accidents and medical conditions, all of whom need strong legislative advocacy and support at both the State and federal levels. The Congressional Brain Injury Task Force remains a bipartisan effort, currently co-chaired by Democratic Congressman Chris Deluzio from Pennsylvannia and Republican Congressman Morgan Luttrell from Texas, and continues to advance Congressman Pascrell's legacy of championing policies that improve brain injury awareness, prevention, research, and treatment. It is vital that New Jersey's congressional delegation continues Congressman Pascrell's legacy by joining and supporting the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force to ensure that our State remains a leader in brain injury advocacy and policy. | In Committee |
| S4404 | 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 |
| SJR164 | Designates March 17 of each year as "Profound Autism Day." | This joint resolution designates March 17 of each year as "Profound Autism Day." The definition of autism has evolved over time, creating an increasingly heterogeneous spectrum. While the entire spectrum deserves recognition and support, profound autism is a term intended to provide clarification about the autistic people who require care from an adult caregiver throughout their lives, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. People with profound autism can have a severe intellectual disability or have minimal or no language. They are frequently excluded from research and support programs because of their unique needs. The federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released its first prevalence study on profound autism in April 2023. The research concluded that the percentage of 8-year-old children with profound autism among those with autism in the United States was 26.7 percent. The CDC study also found that, compared with children with non-profound autism, children with profound autism were more likely to be female, from racial and ethnic minority groups, of low socioeconomic status, born preterm or with low birth weight, and have self-injurious behaviors, seizure disorders, and lower adaptive scores. | In Committee |
| S4382 | Prohibits certain animal adoption centers from denying applicant for adoption of dog or cat solely due to applicant's age. | This bill would prohibit animal rescue organizations, shelters, pounds, and foster homes from denying an applicant for the adoption of a dog or cat solely on the basis of the applicant's age. The bill would also require every animal rescue organization, shelter, pound, or foster home to ensure that the animal rescue organization, shelter, pound, or foster home's adoption eligibility criteria for the adoption of a dog or cat is in compliance with the bill's requirements. | In Committee |
| S4455 | Requires age verification to prohibit minors from accessing sexually explicit material online. | This bill amends the State's obscenity law for minors to require sexually oriented online entities to perform age verifications for sexually explicit obscene material available over the Internet. Under existing law, N.J.S.A.2C:34-3, it is a crime of the third degree to sell, distribute, rent, or exhibit sexually explicit obscene material to a person under 18 years of age. However, it is an affirmative defense that: (a) the person under age 18 falsely represented in or by writing that he was age 18 or over; (b) the person's appearance was such that an individual of ordinary prudence would believe him to be age 18 or over; and (c) the sale, distribution, rental, showing, or exhibition was made in good faith relying upon such written representation and appearance and in the reasonable belief that the person was actually age 18 or over. A crime of the third degree is punishable by a term of imprisonment of three to five years, a fine of up to $15,000, or both. The obscenity law originates from a time before widespread use of the Internet, when sexually explicit material was generally available only through certain retail stores, or adult video stores, book stores, or theaters. Under the bill, the obscenity law is extended to apply to sexually oriented online entities, which are defined as persons or entities engaged in the business of exhibiting or showing obscene material through the Internet, and includes websites, social media platforms, file sharing platforms, video platforms, gaming platforms, mobile applications, bulletin board systems, and other Internet-connected networks, the primary purpose or substantial portion of which is to exhibit or show obscene material; to allow individuals to share or distribute obscene material with other individuals; or to allow individuals to generate obscene material. A sexually oriented online entity located in this State or that exhibits or shows obscene material to individuals in this State through the Internet will be required to verify that each individual that attempts to access or view the obscene material is at least 18 years of age. The bill provides that age verification may be performed through a proprietary system developed by the entity, commercial third-party services, or online driver's license checks available through the Motor Vehicle Commission, provided that certain data protections for user privacy are followed. A sexually oriented online entity that violates the age verification requirement will be subject to prosecution under the obscenity law and, if convicted, will be subject to a civil penalty of up to $50,000 in addition to any other penalty imposed. | In Committee |
| S4390 | Prohibits institution of higher education from entering into sports wagering partnership. | This bill prohibits institutions of higher education from entering into sports wagering partnerships. The bill defines a sports wagering partnership as a partnership or contractual agreement between a sports wagering operator or intermediary and an institution of higher education, including an athletic department or booster club of the institution, for access to advertise in the institution's stadiums and other facilities, in digital and broadcast sports content, and through other means. The bill prohibits an institution of higher education from participating in a sports wagering partnership. | In Committee |
| S4430 | Requires hospitals to notify family of patient release following drug overdose. | This bill requires hospitals to notify a patient's family of the patient's release following a drug overdose. The bill provides that, in the case of a patient who has received treatment in a hospital for a drug overdose, within the 72 hours of the patient's release from the hospital, the hospital is to attempt to contact a family member of the patient to inform the family member of the patient's drug overdose and hospital release, if: (1) the hospital possesses contact information for a family member of the patient; and (2) informing a family member of the patient's drug overdose and hospital release is consistent with federal and State laws, including federal and State privacy laws. | In Committee |
| S4378 | Authorizes local governments to provide voluntary contributions to certain nonprofit veterans' organizations. | Authorizes local governments to provide voluntary contributions to certain nonprofit veterans' organizations. | In Committee |
| S4337 | Permits individuals to establish voluntary nonopioid directives. | This bill permits individuals to establish voluntary nonopioid directives. Under the bill, an individual who is 18 years of age or older, an emancipated minor, or a patient's authorized representative, as this term is defined in the bill, may execute a voluntary nonopioid directive stating that an opioid may not be administered or prescribed to the individual. A voluntary nonopioid directive is to be made on a form that is to be developed by the Department of Health and published on the department's Internet website. Nothing in the bill is to prevent an opioid from being prescribed to a patient if deemed medically necessary. A health care professional, a health care facility, or an employee of a health care professional or health care facility is to be immune from disciplinary action by the Department of Health or a licensing agency or board for any act that was done to comply with the bill's provisions. Further, a health care professional, a health care facility, or an employee of a health care professional or health care facility is to be immune from any civil or criminal liability for failure to administer, prescribe, or dispense an opioid, and for inadvertent administration of an opioid, to an individual who has a voluntary nonopioid directive, if the act or the failure was reasonable and done in good faith. | In Committee |
| S4321 | Requires State Board of Education to require school districts to provide age-appropriate financial literacy instruction to students in grades kindergarten through five. | This bill stipulates that the State Board of Education is to require a school district to incorporate age-appropriate financial literacy instruction in an appropriate place in the curriculum of students enrolled in grades kindergarten through five. Current law requires financial literacy instruction to be incorporated in an appropriate place in the curriculum of students enrolled in grades six through eight. The bill provides that the instruction is to be age-appropriate, and is to include content on budgeting, savings, credit, debt, banking, and consumer skills, as appropriate, as well as other issues associated with personal financial responsibility as determined by the State board. The bill requires the Commissioner of Education to provide school districts with sample instructional materials and resources that may be used to support the implementation of the financial literacy instruction required by the bill. | In Committee |
| S4352 | Prohibits public utilities from assessing surcharges and certain fees. | This bill prohibits public utilities from assessing: (1) a surcharge to any public utility customer; (2) a fee to any public utility customer who has not enrolled in automatic payments through the public utility and, instead, has elected to make one-time payments to the public utility for services rendered to that customer by the public utility; or (3) a fee to any public utility customer who has not enrolled in paperless statements through the public utility company and, instead, has elected to receive paper statements from the public utility. Under the bill, "surcharge" means an additional amount imposed by the public utility at the time of a payment transaction that increases a charge to a public utility customer to recover the cost of the public utility's use of third-party payment processing services. | In Committee |
| S4319 | Makes human trafficking-related crimes subject to No Early Release Act sentencing. | This bill makes the crimes of human trafficking pursuant to N.J.S.A.2C:13-8, assisting in human trafficking pursuant toN.J.S.A.2C;13-9, and commercial sexual abuse of a minor pursuant to N.J.S.A.2C:13-10, subject to the "No Early Release Act" (section 2 of P.L.1997, c.117 (C.2C:43- 44 7.2)). Under current law, these human trafficking crimes are not subject to the State's No Early Release Act (NERA), which requires the court to fix a minimum term of 85 percent of the sentence imposed for certain first and second degree crimes before being eligible for parole. NERA also requires a court to impose a five-year term of parole supervision if the defendant is being sentenced for a crime of the first degree, or a three-year term of parole supervision for a crime of the second degree. During the term of parole supervision the defendant would remain in the legal custody of the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections and be supervised by the State Parole Board as if on parole. As such, the defendant could be returned to prison for a parole violation. Under current law, a person convicted of the first degree crime of human trafficking pursuant to N.J.S.A.2C:13-8 is to be sentenced to either a term of 20 years, during which the person is ineligible for parole, or a specific term between 20 years and life imprisonment, in which case the person is required to serve 20 years before being eligible for parole. Under the bill, a person convicted of human trafficking is to be sentenced to: a term of 24 years to life imprisonment, of which 85 percent of the sentence would need to be served before being eligible for parole. Under NERA, a life sentence is deemed to be 75 years, so a defendant sentenced to a term of life imprisonment would be required to complete 63.75 years prior to being eligible for parole. Under current law, a person guilty of the second degree crime of assisting in human trafficking is to be sentenced to a term of imprisonment, which includes a period of parole ineligibility of one-third to one-half of the term of imprisonment imposed or three years, whichever is greater. A crime of the second degree is generally punishable by a fine of up to $150,000, a term of imprisonment of five to 10 years, or both. Under the bill, a person guilty of assisting in human trafficking would need to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before being eligible for parole. A person convicted of commercial sexual abuse of a minor pursuant under current law is guilty of a crime of the first degree. A crime of the first degree is generally punishable by a fine of up to $200,000, a term of imprisonment of 10-20 years, or both. The provisions of the bill would require a person sentenced for a violation under this section to serve 85 percent of the sentenced imposed prior to being eligible for parole. | In Committee |
| S4309 | Requires health insurance coverage of diagnostic and supplemental breast examinations without cost-sharing. | This bill requires health insurance carriers (insurance companies, health, hospital, and medical service corporations, health maintenance organizations, and State and School Employees' Health Benefits Program contracts) to provide coverage for diagnostic and supplemental breast examinations without cost-sharing. Under the bill, "diagnostic breast examination" means a medically necessary and appropriate, in accordance with National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines, examination of the breast (including, but not limited to, such an examination using contrast-enhanced mammography, diagnostic mammography, breast magnetic resonance imaging, breast ultrasound, or molecular breast imaging) that is used to evaluate an abnormality: (1) seen or suspected from a screening examination for breast cancer; or (2) detected by another means of examination. Under the bill, "supplemental breast examination" means a medically necessary and appropriate, in accordance with National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines, examination of the breast (including, but not limited to, such an examination using contrast-enhanced mammography, breast magnetic resonance imaging, breast ultrasound, or molecular breast imaging) that is: (1) used to screen for breast cancer when there is no abnormality seen or suspected; and (2) based on personal or family medical history or additional factors that increase the individual's risk of breast cancer (including heterogeneously or extremely dense breasts). | In Committee |
| SJR160 | Designates August of each year as "Psoriasis Awareness Month". | This resolution designates August of each year as "Psoriasis Awareness Month" in New Jersey to improve public awareness and understanding of this misunderstood health issue, encourage support for those diagnosed with psoriasis, and to promote more initiatives at the State, local, and national levels to enhance research into treating this disease. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that causes painful, itchy lesions of red and inflamed skin covered with silvery scales. These lesions can occur anywhere on the skin, but most often occur on the elbows, knees, legs, lower back, scalp, face, palms, and soles of the feet. People with psoriasis often experience significant psychological distress, including self-consciousness, stigma about their appearance, and fear of public rejection, depression, and social isolation. People with psoriasis may also experience significant physical discomfort that affects their mobility, sleep, self-care, ability to care for family members, employment in certain occupations, and participation in physical exercise. Psoriasis affects an estimated eight million people in the United States. The disease appears equally in men and women and affects individuals of all ethnicities and age groups. Although several treatments for psoriasis currently exist, effective treatment can be challenging due to the disease's unpredictable nature and patients' varying responses to treatment. In New Jersey, the Psoriasis Treatment Center of New Jersey has reported positive outcomes in recent clinical trials, with 52 percent of adult patients achieving the National Psoriasis Foundation's treat-to-target goal of one percent body surface area. Raising public awareness about the causes, symptoms, and impact of psoriasis can help dispel misconceptions, foster greater support for those affected, and promote further research into more effective treatments. | In Committee |
| S4301 | Grants full police status to special agents in Department of Treasury; authorizes special agents to carry firearms at all times. | This bill authorizes special agents of the Department of the Treasury to act as officers for the detection, apprehension, arrest, and conviction of offenders against the law and permits them to carry a firearm at all times. The bill requires special agents to complete a basic police training course approved by the Police Training Commission in order to be accorded police powers. Under current law, a special agent of the department who has passed an examination in an approved police training program may carry a firearm while in the actual performance of official duties and while traveling to or from a place of duty. This bill allows a special agent to carry a firearm at all times, subject to regulations set forth by the Director of the Division of Taxation. This bill also empowers special agents to seize any contraband when enforcing the tax laws in addition to counterfeit stamps, counterfeit impression devices, and cigarettes which they are permitted to seize under current law. | In Committee |
| S4188 | Allows certain senior citizens to apply for rent increase limit. | This bill is intended to assure affordable rental housing for a significant portion of New Jersey's senior citizen population. The bill would permit a tenant to apply to the Commissioner of Community Affairs for protected senior citizen tenant status so long as the tenant:· is 55 or more years old;· is not in the federal section 8 voucher program or the State rental assistance program, or a participant in another rental assistance program that disqualifies the resident pursuant to rules and regulations adopted by the commissioner; · has lived in a dwelling unit in a particular building or structure that is not public housing for at least the previous 10 years as their principal residence; and · has an annual household income of $80,000 or less during the calendar year prior to the year the bill takes effect, to be adjusted annually. The bill provides that the annual income limitation for eligibility for protected senior citizen tenant status will be the same as the income limitation for eligibility under the homestead property tax reimbursement program, P.L.1997, c.348 (C.54:4-8.67 et al.). A person meeting those requirements would be granted protected senior citizen status and their landlord would be so notified. A landlord would be required to limit any rent increase to the annual index rate factor promulgated by the commissioner for that particular county. The annual index rate factor would be 75 percent of the increase in the average consumer price index, determined on an annual basis. For each county the commissioner would use the consumer price index applicable either to the New York metropolitan area or the Philadelphia metropolitan area, as appropriate to the location and economic conditions of the county, as determined by the commissioner. A landlord who increases the rent of a protected senior citizen tenant above the allowable amount would be liable for damages in an amount equal to the greater of $500 or three times the rent difference, plus reasonable attorney fees in a summary proceeding. A landlord facing undue hardship as a result of a tenant with protected senior citizen tenant status would be entitled to apply to the commissioner for a hardship waiver of the annual index rate factor. The commissioner could then set the rent at a level to ensure that the landlord does not suffer undue hardship. However, a waiver would have no effect on restrictions established by a municipal rent control or rent leveling ordinance. If a person who has been granted protected senior citizen tenant status resides in a municipality with a rent control or rent leveling ordinance, then this bill only allows the landlord to raise rent on that tenant by the amount permitted under the ordinance, or by the amount permitted by this bill, whichever amount is less. | In Committee |
| S4371 | Requires public utilities de-privatization study; appropriates $100,000. | This bill requires the Board of Public Utilities (board) to engage a third party to conduct a feasibility and cost savings study on the de-privatization of public utilities in this State. The third party is authorized to request information and reasonable assistance from any public utility or public entity in order to conduct the study, which is to examine the feasibility of and cost savings associated with de-privatization options, including, but not limited to: (1) acquisition or operation of existing public utilities, in part or in whole, by a public entity; and (2) joint ownership or operation of existing public utilities, in part or in whole, between a public entity and existing public utilities. The study is to include: (1) the short- and long-term challenges and benefits of each option examined, including, but not limited to, any anticipated environmental effect, impact on service, and cost to ratepayers; (2) the strengths and weaknesses of selecting each public entity considered for potential acquisition, ownership, or operation, in whole or in part, of public utilities, as well as potential organizational structures; (3) an estimation of costs, including, but not limited to, financial costs, as well as long-term financial impact on the State and any public entity involved in each option; (4) an estimation of the cost savings associated with each option examined; (5) an estimation of the amount of revenue generated by clean energy programs; and (6) any other analysis as the board directs. Any public utility or public entity is required to promptly respond to, cooperate fully with, and provide any requested information to the third party. Within a year of the bill's effective date, the board is required to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature summarizing the findings from the study and providing recommendations as to the feasibility of, need for, cost savings associated with, and plan for the de-privatization of public utilities in this State. The report is to include recommendations for legislative, executive, and other actions. The bill appropriates $100,000 from the General Fund to the board to implement the provisions of the bill. With this legislation, the sponsor intends to encourage the State to explore opportunities to provide utility services as a public good for utility customers across New Jersey. | In Committee |
| S4372 | Prohibits BPU approval of electric or gas public utility rate increase resulting in total increase to average residential customer bill in excess of two percent within five-year period. | This bill prohibits the Board of Public Utilities from approving electric or gas public utility rate increases that are projected to result in a total increase to an average residential customer bill in excess of two percent during any five-year period. | In Committee |
| S3059 | Makes use of front registration plate optional for certain vehicles. | This bill permits operators of passenger automobiles and motorcycles registered in the State to display only one rear license plate. The bill specifies that any person who was issued two license plates prior to the effective date of the bill may return one of those plates to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission free of charge. Additionally, individuals may request the issuance of only one registration plate instead of two. | In Committee |
| S2818 | "Fentanyl and Xylazine Poisoning Awareness Act"; requires school districts to provide instruction on dangers of fentanyl and xylazine. | "Fentanyl and Xylazine Poisoning Awareness Act"; requires school districts to provide instruction on dangers of fentanyl and xylazine. | In Committee |
| AJR211 | Designates May 18 of each year as Six Triple Eight Day in NJ. | Designates May 18 of each year as Six Triple Eight Day in NJ. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4163 | Requires health insurers to provide coverage for biomarker precision medical testing. | An Act concerning health insurance coverage for biomarker precision medical testing and supplementing various parts of the statutory law. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3562 | Provides for designation and establishment of Public Health Institute in New Jersey. | An Act concerning public health and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S1310 | Makes certain for-profit debt adjusters eligible for licensing to conduct business in State. | Makes certain for-profit debt adjusters eligible for licensing to conduct business in State. | Crossed Over |
| S3952 | Revises law concerning patient referrals to substance use disorder treatment facilities, recovery residences, and clinical laboratories. | Revises law concerning patient referrals to substance use disorder treatment facilities, recovery residences, and clinical laboratories. | In Committee |
| S1192 | Requires prescription drug coverage for serious mental illness without prior authorization or utilization management, including step therapy. | Requires prescription drug coverage for serious mental illness without prior authorization or utilization management, including step therapy. | In Committee |
| SJR149 | Designates May 18 of each year as Six Triple Eight Day in NJ. | Designates May 18 of each year as Six Triple Eight Day in NJ. | In Committee |
| S3098 | Requires health insurers to provide coverage for biomarker precision medical testing. | Requires health insurers to provide coverage for biomarker precision medical testing. | In Committee |
| S2078 | Extends membership in TPAF to 10 years after discontinuance of service and to 15 years for those who were laid off or had 10 or more years of continuous service upon voluntary termination. | Extends membership in TPAF to 10 years after discontinuance of service and to 15 years for those who were laid off or had 10 or more years of continuous service upon voluntary termination. | In Committee |
| S4298 | "Healthy Smiles Act"; increases NJ FamilyCare fee-for-service reimbursement rates for pediatric dental services; requires NJ FamilyCare managed care rates for identical services be no less than fee-for-service rates. | This bill makes certain adjustments to the NJ FamilyCare reimbursement rates for oral health services and supplies. The bill requires that, commencing upon July 1, 2025 or 60 days following the enactment of this bill, whichever is later, the NJ FamilyCare fee-for-service reimbursement rates for covered pediatric oral health services and supplies will be increased by 20 percent from the reimbursement rates in use for identical services at the time of the bill's adoption. Commencing one year after the implementation of the increased reimbursement rates, and annually thereafter, the bill directs the Commissioner of Human Services (commissioner) to adjust the existing fee-for-service reimbursement rates according to changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Urban Consumers as published by the United States Department of Labor for the Northeast region of the country in the previous January over the immediately preceding 12-month period. For reference, in November 2024, the most recent time this data was assessed over a 12-month period, the CPI increased by 3.5 percent. Finally, the commissioner is required to ensure that every contract entered into on and after the effective date of this bill between the State and a managed care organization (MCO) for the provision of NJ FamilyCare services provides that the reimbursement rates for pediatric oral health services and supplies are equal to or greater than the NJ FamilyCare fee-for-service reimbursement rates for the identical services and supplies. Under the bill, an MCO in violation of this provision would be liable for a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 for each day that the non-compliant reimbursement rate was issued. Any penalties assessed are to be collected by the commissioner in the name of the State in a summary proceeding in accordance with State law. The commissioner's determination regarding violations is the final agency decision, subject to review by the Appellate Division of the Superior Court. | In Committee |
| S4299 | Creates Health Care Cost Containment and Price Transparency Commission, Office of Healthcare Affordability and Transparency, and hospital price transparency regulations; appropriates $5 million. | This bill creates the Health Care Cost Containment and Price Transparency Commission (commission), the Office of Healthcare Affordability and Transparency (office), and hospital price transparency regulations. Under the bill, the purpose of the office is to provide support, staffing, infrastructure, and expertise to the commission, and to comprehensively address health care cost growth while also establishing data analytics and public reporting mechanisms to ensure healthcare affordability, informed policymaking, and access for future generations. The office is to establish guidelines for health care entities to submit necessary data for the yearly evaluation of total health care expenditures, their incremental growth, pricing information, pricing incremental growth, the formulation of the healthcare cost growth benchmark and the hospital price benchmark, and for publishing relevant data publicly. Under the bill, the purpose of the 18 member commission is to: monitor, analyze, and contain health care prices by identifying drivers of health care cost growth including hospital price growth; establishing and adopting a health care cost growth benchmark and a hospital price growth benchmark; identifying health care entities that exceed the benchmark or benchmarks; and addressing increases in excess of the benchmark or benchmarks through public transparency, opportunities for remediation, and other actions, including civil penalties. The commission is to set a cost growth benchmark for health care entities. The commission is to impose civil penalties, pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.), on health care entities that either fail to respond to the commission's request to submit a corrective action plan or comply with the requirements of a corrective action plan. The bill provides that the Department of Health is to require hospitals to be in compliance with federal hospital price transparency requirements and provide a written warning notice to or request a corrective action plan from any hospital that is not in compliance with these federal requirements. A hospital is to be prohibited from attempting to collect a medical debt from a patient if the hospital is not, at the time of providing medical services to the patient, in compliance with the provisions of this bill. A hospital that fails to act in accordance with the provisions of this bill is to be liable to a civil penalty of $10 per day per hospital bed for each offense, pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.). The bill appropriates to the office such sums as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this bill, as determined by the Commissioner of Health, but in no case is this amount to exceed $5,000,000. | In Committee |
| S3457 | Establishes "New Jersey Out-of-School Time Advisory Commission" to review before-school, after-school, and summer programs. | Establishes "New Jersey Out-of-School Time Advisory Commission" to review before-school, after-school, and summer programs. | In Committee |
| S4265 | Imposes criminal liability on persons who allow minors to access firearms used to commit crimes. | This bill amends the statutes concerning community guns and the prevention of child access to firearms. Under existing law, a "community gun" is a firearm that is transferred among, between, or within any association of two or more persons who, while possessing that firearm, engage in criminal activity or use the firearm unlawfully against the person or property of another. Possessing, receiving, or transferring a community gun is a crime of the second degree. The bill amends the "community gun" definition to clarify that "any association of two or more persons" can apply to members of the same family or household. The bill also amends the definition to clarify that criminal activity may be carried out either jointly or individually. The bill also amends the child access prevention statute, which imposes criminal liability where a minor obtains an improperly stored firearm. Under existing law, allowing a minor under the age of 16 to gain access to an improperly stored loaded firearm is a disorderly persons offense. The bill extends the statute to include firearms improperly stored in motor vehicles, removes the requirement that the firearm be loaded, changes the age of 16 to the age of 18, and upgrades the offense to a crime of the third degree. Additionally, under the bill, if a minor gains access to an improperly stored firearm and, while possessing that firearm, engages in criminal activity or uses the firearm unlawfully against the person or property of another, the firearm shall be deemed to be a community gun and the person who facilitated the minor's access to the firearm will be guilty of a crime of the second degree under the community gun statute. A crime of the third degree is punishable by a term of imprisonment of three to five years, a fine of up to $15,000, or both. A crime of the second degree is punishable by a term of imprisonment of five to ten years, a fine of up to $150,000, or both. It is the sponsor's intent to strengthen the child access prevention statute by extending community gun liability to parents or other adults who purposely or recklessly facilitate a minor's access to a firearm, where the minor uses that firearm to commit a crime. According to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, between 70 percent and 90 percent of guns used in youth suicides, unintentional shootings among children, and school shootings perpetrated by shooters under the age of 18 are acquired from the child's home or the homes of relatives or friends. | In Committee |
| S4264 | Requires State Police to inform local law enforcement if certain prohibited persons attempt to purchase firearm or ammunition. | This bill requires the Superintendent of State Police to inform local law enforcement in a municipality in which a person resides if that person had previously been convicted of a serious crime or had a firearms seized pursuant to a domestic violence restraining order or extreme risk protection order and attempts to purchases a firearm. If the municipality in which the person resides does not have a municipal law enforcement agency, the superintendent would be required inform the appropriate commanding law enforcement officer with jurisdiction over the municipality. Current law provides that a person who is convicted of certain crimes is prohibited from purchasing, owning, possessing, or controlling a firearm or ammunition. Specifically, it currently is a crime of the second degree for a person to purchase, own, possess, or control a firearm or ammunition if that person has been convicted of certain serious crimes, including: aggravated assault; arson; burglary; escape; extortion; homicide; kidnapping; robbery; aggravated sexual assault; sexual assault; bias intimidation; endangering the welfare of a child; stalking; a crime involving domestic violence; certain crimes related to unlawful possession of weapons; certain crimes related to controlled dangerous substances; carjacking; gang criminality; racketeering; terroristic threats; and unlawful possession of a machine gun, handgun, or an assault firearm. A crime of the second degree is punishable by a fine of up to $150,000, imprisonment for a term of between five and 10 years, or both. A person who has had firearms seized pursuant to a domestic violence restraining order or extreme risk protection order and attempts to purchase a firearm is guilty of a crime of the third degree. A crime of the third degree is punishable by a term of imprisonment of three to five years, a fine of up to $15,000 or both. Under the bill, if a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reveals that a person convicted of one of these crimes attempts to purchase a firearm, the superintendent would notify a law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over that person. | In Committee |
| S4269 | Prohibits targeted advertisements that promote vapor products or use of vapor products to individuals under the age of 21 on social media platforms. | The bill prohibits the targeted advertisement of vapor products and promotion of the use of vapor products to any individual under 21 years of age on any social media platform. Under the bill, it is unlawful for any person to advertise any vapor product, or promote the use thereof, on any social media platform in a manner that targets individuals under 21 years of age. A person that violates the provisions of the bill will be liable for a civil penalty, not to exceed $250,000 per violation, to be collected in a civil action by a summary proceeding under the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999." The Superior Court and the municipal court will have jurisdiction to enforce the provisions of the bill. The bill defines "vapor product" to mean any device that may be used to deliver any aerosolized or vaporized substance to the person inhaling from the device, including, but not limited to, an e-cigarette, e-cigar, e-pipe, vape pen, or e-hookah. "Vapor product" includes any component, part, or accessory of the device, and also includes any substance that may be aerosolized or vaporized by such device, regardless of whether the substance contains nicotine. "Vapor product" does not include any drug, device, or combination product approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration pursuant to the "Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act," 21 U.S.C. s.301 et seq. The bill defines "social media platform" to mean a public or semi-public internet-based service or application that has users in this State, which service or application: allows users to construct a public or semipublic profile for the purposes of using the platform, populate a list of other users with whom the user shares a social connection through the platform, and post content viewable by other users of the platform; and is designed to connect users within the platform to facilitate social interactions, except that a service or application that provides email or direct messaging services shall not be considered to meet this criterion solely based on the existence of that functionality. | In Committee |
| S3934 | Codifies Medicaid coverage for eligible pregnant women for 365-day period beginning on last day of pregnancy. | This bill codifies Medicaid coverage for eligible pregnant women for a 365-day period beginning on the last day of a woman's pregnancy. The Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services in the Department of Human Services has been mandated to provide this benefit, via budget language included in the State's Annual Appropriations Act, since FY 2022. Moreover, the division has included this policy in the NJ FamilyCare 1115 Comprehensive Demonstration, which governs the operations of significant components of New Jersey' s Medicaid program. The current demonstration is effective through June 30, 2028. The State's efforts regarding Medicaid coverage for pregnant individuals are aligned with changes at the federal level. For example, a provision in the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021" gave states a new option to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage to 12 months, instead of 60 days, via a state plan amendment for the purposes of improving maternal health and coverage stability, and addressing racial disparities in maternal health. This new option took effect on April 1, 2022 and was originally available for five years; however, the option was made permanent by the "Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023." This bill also clarifies that the State's existing coverage of Medicaid services for pregnant individuals is extended to those individuals whose income does not exceed the highest income eligibility level established for pregnant women under the State Medicaid plan. | Crossed Over |
| S3616 | Requires health care professionals to perform lead screening on pregnant persons under certain circumstances. | Requires health care professionals to perform lead screening on pregnant persons under certain circumstances. | In Committee |
| S1949 | Establishes certain requirements and initiatives related to nurses; appropriates funds. | Establishes certain requirements and initiatives related to nurses; appropriates funds. | In Committee |
| S4165 | Directs DOH to establish food bank for pets pilot program; appropriates $1 million. | This bill directs the Department of Health (DOH) to develop and implement, in cooperation with, and with the participation of, selected non-profit organizations and volunteer groups or organizations, a "Food Banks for Pets Pilot Program" to provide food for cats and dogs to pet owners who are facing financial challenges in providing for their pets without assistance. The bill provides for the pilot program to be operated for at least a one-year period after it is implemented, but the bill would also authorize the DOH to extend the term of the pilot program if funding permits or if the DOH determines that the pilot program, after one-year of operations, continues to be operable and is achieving its goals. The bill directs the DOH, no later than one year after the pilot program is implemented, to submit to the Governor and the Legislature a written report on the implementation of the pilot program, including a recommendation on establishing the Food Banks for Pets Pilot Program as a permanent program, in, but not of, the Department of Health, or disbanding the program. The bill authorizes the DOH to select non-profit organizations and volunteer groups or organizations for participation in the pilot program, to delegate implementation of the pilot program to those selected groups and organizations, to coordinate the establishment and operation of food banks for pets with municipalities and selected non-profit organizations and volunteer groups or organizations, and to take any other actions necessary to implement the bill's provisions. The bill further authorizes the DOH to collect and deposit moneys necessary to fund the costs of implementing the pilot program, including, among other expenses, the costs of awarding grants to selected non-profit organizations and volunteer groups or organizations to finance their delegated implementation of the pilot program. The bill provides that persons donating pet food, in good faith, and selected non-profit organizations and volunteer groups or organizations receiving and distributing donated pet food, in good faith, pursuant to the bill's provisions, will be immune from liability for damages resulting from consumption of the donated pet food. The bill appropriates $1 million to the DOH for the purposes of the pilot program. | In Committee |
| S3047 | Establishes requirements to evaluate certain people who are pregnant and who have given birth for preeclampsia. | Establishes requirements to evaluate certain people who are pregnant and who have given birth for preeclampsia. | In Committee |
| S4168 | Establishes the "Safe and Sanitary Rental Housing Act." | Too many residents of the State of New Jersey are currently residing in rental housing units that fail to meet minimum standards of safety and sanitation. Landlords should be held accountable for the health and safety of their tenants with respect to their housing, and should be required to provide safe and sanitary housing accommodations. Accordingly, this bill implements various changes to State rental housing laws in the areas of landlord registration requirements, inspection of multiple dwellings, warranty of habitability, and distribution of certain information. Warranty of Habitability Section 3 of the bill provides that in any action before the court in which a tenant asserts a warrant of habitability violation by a landlord who accepts a rental subsidy, the court is required to notify The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) within two business days. Upon notice to DCA, the Bureau of Housing Inspection (BHI) is required to inspect the property within 10 days. A hearing to determine violation of the warranty of habitability may not be set by the court prior to the completion of the inspection by the BHI. If it is determined by the court that failure to pay rent was due to a significant violation of the warranty of habitability of the premises, the court will direct the deposit of the tenant portion of rental payments with a court-appointed administrator for use in remedying the defective condition. The State or public housing authority, as the case may be, will retain the discretion to withhold any portion of the rental subsidy until a reinspection by BHI determines every significant violation has been remedied. Landlord Registration Sections 4, 5, 6, and 7 address issues related to registration of landlords. Current law requires landlords to register with the municipality in which the rental premises is located, or with DCA, depending on circumstances. Section 4 of the bill prohibits the entering of a judgment of possession by any court unless the landlord has been registered for at least 90 days. Under section 5 of the bill, landlords are required to include the following additional information in a landlord registration: (1) in the case of a record owner that is a corporation, limited liability company, or other legal or commercial entity, the names and Social Security numbers of residence of the members, directors, officers, and registered agents, as applicable; and (2) for each person required to be named in the registration, a telephone number where someone can be reached at all times; a street address of residence; and an active email address. Section 5 also requires that a landlord who accepts rental subsidies may not be granted State funding, or a tax abatement or exemption, for rehabilitation of a premises unless the landlord has been registered for at least 90 days. "Rental subsidy" is defined as funds paid to a landlord pursuant to federal project-based or tenant-based federal Housing Choice Voucher (section 8) Program rental assistance or paid as a rental assistance grant pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2004, c.140 (C.52:27D-287.1). Section 6 of the bill requires landlords to annually certify, by July 1, that the certificate of registration is accurate, and contains current information. Under section 7 of the bill, a landlord who fails to register as required by law shall be liable for a penalty of not more than $500 for each offense. Inspections Sections 8, 9, 10, 11 and 15 of the bill pertain to the inspection, and reinspection, of multiple dwellings. Section 8 of the bill permits the Commissioner of Community Affairs, by rule or regulation, to establish a classification of multiple dwellings in which properties are divided into tiers delineating the frequency of inspections based on criteria set forth in the regulation. Under the provisions of section 9 of the bill, within 30 days of the most recent inspection of a hotel or multiple dwelling, the owner must file with the commissioner an application for a certification of inspection, together with the required fee. A certificate of inspection and the fees would not be required more often than the schedule of inspections set by the commissioner pursuant to section 8 of the bill. Section 10 of the bill pertains to significant violations found following an inspection or reinspection. A significant violation is defined as a lack of running water, or adequate sewage disposal facilities; infestations, excluding infestations without associated health impacts; structural deficiency; or any other condition that the commissioner may, by rule, identify as a significant violation, that does not constitute an imminent hazard, and which is not caused by, or within the control of, the tenant. If a significant violation is found following an inspection or reinspection, the commissioner must notify, if applicable, the public housing authority that operates the multiple dwelling within 48 hours of the inspection or reinspection. In the case of a multiple dwelling that participates in federal section 8 housing, the commissioner must notify the Department of Housing and Urban Development New Jersey field officer of the complaint and violation. If the commissioner determines as the result of an inspection of a hotel or multiple dwelling that one or more significant violations exist, the written order served on the owner must identify each violation. If an application for a hearing is filed pursuant to section 18 of P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-18), the hearing shall be held within 30 days of the receipt of the application, and the commissioner must render a final decision within 60 days of the date of the hearing. Section 11 of the bill requires the commissioner to establish a program to assist municipalities in making inspection records and landlord information records available to the public on the Internet. Section 12 of the bill requires that the commissioner promulgate regulations to effectuate the provisions of the "Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Law," P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-1 et seq.) pursuant to the provisions of the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.). Section 15 of the bill requires that a landlord post in every common area of a tenant-occupied multiple dwelling, and include in a printed notice in the lease, instructions on how to file a tenant complaint with the BHI, and instructions on how to access and use the instructions on how to access and use the comprehensive social services information toll-free telephone hotline service, established pursuant to the provisions of P.L.1991, c.524 (C.30:1-1.1) Eviction Proceedings Section 13 of the bill requires that if a landlord enters any information into a shared database concerning eviction proceedings brought against a residential tenant for non-payment of rent, the landlord must include the following information, which shall be permanently attached to the tenant's record in the database: (1) whether a finding was made on the record that the non-payment of rent was due to a violation of the warranty of habitability of the premises; and (2) the disposition of the proceedings. A landlord or an owner of the shared database who violates this requirement will be liable to a penalty of $500 for each offense. Mail Delivery Section 14 of the bill would permit DCA to mail notices, orders, rules, and decisions, by certified mail, with return receipt requested, and regular mail, and makes other procedural changes to the process of serving those documents. | In Committee |
| S4231 | Establishes program in DOE to support school districts in developing grow-your-own programs for hiring of teachers of students with disabilities. | This bill establishes a program in the Department of Education (DOE) to encourage and assist school districts in developing grow-your-own teacher programs for the hiring of teachers of students with disabilities. Under a school district's grow-your-own teacher program, the district would make a good faith effort to hire, and to providing training and mentoring opportunities to, individuals, who are currently employed in the school district and are not certified as teaching staff members, as teachers of students with disabilities. Under the bill, the DOE will provide financial and other support deemed appropriate by the department to school districts that are selected for participation. To be eligible for financial and other support from the department, a school district would submit an application to the DOE. An application would, at a minimum: provide an overview of the district's grow-your-own program; detail the school district's need for hiring additional teachers of students with disabilities and the extent of any shortage of teachers of students with disabilities in the district's teacher workforce; include documented evidence, or otherwise provide a commitment, that the school district will dedicate funds toward aiding participating employees in the grow-your-own program with any costs associated with becoming certified as a teacher of students with disabilities; include descriptions of the training and mentoring opportunities that the district will provide to participating employees; detail flexibilities the district will provide to participating employees as they complete the necessary education to become certified as teachers of students with disabilities; delineate how the school district plans to utilize any grant funds that would be allocated to it and how those funds would supplement any funds dedicated by the district; describe efforts the district will initiate to make good faith efforts to hire and retain participating employees who become teachers of students with disabilities under the grow-your-own program; and outline plans to provide ongoing mentoring and support as a participating employee begins working as a teacher of students with disabilities. Support provided under the program established pursuant to this bill would be allocated to school districts in a manner to be determined by the DOE, except the DOE will, to the greatest extent possible, prioritize school districts that demonstrate the greatest shortage of teachers of students with disabilities and approve applications from at least one school district in each the northern, central, and southern regions of the State and seek a cross-section of school districts from urban, suburban, and rural areas of the State. | In Committee |
| SCR11 | Amends Constitution to prohibit construction of new fossil fuel power plants. | Amends Constitution to prohibit construction of new fossil fuel power plants. | In Committee |
| S4153 | Prohibits social media platforms from promoting certain practices or features of eating disorders to child users. | This bill prohibits social media platforms from using a design, algorithm, practice, affordance, or feature that the platform knows, or which by the exercise of reasonable care should have known, could cause child users to develop an eating disorder, including, but not limited to, promoting diet products. A social media platform would not be found to violate the provisions of this bill if the social media platform: (1) demonstrates that the platform instituted and maintained an internal quarterly audit program in which the platform audits its practices, algorithms, designs, features, and affordances to determine whether these practices, algorithms, designs, features, or affordances cause, have the potential to cause, or contribute to the development of eating disorders in child users on the platform; (2) hires an independent third party to conduct an annual audit of its practices, algorithms, designs, features, or affordances to determine whether these practices, algorithms, designs, features, or affordances cause, have the potential to cause, or contribute to the development of eating disorders in child users on the platform; and within 30 calendar days of the completion of the audit and upon the social media platform's receipt of notification of the issue, the social media platform takes action to correct any practice, algorithm, design, feature, or affordance if an audit determines that the practice, algorithm, design, feature, or affordance used by the platform causes, has the potential to cause, or contributes to the development of eating disorders in child users; or (3) is controlled by a business entity that generated less than $100 million in gross revenue during the preceding calendar year. Under the bill, a social media platform would not be liable for content that: (1) is generated, uploaded, or shared on the social media platform by a user of the platform, unless the content is paid for, including through advertisement sales, by the social media platform; (2) is created solely by a third party and passively displayed by the social media platform; (3) the social media platform was not, in whole or in part, responsible for creating or developing; or (4) involves child users that would otherwise be protected by 47 U.S.C. s.230, the United States Constitution, or the State Constitution. This bill defines "eating disorder" as a behavioral condition characterized by a severe and persistent disturbance in eating behaviors and associated distressing thoughts and emotions, including but not limited to, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder. A social media platform that violates the provisions of the bill would be liable for a civil penalty, not to exceed $250,000 per violation. | In Committee |
| S3558 | Requires health insurance and Medicaid coverage for the treatment of stuttering. | This bill requires health insurers (health, hospital and medical service corporations, commercial individual and group health insurers, health maintenance organizations, health benefits plans issued pursuant to the New Jersey Individual Health Coverage and Small Employer Health Benefits Programs, the State Health Benefits Program, and the School Employees' Health Benefits Program) and the State Medicaid program to provide coverage for medical expenses incurred in the treatment of stuttering, including habilitative speech therapy and rehabilitative speech therapy. Whether treatment is a medical necessity is to be determined by the covered person's medical doctor. The bill requires coverage to be provided whether the services are delivered in-person or through telemedicine or telehealth, without the imposition of any prior authorization or other utilization management requirements, and without cost-sharing. Pursuant to the bill, "habilitative speech therapy" means speech therapy that helps a person keep, learn, or improve skills and functioning for daily living; and "rehabilitative speech therapy" means speech therapy that helps a person restore or improve skills and functioning for daily living that have been lost or impaired. | In Committee |
| S3751 | Revises definition of child abuse or neglect to include persons between 18 and 21 years of age in certain settings. | This bill revises the definition of child abuse or neglect to include persons between 18 and 21 years of age in certain settings. Specifically, the bill amends the definition of "child" in section 1 of P.L.1974, c.119 (C.9:6-8.21) to mean any (1) person less than 18 years of age alleged to have been abused or neglected, or (2) any person less than 21 years of age alleged to have been abused or neglected, or subject to exploitation by a teacher, employee, contractor, or volunteer, whether compensated or uncompensated, of an institution responsible for the care or supervision of that person, as regulated by the Department of Children and Families (department), including employees of day schools. The bill also amends the definition of "abused or neglected child" in section 1 of P.L.1974, c.119 (C.9:6-8.21), so that the term will also apply to persons between 18 and 21 years of age. Although the department regulates and funds services for individuals with disabilities under the age of 21, the Office of Program Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) in the Department of Human Services currently conducts investigations involving persons between the age 18 and 21 in department-regulated facilities on behalf of the department and forwards all investigatory materials and findings to the department. This bill will transfer full investigatory responsibility to the department for the populations served and settings regulated by the department, which is accomplished by revising definitions and other provisions in the statute pertaining to the department and child abuse to reflect the full range of ages under the department's jurisdiction for persons up to 21 years of age in regulated facilities. The bill also updates section 3 of P.L.2010, c.5 (C.30:6D-75) to eliminate conflicting and superfluous references to the department, since the statute applies to individuals receiving services from the Department of Human Services. | In Committee |
| S4108 | Requires appointment of State Dementia Services Coordinator; appropriates $150,000. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Human Services to appoint a State Dementia Services Coordinator. The State coordinator is to be qualified by training and experience to perform the duties of the position. The duties of the State coordinator is to include: 1) developing and coordinating the implementation of a master plan to address the impact of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders or other forms of dementia; 2) coordinating with existing State programs, services, facilities, and agencies that provide services and other assistance to persons with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders or other forms of dementia; 3) developing procedures to facilitate communication, collaboration, coordination, and information sharing between, and prevent the duplication of dementia care services provided by, State departments, offices, divisions, agencies, and community-based organizations; 4) identifying service gaps in the provision of appropriate dementia care services and other assistance by State departments, offices, divisions, agencies, and community-based organizations; and 5) increasing awareness of, and facilitating access to quality, coordinated treatment and dementia care for persons with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders or other forms of dementia. The appointed State Dementia Services Coordinator: is authorized to call upon any department, office, division, or agency of the State to supply the coordinator with data and any other information necessary to discharge the coordinator's duties; and may consult with experts or other knowledgeable individuals in the public or private sector on any aspect of the coordinator's mission. The provisions of the bill also require each department, office, division, or agency to cooperate fully with, and provide assistance to, the coordinator to perform the coordinator's duties. The bill appropriates $150,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Human Services to effectuate the purposes of the bill. | In Committee |
| S4123 | Upgrades offense of prostitution as patron; directs fines collected to "Human Trafficking Survivor's Assistance Fund." | This bill provides for enhanced penalties for the crime of engaging in prostitution as a patron. In New Jersey, the offense of prostitution encompasses different conduct by various actors; penalties for the offense vary, depending on the unlawful conduct. This bill addresses conduct by persons who purchase sexual activity, commonly referred to as "johns." Under paragraph (1) of subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:34-1, a person commits this offense if the actor engages in prostitution as a patron, or one who purchases sexual activity with another person in exchange for something of economic value, or the offer or acceptance of an offer to engage in sexual activity in exchange for something of economic value. Currently, a violation of this provision is a disorderly persons offense for a first offense, punishable by up to six months imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. For a second or third violation, it is a crime of the fourth degree, punishable by up to 18 months imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. For a fourth violation, it is a crime of the third degree, punishable by three to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $15,000, or both. In addition to any other disposition for the offense, N.J.S.A.2C:34-1.2 assesses additional penalties upon persons convicted of engaging in prostitution as a patron which include an assessment of $500, and can include participation in a prostitution offender program. This bill increases prostitution by a patron to a crime of the fourth degree, except that a fourth violation remains a crime of the third degree. In addition, the bill provides that any fine collected shall be forwarded to the Department of the Treasury to be deposited in the "Human Trafficking Survivor's Assistance Fund" (the HTSAF) established by N.J.S.A.52:17B-238. It is the sponsor's view that in combatting prostitution, closely related to the crime of human trafficking, greater emphasis should be placed on eliminating the demand for persons who may be victims of sex trafficking by targeting persons who purchase sexual activity. All monies deposited in the HTSAF fund are required by the law to be used for the provision of services to victims of human trafficking, to promote awareness of human trafficking, and the development, maintenance, revision, and distribution of training courses and other educational materials, and the operation of educational or training programs. | In Committee |
| S4089 | Permits veteran's property tax deduction for tax year when veteran was previously qualified to receive deduction and became owner of real property after October 1 of pretax year. | This bill would allow a veteran who becomes the owner of the legal title to a parcel of real property after October 1 of the pretax year to be eligible to receive the veteran's property tax deduction on that parcel of real property for the tax year as long as the veteran was eligible to receive that property tax deduction on any other parcel of real property in the State prior to October 1 of the pretax year. Under current law, a veteran must be the owner of the legal title to the property as to which a veteran's property tax deduction is claimed on October 1 of the pretax year in order to be eligible to receive that property tax deduction for the tax year beginning the next January 1st. This bill would prevent a veteran from becoming ineligible for the veteran's property tax deduction if the veteran moved into a new home after October 1. | In Committee |
| S3643 | Requires ingredients of menstrual products to be listed on package. | Requires ingredients of menstrual products to be listed on package. | In Committee |
| S3438 | Requires Medicaid coverage for motorized wheelchairs for nursing facility residents under certain circumstances. | Requires Medicaid coverage for motorized wheelchairs for nursing facility residents under certain circumstances. | In Committee |
| S720 | Requires DCPP to consult with Division of Developmental Disabilities following finding of child abuse or neglect to create services plan for person with developmental disability under certain circumstances. | An Act concerning the Division of Child Protection and Permanency and amending P.L.1974, c.119. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S715 | Requires AG to establish rape kit tracking system. | An Act concerning sexual assault forensic evidence kits and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S2506 | Requires municipalities in compliance with affordable housing obligations be provided priority consideration for certain State grants and assistance. | This bill requires the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) to give priority consideration to municipalities that are in compliance with their affordable housing obligations in awarding grants or other financial assistance through the Main Street New Jersey Program, Neighborhood Preservation Program, or any other program administered by the DCA or the EDA through which monies are provided to a municipality via a competitive process. The bill's provisions would not apply to grants or financial assistance intended to help a municipality fulfill its affordable housing obligation. For the purposes of the bill, the Department of Community Affairs would consider, at a minimum, the following in determining a municipality's compliance in the first five years after a new round of affordable housing obligations begin: prior round builder's remedy lawsuits, prior round fair share settlements, the percentage of fulfilled obligation, and any other factor deemed relevant by the department. | In Committee |
| S4020 | Requires DOH to inspect reports of mold infestation in health care facilities. | This bill requires the Department of Health (department) to inspect reports of mold infestation in health care facilities. Under the bill, within six months after the bill's effective date, the department is to establish procedures for the department to inspect any reports made to the department of mold infestation with buildings or homes that are subject to the jurisdiction of the department pursuant to Title 26 of the Revised Statutes. The bill additionally provides that, within six months after the bill's effective date, the department is to establish guidelines for preventing or removing mold from buildings or homes that are subject to the jurisdiction of the department pursuant to Title 26 of the Revised Statutes. The bill defines "mold" to mean any form of multicellular fungi that lives on plant or animal matter and in indoor environments. Types of mold include, but are not limited to, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Trichoderma, Memnoniella, Mucor and Stachybotrys Chartarum, often found in water-damaged building materials. | In Committee |
| S3746 | "Moose's Law"; prohibits persons convicted of animal cruelty offenses from owning animals and from working or volunteering at animal-related enterprises; establishes presumption against pretrial intervention for certain persons. | "Moose's Law"; prohibits persons convicted of animal cruelty offenses from owning animals and from working or volunteering at animal-related enterprises; establishes presumption against pretrial intervention for certain persons. | Crossed Over |
| S3998 | Provides TPAF members and certain retirees same benefits provided to members enrolled in retirement system before July 1, 2007. | This bill removes the membership tiers established in the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) and transfers all current non-retired members of TPAF to the membership tier referred to as "Tier 1" by the Division of Pensions and Benefits. All transferred members will be considered eligible for any benefits associated with Tier 1. Under the bill, employees of public employers who earn more than the minimum salary requirement, but do not currently meet the minimum hour eligibility requirements, will be considered eligible to be enrolled as members of TPAF. The employer is to process the compulsory enrollment of each affected employee within two months following the enactment of the bill. Any affected employees who are currently enrolled as participants of the Defined Contribution Retirement Program (DCRP) will be eligible for an automatic transfer of all years of service credit to TPAF, if the employee elects to transfer their membership from DCRP to TPAF. Any years of service credit transferred to TPAF from DCRP will be used to qualify members for retirement and health benefits associated with TPAF, but will not be used to calculate the amount of pension benefit. A participant's prior contributions into the DCRP will not be transferred into TPAF and will remain in the fund. The employee will receive a notice of the transfer of service credit to TPAF within two months following the enactment of the bill. Upon receiving the notice, the affected employee has six months to notify their employer if they do not wish to become enrolled as a member and transfer their service credit to TPAF. Employees in the DCRP who opt out of the transfer will remain in the DCRP. Additionally, any members of TPAF who are receiving long term disability insurance will be eligible to apply for disability retirement as long as they apply within two calendar years following the enactment of the bill. Any changes to the early retirement, deferred retirement, service retirement, and maximum base salary resulting from the transfer of members to Tier 1 of TPAF will only affect members who begin processing a retirement application after the bill is enacted. | In Committee |
| S3997 | Provides PERS members and certain retirees same benefits provided to members enrolled in retirement system before July 1, 2007. | This bill removes the membership tiers established in the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) and transfers all current non-retired members of PERS to the membership tier referred to as "Tier 1" by the Division of Pensions and Benefits. All transferred members will be considered eligible for any benefits associated with Tier 1. Under the bill, employees of public employers who earn more than the minimum salary requirement, but do not currently meet the minimum hour eligibility requirements, will be considered eligible to be enrolled as members of PERS. The employer is to process the compulsory enrollment of each affected employee within two months following the enactment of the bill. Any affected employees who are currently enrolled as participants of the Defined Contribution Retirement Program (DCRP) will be eligible for an automatic transfer of all years of service credit to PERS, if the employee elects to transfer their membership from DCRP to PERS. Any years of service credit transferred to PERS from DCRP will be used to qualify members for retirement and health benefits associated with PERS, but will not be used to calculate the amount of pension benefit. A participant's prior contributions into the DCRP will not be transferred into PERS and will remain in the fund. The employee will receive a notice of the transfer of service credit to PERS within two months following the enactment of the bill. Upon receiving the notice, the affected employee has six months to notify their employer if they do not wish to become enrolled as a member and transfer their service credit to PERS. Employees in the DCRP who opt out of the transfer will remain in the DCRP. Additionally, any members of PERS who are receiving long term disability insurance will be eligible to apply for disability retirement as long as they apply within two calendar years following the enactment of the bill. Any changes to the early retirement, deferred retirement, service retirement, and maximum base salary resulting from the transfer of members to Tier 1 of PERS will only affect members who begin processing a retirement application after the bill is enacted. | In Committee |
| S4043 | Increases access to substance use disorder treatment; Requires Medicaid coverage for substance use disorder services provided by community-based organizations. | This bill expands access to substance use disorder treatment in the State by revising various laws and regulations concerning substance use disorder and opioid treatment programs and establishing Medicaid coverage for substance use disorder services provided by community-based organizations. The bill clarifies current law to remove language concerning an outdated certificate of need requirement for a substance use disorder treatment center located within 500 feet from any building in this State used for the instruction of children between the ages of five and 18 years. The bill provides that an opioid treatment program may voluntarily establish a medication unit that will be associated with a single primary opioid treatment program that will oversee the unit's operations. All required services that cannot be performed at the medication unit will be performed by the primary opioid treatment program. A medication unit may provide the following services if it provides appropriate privacy and adequate space: intake and initial psychosocial and appropriate medical assessments; initiation of medication-assisted treatment including, but not limited to, methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone; and telecounseling services. The bill provides that an opioid treatment program:· will not be required to engage, employ, or contract with a pharmacist;· may only require a patient to receive a minimum of eight random drug screenings per year;· will provide or coordinate harm reduction services for each patient as appropriate to the patient's treatment plan; and· will establish a counseling schedule for each patient based on an individualized treatment plan approved and documented by the patient's multidisciplinary treatment team. The bill provides that a patient will not be precluded from receiving treatment or medication for opioid use disorder from an opioid treatment program solely on the basis of the patient's refusal of counseling. The bill provides that an opioid treatment program's discharge policy may not permit the administrative discharge of a patient due to missed doses, non-participation, and continued illicit substance use, except under certain circumstances as outlined in the bill. The bill permits a patient to receive treatment from another opioid treatment program under certain conditions provided under the bill. The bill establishes certain Medicaid coverage for substance use disorder services provided by a licensed community-based organization. The bill requires the Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the Commissioner of Human Services, to establish standards and requirements for the licensure of community-based organizations and for the provision of substance use disorder services by licensed community-based organizations. Under the bill, the commissioner will establish a program to provide training and technical assistance to help community-based organizations meet any licensure and provider enrollment standards established by the commissioner and the Medicaid program. | In Committee |
| A1476 | Establishes "New Jersey Target Zero Commission." | An Act establishing the "New Jersey Target Zero Commission" and supplementing Title 27 of the Revised Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3756 | Mandates Division of Developmental Disabilities service providers to complete workforce survey. | Mandates Division of Developmental Disabilities service providers to complete workforce survey. | In Committee |
| S361 | Establishes "New Jersey Target Zero Commission." | Establishes "New Jersey Target Zero Commission." | In Committee |
| S700 | Requires DHS to establish three-year Obstetric Discrimination Prevention and Mitigation Pilot Program. | Requires DHS to establish three-year Obstetric Discrimination Prevention and Mitigation Pilot Program. | In Committee |
| S3617 | Requires county clerks to send applications for mail-in ballots to registered voters upon their 18th birthday. | Requires county clerks to send applications for mail-in ballots to registered voters upon their 18th birthday. | In Committee |
| S3966 | Eliminates statute of limitations for human trafficking prosecutions and extends statute of limitations for civil cases arising from human trafficking. | This bill eliminates the statute of limitations for criminal prosecutions of human trafficking, and extends the statute of limitations under which a victim of human trafficking may bring a civil suit against the perpetrator. Under current law, a prosecution for human trafficking must be commenced, by way of an indictment, within five years after the offense is committed. Additionally, a civil suit brought by a victim must also be filed within five years. Under the bill, a criminal prosecution may be commenced at any time. Also, under the bill, a civil suit may be filed within 10 years of the conduct, within 10 years of a victim turning 18 years old if the victim is a minor, or within two years of a plaintiff's discovery of the injury, whichever is later. Extending the civil statute of limitations to 10 years will bring State law into accord with similar provisions under federal law. Under the bill, the civil statute of limitations will not begin to run until a continuing course of conduct relating to the human trafficking of the plaintiff is terminated. Furthermore, the statute of limitations may be tolled for any period of time during which the plaintiff is under a disability, which includes any intellectual disability, hospitalization for mental illness, or finding of mental incapacity. Finally, the bill prohibits a defendant who coerced a plaintiff to delay filing suit by means of intimidation, duress, threats, or fraud from asserting a defense that the statute of limitations has already run. | In Committee |
| S3967 | Provides cancer and cardiovascular screenings to law enforcement officers; establishes fund; appropriates $20 million. | This bill provides cancer and cardiovascular disease screenings to law enforcement officers. The screenings will be conducted by a physician not less than three years after the start of the law enforcement officer's employment as a law enforcement officer and every three years thereafter during the course of the law enforcement officer's employment. The screenings will be for colon, lung, bladder, oral, thyroid, skin, blood, breast, cervical, testicular, and prostate cancers. The bill also provides reimbursement to public employers of up to $2,500 for law enforcement officers who are enrolled in a healthcare plan other than SHBP through their public employer. The bill establishes a dedicated, non-lapsing fund called the "SHBP Law Enforcement Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Screenings Fund" to offset the costs of the cancer and cardiovascular screenings for law enforcement officers provided for in the bill. The bill establishes a $10 motor vehicle summons surcharge to be applied to each motor vehicle fine and penalty imposed and collected through a court under authority of any motor vehicle or traffic violation in the State. The $10 surcharge will be deposited in the law enforcement fund. The bill also appropriates $20 million to be deposited into the law enforcement fund. | In Committee |
| S3611 | Provides grant to study and map mental health care resources for children; makes appropriation. | An Act concerning mental health services for children, supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S1430 | Provides for expanded use of affordable housing voucher program funding. | An Act concerning use of affordable housing vouchers for homeownership expenses, amending P.L.2004, c.140, and supplementing P.L.1992, c.79 (C.40A:12A-1 et seq.). | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3802 | Requires certain State-funded construction projects to utilize plastic construction materials that contain certain amounts of postconsumer recycled content. | This bill would require State-funded construction projects carried out by the State, a county, or a municipality to incorporate plastic construction materials that contain 10 percent postconsumer recycled content until two years after the bill's enactment, and 15 percent thereafter. The bill would apply to construction materials that contain greater than 50 percent plastic, calculated by cost. The bill defines "construction material" as an article, material, or supply that is brought to the site of a construction project for incorporation into the building or work, which meets applicable standards related to performance and is of a satisfactory quality. The bill would provide exemptions to the bill's postconsumer recycled content requirements if: (1) the use of plastic construction material that contains the necessary recycled content would increase the overall cost of the project by 25 percent, or (2) plastic construction materials that contain the necessary recycled content do not exist for the intended application, or are not available in sufficient quantities. | In Committee |
| S3545 | "Climate Superfund Act"; imposes liability on certain fossil fuel companies for certain damages caused by climate change and establishes program in DEP to collect and distribute compensatory payments. | "Climate Superfund Act"; imposes liability on certain fossil fuel companies for certain damages caused by climate change and establishes program in DEP to collect and distribute compensatory payments. | In Committee |
| S3927 | Establishes penalties for appraisers who engage in discriminatory real estate appraisals and requires certain information to be provided to present and prospective owners or occupants of real estate. | Establishes penalties for appraisers who engage in discriminatory real estate appraisals and requires certain information to be provided to present and prospective owners or occupants of real estate. | In Committee |
| S354 | Updates scope of practice of optometrists. | Updates scope of practice of optometrists. | In Committee |
| S3496 | Provides for voluntary contributions for taxpayers on gross income tax returns to support reproductive health care services. | This bill establishes the "New Jersey Reproductive Health Care Equitable Access Fund" and provides for a designation on the State gross income tax return that will permit taxpayers to make voluntary contributions to the fund to support equitable access to reproductive health care services for individuals who cannot afford them. Under the bill, the State would be required to annually appropriate the amounts deposited into the "New Jersey Reproductive Health Care Equitable Access Fund" for distribution, in equal amounts, to the three largest providers of reproductive health care services to Medicaid patients in the State during the previous calendar year, as determined by the Commissioner of Health. The bill requires these monies to be used to provide reproductive health care services to individuals who cannot afford such services. The bill defines "reproductive health care services" to mean medical, surgical, counseling, or referral services relating to the human reproductive system, including services relating to pregnancy or the termination of a pregnancy. | In Committee |
| S3869 | Requires DOH to study racial aspects of ovarian cancer. | This bill requires the Department of Health (DOH) to study racial aspects of ovarian cancer. The bill requires the DOH to evaluate strategies to mitigate disparities in ovarian cancer effects, rates, risk factors, symptoms, and outcomes among women who are members of racial and ethnic groups that are to include but not be limited to: Asian, African-American, Caucasian, Hispanic, Native American, and Pacific Islander. Within one year after the bill's date of enactment, the DOH is to prepare and submit to the Governor and the Legislature a report containing the study's findings and recommendations to address the impact of racial disparities on ovarian cancer rates among women who are members of racial and ethnic minorities. The bill is to take effect immediately and expire upon the submission of the report. | In Committee |
| S3493 | Requires affirmative written consent for certain entities to disclose individual's medical information regarding reproductive health care services, with limited exceptions, unless disclosure is necessary to provide those services. | This bill requires health care providers, business associates of a covered entity, and carriers to receive affirmative written consent in order to disclose a patient's or covered person's medical information regarding reproductive health care services, with limited exceptions, unless disclosure is necessary to provide those services. Under the bill: "health care provider" means an individual or entity which, acting within the scope of its licensure or certification, provides a health care service; a "business associate of a covered entity" means the same as those terms are defined under federal "Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act" rules, or a person or entity that performs certain functions or activities that involve the use or disclosure of protected health information on behalf of, or provides services to, health plans, health care clearinghouses, and health care providers; "carrier" means an insurance company, health service corporation, hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, or health maintenance organization authorized to issue health benefits plans in this State; and "reproductive health care services" means all medical, surgical, counseling, or referral services relating to the human reproductive system including, but not limited to, services relating to pregnancy, contraception, or termination of a pregnancy. Specifically, this bill prohibits a health care provider, a business associate of a covered entity, or carrier from intentionally sharing, selling, using for marketing, or otherwise disclosing any personally identifiable medical information regarding reproductive health care services for any purpose not necessary to provide, or pay benefits for, those services, without the affirmative written consent of the patient or the covered person, or an authorized legal representative. Under the bill, "Medical information" includes information that is acquired using in-person or telephone communication, submitted documentation, a mobile application, an Internet website, or a wearable device. Further, "affirmative written consent" means a freely given, specific agreement collected on a standalone form, which clearly states to the patient how records containing medical information could be used and to whom the contents of the records could be disclosed, and allows the patient to refuse consent for specific disclosures. The bill further mandates that a health care provider, a business associate of a covered entity, or carrier are required to inform a patient or a covered person, or authorized legal representative, of the right to withhold such affirmative written consent at or before the time reproductive health care services are rendered or at such time as the covered person discloses any information relating to reproductive health care services that have been previously rendered. The bill allows for disclosure without affirmative written consent under certain circumstances. These exceptions include when disclosure is: 1) to medical personnel to the extent necessary to meet a bona fide medical emergency; 2) to the extent that the health care provider or carrier is a covered entity and the disclosure is made to a business associate under a valid business associate agreement; 3) as required to comply with the laws of this State, federal law, or the Rules of Court; 4) pursuant to a court order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction in this State upon a showing of good cause; 5) by a health care provider or carrier against whom a claim has been made, for use in the defense of the action or proceeding; 6) to certain State entities or licensing boards for records of a patient or covered person in connection with an investigation of a complaint, if the records are related to the complaint; 7) to a federal or State agency charged with investigating known or, in good faith, suspected child abuse, abuse of an elderly individual, abuse of an individual who is incapacitated, or abuse of an individual with a physical or mental disability, if such disclosure is requested in connection with an investigation of abuse that would constitute a crime under the laws of this State and such records are related to such investigation; and 8) pursuant to regulations promulgated by the Commissioners of Health and Banking and Insurance. Under the bill, if a court of competent jurisdiction finds that a health care provider or carrier has violated the provisions of this bill, the court may award damages, computed at a rate of $1,000 per violation, reasonable attorney's fees, and the costs incurred in maintaining that civil action. Finally, nothing contained in the bill is to be construed to limit, diminish, or abrogate the rights of a person under the federal "Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996," Pub.L.104-191 or the obligations of a health care provider or carrier under that law. | In Committee |
| S3494 | Requires four-year public institution of higher education to develop and implement reproductive health services plan; requires county college to develop referral network for reproductive health care services. | This bill requires four-year public institutions of higher education to develop and implement a reproductive health services plan. Pursuant to the bill, the plan is required to include: making available on-campus services provided by health care professionals, or referrals to off-campus services provided by health care professionals or health care facilities, for: obtaining contraception, including non-prescription and prescription emergency contraception and pharmacist authorized, self-administered hormonal contraceptives; services for preventing, testing for, and treating sexually transmitted infections, including HIV; prenatal care; and abortion. The plan is also required to include: methods to provide students with 24-hour access to over-the-counter contraception through the student health center, on-campus retail establishments, or vending machines; the provision of evidence-based reproductive health education services provided by the student health center, peer educators, or other health education programs; and the development of a referral network of verified health care professionals, health care facilities, and pharmacies that provide off-campus health care services located within the county that the four-year institution of higher education is located. The bill also requires county colleges to develop a referral network of verified health care professionals, health care facilities, and pharmacies that provide off-campus reproductive health care services in the county in which the county college is located in. Additionally, the bill requires the Secretary of Higher Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health and the Commissioner of Human Services, to develop guidelines to assist public institutions of higher education in developing and implementing a reproductive health services plan and county colleges in developing the referral network. Finally, the bill stipulates that the provisions of the bill are not to be construed to require a public institution of higher education to be a direct provider of reproductive health care services, including abortion. | In Committee |
| S3492 | Creates "Reproductive Health Care Access Fund" to strengthen access to reproductive health care. | This bill implements various measures to strengthen access to reproductive health care services in the State and establishes the "Reproductive Health Care Access Fund" to address those purposes. The fund will be used for the following purposes: (1 "Reproductive Health Care Clinical Training Program"; (2) "Reproductive Health Care Security Grant Program"; and (3) "Reproductive Health Care Facility Loan Program". The purpose of the "Reproductive Health Care Clinical Training Program" established in the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety will be to protect access to reproductive health care by ensuring that there are sufficient number of health care professionals to provide reproductive health care services. For instance, the program will ensure that the coordinating organization has demonstrated experience in coordinating health care training programs for reproductive health care services and family planning services. The coordinating organization will also be responsible for administering grants to develop and sustain reproductive health care services. The bill provides that the "Reproductive Health Care Security Grant Program" in the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness will make available grants to eligible reproductive health care facilities which the Director of the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness determines are at a high risk of being the target of unlawful activity, including acts of violence, property damage, vandalism, cyber attacks, and harassment. Grants provided under the program will be used to hire security personnel and target-hardening equipment. Further, the "Reproductive Health Care Facility Loan Program" will award loans to eligible reproductive health care facilities that provide reproductive health care services. Under the bill, loans awarded will be used to support establishing or renovating existing health care facilities, investments in technology to facilitate care, the recruitment and retention of staff, and other operational needs that increase reproductive health care services. The bill requires that the Department of Health conduct a Statewide needs assessment to examine the gaps in access and delivery of reproductive health care services in the State, including the impact that out-of-State restrictions have had on the need for reproductive health care services and the provider network in the State. Finally, the bill appropriates monies from the General Fund, subject to availability, to the "Reproductive Health Care Access Fund." The FY 2024 Appropriations Act includes a $5 million appropriation for OBGYN Clinical Training Program to provide training to licensed members of the health care community. Another $5 million in FY 2024 is appropriated for the Reproductive Health Security Grant Program toward securing clinics. These grants support reproductive health care facilities that provide reproductive health care with target hardening support. The FY 2024 Governor's Budget recommends language in which the Office of Homeland Security Preparedness will receive reimbursement to administer the grant. | In Committee |
| A3446 | "Freedom to Read Act"; establishes requirements for library material in public school libraries and public libraries; protects school library staff members and librarians. | An Act concerning public school libraries and public libraries and supplementing Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3899 | Prohibits sale of ammunition by vending machine. | This bill prohibits the sale of ammunition in vending machines. Under the bill, it is a fourth degree crime to sell, give, transfer, assign or otherwise dispose of ammunition in a manner that dispenses the ammunition to a consumer from a vending machine. The bill defines a vending machine to mean "a machine or other mechanical device that accepts payment and directly dispenses an item to a consumer." A fourth degree crime is punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to 18 months, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. | In Committee |
| S3898 | Requires law enforcement officers to complete training regarding identification of machine gun conversion devices. | This bill requires law enforcement officers to complete training regarding the identification of machine gun conversion devices. Under current law, the Police Training Commission is to require all law enforcement officers as a condition of continued employment or appointment as a law enforcement officer to receive periodic commission-approved continuing officer education training. The training is to be mandated or prescribed by the commission. Under this bill, the training required under current law is to include training regarding the identification of machine gun conversion devices and associated firearm components used to convert a semiautomatic firearm into a machine gun. | In Committee |
| S3868 | Requires cosmetology and hairstyling licensees to complete domestic violence sensitivity and response training. | This bill requires any person who holds a license to practice cosmetology and hairstyling, barbering, beauty culture, manicuring, hair braiding, or skin care specialty to complete one hour of domestic violence sensitivity and response training prior to the completion of a course of instruction, vocational program, or other approved program in cosmetology and hairstyling. The bill requires the New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling to establish criteria and standards for domestic violence sensitivity and response training for practicing licensees. The training is required to include, but shall not be limited to, information concerning recognizing the signs of abuse and assault and the resources available to victims of domestic violence. The bill requires the board to issue regulations regarding the additional requirements for, and the approval of providers of, domestic violence sensitivity and response training. In addition, the bill requires the board, in conjunction with a provider of domestic violence sensitivity and response training, to develop, regularly update, and make available on the Division of Consumer Affairs website in English, Spanish, Korean, and the three languages next most commonly spoken in the State, a presentation on domestic violence prevention and intervention appropriate for those licensed by the board and to notify applicants for renewal of licensure of how to access the presentation. The bill also requires the board to provide information to licensees on where to obtain materials to educate consumers domestic violence. Pursuant to the provisions of the bill, a practicing licensee or the practicing licensee's employer will not be civilly or criminally liable for acting in good faith or failing to act on information obtained during the course of employment concerning potential domestic violence or sexual assault. | In Committee |
| S3867 | Requires prescriptions for certain patients to include patients' weight. | This bill provides that any prescription or order for medication issued by an authorized prescriber for a patient, who is 18 years of age or younger, is to include the patient's weight expressed in kilograms on the prescription or order. | In Committee |
| S3866 | Establishes task force to examine public school programs and services designed to address student mental health. | This bill establishes the Task Force on Student Mental Health. Under the bill, the task force will consist of 16 members including: the Commissioner of Education; the Director of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services; one public member appointed by the President of the Senate and one public member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; one public member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and one public member appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly; and 10 members appointed by the Governor, including: a school board member, a school principal, a school administrator, an elementary school teacher, a high school teacher, a school counselor, a school social worker, and a school psychologist, all of whom are currently employed in public schools in the State; and two parents of students enrolled in a public school. The task force will study and make recommendations regarding the following:· the identification of public school students who experience depression, anxiety, stress, or other psychological or emotional tension, trauma, or disorder;· the evaluation and expansion of counseling programs and services available to students experiencing mental health difficulties, and other programs designed to address issues related to student mental health; · the relationship of student mental health to school safety and security; · the amount of funding that may be necessary for public schools to employ the appropriate staff and to establish new programs or expand existing programs necessary to address student mental health; and· an examination of other states which have implemented programs that have successfully addressed depression, anxiety, stress, or other psychological or emotional tension, trauma, or disorder among public school students and reduced the number of students experiencing such difficulties. The bill directs the task force to issue a final report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature no later than one year after its organizational meeting. The task force will expire 30 days after the submission of the final report. | In Committee |
| S3875 | Requires access to certain assistive services for students with disabilities at public institutions of higher education. | This bill requires an institution of higher education to provide a student with a disability access to assistive services during class for purposes of recording course material, including note-taking software or a scribe, provided that use of any recording is limited for personal use. Under the bill, course material does not include any test or graded assignment completed during class time. | In Committee |
| S3888 | Establishes New Jersey Low Income Household Water Assistance Program to provide water service and water bill payment assistance to certain low-income households; appropriates $25 million. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Community Affairs (commissioner), in consultation with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (board), to establish the "New Jersey Low Income Household Water Assistance Program" (program). The purpose of the program is to provide affordability assistance for water and sewer services to eligible households throughout New Jersey. Under the bill, "eligible household" means a household that pays for its own water or sewer services and which has a monthly household income at or below 60 percent of the New Jersey State median income, to be established by the Department of Community Affairs based on the most recent Statewide data from the United States Census Bureau. Under the bill, the programs would provide the following types of assistance:· direct assistance;· assistance to renters and other households who do not receive a bill from a water system but pay other amounts, fees, or charges related to residential water system service;· water crisis intervention assistance;· water efficiency, leak detection, and plumbing repair measures for eligible households; and· debt relief for arrears, including arrears accrued prior to implementation of the program. The commissioner is required to coordinate the program with any existing assistance programs, and in developing the program, the commissioner is also required to review and consider adapting elements of one or more existing low-income energy assistance programs, including the Universal Service Fund and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The bill also establishes the "New Jersey Low Income Household Water Assistance Program Fund." The fund would be a non-lapsing fund to contain monies appropriated annually by the Legislature, federal and other grants received by the State, and any other monies made available to fund the water affordability assistance required to be provided in the bill. To participate in the program, each public utility, local authority, or municipal utility is required to enter into a vendor contract with the department, on a form and in such manner as determined by the commissioner, to provide assistance to eligible households. The bill requires the commissioner to submit an annual written report concerning the operations of the program to the Governor and to the Legislature, which is required to include information concerning: · the number of persons who applied for the program; · the number of persons who have been approved and denied for the program, respectively; · the number of public utilities, local authorities, and municipal utilities that have entered into a vendor contract, including the names of any such public utility, local authority, or municipal utility; and· the amount of funding that has been expended on the program, including administrative expenses and program assistance payments, respectively. The bill appropriates $25 million from the General Fund to the Department of Community Affairs to provide grants to effectuate the bill's provisions. | In Committee |
| S3849 | Increases certain local public contract bid threshold. | This bill amends the "Local Public Contracts Law," P.L.1971, c.198 (C.40A:11-1 et seq.), to increase, from $17,500 to $22,000, the statutory, maximum contract amount at which the governing body of a local contracting unit may designate an employee to award a contract without public advertising for bids, regardless of whether the designated employee possesses a qualified purchasing agent certificate. Under the bill, if a contracting unit has established a bid threshold in excess of $22,000, and has designated a person possessing a qualified purchasing agent certificate to serve as the contracting unit's purchasing agent, then the contracting unit is not required to award the contract itself, and may delegate the power to award contracts in an amount between $22,000 and the bid threshold to the holder of the qualified purchasing agent certificate. Current law authorizes the governing body of a contracting unit that has designated a purchasing agent to establish a bid threshold of up to $25,000 or the threshold amount set by the Governor, which amount is currently set at $44,000. Therefore, under the bill, a contracting unit would be able to delegate the award of a contract below $22,000, or all contracts below $22,000, to a purchasing agent or other employee, without publicly advertising for bids. If a contracting unit designates a purchasing agent and sets a bid threshold in excess of $22,000, the contracting unit may delegate the power to award contracts between $22,000 and the public bid threshold to the purchasing agent. | In Committee |
| S1087 | Requires midwives and physicians to provide pregnant women information on birthing options prior to delivery. | Requires midwives and physicians to provide pregnant women information on birthing options prior to delivery. | Crossed Over |
| S2421 | "Freedom to Read Act"; establishes requirements for library material in public school libraries and public libraries; protects school library staff members and librarians. | "Freedom to Read Act"; establishes requirements for library material in public school libraries and public libraries; protects school library staff members and librarians. | In Committee |
| S3843 | Requires continuation of health benefits dependent coverage for certain children with disabilities who are 26 years of age or older. | This bill requires health insurers (health, hospital and medical service corporations, commercial group health insurers; health maintenance organizations, and health benefits plans issued pursuant to the Individual Health Coverage Program and the Small Employer Health Benefits Program) and group health plans that provide dependent coverage of children to continue to make that coverage available for adult children who are 26 years of age or older if the child is: (1) incapable of self-sustaining employment by reason of intellectual disability or physical handicap; (2) and is chiefly dependent upon the subscriber for support and maintenance. | In Committee |
| S3823 | Creates separate crime for items depicting sexual exploitation or abuse of children; concerns computer generated or manipulated sexually explicit images. | This bill amends and updates the law prohibiting child pornography in two important respects. First, under the bill, the statute concerning child pornography is separated from its current placement within the statute concerning child endangerment, so as to create a separate and distinct crime. This is intended to provide clarity in law enforcement and court documents, and the analysis and tracking of crime statistics, when referring to child pornography rather than the broader crime of child endangerment. Because of this recodification of the statute, it is necessary to also update the cross references in other sections of law that refer to either child pornography or child endangerment. Second, under the bill, the crime of child pornography is expanded to include manipulated depictions, also known as "deepfakes," that by means of image manipulation, creation, or modification, appear to show an identifiable child or a purported child engaging in a prohibited sexual act or in the simulation of such an act. The bill also amends the statutes concerning obscenity to include manipulated depictions, also known as "deepfakes," that by means of image manipulation, creation, or modification, appear to show a purported child engaging in a prohibited sexual act or in the simulation of such an act. Under current jurisprudence, the distinction between child pornography and obscenity is that child pornography involves the depiction of an actual victim (i.e., an identifiable child), while obscenity does not require the depiction of an actual victim. The bill also amends the statute concerning leaders of child pornography networks to bring that statute into conformity with the provision of the child pornography statute concerning possession with intent to distribute. Under current law, leader of a child pornography network is a crime of the first degree if the offense involves 100,000 or more items depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of a child, a crime of the second degree if the offense involves at least 1,000 but less than 100,000 items, and a crime of the third degree if the offense involves less than 1,000 items. Under the bill, leader of a child pornography network is a crime of the first degree if the offense involves 1,000 or more items; otherwise it is a crime of the second degree. These are the same thresholds as the crime of possession with intent to distribute child pornography. A crime of the first degree is punishable by a term of imprisonment of 10 to 20 years, a fine of up to $200,000, or both. A crime of the second degree is punishable by a term of imprisonment of five to ten years, a fine of up to $150,000, or both. A crime of the third degree is punishable by a term of imprisonment of three to five years, a fine of up to $15,000, or both. Finally, the bill also amends the invasion of privacy statute in two important respects. First, the statute is amended to include manipulated depictions, also known as "deepfakes," that by means of image manipulation, creation, or modification, appear to show an intimate or sexually explicit image of a person who did not in fact consent to such depiction or engage in the depicted conduct. Second, the statute is amended to clarify that a person's consent to being photographed, filmed, or recorded in an intimate or sexual manner does not imply consent to the distribution of such images. | In Committee |
| S3781 | Requires Commission on Human Trafficking to post public awareness signage in additional establishments. | This bill would expand the establishments in which the Commission on Human Trafficking is required to post public awareness signage as described under section 18 of P.L.2013, c.51 (C.2C:13-11). The commission is currently required to develop a public awareness sign containing information on how to identify and report suspected human trafficking, including, but not limited to, by providing the national, 24-hour toll-free hotline telephone service on human trafficking described under section 18 of P.L.2013, c.51 (C.2C:13-11). This bill expands the required public awareness signage to the following establishments: gas stations; staffing agencies; State, county, and municipal law enforcement offices; nail salons; and New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission offices. | In Committee |
| S3784 | Requires State agencies to make good faith effort to increase awarding of contracts procured without advertisement to minority- and women-owned businesses. | This bill requires State agencies, the Director of the Division of Purchase and Property, and the Director of the Division of Property Management and Construction, as the case may be, to make a good faith effort to achieve a goal of increasing the awarding of goods and services contracts procured without advertisement to certified minority-owned and women-owned businesses by 30 percent in the aggregate within five years of the effective date of the bill. The State Treasurer will develop guidelines and directives for State agencies and directors that will be used toward the effort to achieve such goal. Each State agency will submit a report to the State Treasurer detailing the efforts made by that agency to achieve such goal every 30 days. The State Treasurer will submit a report to the Governor and to the Legislature detailing the efforts made by all State agencies and the directors to achieve such goal every six months. | In Committee |
| S3763 | Requires physicians and certain hospital employees to complete training on communication with and treatment of persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. | This bill requires physicians and certain hospital employees to complete training on communication with and treatment of persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. Under the bill, the State Board of Medical Examiners is to require that the number of credits of continuing medical education required of each person licensed as a physician include one credit of educational programs or topics concerning communication with and treatment of persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. The bill provides that the Division of Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Department of Human Services is to create a dedicated training and outreach unit to develop and administer a training program on communication with and treatment of persons who are deaf or hard of hearing for individuals who work in the emergency department of a general hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.). In consultation with the Division of Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Department of Human Services, the emergency department of a general hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) is to develop a training protocol on proper communication and treatment of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing for employees who may interact with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing during the course of employment in the emergency department. | In Committee |
| S2283 | "Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access and Services Act"; authorizes production and use of psilocybin to promote health and wellness. | "Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access and Services Act"; authorizes production and use of psilocybin to promote health and wellness. | In Committee |
| S3765 | Establishes Sign Language Interpreting Services Providers Loan Redemption Program; appropriates $2 million. | This bill establishes the Sign Language Interpreting Services Providers Loan Redemption Program in the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA). This loan redemption program is to provide for the redemption of a portion of a program participant's State, federal, or commercial student loans in exchange for the program participant's service at a site approved by the authority. Under the bill, the sites are to include a nonprofit agency providing sign language interpreting services, the Judiciary, an entity providing healthcare or mental health services, a public or nonpublic school, an institution of higher education, a licensed childcare provider, an entity providing video relay services and video remote interpreting services, and a nonprofit entity providing services for the general public good, as approved by the authority. To be eligible to participate in the program, an applicant is required to: (1) be a resident of the State; (2) be employed as an eligible provider of interpreting services, defined as an interpreter who is certified by the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc., listed by the State Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Department of Human Services or the New Jersey Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, and providing interpreting services in the State; and (3) submit an application in a manner and form to be determined by the executive director of the HESAA. In selecting program participants, the executive director is required to give preference to applicants employed as an eligible provider of interpreting services in a county facing a shortage of providers of interpreting services. The bill stipulates that a selected program participant is to enter into a written contract with the authority. The contract is to specify the duration of the program participant's required service and the total amount of qualifying student loan amounts to be redeemed in return for the service. Under the bill, loan redemption is to amount to 18 percent of a program participant's qualifying loan amounts in return for one full year of service at an approved site, an additional 26 percent for a second full year of service, an additional 28 percent for a third full year of service, and an additional 28 percent for a fourth full year of service. The total loan redemption for a program participant is not to exceed $200,000. Finally, the bill stipulates that a provider of interpreting services, who is participating in the National Health Services Corps Loan Repayment Program or any other loan redemption program administered by the authority, is not eligible to simultaneously participate in the Sign Language Interpreting Services Providers Loan Redemption Program. | In Committee |
| SJR55 | Designates July of each year as "Self-Care Awareness Month" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates July of each year as "Self-Care Awareness Month" in New Jersey. Self-care is a lifelong daily habit of making healthy lifestyle choices, practicing good hygiene, preventing infection and illness, avoiding unhealthy choices, monitoring for signs and symptoms of changes in health, knowing when to consult a healthcare practitioner, and knowing when it is appropriate to self-treat conditions. Self-care also involves engaging in activities that promote well-being and reduce stress. New Jersey benefits when its citizens practice appropriate self-care and are subsequently empowered by higher self-esteem and improved health. Practicing proper self-care also reduces health care visits and cost. According to an Information Resources, Inc. study, each dollar spent on over-the-counter medicines saves the healthcare system more than seven dollars, resulting in more than $146 billion in annual savings. Over-the-counter medical items such as bandages, menstrual products, face masks, and at-home test kits used for prevention, testing, and treatment result in cost savings for the healthcare system. Consumption of vitamin and mineral supplements can fill critical nutrient gaps, particularly for lower income families that may experience food insecurity. New Jersey encourages its citizens to take advantage of the potential of self-care to improve personal and public health, save personal and public monies, and strengthen the sustainability of New Jersey's health care system. Achieving the potential of self-care is a shared opportunity for consumers, healthcare practitioners, policymakers, and regulators. | In Committee |
| S3140 | Requires eligible children from birth to five to receive early intervention services. | Requires eligible children from birth to five to receive early intervention services. | In Committee |
| S3672 | Establishes protections for immigrants interacting with government agencies; designates "New Jersey Immigrant Trust Act." | This bill creates a uniform code for State and local government entities, as well as health care facilities, regarding the use of resources to aid federal immigration law enforcement, and designates the "New Jersey Immigrant Trust Act." Under the bill, the definition of government entities includes any of the principal departments of the executive branch of State government and any parts or creations thereof, any independent State authority, commission, instrumentality or agency, including any public institution of higher education. The bill's definition also includes political subdivisions of the State and combinations of political subdivisions, independent authorities, commissions, instrumentalities and agencies created by a political subdivision or combination of political subdivisions. Under the bill, government entities and healthcare facilities are prohibited from collecting certain personal and identifying information unless it is strictly necessary for program or service administration. Any record resulting from that collection, whether written or oral, would not be a government record under the "Open Public Records Act" unless an election agency requires it to ascertain the eligibility of a candidate when citizenship is required for an elected office. Any record also shall not be disclosed except as required to administer benefits or services pursuant to State or federal law, or valid court order or warrant, issued by a federal Article III judge or magistrate or the State equivalent. The bill provides that the prohibition on sharing information may be waived if the subject of the record or information provides written consent in that person's preferred language. The written consent shall include the following: (1) the exact record or information to be shared; (2) the purpose for sharing the record or information; (3) a statement clarifying that consent is voluntary and declining to consent shall not result in discrimination or retaliation by the government entity; (4) a statement clarifying that consent may be revoked, but that revocation does not impact a record or information already shared via prior written consent provided pursuant to this section; and (5) the person or agency to receive the record or information. The bill requires government entities to review their confidentiality policies, guidance and recommendations to identify any changes necessary to ensure compliance with the provisions of the bill and make any changes as expeditiously as possible, but no later than one year after the bill becomes effective. The bill also requires these entities to share their policies prominently on their Internet websites. This bill also requires the Attorney General, in consultation with the Public Defender, to prepare a written notice explaining in plain language the provisions of section 6 of the bill. Section 6 of the bill details the prohibition of certain actions by law enforcement. The bill requires the notice and all translations to be posted to the Internet website of the Department of Law and Public Safety and to be considered vital documents pursuant to P.L.2023, c.263 (C.52:14-40 et seq.). The Attorney General is also required to consult with stakeholders serving or representing immigrant communities in the development of standardized training and guidance for law enforcement to comply with the bill's provisions. The AG also shall provide mandatory training to all State, county and local law enforcement agencies within one year of the bill's effective date. Any newly sworn officer is required to complete this training within a year of the officer's appointment. The Department of Human Services is required to consult with stakeholders serving or representing immigrant communities to develop and lead a multilingual campaign to promote public awareness of the bill's requirements for law enforcement agencies. As part of the awareness campaign, DHS is required to publish the text of section 6 of the bill's provisions and a plain language summary and explanation of those requirements on its Internet website within 180 days of the bill's enactment. . Under the bill, the Attorney General is also required to consult with other government entities and stakeholders in the development of model policies for sensitive locations. These locations include health care facilities, public schools, public libraries, shelters, and any other locations deemed appropriate by the Attorney General to ensure that eligible individuals are not deterred from seeking services or engaging with government entities. The model policies prohibit the request or collection of certain information regarding a person's immigration status, place of birth or taxpayer identification except to determine eligibility for services or program benefits. The model policies prohibit assistance or participation of immigration enforcement, and prohibit the permission of immigration enforcement on entity premises that are not open without restriction to the general public. The Attorney General is required to publish the model policies on the Internet website of the Department of Law and Public Safety. The bill requires government entities with authority to regulate sensitive places to adopt the model policies within 180 days of issuance by the Attorney General's office and encourages facilities not regulated by government entities to adopt the policies. The bill prohibits certain actions by law enforcement. Specifically, State, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies and officials shall not: (1) stop, question, arrest, search, or detain any individual based on actual or suspected citizenship or immigration status, or actual or suspected violations of federal civil immigration law; (2) inquire about an individual's immigration status, citizenship, place of birth, or eligibility for a social security number; (3) make an arrest, detain, or prolong the detention of an individual based on civil immigration warrants; (4) use agency or department moneys, facilities, property, equipment, or personnel to investigate, enforce, or assist in the investigation or enforcement of any federal program requiring registration of individuals on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, immigration status, citizenship, or national or ethnic origin; or (5) make agency or department databases available to anyone or any entity for the purpose of immigration enforcement or investigation or enforcement of any federal program requiring registration of individuals on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, immigration status, citizenship, or national or ethnic origin. The bill nullifies any agreement, policy or practice in place that permits in conflict with this clause. Law enforcement agencies in the State are also prohibited from: (1) participating in civil immigration enforcement operations; (2) providing to federal immigration authorities any information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular person; (3) providing access to any State, county, or municipal law enforcement equipment, office space, database, or property; (4) providing access to a detained individual for an interview; (5) facilitating or complying with immigration detainers, notification requests, and transfer requests from federal immigration authorities; (6) continuing to detain a person past the time the person would otherwise be eligible for release from custody based solely on an immigration detainer or civil immigration warrant; (7) entering into, modifying, renewing, or extending any agreement to exercise federal immigration authority or conduct immigration enforcement pursuant to section 287(g) of Title 8 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. §1357(g), or otherwise exercising federal civil immigration authority or conducting immigration enforcement outside of the purview of 287(g) of Title 8 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. §1357(g); or (8) providing or sharing funds, property, equipment, personnel, or access to facilities or real property not open to the general public for purposes of engaging in, assisting, supporting, or facilitating immigration enforcement. The bill provides that violations of the prohibitions on police conduct in the bill would be enforceable under the "New Jersey Civil Rights Act," P.L.2004, c.143. If an agency or law enforcement official intends to comply with an immigration detainer, notification request, civil immigration warrant, or transfer request concerning a person in custody, a written explanation specifying the legal basis for that action is required to be given to the person is custody. Lastly, the bill requires each State, county, and municipal law enforcement agency to submit to the Attorney General a report that includes: (1) the number of detainer requests, transfer requests, and notification requests made by immigration authorities, and the responses of the State, county, or municipal law enforcement agency. For any request that was granted, the report shall specify any legal basis for granting that request; (2) the number of interviews requested and the number of interviews conducted, either in person or telephonically, by immigration authorities of people in State, county, or municipal law enforcement custody. For each interview conducted, the report shall specify any legal basis for granting the interview; (3) any other requests made by immigration authorities for the agency's participation in immigration enforcement, the responses of the State, county, or municipal law enforcement agency, and the legal basis for granting the request; and (4) to the extent the law enforcement agency has knowledge, any information about State, county, and municipal databases to which immigration authorities have had access to at any time in the course of the year, including: the name of the database; an overview of information available on the database; the purpose for which immigration authorities have access to this database; the process through which immigration authorities requested access and agencies reviewed this request, if applicable; any legal basis for providing immigration authorities access to the database; and the frequency with which immigration authorities accessed the database over the course of the year. Law enforcement agencies have 180 days after the effective date of the bill to produce the first report and must then annually submit a report within 30 days of the end of the State's fiscal year. The Attorney General is initially required to publish the report on the office's website within 90 days of receipt, and then within 90 days of the end of the fiscal year thereafter. The Attorney General is also required to annually submit to the Governor and Legislature a report on each law enforcement agency's compliance with the provisions of this act. | In Committee |
| SJR132 | Designates May of each year as Haitian Heritage Month. | This joint resolution designates May of each year as Haitian Heritage Month. Haitian Heritage Month, recognized globally during the month of May, celebrates the rich culture of Haiti and its people, including their history, language, distinctive art, and cuisine. The purpose of Haitian Heritage Month is to raise awareness and understanding about Haitian culture, history, and traditions by educating the public about the historical global contributions Haitian people have made and to celebrate these Haitian achievements worldwide. Haiti's history is of vital significance and pride for its people and has crucial global importance, representing a new concept of human rights, universal citizenship, and participation in government through the Haitian Revolution, which occurred from 1791 to 1804. The Haitian Revolution is one of the largest and the first successful slave rebellions in the Western Hemisphere. Haitian Heritage Month is an expansion of Haitian Flag Day, a national Haitian Holiday celebrated annually on May 18th, serving as a major patriotic celebration in Haiti and the Diaspora to encourage patriotism. Haitian Flag Day serves as a reminder of the struggle to freedom and the Haitian Flag symbolizes the unity that borne the Haitian nation through the alliance of the Blacks and mulattoes during the Revolutionary war. Haitian American immigrants have come to the United States bringing their own influences and cultural traditions to a variety of spheres including the arts, business, sports, literature, science, and law. Today, New Jersey has the fourth largest Haitian-American population in the United States, with nearly 69,000 Haitian-American residents. For decades, Haiti has faced significant challenges, including natural disasters that have devastated the land and disrupted the lives of millions. However, the Haitian people have demonstrated resilience throughout history. It is time to officially recognize the Haitian people and all of their achievements. | In Committee |
| S2188 | Requires DEP, DOH, owners or operators of certain public community water systems, and owners or operators of certain buildings or facilities to take certain actions to prevent and control cases of Legionnaires' disease. | An Act concerning Legionnaires' disease and supplementing P.L.1977, c.224 (C.58:12A-1 et seq.) and Title 26 of the Revised Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S2607 | Requires private bus operators to provide notice and hold public meetings for certain service changes. | An Act concerning requirements for certain private bus operators and supplementing Title 27 of the Revised Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3546 | Requires certain high-traffic facilities to obtain permit from DEP and annually implement measures to reduce air pollution caused by facility. | This bill would establish a program in the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to require certain high-traffic facilities to obtain a permit from the DEP and annually implement measures to reduce air pollution caused by the facility. Specifically, the bill would apply to "regulated facilities," defined by the bill as (1) a facility used for the purpose of goods distribution, whether leased or used as a proprietary facility, which has 100,000 square feet or more of business area; (2) a facility located in an overburdened community and used for the purpose of goods distribution, whether leased or used as a proprietary facility, which has 50,000 square feet or more of business area; or (3) a facility that generates 50 or more truck trips per day, including a port or any part of a port. The bill would require each owner or operator of a regulated facility to obtain, and abide by the terms of, an indirect source air pollution permit issued by the DEP. A newly constructed regulated facility would not be allowed to commence operations without first obtaining an indirect source air pollution permit issued by the DEP. The goal of the indirect source air pollution permit program would be to reduce air pollution from regulated facilities to zero by the year 2050. Each permit would require the regulated facility to implement an annual quota of air pollution mitigation measures, determined by the DEP using a points-based accounting system. Points would be awarded for measures, as enumerated in subsection a. of section 4 of the bill, including purchasing battery-electric trucks, purchasing and using battery-electric forklifts, yard trucks, or other on-site equipment and using battery-electric trucks at the regulated facility or in truck trips to or from the regulated facility. Persons who violate the bill's provisions could be liable for civil administrative penalties of between $10,000 and $20,000 per violation, and civil penalties of up to $20,000 per violation. In order to monitor compliance with the bill's provisions, the bill would require the DEP to annually conduct truck counting on a representative sample of roads adjacent to regulated facilities, and to annually conduct monitoring of idling and hoteling activities at a representative sample of regulated facilities. In addition, the DEP would be required to annually conduct an inspection of at least 10 percent of the regulated facilities located in overburdened communities, and at least five percent of all other regulated facilities, using a randomized selection process. The bill would require owners or operators of regulated facilities to pay an annual permit fee, which would be set at a level sufficient to cover the DEP's administrative costs in implementing the bill's provisions. The first annual permit fee paid by a regulated facility would also include an amount sufficient to fund the cleanup and restoration of the facility and its land once the facility is no longer in commercial operation for longer than one year. The DEP would be required to provide certain public notifications under the permit program, including public notice of the submission of permit applications, renewals, or revisions, and the full permit application, the draft and final findings by the consulted agencies, and the agencies' response to comments, for each permit. Finally, the bill would require the DEP to post a list of regulated facilities, along with certain items of information enumerated in subsection c. of section 7 of the bill, on its website, and to submit an annual report on the program established by the bill to the Governor and the Legislature. | In Committee |
| S3532 | Includes Sikhs as protected class in bias intimidation law; appropriates $100,000. | This bill amends N.J.S.A.2C:16-1, the crime of bias intimidation,to specifically include Sikhism in the protected classes set forth in the statute. Sikhism is the monotheistic religion founded in India in the 15th century by Guru Nanak. New Jersey is home to approximately 100,000 Sikhs, which is one of the largest Sikh populations in the United States. On October 16, 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") released its annual report of hate crime statistics, which recorded 198 anti-Sikh hate crime incidents. According to the FBI report, Sikhs remain the second-most targeted group in the nation for religiously-motivated hate crime incidents. Current law enumerates the protected classes of race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, and ethnicity in the bias intimidation statute. Under the provisions of the bill, a person is guilty of the crime of bias intimidation if he commits, attempts, conspires, or threatens the immediate commission of certain specified offenses with a purpose to intimidate an individual or group because of their membership within a protected class, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ethnicity, or Sikhism, or knowing that the conduct would cause an individual or group to be intimidated on that basis or under circumstances in which the victim believes he was targeted on that basis. Pursuant to this bill, all local, county, and State law enforcement entities in New Jersey are to report all violations under the statute to the State and federal law enforcement agencies responsible for preparing bias crime reports. Further, this bill sets forth that the Office of Attorney General, in consultation with the Department of Education, is to: (1) develop training, for the dissemination to county and local law enforcement agencies, on Sihkism, which shall include, but not limited to, visible Sikh identity features, including turbans, bracelets, moustaches, beard, and physical attire, and the classification of bias intimidation cases as anti-sikh, to prevent the misclassification of hate and bias incidents. (2) coordinate with other State agencies and departments in the creation of a public awareness campaign and educational initiatives on Sikhism; and (3) annually report to the Governor and the Legislature on the public awareness campaign,educational initiatives on Sikhism executed through the public awareness campaign across different public platforms, and on the steps taken to include Sikhism education across curriculum standards in different grades across township boards of education within this State. Pursuant to this bill, the New Jersey Office of Attorney General, in consultation with the New Jersey field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, shall develop a transnational repression recognition and response training program that is to include how to identify different tactics of transnational repression and best practices for appropriate county, local and state law enforcement prevention, reporting, and response tactics. Current law establishes within the Division of Purchase and Property in the State Department of the Treasury, the position of Chief Diversity Officer. This bill expands the Chief Diversity Officer's responsibilities to include: ensuring that each public entity of this State incorporate the definition for anti-Sikh hate into the bias intimidation policy of the public entity; and ensuring that the definition of anti-Sikh hate is incorporated into the diversity, equity, and inclusivity promotion policies in any program offered by the State or any political subdivision of the State. This bill appropriates $100,000, for three consecutive years following enactment, from the General Fund to the Office of the Attorney General to fund Sikh awareness educational initiatives and outreach efforts to the Sikh community. | In Committee |
| SR107 | Urges Congress to pass federal "Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act." | This resolution urges Congress to pass the federal "Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act." The United States has the highest maternal mortality rates of any high-income country, and New Jersey is ranked fourth among states with the worst maternal mortality rates. The maternal health care crisis is even more dire among Black women, who have the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States, and are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. As the Center for Disease Control reported that over 80 percent of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, more can and must be done to improve maternal health care in the United States. On May 15, 2023, members of Congress re-introduced the "Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act," ("Momnibus") a legislative package consisting of 13 bills aimed at addressing the causes of maternal mortality, morbidity, and disparities in the United States. The Momnibus appropriates over $1 billion to invest in social health determinants affecting maternal health outcomes, diversify and expand the perinatal workforce, fund community-based initiatives, improve data collection and measures to inform understanding of the causes of and how to prevent pregnancy-related deaths, and promote and increase access to high-quality maternity care for all pregnant and postpartum women, including underserved and vulnerable populations. The House urges Congress to pass the federal "Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act," which is a critically needed step towards addressing the maternal health care crisis, promoting health equity, and saving the lives of mothers in New Jersey and across the United States. | In Committee |
| S3566 | Requires $1 million annual appropriation to certain educational services commissions for school facilities projects and school security improvements. | This bill provides State funding to educational services commissions for certain school facilities projects and school security improvements. Under current law, educational services commissions do not receive direct State funding for school facilities projects or school security improvements. This bill would provide State funds in an amount of $1 million per school year to an educational services commission that provides in-classroom instruction and educational services primarily to students with a school district of residence that is an SDA district. The funds are to be used for school facilities projects and school security improvements. | In Committee |
| S3544 | Establishes United Network for Inclusive Teaching and Youth Grant Program; makes appropriation. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Education to administer a three-year United Network for Inclusive Teaching and Youth (UNITY) Grant Program. The program is to award grants to school district employees facing adverse situations, as defined by the commissioner, to provide access to free or low cost preschool or higher education for their dependents. A school district employee that wishes to receive a grant is to submit an application to the commissioner in a form and manner prescribed by the commissioner. The application is to include any information required by the commissioner. Under the bill, the commissioner is to determine the amount of each grant awarded under the program and the commissioner may award multi-year grants. The sponsor notes that the purpose of the bill is to foster collaboration, inclusivity, and support within the educational community for the benefit of both school district employees and their children. | In Committee |
| S3556 | Establishes "Reproductive Health Access for Haitian Migrants Act." | This bill establishes the "Reproductive Health Access for Haitian Migrants Act." Under the bill, the Department of Health (department), in collaboration with community health clinics and migrant support organizations, is to ensure that all Haitian migrants have access to reproductive contraceptives at no cost. Contraceptive options for Haitian migrants are to include, but are not to be limited to, intrauterine devices, birth control pills, and Depo-Provera injections. Services for Haitian migrants are to include comprehensive reproductive health education and counseling to ensure informed decision-making. The department is to develop detailed guidelines for the implementation of the provisions of this bill, including eligibility criteria, application procedures, and logistics of contraceptive distribution within 120 days following the bill's effective date. The bill provides that the department is to prepare and submit to the Governor and to the Legislature an annual report containing information on outreach, usage statistics, and any barriers to accessing reproductive contraceptives encountered by Haitian migrants. | In Committee |
| A2288 | Establishes Office of Learning Equity and Academic Recovery in DOE. | An Act establishing the Office of Learning Equity and Academic Recovery and supplementing Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S2644 | Requires DOE to establish working group on student literacy; mandates universal literacy screenings for kindergarten through grade three students; requires professional development for certain school district employees. | An Act concerning student literacy and supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A3772 | Revises process for property tax lien holder to foreclose right to redeem a property tax lien; allows property owner to protect remaining equity. | An Act revising the process for a property tax lien holder to foreclose the right to redeem a property tax lien, amending various parts of the statutory law, and supplementing chapter 5 of Title 54 of the Revised Statutes and P.L.1948, c.96 (C.54:5-104.29 et seq.). | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A2027 | Establishes One-Year State Work First New Jersey Menstrual Hygiene Benefit Pilot Program and State Work First New Jersey Diaper Benefit Pilot Program; appropriates $2.5 million to DHS. | An Act concerning a monthly State benefit for menstrual hygiene products and diaper products under the Work First New Jersey Program, supplementing P.L.1997, c.38 (C.44:10-55), and making an appropriation. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A1669 | Removes obstacles to teacher certification for certain teachers; repeals law establishing alternative certificate of eligibility. | An Act concerning teacher certification, supplementing chapter 26 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and repealing P.L.2023, c.180. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S2334 | Revises process for property tax lien holder to foreclose right to redeem a property tax lien; allows property owner to protect remaining equity. | Revises process for property tax lien holder to foreclose right to redeem property tax lien; allows property owner to protect remaining equity. | In Committee |
| S2330 | Establishes One-Year State Work First New Jersey Menstrual Hygiene Benefit Pilot Program and State Work First New Jersey Diaper Benefit Pilot Program; appropriates $2.5 million to DHS. | Establishes One-Year State Work First New Jersey Menstrual Hygiene Benefit Pilot Program and State Work First New Jersey Diaper Benefit Pilot Program; appropriates $2.5 million to DHS. | In Committee |
| S2647 | Establishes Office of Learning Equity and Academic Recovery in DOE. | Establishes Office of Learning Equity and Academic Recovery in DOE. | In Committee |
| S3452 | Requires health insurance and Medicaid coverage for family planning and reproductive health care services; prohibits adverse actions by medical malpractice insurers in relation to performance of legally protected health care services. | Requires health insurance and Medicaid coverage for family planning and reproductive health care services; prohibits adverse actions by medical malpractice insurers in relation to performance of legally protected health care services. | Crossed Over |
| S3495 | Establishes Reproductive Health Care Professionals Loan Redemption Program; appropriates $5 million. | This bill establishes the Reproductive Health Care Professional Loan Redemption Program in the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA). The loan redemption program is to provide for the redemption of a portion of a program participant's State, federal, or commercial student loans in exchange for the program participant's service at a site providing reproductive health care services, as approved by the authority. Under the bill, the sites may include sites operated by a nonprofit organizations, hospitals, clinics, physicians' offices, and other facilities providing reproductive health care services. An approved site under the bill includes sites providing abortion care. To be eligible to participate in the program, an applicant is required to: (1) be a resident of the State; (2) be employed as an eligible reproductive health care professional, defined as a person who is licensed, certified, or otherwise authorized to provide health care services and who is providing reproductive health care services in the State; and (3) submit an application in a manner determined by the executive director of the HESAA. In selecting program participants, the executive director is required to give preference to applicants employed as an eligible reproductive health care professional in a county facing a shortage of reproductive health care professionals. The bill stipulates that a selected program participant is to enter into a written contract with the authority. The contract is to specify the duration of the program participant's required service and the total amount of student loans to be redeemed in return for the service. Under the bill, loan redemption is to amount to 18 percent of a program participant's qualifying loan amounts in return for one full year of service at an approved site, an additional 26 percent for a second full year of service, an additional 28 percent for a third full year of service, and an additional 28 percent for a fourth full year of service. The total loan redemption for a program participant is not to exceed $200,000. Finally, the bill stipulates that a reproductive health care professional, who is participating in the National Health Services Corps Loan Repayment Program or any other loan redemption program administered by the authority, is not eligible to simultaneously participate in the Reproductive Health Care Professional Loan Redemption Program. | In Committee |
| S3491 | Secures protections for patients and providers accessing and providing legally protected health care activities; establishes right of residents to legally protected health care services, which are restricted in other states. | This bill establishes certain protections for individuals seeking abortion or gender-affirming health care services, as well as certain protections for professionals who provided abortion-related health care services. Crime: Interference with Reproductive or Gender-Affirming Health Services This bill creates the new crime of "interference with reproductive or gender-affirming health services." A person is guilty of the crime if the person purposely or knowingly, with the purpose to unlawfully restrict another's access to or receipt or provision of reproductive or gender-affirming health care services or to intimidate the person from becoming or remaining a reproductive or gender-affirming health care services patient, provider, volunteer or assistant: (1) inflicts or attempts to inflict bodily injury; (2) obstructs any person seeking to enter into or exit from a reproductive or gender-affirming health care services facility; (3) intimidates, threatens, or coerces, or attempts to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, any person or entity because that person or entity is a reproductive or gender-affirming health care services patient, provider, volunteer, or assistant; (4) damages, defaces, or destroys the property of a person, entity, or facility, or attempts to do so, because the person, entity, or facility is a reproductive or gender-affirming health care service patient, provider, assistant, volunteer, or facility; (5) videotapes, films, photographs, or records by electronic means, within 100 feet of the entrance to a reproductive or gender-affirming health care services facility, a patient, provider, volunteer, or assistant without that person's consent; or (6) discloses or distributes a videotape, film, photograph, or recording of the person. Interference with reproductive or gender-affirming health care services is a crime of the fourth degree, but is a crime of the second degree if the victim suffers significant or serious bodily injury. Further, interference with reproductive or gender-affirming health care services is a disorderly persons offense if the act would cause a reasonable person to suffer: (1) damage to the victim's business or personal reputation; (2) financial harm; or (3) pain and suffering, mental anguish, or emotional harm. A crime of the fourth degree is punishable by up to 18 months imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. A crime of the second degree is punishable by five to ten years imprisonment, a fine of up to $150,000, or both. A disorderly persons offense is a punishable by up to six months imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. Civil Action: Interference with Reproductive or gender-affirming Health Services The bill also authorizes a person to bring a civil action against a person who unlawfully interferes with another person's reproductive or gender-affirming health care services. Under the bill, a court may award: (1) injunctive relief; (2) compensatory damages in an amount not less than liquidated damages computed at the rate of $1,000 for each violation; (3) punitive damages upon proof of willful or reckless disregard of the law; (4) reasonable attorney's fees and other litigation costs; and (5) any other preliminary and equitable relief as the court determines to be appropriate. Under the bill, the Attorney General may bring a civil action to enjoin a violation of the law, for compensatory damages, and for the assessment of a civil penalty against each person who violates the law. The civil penalty imposed on each actor will be up to, but not exceed, $10,000 for a first violation, and $25,000 for any subsequent violation. Dispersal of Gatherings The bill authorized any law enforcement officer to order the immediate dispersal of a gathering that substantially impedes access to or departure from an entrance or driveway to a reproductive or gender-affirming health care facility during the business hours of the facility. Failure to comply with an order to disperse issued by the Attorney General or a law enforcement officer is a disorderly persons offense. A disorderly persons offense is punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. Licensing Boards The bill prohibits a board from imposing any additional or alternative penalties, in accordance with N.J.S.A.34:1-22, on the holder of a certificate, registration, or license based solely on the holder providing, authorizing, participating, referring to, or assisting with any health care, medical service, or procedure related to an abortion for a person who resides in a jurisdiction where the provision, authorization, participation, referral, or assistance is illegal. Applicability of Laws of Other States The bill establishes that a law of another state that authorized a person or government entity to bring a prosecution, civil action, or any other legal action to deter, prevent, sanction, or punish any person engaging, aiding, or assisting in providing or prescribing any legally protected health care activity is against the public policy of this State. Further, such laws of another state are prohibited from being applied to any matter, case, or controversy heard in a State court or in an administrative tribunal of this State. The prohibition does not apply to an action founded in tort, contract, or statute under the laws of this State, or an action founded in tort, contract, or statute under the similar laws of another state. This includes, but is not limited to, an alleged act of malpractice or negligence by a person in the person's profession or occupation. Protection of Patient Information This bill updates P.L.2022, c.51 to provide a definition of "legally protected health care activity" and "gender-affirming health care services." P.L.2022, c.51 provides certain protections with respect to the disclosure of patient information relating to reproductive health care services, as well as protecting access to health care, medical services, and procedures related to an abortion for persons who come to this State from jurisdictions in which these actions are illegal. The bill provides that in any civil action or other proceeding preliminary thereto, a medical provider or other covered entity, as described under federal law concerning medical privacy and security, is barred from disclosing the following communications or information, unless the patient or patient's conservator, guardian, or other authorized legal representative explicitly consented in writing to the disclosure: (1) any communication made to the covered entity, or any information obtained by the covered entity from, a patient or the conservator, guardian, or other authorized legal representative of a patient relating to legally protected health care activity; or (2) any information obtained by personal examination of a patient relating to legally protected health care activity that is permitted under the laws of this State. Additionally, under the bill, a public entity of this State or employee, appointee, officer or official or any other person acting on behalf of a public entity would be prohibited from providing any information, or expending or using time, money, facilities, property, equipment, personnel or other resources in furtherance of any interstate investigation or proceeding seeking to impose civil or criminal liability upon a person or entity for: (1) the provision, receipt, or seeking of, or inquiring or responding to an inquiry about legally protected health care activity that is legal in this State; or (2) assisting, advising, aiding, abetting, facilitating, soliciting, or conspiring with any person or entity providing, receiving, seeking, or inquiring or responding to an inquiry about legally protected health care activity that is legal in this State. Extradition This bill updates N.J.S.A.2A:160-14.1 to prevent a person from being extradited to another state under certain circumstances related to "legally protected health care activity." Under current law, N.J.S.A.2A:160-14.1 prevents extradition as it relates to "reproductive health care services." Under the bill, "Legally protected health care activity" is defined as activity providing, seeking, receiving, assisting with, or inquiring about reproductive health care services or gender-affirming health care services that are lawful in this State, regardless of the patient's location. Relatedly, the bill also defines "gender-affirming health care services" to mean all supplies, care, and services of a medical, behavioral health, mental health, surgical, psychiatric, therapeutic, diagnostic, preventative, rehabilitative, or supportive nature, including medication, relating to the treatment of gender dysphoria and gender incongruence. "Gender-affirming health care services" does not include sexual orientation change efforts as defined by N.J.S.A.45:1-55. In Vitro Fertilization Protections This bill strengthens reproductive health care freedom in New Jersey by specifying that: every individual present in this State, including, but not limited to, an individual who is under State control or supervision, shall have the fundamental right to choose whether to use assisted reproductive technology (ART), including, but not limited to in vitro fertilization (IVF); and a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus shall not have independent rights under any of the laws of the State. Medicolegal Investigations This bill removes the requirement that a medical examiner conduct a medicolegal investigation of a death in the State related to a fetal death occurring without medical attendance. This provisions seeks to ensure that a woman who has a miscarriage or fetal complications is not investigated or the fetal death criminalized. Repealers The bill repeals the following statutes, which have either been obviated by court decision or would be obviated by this bill: (1) N.J.S.A.2A:65A-5 through N.J.S.A.2A:65A-7 (banned partial birth abortions); (2) N.J.S.A.9:17A-1.1 through N.J.S.A.9:17A-1.12 (required parental notification for minors' abortion); (3) N.J.S.A.30:4D-6.1 (barred Medicaid payment for abortion except where necessary to save the woman's life). | In Committee |
| S3490 | Codifies authority for certain health care providers to provide abortions and clarifies certain operational requirements for abortion facilities. | This bill codifies the authority of physician assistants, certified nurse midwives, certified midwives, and advanced practice nurses to provide abortions. Under the bill, physician assistants can perform aspiration abortions consistent with the physician assistant's scope of practice, which can include the administration of sedation consistent with the physician assistant's scope of practice and training and a physician assistant can order, prescribe, dispense, and administer medication abortions. Under the bill, certified nurse midwives and certified midwives can perform aspiration abortions, which may include the administration of moderate sedation, consistent with their scope of practice and training and consistent with regulations of the applicable licensing board. A certified nurse midwife authorized to prescribe drugs pursuant to section 2 of P.L. 1991, c. 97 (C.45:10-18), may order, prescribe, dispense, and administer medication abortions. A certified nurse midwife who is not authorized to prescribe drugs pursuant to section 2 of P.L. 1991, c. 97 (C.45:10-18) or a certified midwife may provide medication abortions if the use of the medication is authorized by a standing order issued by a physician. Under the bill, advanced practice nurses may perform aspiration abortions, which may include the administration of moderate sedation, and administer medication abortions consistent with the advanced practice nurse's scope of practice and training and consistent with regulations of the New Jersey Board of Nursing. The bill provides that an abortion facility will not be required to be an ambulatory surgical facility or a surgical practice license, to the extent that the facility performs abortion procedures that do not require general anesthesia or an operating room, and such services may be performed in procedure rooms. An entity seeking licensure as an ambulatory care facility or a surgical practice at which early aspiration abortions would be performed will not be subject to certain limitations under current law for ambulatory care facilities, so long as the facility or surgical practice adheres to all applicable regulations with respect to the standard of care. | In Committee |
| S249 | Requires BPU to establish beneficial building electrification and decarbonization program and requires electric public utilities to prepare and implement beneficial building electrification and decarbonization plans. | Requires BPU to establish beneficial building electrification and decarbonization program and requires electric public utilities to prepare and implement beneficial building electrification and decarbonization plans. | In Committee |
| SCR38 | Urges Governor to direct all relevant State departments and agencies to help decrease number of fatalities caused by atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. | Urges Governor to direct all relevant State departments and agencies to help decrease number of fatalities caused by atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. | In Committee |
| S3422 | "Cancer Patient Care and Compassion Act." | This bill, to be known as the "Cancer Patient Care and Compassion Act," provides certain protections for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer patients. The bill: 1. Requires health insurance carriers (including health service corporations, hospital service corporations, medical service corporations, commercial individual and group health insurers, and health maintenance organizations), entities contracted to administer health benefits in connection with the State Health Benefits Program and School Employees' Health Benefits Program, and the NJ FamilyCares/Medicaid program to provide coverage for individuals diagnosed with cancer and with a prognosis that is deemed Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal (1) parenteral treatment of the cancer; (2) survivorship care plan, including follow-up appointments; and (3) any other service or item as determined by the regulators of each type of carrier or contract. Under the bill, "parenteral treatment" means the intravenous, intra-arterial, intraperitoneal, or intrathecal administration of nutrition or medication bypassing the gastrointestinal system and "survivorship care plan" means a plan for an individual with cancer from diagnosis through the end of life that focuses on the health and well-being of the individual. This includes, but is not limited to, side effects from treatment, cancer recurrence, and quality of life. Any cost-sharing or copayment or coinsurance that may be required for coverage will not apply. 2. Prohibits residential mortgage lenders from providing a notice of intention to a residential mortgage debtor undergoing treatment for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer. Under the bill, a residential mortgage lender shall ensure, before sending a notice of intention to cure a default on a mortgage debtor's residential mortgage obligation, that the residential mortgage debtor is not undergoing treatment for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer. If a mortgage debtor is undergoing treatment, the mortgage lender will be prohibited from providing a notice of intention to the mortgage debtor until the mortgage lender receives notice from the physician of the mortgage debtor that the debtor is no longer undergoing treatment. Additionally, the bill provides that any foreclosure action to take possession of a residential property will be dismissed upon submission by the residential mortgage debtor to the residential mortgage lender of a letter from the physician of the debtor certifying that the debtor is undergoing treatment for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer. 3. Prohibits a creditor from initiating a collection proceeding for a default on any debt against an individual who is undergoing treatment for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer and who submits to the creditor a letter from the individual's physician certifying treatment of the individual for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer. The bill also provides that any collection proceeding against an individual who is undergoing treatment for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer is required to be dismissed upon submission by the individual of a letter from the individual's physician certifying treatment of the individual for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer. 4. Requires that for eviction actions based on nonpayment or habitual late payment of rent, or for failure to pay a rent increase, the Superior Court will authorize a stay of eviction for up to 45 days if the tenant is actively undergoing Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer treatment. To qualify for this stay, the tenant must provide a confidential certification from their treating physician, submitted under seal. Additionally, during the stay period, the tenant has the right to renew their lease upon its expiration, subject to reasonable changes proposed by the landlord. The bill also provides the right to reinstatement to equivalent employment after a period of leave applies to all periods in which TDI or FLI benefits are provided, including extending that right to FLI leave takers employed by employers with less than 30 employees, as is presently the case for TDI leave takers. Under the bill, an employee who is eligible for both earned sick leave and either TDI or FLI benefits, may use either the earned sick leave or whichever is applicable of the TDI or FLI benefits, and may select the order in which they are taken, but may not receive more than one kind of paid leave benefits during any period of time. | In Committee |
| S1032 | Requires DHS and DCF to conduct study on service provider workforce, and to evaluate rates paid to, and assess cost of living adjustments for, service providers. | Requires DHS and DCF to conduct study on service provider workforce, and to evaluate rates paid to, and assess cost of living adjustments for, service providers. | In Committee |
| S2010 | Requires minimum annual State appropriation of $10 million for Public Health Priority Funding. | This bill supplements the "Public Health Priority Funding Act of 1977" and requires a minimum annual State appropriation of $10 million for Public Health Priority Funding, thereby reinstating New Jersey's only State appropriated, unrestricted fund for local health departments. Such appropriation will be expended in accordance to the provisions of the "Public Health Priority Funding Act of 1977." From 1966 to 2010, under the "State Health Aid Act" and later amended as the "Public Health Priority Funding Act of 1977," the State provided local health departments with flexibility to address local needs, emerging threats, and other priorities via the appropriation of dedicated funds. The State eliminated Public Health Priority Funding in the FY 2011 Appropriations Act. For context, in FY 2010, Public Health Priority Funding amounted to approximately 15 percent of the total funding for local health departments. Currently, local health departments in New Jersey are funded via local property taxes and State and federal funding that is designated for specific purposes, such as vaccines or environmental health services. | In Committee |
| S330 | Requires DOH to operate mobile cancer screening program; appropriates $100,000. | Requires DOH to operate mobile cancer screening program; appropriates $100,000. | In Committee |
| A3939 | Mandates access to periodic cancer screening examinations for professional firefighters not enrolled in SHBP, but who are eligible for SHBP by virtue of public employment. | An Act mandating access to periodic cancer screening examinations for full-time paid firefighters not enrolled in the State Health Benefits Program, and amending P.L.2021, c.478. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S1287 | Removes obstacles to teacher certification for certain teachers; repeals law establishing alternative certificate of eligibility. | Removes obstacles to teacher certification for certain teachers; repeals law establishing alternative certificate of eligibility. | In Committee |
| S1965 | Regulates provision of pharmaceutical services in long-term care facilities. | Regulates provision of pharmaceutical services in long-term care facilities. | Crossed Over |
| S3251 | Establishes "New Jersey Migrant and Refugee Assistance Act." | This bill establishes the "New Jersey Migrant and Refugee Assistance Act." The bill establishes in the Department of Human Services (department) a Migrant and Refugee Resource Coordination Program. The purpose of this program will be to connect migrants and refugees with information and resources regarding public assistance programs for which they are eligible. The department will ensure that the information provided under the program will include, but not be limited to, information on: housing, healthcare, educational opportunities, job training, and legal services. The department will collaborate with local governments, nonprofit organizations, and community groups to facilitate access to these resources. Under the bill. the department will develop and implement an outreach campaign to inform migrants and refugees about the program. The outreach campaign will utilize multiple languages and media platforms to ensure widespread dissemination of information about the program. The department will submit an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature, which report will: (1) detail the effectiveness of the program, including the number of migrants and refugees served and the types of assistance provided; and (2) include any recommendations for improvements to the program. | In Committee |
| S2890 | Mandates access to periodic cancer screening examinations for professional firefighters not enrolled in SHBP, but who are eligible for SHBP by virtue of public employment. | This bill mandates access to periodic cancer screening examinations for firefighters who waive employer-sponsored health care coverage, but are eligible for coverage under the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) by virtue of employment with a public employer that participates in the SHBP. Current law entitles a firefighter enrolled in the SHBP, or a firefighter employed by a public employer that does not participate in the SHBP, to a cancer screening examinations every three years and specifies that the State will reimburse providers or such public employers an amount not to exceed $1,250 per three-year period. The bills extends these reimbursement provisions to firefighters who waive employer-sponsored health care coverage, but are eligible for coverage under the SHBP by virtue of employment with a public employer that participates in the SHBP. | In Committee |
| SJR115 | Designates March 1 of every year as "Endometriosis Awareness Day" in New Jersey. | This resolution designates March 1 of each year as "Endometriosis Awareness Day" in New Jersey, with the aim of raising public awareness about endometriosis, a chronic disease that affects approximately one in 10 menstruating individuals worldwide. Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus, leading to severe discomfort and potential difficulties conceiving. The impact of endometriosis is significant, costing the United States healthcare system approximately $80 billion annually. Despite its prevalence, the normalization of menstrual pain by society and the medical profession often leads to delayed diagnoses, with many individuals suffering in silence for seven to 10 years before receiving proper medical attention. Nationally, the month of March is recognized as "Endometriosis Awareness Month", dedicated to spreading information about endometriosis and acknowledging the healthcare workers fighting against it. By designating March 1 as "Endometriosis Awareness Day", New Jersey will contribute to the national movement to increase public awareness about endometriosis and ensure that those affected can access the care and support they need. | In Committee |
| S3240 | Permits 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in elections for local school board. | Under current law, any person who is at least 18 years of age, who is a citizen of the United States, and who is a resident of the district in which they wish to vote, is entitled to register and vote in elections in this State. This bill permits 16 and 17-year-olds, who are U.S. citizens and residents of New Jersey, to vote only in their local school elections for school board members. The bill does not allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in any other election. The bill directs the Secretary of State to promulgate rules that: (1) create a registration form and a process to register 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in school board elections, which conforms as nearly as possible to the equivalent form and process utilized for all other eligible voters; (2) establish a method of verifying the identity of registered 16 and 17-year-old voters which conforms as nearly as possible to the methods utilized for all other eligible voters; (3) provide for the design of paper ballots on which 16 and 17-year-olds may vote for school board members; and (4) ensure the provisions of this act are implemented effectively and in a manner compatible with all other elections held in this State. This bill does not require action on the part of any school board or municipality in order to implement its provisions. | In Committee |
| S3164 | Establishes "New Jersey Reparations Task Force." | This bill establishes the "New Jersey Reparations Task Force" to study and develop reparations proposals for African-Americans in this State. The task force would consist of 11 members, comprised of four legislators and seven public members. Three members would be appointed by the Governor and eight members would be appointed by the Legislative leadership. At a minimum, four of the public members would be appointed from persons recommended by organizations concerned with the issues of civil rights, human rights, racial, social and economic justice and equality, reparations and other issues concerning the African-American community. The members of the task force will appoint a chair and a vice chair of the task force. The members of the task force would not be compensated but may be reimbursed for expenses actually incurred in the performance of their duties. This bill, among other things, requires the task force to: (1) examine the institution of slavery within the State of New Jersey; (2) examine the extent to which the State of New Jersey and the federal government prevented, opposed, or restricted efforts of former enslaved persons and their descendants who are considered United States' citizens to economically thrive upon the ending of slavery; (3) examine the lingering negative effects of slavery on living African-Americans and on society in New Jersey and the United States; (4) research methods and materials for facilitating education, community dialogue, symbolic acknowledgement, and other formal actions leading toward transformation, reparations remedies, a sense of justice, and economic justice among the descendants of enslaved African people in this State; (5) make recommendations for what remedies should be awarded, through what instrumentalities, and to whom those remedies should be awarded; and (6) address how said recommendations comport with national and international standards of remedy for wrongs and injuries caused by the State. The task force will hold at least six public meetings in different parts of the State, including Camden, Paterson, Newark, New Brunswick, Atlantic City, and Trenton. The Governor will call the first meeting of the task force to occur on or before the first day of the third month after enactment. The task force will issue an interim report of its progress to the Governor and the Legislature no later than 12 months following the initial meeting. The task force will submit its final report and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature no later than 24 months following the initial meeting. The task force will expire upon issuance of its final report. | In Committee |
| S2422 | Establishes occupational heat stress standard and "Occupational Heat-Related Illness and Injury Prevention Program" in DOLWD. | Establishes occupational heat stress standard and "Occupational Heat-Related Illness and Injury Prevention Program" in DOLWD. | In Committee |
| S3026 | Requires MVC to provide customers with certain documents in-person, same day. | This bill requires the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) to provide all customers who have an in-person appointment to receive certain documents at any commission agency location within the State with the option to receive the new or renewed document on the same day as the appointment and prior to leaving the the commission agency location, provided that the customer has completed the proper application and provided any necessary payment. Upon request from the applicant, the commission is required to issue the following documents on the same day as the appointment: (1) a standard basic driver's license; (2) a standard motorcycle license; (3) a standard special learner's permit; (4) a standard examination permit; (5) a standard probationary driver's license; (6) a standard non-driver identification card; (7) a REAL ID basic driver's license; (8) a REAL ID motorcycle license; (9) a REAL ID probationary driver's license; (10) a REAL ID identification card; (11) a commercial driver license; and (12) a motor vehicle registration certificate. The bill also requires the commission to ensure that one or more cameras and license printers are available at each commission agency location for the same-day issuance of the documents. | In Committee |
| SR91 | Urges Congress to provide aid to Haitian migrants. | This resolution urges Congress to provide aid to the migrants of Haiti. Haiti has been through political and economic turmoil and has suffered from natural disasters for years. However, following the assassination of the Haitian President, the country fell into an even greater crisis, the rise in gang activity. This organized criminal gang activity has resulted in civilian casualties and displaced thousands of people in and around Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince. As a result of political instability and ongoing natural disasters, the Biden administration has stated that Haiti is "grappling with a deteriorating political crisis, violence, and a staggering increase in human rights abuses." Given the political turmoil and the financial distress, Haitians have started to migrate more to the United States via boats or land corridors from the Americas. Haitians are among the numerous migrants from Caribbean, Central, and Latin countries who undergo treacherous journeys northward in search of safety and opportunity in the United States. This resolution urges Congress to provide support to frontline organizations that work to aid Haitian migrants who were dislocated, detained, and expelled as they sought asylum and safety at the U.S. border. Aid to the migrants should include funding to provide shelter, food aid, and medical assistance and further, to organizations that provide legal services. | In Committee |
| S3009 | Establishes "John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey." | This bill establishes the "John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey." Under the bill, all statutes, rules, and regulations, in this State including all local laws or ordinances related to the elective franchise must be construed liberally in favor of: (1) protecting the right of voters to have their ballot cast and counted; (2) ensuring that eligible voters are not impaired in registering to vote; and (3) ensuring voters of race, color, and language-minority groups have equitable access to fully participate in the electoral process in registering to vote and voting. The bill prohibits the authority to prescribe or maintain voting or elections policies and practices to be so exercised as to unnecessarily deny or abridge the right to vote. The bill also prohibits a local election office or political subdivision from using a method of election that has the effect of impairing the ability of members of a protected class to elect candidates of their choice or influence the outcome of elections, as a result of vote dilution. The bill requires that any policy and practice that burdens the right to vote must be narrowly tailored to promote a compelling policy justification that must be supported by substantial evidence. The bill provides factors for determining if a violation of the bill has occurred, including if a voter's right to vote has been violated or if the voter has experienced vote dilution. Under the bill, if a violation of the provisions of the bill occurs, the bill provides a remedy process, including for apportionment and redistricting maps. The bill provides that after a New Jersey Voter Empowerment Act (NJVEA) notification letter is mailed from a prospective plaintiff to a political subdivision, the political submission may pass an NJVEA resolution reaffirming: (1) the political subdivision's intention to enact and implement a remedy for a potential violation of the bill; (2) specific steps the political subdivision will undertake to facilitate approval and implementation of such a remedy; and (3) a schedule for enacting and implementing such a remedy. The bill provides that if the governing body of a political subdivision lacks the authority under this act or applicable State law or local laws to enact or implement a remedy identified in the resolution, or fails to enact or implement a remedy identified in the resolution, within 90 days after the passage of the resolution, or if the political subdivision is a covered entity as defined by the bill, the governing body of the political subdivision must coordinate with the Attorney General to resolve the violation, including reaffirming that any proposal is unlikely to violate the United States Constitution, New Jersey Constitution, or any federal or State law; and is feasible to implement. Under the bill, the Attorney General is provided with certain preclearance powers. The bill provides that if certain political subdivisions that have been the subject to court order or government enforcement action based on violations of the bill; the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended; the 15th amendment to the United States Constitution, or a voting-related violation of the 14th amendment to the United States Constitution, may be subject to preclearance, which is the process of obtaining prior approval from the Attorney General or a court of this State for any changes related to election procedures in that political subdivision. The bill provides assistance to language-minority groups. Under the bill, a local election office or a political subdivision that administers elections must provide language-related assistance in voting and elections to a language-minority group in a political subdivision if, based on data from the United States Census Bureau American Community Survey, or data of comparable quality collected by a public office, that: (1) more than two percent, but in no instance fewer than 100 individuals, eligible voters of a political subdivision are members of a single language-minority group and are limited English proficient; or (2) more than 4,000 of eligible voters of such political subdivision are members of a single language-minority group and are limited English proficient. The bill further provides that a local election office or political subdivision required to provide language assistance to a particular language-minority group pursuant to this section must provide voting materials in the covered language of an equal quality of the corresponding English language materials, including registration or voting notices, forms, instructions, assistance, or other physical or online materials or information relating to the electoral process, including ballots. Under the bill, any aggrieved persons or organization whose membership includes aggrieved persons or members of a protected class, organization whose mission, in whole or in part, is to ensure voting access and such mission would be hindered by a violation of this bill, or the Attorney General may file an action pursuant to the bill in court. The bill provides that any action or investigation to enforce any provision of this bill, the Attorney General would have the authority to take proof and determine relevant facts and to issue subpoenas in accordance with the civil and criminal laws of this State. The bill also establishes the "New Jersey Voting and Elections Institute," at a public university in New Jersey, to maintain and administer a database and central repository of elections and voting data available to the public from all local election offices and political subdivisions in the State of New Jersey and to foster, pursue, and sponsor research on existing laws and best practices in voting and elections. The bill also contains a severability provision. If any section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, or other portion of the bill is for any reason held or declared by any court of competent jurisdiction to be unconstitutional or preempted by federal law, or the applicability of that portion to any person or facility is held invalid, the remainder of the bill would not thereby be deemed to be unconstitutional, preempted, or invalid. The purpose of this bill is to: (1) encourage participation in the elective franchise by all eligible voters to the maximum extent; (2) ensure that eligible voters who are members of racial, ethnic, and language minority groups have an equal opportunity to participate in the political processes of this State and exercise the elective franchise; (3) improve the quality and availability of demographic and election data; and (4) protect eligible voters against intimidation and deceptive practices. This bill would take effect immediately. | In Committee |
| S3048 | Concerns collection of data relating to Haitian migrants in NJ. | This bill directs the Commissioner of the Department of Human Services to collect manage the collection of data on Haitian migrants in New Jersey, no matter their documentation status, from various sources such as federal, State, and local governments, and non-profit organizations. Haitian migrants in New Jersey have fled political unrest and financial trouble to live a safe and prosperous life in this State. Their journeys, whether they be by boat or on foot, are long and dangerous, sometimes leading to injury or death. New Jersey has the fourth largest Haitian-American population in the United States, as about 69,000 Haitian-Americans live in this State. As some of the Haitian migrants living in New Jersey are undocumented, it is difficult to know how many need assistance. Collecting data on Haitian migrants living in New Jersey, no matter their documentation status, will allow the State to help them more efficiently. | In Committee |
| S3049 | Requires school districts to permit students excused absences while experiencing symptoms of menstrual disorder. | This bill entitles a student experiencing a menstrual disorder to ten excused absences from school while the student is experiencing symptoms. The absences will be considered State-recognized excused absences. Under the bill, menstrual disorders shall include, but are not limited to, dysmenorrhea, endometriosis, menorrhea, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. The absences would not count toward the 10 percent of days missed before a student is considered "chronically absent" and cannot be used to exclude a student from any awards or recognition on the basis of attendance. As an excused absence, students are required to be given the opportunity to make up any school work that was missed while the student was experiencing symptoms of a menstrual disorder. In order to have the absence recognized as an approved menstrual disorder absence the student may be required by the school district to provide any medical documentation which the superintendent or administrative principal of the school district deems necessary. This bill requires the Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, to provide school districts with criteria for defining an excused absence related to a menstrual disorder. This bill aims to address period poverty, the term used to describe the circumstance surrounding an individual's inadequate access to menstrual hygiene tools and education, including, but not limited to, access to menstrual products. Menstruating students of color, as well as students from low-income communities, are more likely to experience period poverty. Menstrual disorders, and the pain and discomfort associated with them, are often cited as the reason menstruating students miss school days. Menstrual disorders are also fairly common; one in five menstruating students experience menorrhagia, and nearly 70 percent of menstruating students experience dysmenorrhea. Students who attend class while experiencing a menstrual disorder often report classroom performance or concentration being negatively affected. Additionally, nearly one third of students who menstruate report missing at least one day of school while experiencing menstruation. Recent studies have shown that students are significantly more likely to be absent from school on days when they are experiencing menstruation relative to other school days. | In Committee |
| S3060 | Expands requirements for health insurance carriers concerning prostate cancer screening and requires coverage be provided without cost sharing. | As amended, this bill requires health, hospital, and medical service corporations, health maintenance organizations, and commercial group health insurers to provide coverage for an annual prostate cancer screening without cost sharing for men who are between 40 and 75 years of age. Under current law, these health insurance carriers are required only to provide coverage for an annual medically recognized diagnostic examination including, but not limited to, a digital rectal examination and a prostate-specific antigen test for men age 50 and over who are asymptomatic and for men age 40 and over with a family history of prostate cancer or other prostate cancer risk factors. The bill expands the definition of "prostate cancer screening" to mean medically viable methods for the detection and diagnosis of prostate cancer, which includes a digital rectal exam and the prostate-specific antigen test and associated laboratory work. "Prostate cancer screening" shall also include subsequent follow up testing as direct by a physician, including, but not limited to: (1) urinary analysis; (2) serum biomarkers; (3) medical imaging, including, but not limited to, magnetic resonance imaging. The bill also extends the prostate cancer screening requirements to commercial individual health insurers, health benefits plans issued pursuant to the New Jersey Individual Health Coverage and Small Employer Health Benefits Programs, the State Health Benefits Program, and the School Employees' Health Benefits Program, which are not required to provide this coverage under current law. | In Committee |
| A4 | Reforms municipal responsibilities concerning provision of affordable housing; abolishes COAH; appropriates $16 million. | An Act concerning affordable housing, including administration and municipal obligations, amending, supplementing, and repealing various parts of the statutory law, and making an appropriation. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S50 | Reforms municipal responsibilities concerning provision of affordable housing; abolishes COAH; appropriates $16 million. | Reforms municipal responsibilities concerning provision of affordable housing; abolishes COAH; appropriates $16 million. | In Committee |
| SCR43 | Proposes constitutional amendment to make State trustee of public natural resources and guarantee to the people other environmental rights. | Proposes constitutional amendment to make State trustee of public natural resources and guarantee to the people other environmental rights. | In Committee |
| S237 | "New Jersey Clean Energy Act of 2024"; establishes 100 percent clean electricity standard and directs BPU to establish clean electricity certificate program. | "New Jersey Clean Energy Act of 2024"; establishes 100 percent clean electricity standard and directs BPU to establish clean electricity certificate program. | In Committee |
| S198 | Prohibits investment by State of pension and annuity funds in, and requires divestment from, 200 largest publicly traded fossil fuel companies. | This bill, would prohibit the Director of the Division of Investment (director) from investing any assets of the State retirement funds in any of the top 200 companies that hold the largest carbon content fossil fuel reserves. Under the bill, divestment from coal companies would be required to be completed within two years, and from all other fossil fuel companies within one year. The director would be authorized to cease divestment or reinvest in previously divested companies if the director demonstrates that, as a direct result of the divestment, the State retirement funds have or will become equal to or less than 99.5 percent of their hypothetical value had no divestment occurred. Finally, the bill would require the State Investment Council and the director to report on the divestment efforts required by the bill within 120 days of the bill's effective date, and annually thereafter. | In Committee |
| S1252 | Requires local recreation departments and youth serving organizations to have defibrillators for youth athletic events. | This bill requires municipal or county recreation departments and nonprofit youth serving organizations, which organize, sponsor, or are otherwise affiliated with youth athletic events that are played on municipal, county, school, or other publicly-owned fields, to ensure that there is available on site an automated external defibrillator (AED) at each youth athletic event and practice held on the department's or organization's home field. A recreation department or youth serving organization will be deemed to be in compliance with the AED requirement if a State-certified emergency services provider, licensed athletic trainer, or other certified first responder is on site at the athletic event or practice and has an AED available for use on site. A recreation department or youth serving organization and its employees, umpires, coaches, and licensed athletic trainers will be immune from civil liability in the acquisition and use of an AED. | In Committee |
| S1210 | Requires automatic external defibrillators on-site at certain places of public assembly and youth athletic events. | Requires automatic external defibrillators on-site at certain places of public assembly and youth athletic events. | In Committee |
| S2812 | Requires Medicaid coverage for remote stress tests for pregnant women. | This bill requires Medicaid coverage for remote stress tests for pregnant women. Specifically, the bill provides that coverage under the Medicaid Program include benefits for expenses incurred in conducting, non-stress tests for pregnant women with high risk pregnancies, which have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for at-home use to monitor fetal and maternal heart rate and uterine activity, provided that there is federal financial participation available. It is the sponsor's belief that women with high risk pregnancies are often prescribed contraction stress tests twice per week during the third trimester, but only 40 percent of such women undergo the testing. Failure to undergo prescribed contraction stress tests can worsen existing health issues and contribute to maternal mortality. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the contraction stress test may be the primary means of fetal surveillance for many women with high-risk pregnancies. Undergoing such testing twice per week is impossible for many pregnant women. However, technology exists, which has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, to allow for at-home, contraction stress tests, consisting of 20 to 40 minute sessions to monitor fetal heart rate, fetal movement, and uterine contractions, under the oversight of trained clinicians. | In Committee |
| S2786 | Requires local boards of education to employ certain number of staff with expertise in student mental health. | This bill requires local boards of education to employ and assign on a full-time basis to each school within the school district at least two staff members with professional expertise in student mental health. Persons eligible to fulfill this requirement include licensed school counselors and school psychologists. The bill further provides that, for each school with student enrollment above 500, the board is required to employ and assign on a full-time basis additional staff members with professional expertise in student mental health in a manner that is proportional to student enrollment. | In Committee |
| S2700 | Establishes "Patient Protection and Safe Staffing Act." | This bill establishes the "Patient Protection and Safe Staffing Act," which provides certain staffing standards in State hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, developmental centers, and psychiatric hospitals. Specifically, the bill provides that, in addition to existing staffing requirements provided by law or regulation, the Commissioner of Health is to adopt regulations that provide minimum direct care registered professional nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and unlicensed assistive personnel-to-patient staffing ratios for all patient units in general and special hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities, in accordance with the minimum staffing requirements that are established by the bill. The regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Health are not to decrease any staffing ratios that are already in effect on the bill's effective date. The bill provides that the Commissioner of Health is to require all general and special hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities to employ an acuity and staffing system for the purpose of increasing staffing levels above the minimum levels established in the bill, or otherwise provided by law or regulation, in order to ensure adequate staffing of each unit, service, or department. The bill requires the Department of Health to enforce the bill's requirements by conducting periodic inspections and responding to complaints. A registered professional nurse or other staff member, a collective bargaining agent of a staff member, or a member of the public, who believes that the hospital or facility in which the nurse or staff member is employed is in violation of the requirements established by the bill, may file a complaint with the Commissioner of Health. In responding to a complaint, the commissioner will be required to conduct an investigation to determine whether or not a hospital or facility is in violation. Following the completion of an investigation, in which investigation the department determines a hospital or facility to be in violation of the requirements established by the bill, the hospital or facility may be issued a civil penalty in increasing amounts for repeat violations. Any money collected by the court in payment of a civil penalty imposed will be conveyed to the State Treasurer for deposit into the Patient Protection and Staffing Fund (fund) established by the bill. Moneys in the fund will be dedicated and used only for the purposes of increasing the number of inspectors employed by the Department of Health to enforce the provisions of the bill, advancing nursing recruitment and retentions programs, supporting student loan forgiveness for nursing students, and increasing pay for nursing teaching staff. Finally, in addition to the above-described requirements applicable to the Commissioner of Health, the bill requires the Commissioner of Human Services to conduct a review of Department of Human Services regulations concerning registered professional nurse staffing standards in developmental centers and State psychiatric hospitals, and to revise the regulations, as appropriate, to reflect safe staffing practices and assure adequate staffing at the facilities. | In Committee |
| S2555 | Regulates residential mental health treatment facilities. | This bill regulates residential mental health treatment facilities. Under the bill, residential mental health treatment facilities, as defined in the bill, are to: (1) provide mental health services or treatment in a manner that is consistent with the Level 3.5 level of care according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine in a 24 hours per day and seven days per week, structured living environment for patients who require such support, and in instances where inpatient hospitalization treatment is unnecessary; (2) provide health services or treatment for limited periods of time with the goal of preparing patients to move into the community at lower levels of care; and (3) provide health services or treatment without any retrospective review or concurrent review of medical necessity. The bill provides that no residential mental health treatment facility is to operate within this State except pursuant to a license obtained from the Commissioner of Health (commissioner), upon an application made therefor. The applicant is to be required to furnish evidence of the facility's ability to comply with the minimum standards for licensure established by the commissioner and of the good moral character of the facility's owners. Under the bill, the commissioner is to issue a license to a residential mental health treatment facility if the applicant is of good moral character and the facility is in compliance with the bill's provisions. There is to be a presumption in favor of an applicant's good moral character if the applicant is currently licensed and in good standing in this State as a mental health program pursuant to N.J.A.C.8:121 et seq. A residential mental health treatment facility is not to be licensed to operate at the same location as a residential substance use disorders treatment facility or program. The bill amends section 19 of P.L.1992, c.160 (C.26:2H-7a) to exempt residential mental health treatment facilities from the certificate of need requirement. The certificate of need program is a regulatory process that is administered by the Office of Certificate of Need and Healthcare Facility Licensure with the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH). Under the certificate of need program, certain health care facilities are required to obtain the DOH's approval prior to constructing, relocating, or renovating their facilities. Finally, the bill provides that the commissioner is to adopt rules and regulations establishing minimum standards for the licensure of residential health treatment facilities and the treatment of patients therein, and if feasible, structure the rules and regulations similarly to the regulations which are applicable to residential substance use disorders treatment facilities or programs, as set forth in N.J.A.C.8:111 et seq. | In Committee |
| S2549 | Establishes "Student Mental Health Task Force." | This bill establishes the "Student Mental Health Task Force," the purpose of which is to examine issues related to the mental health of students, including depression, anxiety, stress, or other psychological or emotional tension, trauma, or disorder; study and survey the resources that are available to schools and parents to address student mental health needs; and develop recommendations to ensure that students have access to mental health care programs and services in order to allow students to meet their educational goals. The task force will consist of the following 17 members: the Commissioner of Education, or a designee, ex officio; the Commissioner of Health, or a designee, ex officio; the Commissioner of Children and Families, or a designee, ex officio; the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, or a designee, ex officio; the Director of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of Human Services, or a designee, ex officio; one public member appointed by the Senate President, one public member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, one public member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, and one public member appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly, all four of whom shall have demonstrated expertise in issues relating to the work of the task force; and the following eight public members appointed by the Governor: one representative of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, one representative of the New Jersey School Boards Association, one representative of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one representative of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, one representative of the New Jersey Association of Counties, one representative of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, one member representing school district leaders, and one school mental health professional who holds a valid educational services certificate issued by the State Board of Examiners that may include, but is not limited to, a school counselor, a school social worker, or a school psychologist. The task force is responsible for examining issues related to the mental health of students, including depression, anxiety, stress, or other psychological or emotional tension, trauma, or disorder; study and survey all resources that are currently available to the schools and parents within each county in the State, and within the northern, central, and southern regions of the State, for helping a student or child who experiences mental health issues; and develop recommendations to ensure that students have access to mental health care programs and services in order to allow students to meet their educational goals. The task force is required to survey the availability of certain mental health treatment services, mental health care provider networks that offer mental health treatment, government agencies that offer funding and mental health treatment services, and partnership opportunities with institutions of higher education to address mental health needs of students. The task force is also required to study and make recommendations regarding the identification of public school students who experience mental health difficulties, the evaluation and expansion of counseling programs and services available to students experiencing mental health difficulties, the relationship of student mental health to school safety and security, the amount of funding that may be necessary for public schools to employ the appropriate staff and to establish new programs or expand existing programs necessary to address student mental health, an examination of mental health programs successfully implemented by other states, and any other proposals the task force determines would provide for increased access to high-quality mental health programs. The task force, in performing the above duties, is required to consult with parents of general education students, parents of students who receive special education and related services, and teaching staff members. The task force will issue a final report to the Governor and Legislature no later than one year after the organization of the task force that contains the results of the above survey and recommendations. The task force is required to forward a copy of the report to every school district in the State. The task force will expire 30 days after issuing its final report. | In Committee |
| S2559 | Requires State reimbursement to municipalities of cost of disabled veterans' total property tax exemption. | This bill would require the State to annually reimburse each municipality for the cost of complying with the State mandate of affording disabled veterans with a total exemption from property taxation. The bill would require the State to cover the cost of the actual taxes exempted plus the administrative costs incurred by municipalities in connection with the reimbursement program. Under current law, each municipality must individually make up for any lost revenue resulting from a parcel of property being exempted from property taxation because of its ownership by a disabled veteran. This often results in an increase in taxes to other property taxpayers in the municipality or a reduction in municipal services. Because the number of qualifying disabled veterans varies from municipality to municipality, compliance with the State policy to exempt disabled veterans' property taxes impacts upon some municipalities more greatly than on others resulting in inequity. This bill would put an end to that inequity by having the State reimburse each municipality for the cost of complying with the State mandate of affording disabled veterans with a total exemption from property taxation. | In Committee |
| S2511 | Prohibits sale of cats, dogs, or rabbits by pet shops; repeals "Pet Purchase Protection Act." | This bill repeals the "Pet Purchase Protection Act," P.L.1999, c.336 (C.56:8-92 et seq.) and replaces it with a prohibition on the sale of cats, dogs, and rabbits by pet shops. The bill also imposes several other requirements concerning the sale and adoption of animals. The bill provides that, without limiting the prosecution of any other practices which may be unlawful pursuant to State consumer fraud laws, it would be an unlawful practice and a violation of State consumer fraud law, P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.), for any breeder or broker to knowingly sell a cat or dog that is unfit for purchase. The bill defines "unfit for purchase" as having any disease, deformity, injury, physical condition, illness, or defect which is congenital or hereditary and severely affects the health of the animal, and which was manifest, capable of diagnosis or likely contracted on or before the sale and delivery of the animal to the consumer. The bill specifies that the death of an animal within 14 days of its delivery to the consumer, except by death by accident or as a result of injuries sustained during that period, would be construed to mean the animal was unfit for purchase. The bill establishes a prohibition on the sale of cats, dogs, or rabbits by pet shops and establishes a $500 fine for each violation of this prohibition to be collected in a civil action under the Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999. The bill authorizes a pet shop to: 1) sell or offer for sale any other type of animal as may be otherwise permitted pursuant to State law or regulation, or sell or offer for sale pet supplies for any type of animal, including a cat, dog, or rabbit, if it is licensed by its municipality to do so; and 2) offer, in collaboration with an animal rescue organization, shelter, or pound, space in the pet shop to showcase cats, dogs, and rabbits that are available for adoption, provided that no payment or compensation, monetary or otherwise, is exchanged between the pet shop and animal rescue organization, shelter, or pound, for the use of the pet shop or for the adoption of any cat, dog, rabbit, or any other animal. The bill prohibits animal rescue organizations, animal rescue organization facilities, pet shops, shelters, or pounds from obtaining a cat, dog, or rabbit from a breeder or broker in exchange for any type of compensation. The bill specifies that: 1) no provision of the bill may be construed to alter, diminish, replace, or revoke the requirements for pet dealers that are not pet shops or the rights of a consumer purchasing an animal from a pet dealer that is not a pet shop, as may be provided elsewhere in law or any rule or regulation; 2) any provision of law or regulation pertaining to pet shops that does not pertain to the sale of cats, dogs, or rabbits would continue to apply to pet shops; and 3) no provision of the bill may be construed to alter, diminish, replace, or revoke any recourse or remedy that is otherwise available to a consumer purchasing a cat, dog, rabbit, or any other type of animal and provided under any other law. The bill specifies that the bill's provisions may not be construed to interfere with the implementation of, or otherwise invalidate, or limit or restrict any municipality, county, local health agency, or municipal or county board of health from enacting or enforcing, any law, ordinance, rule, or regulation that places additional obligations or restrictions on pet shops, pet shop sales, pet dealers, breeders, brokers, or breeder or broker sales. | In Committee |
| S1551 | Authorizes creation of local civilian review boards to review police operations and conduct; appropriates $600,000. | This bill would authorize municipalities and counties to establish civilian review boards to review police operations and conduct. These boards would serve to foster transparency, fairness, and equality in policing practices and policies, which in turn will help promote positive relations between police and the local communities they serve. A municipal civilian review board would consist of at least seven members who are appointed by the mayor or other chief executive officer of the municipality with the consent of the governing body of the municipality. A county civilian review board would consist of at least seven members appointed by the board of county commissioners or, if the county is organized pursuant to the provisions of the "Optional County Charter Law," P.L.1972, c.154 (C.40:41A-1 et seq.), the county executive, the county supervisor, or the county manager, as applicable, with the consent of the board of county commissioners. A county civilian review board would operate in municipalities that opt to participate with such board. The members of a civilian review board would be residents of the municipality or county, as applicable, who are qualified persons with training or experience in community relations, civil rights, law enforcement, juvenile justice, sociology, or other relevant fields. They would serve for terms of six years, with certain shorter terms for some of the initial board members to allow for staggered terms. Members of a civilian review board would be required to take a training course developed and provided by the Attorney General, or an alternative course approved by the Attorney General, within six months of appointment. The Attorney General would be required to develop its training course within 45 days of the bill's effective date and offer the first course as soon as practicable thereafter. A civilian review board could not investigate the conduct of any law enforcement officers, or recommend the imposition of discipline of such officers or members, without a quorum of members who have competed this training. A civilian review board would be permitted to utilize resources of the municipality or county to the extent that funds for the utilization of such resources are made available by the municipality, county, State, or other entity. The bill provides that it would be the duty of a civilian review board to: (1) conduct an investigation of the operation of the police force of the municipality, or other law enforcement officers that serve in the capacity of a municipal police force for the municipality, as applicable; (2) recommend the establishment of policies by the appropriate authority; (3) review and investigate the conduct of any law enforcement officer; and (4) recommend the imposition of discipline of such officer consistent with any tenure or civil service laws and contractual agreements. A civilian review board could only initiate one of these actions in response to a civilian complaint of excessive or unnecessary force, abuse of authority, discourtesy, or offensive language. A civilian review board would have the power to subpoena witnesses and documentary evidence. The board would also have any additional powers of inquiry delegated to the board by the municipality or county as deemed necessary for the conduct of any hearing or investigation. A civilian review board investigation may run concurrent to an internal affairs investigation of related conduct by law enforcement, but the civilian review board investigation would have to cease upon the initiation of a criminal prosecution concerning the related conduct. Further, a law enforcement agency may refrain from sharing evidence, or may direct a civilian review board to cease an investigation, if the law enforcement agency determines that evidence sharing, or the investigation itself, would be significantly detrimental to its disciplinary process due to the existence of a related criminal investigation. The bill permits an ordinance or resolution establishing a civilian review board to set forth guidelines for the operation of the board consistent with the provisions of the bill. The guidelines may adopt any relevant guidelines issued by the Attorney General. A civilian review board would report its findings and recommendations concerning police operations and conduct to the mayor or other chief executive officer of the municipality, the governing body of the municipality, the chief of police or other chief law enforcement officer of the municipality, the county prosecutor, and, in the case of a municipality in which the State Police serves in the capacity of a municipal police force for the municipality, the Superintendent of State Police and the Attorney General. Under the bill, all records made, maintained, or kept on file by a civilian review board would be confidential and unavailable to the public while an investigation is pending, and all personal identifying information contained in all records made, maintained, or kept on file by a civilian review board would be confidential and unavailable to the public at all times. The bill also provides that the "Internal Affairs Policy and Procedures" of the Police Management Manual promulgated by the Police Bureau of the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety be revised to require the disclosure of reports, complaints, and other investigative materials, including video, sound, or other recording, to the appropriate authority, as defined in N.J.S.40A:14-118, as well as any civilian review board. Lastly, the bill would appropriate $600,000 from the General Fund to the Attorney General to fund the civilian review board training course, or any reimbursements for the alternative training course, required by the bill. | Dead |
| S1493 | Eliminates smoking ban exemption for casinos and simulcasting facilities. | Eliminates smoking ban exemption for casinos and simulcasting facilities. | In Committee |
| S2380 | Permits certain mental health professionals working in school districts to refer or help facilitate referral of students to private professional counselors. | This bill would permit a student assistance coordinator or a school psychologist or other mental health professional working in a school district to refer, or help facilitate the referral of, a student to a private individual licensed to provide professional counseling, for mental health assessments and services. An individual licensed to provide professional counseling would include, but not be limited to, a psychiatrist, certified social worker, licensed clinical social worker, licensed social worker, licensed marriage and family therapist, certified psychoanalyst, or licensed psychologist. A principal or a school counselor will also be permitted to refer or help facilitate the referral of a student to a private individual licensed to provide professional counseling, after first consulting with the student assistance coordinator or a school psychologist or other mental health professional working in the school district. In the case of a student who is not legally permitted to consent on his own to the assessments and services, the student's parent or guardian will be notified of the referral or the facilitation of the referral, and the parent or guardian will be required to consent prior to the provision of any assessment or service by the licensed private individual. In the case of a referral or the facilitation of a referral of a student to a private individual licensed to provide professional counseling, the bill provides that neither the school district nor the individual making the referral or facilitating the referral will be required to bear the cost of the assessments and services provided to the student. | In Committee |
| S1513 | Requires Medicaid cover emergency contraception without requiring prescription or other authorization. | This bill would require that the Medicaid program provide coverage for emergency contraceptives obtained over the counter without requiring a prescription or other authorization. At this time, Medicaid provides coverage for emergency contraceptives if they are obtained with a prescription. Individuals can obtain emergency contraceptives without a prescription, but the individual must pay for these out-of-pocket. This bill would enable individuals greater access to needed contraceptives without the unnecessary visits to a provider to obtain a prescription. | In Committee |
| S1676 | Requires certain doctors and nurses to ask patients questions regarding menstrual cycles, previous tampon use, and toxic shock syndrome. | This bill establishes the "Menstrual Toxic Shock Syndrome Medical Questions Act." The bill requires nurse practitioners who practices nursing in emergency medicine, family medicine, general obstetrics, or gynecology and physicians who practice emergency medicine, family medicine, general obstetrics, or gynecology to ask patients questions regarding menstrual cycles, previous tampon use, and toxic shock syndrome. Under the bill, a nurse practitioner or physician is to ask each female patient who is exhibiting symptoms associated with influenza or viral gastroenteritis if the patient has an active menstrual cycle or the date of the last menstrual cycle if the female patient does not have an active menstrual cycle at the time of the medical visit. A nurse practitioner or physician is to ask a female patient with an active menstrual cycle or a recently active menstrual cycle, when the patient most recently used a tampon and if the patient experienced symptoms associated with influenza or viral gastroenteritis while using the tampon or soon thereafter. A nurse practitioner or physician is to inform a female patient who is exhibiting symptoms associated with influenza or viral gastroenteritis about signs and symptoms of menstrual toxic shock syndrome. In addition, a nurse practitioner or physician is to offer to test a female patient for toxic shock syndrome if: (1) the patient is exhibiting symptoms associated with influenza or viral gastroenteritis; (2) the patient has an active or recently active menstrual cycle; and (3) the patient began experiencing symptoms associated with influenza or viral gastroenteritis while using a tampon or soon thereafter. | In Committee |
| S2075 | Requires employers to post information concerning veterans' benefits and services. | The bill requires employers to display a poster containing information on veterans' benefits and services. Under the bill, employers with more than 50 full-time or full-time equivalent employees are required to display the poster in a conspicuous place accessible to employees in the workplace. The Department of Labor and Workforce Development shall consult with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to develop the poster. At a minimum, the poster will include: (1) contact and website information for the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the department's veterans' program; (2) substance abuse and mental health treatment; (3) educational, workforce, and training resources; (4) tax benefits; (5) New Jersey State veteran drivers' licenses and non-driver identification cards; (6) eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits under State and federal law; (7) legal services; and (8) contact information for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Crisis Line. | In Committee |
| S292 | Eliminates past conviction of indictable offense as disqualifier for jury service. | This bill permits persons with past convictions of indictable offenses to serve on juries. Under current law, past convictions, whether based on violations of New Jersey law, another state's law, or federal law, are automatic disqualifiers for jury service. This bill eliminates this disqualifier, making persons with past convictions eligible for jury service. Eliminates past conviction of indictable offense as disqualifier for jury service. | In Committee |
| S285 | Permits application for PERS accidental disability benefit for injury sustained after January 2003 while employed at State psychiatric institution or correctional facility immediately prior to PERS membership. | This bill allows a member of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) to apply for accidental disability benefits based upon an injury sustained while employed temporarily at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, any other State psychiatric institution or any State correctional facility, which injury continues to be disabling after the person becomes a PERS member. Temporary public employees are not eligible for PERS membership until the employment becomes permanent or the passage of one year, whichever occurs first. Currently, persons employed temporarily at any State psychiatric institution or any State correctional facility who are injured while ineligible for PERS membership are eligible for workers compensation benefits only. They are not eligible for PERS accidental disability benefits even after attaining PERS member status because the injury occurred when not a PERS member. The bill provides that, for purposes of application for a PERS accidental disability benefit, a traumatic event (1) occurring during and as a result of the performance of a State employee's regular or assigned duties as, but not limited to, a doctor, nurse, healthcare worker, social worker, or correction officer caring for or guarding individuals who are permanently or temporarily incarcerated for any reason at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, any other State psychiatric institution or any State correctional facility and (2) occurring when the employee is employed temporarily and not yet eligible for membership in the retirement system will be deemed as occurring during membership, if the employee becomes a member of the retirement system without interruption in that employment. The bill's provisions would apply retroactively to January 1, 2003. In addition, the bill also adds to the duties of the Civil Service Commission a personnel orientation program that informs new employees of State psychiatric institutions and State correctional facilities of the risk of injury occurring during and as a result of the performance of their regular or assigned duties. | In Committee |
| S2045 | Requires certain animals used in testing to be offered for adoption; requires establishment of procedures for assessment and disposition of animals; establishes penalties for noncompliance. | This bill requires any cat, dog, or ferret used for product testing or research conducted or contracted by a company, corporation, manufacturer, or contract testing facility in the State to be offered to an animal rescue organization or private individual for adoption when the testing or research is concluded, if the animal is assessed to be suitable for adoption. Current law limits circumstances under which animal product testing or research may be conducted by manufacturers and contract testing facilities. Current law also requires, pursuant to the "Homes for Animal Heroes Act," P.L.2019, c.414 (C.18A:3B-85), that cats and dogs used for educational, research, or scientific purposes by an institution of higher education or a research institution that contracts with an institution of higher education for such use of cats and dogs, to be assessed for the suitability of adoption, and if suitable, to be offered for adoption. The bill expands the "Homes for Animal Heroes Act" to include testing or research using ferrets and to provide for adoption of ferrets used in that way. The bill directs the Office of Veterinary Public Health (OVPH) in the Department of Health (DOH) to establish procedures for documenting the assessment and disposition of any cat, dog, or ferret used by a company, corporation, manufacturer, contract facility, institution of higher education, or a research institution for such purposes. The bill authorizes the OVPH to monitor compliance with the procedures and enforce the provisions of section 1 of the bill and section 1 of P.L.2019, c.414 (C.18A:3B-85), concerning the assessment of the suitability of animals for adoption and the requirements to offer suitable animals for adoption. The bill further requires that each company, corporation, manufacturer, or contract testing facility that is subject to the bill, and each institution of higher education and research institution that is subject to the "Homes for Animal Heroes Act" to register with the OVPH when undertaking animal testing with cats, dogs, or ferrets, and to report to the OVPH: 1) the type and number of animals being used; 2) the date on which the testing or research is completed or upon which the animal is no longer being used in the testing or research; 3) an assessment of the condition of any animal no longer being used in the testing or research and its suitability for adoption; 4) the disposition of the animal, including the name and contact information of the animal rescue organization with which, or the animal rescue organization facility in which, the animal is placed; and 5) if an animal assessed as suitable for adoption is not adopted, documentation of the good faith effort to place the animal with an animal rescue organization or in an animal rescue organization facility, and any effort to offer the animal for private adoption. The bill provides that private individuals who have adopted animals would not have to be identified but requires documentation of which animals were adopted by private individuals. The bill establishes civil penalties for noncompliance with the bill's provisions and requirements, and the provisions of the "Homes for Animal Heroes Act." The bill provides for a civil penalty of $10,000 for a first offense, and $50,000 for a second offense, to be collected in a summary proceeding brought by the DOH pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.). Upon finding of a third offense, the DOH is required to institute an action for an injunction to prohibit the company, corporation, manufacturer, contract testing facility, institution of higher education, or research institution from conducting animal testing. The bill provides that the Superior Court would have jurisdiction for enforcing the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999" and for imposing an injunction for a third violation. Finally, the bill requires the DOH to maintain a registry of animal rescue organizations and animal rescue organization facilities, directs the DOH to establish a database of those animal rescue organizations and facilities that accept animals that have been used in testing or research, and requires a company, corporation, manufacturer, contract facility, institution of higher education, or research institution, as applicable, to contact an animal rescue organization or animal rescue organization facility listed in the database whenever a cat, dog, or ferret used in testing or research is determined to be suitable for adoption. | In Committee |
| S1983 | Eliminates certain practice restrictions for advanced practice nurses. | This bill eliminates practice restrictions for advanced practice nurses (APNs), including restrictions that limit the ability of APNs to prescribe medications and administer anesthesia, and establishes new requirements for APNs to prescribe medications. The bill expressly provides that, notwithstanding the provisions of any other law or regulation to the contrary, an APN with greater than 24 months or 2,400 hours of licensed, active, advanced nursing practice will be authorized to practice without a joint protocol with a collaborating provider. With regard to prescribing medications, the bill requires the use of New Jersey Prescription Blanks and satisfying continuing professional education requirements related to pharmacology and prescribing controlled substances. An APN with fewer than 24 months or 2,400 hours of licensed, active, advanced nursing practice in an initial role will be permitted to prescribe medication only if a formal joint protocol with a physician or experienced advanced practice nurse is in place. The bill revises the requirements for APNs to authorize patients for medical cannabis and to issue written instructions for medical cannabis, to provide that the APN will only be required to meet the requirements set forth under the "Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act," P.L.2009, c.307 (C.24:6I-1 et al.). Those requirements include: possessing active State and federal registrations to prescribe controlled dangerous substances; being the health care practitioner responsible for the ongoing treatment of a patient's qualifying medical condition; and complying with various other requirements for issuing written instructions for medical cannabis. The bill further provides that every APN who is an APN-Anesthesia and who has completed 24 months or 2,400 hours of licensed, active, advanced nursing practice in an initial role will be authorized to practice as an APN-Anesthesia to the full scope of practice for APNs-Anesthesia, without any requirement for supervision by a licensed physician and without any requirement that the APN-Anesthesia enter into joint protocols with a licensed physician. The bill provides that any State law or regulation that requires the signature or similar endorsement of a physician will be deemed to require the same of an APN, to the extent consistent with an APN's scope of practice. The bill revises and repeals certain sections of law that are obviated by the changes made under the bill. | In Committee |
| S2012 | Requires certain public schools that receive State aid to begin regular instruction for high school students no earlier than 8:30 AM. | This bill provides that, in order to receive any State aid pursuant to the "School Funding Reform Act of 2008" or any other law, a school district, charter school, renaissance school project, county vocational school district, or county special services school district that includes grades 9 through 12 will be required to begin regular instruction for high school students no earlier than 8:30 AM. | In Committee |
| S2164 | Expands liability of certain individuals associated with limited liability companies and other commercial entities, when acting as residential landlord. | This bill expands the liability of certain individuals associated with limited liability companies and other commercial entities in relation to residential properties that they lease. Specifically, the bill provides that, in addition to retaining the ability to hold a commercial entity itself liable for housing, building, and health code charges, and charges issued under the "Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Law," ("HMDL") P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-1 et seq.), a court may hold certain members of a member-managed limited liability company, the managers of a manager-managed limited liability company, and the directors and officers of a corporation, jointly and severally liable for such charges, so long as:(1) there are at least three charges concerning the property leased by the entity for residential purposes;(2) at least three charges remain unpaid on the first day of the thirteenth month following the due date of the first charge;(3) notice of the charge and impending enforcement has been issued to the address of the record owner, the registered agent, the managing agent, the members in the case of a limited liability company, the directors and officers in the case of a corporation, and each holder of a recorded mortgage and other existing lienholders, if provided within the landlord's registration information. If the landlord is not registered, in violation of section 2 of P.L.1974, c.50 (C.46:8-28), then this notice requirement would not apply. The notice provided to an individual would be sufficient even if the commercial entity ceases to own the property, so long as the same individual has a role as a registered agent, managing agent, member, manager, director, or officer of the property's new owner;(4) the individual, if a member of a member-managed limited liability company, possesses at least a 10 percent interest in the business and(5) the defendant does not successfully assert an affirmative defense showing a lack of ability to ensure payment of the charge. Additionally, landlord registration requirements, under section 2 of P.L.1974, c.50 (C.46:8-28), currently require submission of the name and address of a registered agent who may accept service of process if the landlord is a corporation. This bill requires a landlord organized as any other legal or commercial entity, to also submit the name and address of a registered agent, as well as the name and address of the members of a member-managed limited liability company who possess at least a 10 percent interest in the business, and the officers and directors in the case of a corporation, when registering as a landlord. Upon filing this information, the bill requires the municipal clerk to notify the construction official and the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury of the name and address of the record owner, and registered agent as applicable. Finally, this bill allows municipalities to amend their housing, building, and health codes to direct that any charge issued to a landlord for violating the code may, after serving notice, be enforced as a lien on the property. However, enforcement as a lien would only be permitted if the charge remains unpaid on the first day of the thirteenth month following the due date of the charge. | In Committee |
| S713 | Creates State contract set-aside program for businesses owned and operated by persons with disabilities. | This bill creates a State contract set-aside program for businesses owned and operated by persons with disabilities. This bill would add a new three percent set-aside program for disability-owned business enterprises which is in addition to other State set-aside programs. The three percent set-aside would represent three percent of all contracts awarded by contracting agencies. "Disability-owned business enterprise" would be defined to mean a business which has its principal place of business in the State, is independently owned and operated and at least 51 percent of which is owned and controlled by persons with disabilities and is certified by nonprofit organizations focused on business disability inclusion, including Disability:IN, as a disability-owned business enterprise. Disability-owned business enterprise is a commonly used term by several non-profit organizations focused on business disability inclusion, such as Disability:IN, to recognize such businesses. The term "disability" would be defined to mean a physical or mental disability that substantially impairs a major life activity. | In Committee |
| S187 | Prohibits State Board of Education from limiting number of certain two-year college credits that may be applied towards meeting teacher certification requirements. | This bill prohibits the State Board of Education from limiting the number of professional education credits earned at a regionally accredited two-year college that may be applied towards meeting the requirements for teacher certification, provided that the credits are accepted by a State-approved college professional education preparation program. | In Committee |
| S734 | Requires insurers and SHBP to provide coverage for expenses incurred in screening for ovarian cancer. | This bill requires hospital, medical, and health service corporations, commercial individual, small employer, and larger group insurers, health maintenance organizations, and the State Health Benefits Program to provide coverage for medically necessary expenses incurred in screening for ovarian cancer for symptomatic women or women at risk of ovarian cancer, which coverage shall include, but is not limited to, an annual pelvic examination, an ultrasound and blood testing for cancer markers, such as CA 125 levels. Ovarian cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women in the United States. The provisions of this bill will ensure that women who may have symptoms of ovarian cancer, or are at risk of ovarian cancer because of a family history or other health conditions, are able to receive appropriate and necessary diagnostic screening tests for this deadly disease. | In Committee |
| S709 | Makes supplemental appropriation of $1 billion for After School Recreation in Urban Areas; stipulates uses of, and eligibility criteria for, funds. | This bill provides a supplemental appropriation of $1 billion to provide Grants for After School Recreation in Urban Areas. The bill provides that the grants will be allocated by the Commissioner of Education for the following purposes: improving, retrofitting, and rebuilding playgrounds, public swimming pools, and other recreational infrastructure; reopening parks that have not been in operation for a long period of time; and establishing, enhancing, and procuring equipment and other materials for mentorship programs, public and nonprofit youth sports organizations and recreational programs, organized after school and summer educational programs that include computer science education, home economics education, and education concerning other life-building skills. Under the bill, grants would only be made available to municipalities that are members of the New Jersey Urban Mayors Association (NJUMA). The NJUMA is an association comprised of urban and rural municipalities that is dedicated to working with State and federal lawmakers and officials to develop appropriate and effective public policy measures that benefit the State's urban centers and to help lawmakers understand how public policy affects New Jersey's cities and municipalities. Member municipalities of the NJUMA display a disproportionate need for youth sports and educational programs. This bill would provide these municipalities, and the youth populations of the municipalities, with access to funding to improve, create, and support youth programs and facilities. Ensuring funding for the purposes described under the bill would represent a meaningful investment in the educational and social-emotional development of children in the eligible municipalities and provide them with stimulating after school and summer safe havens. | In Committee |
| S1575 | Establishes MOM Project oral health three-year pilot program in DOH; appropriates $4,150,000. | This bill establishes the MOM Project oral health three-year pilot program (program) in the Department of Health (department) and appropriates $4,150,000. Under the bill, "community oral health center" or "center" means the following in-State entities: a federally qualified health center, a dental home, or an acute care hospital licensed by the department that provides dental services to individuals who reside in a medically underserved area. "Dental home" means a licensed dental practice that administers services in manner that is accessible, culturally-sensitive, and family-centered. A "dental home" does not include a licensed dental practice if less than 75 percent of the dental practice's patients are individuals who are low income and who reside in a medically underserved area. "Eligible mother" or "mother" means a State resident who is pregnant, low-income, and not enrolled in, eligible for, or determined presumptively eligible for coverage under any Medicaid program. "Maternal and child health consortium" or "consortium" means a nonprofit organization licensed as a central service facility by the department, and incorporated under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Under the bill, the department is to administer the program in conjunction with at least one consortium. Within 90 days following the effective date of this bill, each participating consortium is to begin to provide the following program services: (1) Each consortium is to implement an outreach plan to identify eligible mothers, who reside in the area served by the consortium, and register the mothers in the program. Upon registration and in a manner that is consistent with federal and State privacy laws, the consortium is to endeavor to collect the following information from eligible mothers: whether the mother has or had access to a dental home during a current or prior pregnancy; the mother's oral hygiene routine, including the use of fluoride toothpaste; the mother's dietary habits; and the result of previous pregnancies. (2) Each consortium is to establish an oral health education program. Prior to the commencement of the oral health education program, each consortium is to require eligible mothers to complete a pre-education assessment that includes testing the mother's understanding of oral health and oral hygiene. (3) Each consortium is to provide eligible mothers a minimum of three hours of oral health education that includes the following: oral hygiene routines for mothers, infants, and children; nutritional counseling; education regarding the correlation between cariogenic disease and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and gastric changes; the impact of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol on a mother's oral health and the unborn child; recommendations and resources for routine oral health care for mothers, infants, and children; and education regarding available educational support. Oral health education program educators are to be compatible with the language and cultural needs of the eligible mothers enrolled in the oral health education program. (4) Following the eligible mother's completion of the oral health education program, the consortium is to require the eligible mother to complete a post-education assessment that includes testing to assess the mother's understanding of oral health and oral hygiene routines. Under the bill, within 90 days following the effective date of this bill, a community oral health center seeking to participate in the MOM Project is to file an application with the department, in a manner to be determined by the department. The department is to require an eligible community oral health center to enter into an agreement with a consortium to implement the following: (1) Following an eligible mother's completion of the oral health education program, the center is to develop a customized oral health treatment plan and nutritional recommendations for the mother, infant, and child, as applicable. (2) Following an eligible mother's completion of the oral health education program, provide the mother, infant, and child, as applicable, oral health treatment for one year. The dental care shall include the following: (a) a dental visit for cleaning, cavity risk assessment, periodontal charting, and to establish a one-year treatment plan; (b) comprehensive dental care and restorative treatment as needed; (c) a cleaning and treatment plan review approximately six months and one year following the date of the initial dental visit; (d) two dental visits for the infant or child; and (e) identification of a dental home for the child or infant before the infant receives his or her first tooth. Under the bill, within 180 days following the effective date of this bill, each consortium and health center is to compile and report relevant data to the department, as determined by the department. The department is to contract with a third-party to assist with data analysis and project evaluation activities. The department and the third-party hired are to informally convene an advisory panel to design an oral health model to be potentially included in the Medicaid program. The department is to prepare and submit a report of its findings to the Governor and to the Legislature. The bill appropriates $4,150,000 to the department to effectuate the purposes of the bill, as detailed in section 4 of the bill. | In Committee |
| S717 | Requires certain health care professionals to undergo bias training. | This bill requires certain health care professionals to undergo bias training. Under the bill, a homemaker-home health aide and any other health care professional certified or licensed pursuant to Title 45 of the Revised Statutes, who provides in-home health care services, is to be required to complete one credit of cultural competency and implicit bias training, within one year following the effective date of this bill and biennially thereafter. The cultural competency and implicit bias training curriculum is to be developed by the Department of Health, in consultation with relevant professional organizations, which is to include, but not be limited to: (1) identification and understanding of implicit biases and stereotypes related to race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability; (2) communication techniques that account for potential impacts of implicit biases; (3) strategies for recognizing and mitigating unconscious biases in healthcare decision-making processes; (4) review of applicable federal and State laws regarding discrimination in health care services; (5) cultural awareness and cultural competence in healthcare; and (6) understanding health disparities and social determinants of health. It is the sponsor's belief that this bill will help to ensure that all patients receive quality healthcare that respects their individual cultural backgrounds and experiences and that this bill is a step towards ensuring equity in healthcare delivery within New Jersey. | Dead |
| S716 | Establishes Employer-Based Child Care Assistance Partnership Program in DCF. | This bill establishes the Employer-Based Child Care Assistance Partnership Program in the Department of Children and Families (DCF). The purpose of the program is to incentivize employers to contribute to employee child care costs by providing State funds that match employer contributions in order to ensure that the working parents of this State and their children have access to affordable, high-quality child care services. Participation in the program will be voluntary, and the DCF is to regulate and oversee the activities associated with the program. Under the bill, an employer who wishes to provide child care assistance to an employee under the program and a child care provider seeking to participate in the program will submit a one-time application to the DCF, which will enroll the employer or child care provider in the program. Upon enrollment, the employer may enroll employees by submitting a standardized certification form to the DCF that includes, among other things, the amount of the employer's contribution to the employee's child care provider. The amount of State matching funds will be based on the employee's household income. If the total amount of the employer contribution and State matching funds do not cover the employee's total child care costs, the employee will be responsible for the remaining balance of the costs. The bill sets forth certain circumstances under which participation in the program will be terminated, including the failure by the employer to make a contribution payment, the failure of the employee to pay the balance of child care costs not covered under the program, a child care provider ceasing to qualify for the program, or voluntary termination by the employer or employee. The bill creates in the Department of the Treasury a dedicated, non-lapsing fund, to be known as the Employer-Based Child Care Assistance Partnership Fund. The fund will be the repository for monies made available to implement the provisions of the bill. All monies expended for the purpose of providing State matching funds against contributions made by employers to employee child care costs are to be paid from the fund. The bill also requires the DCF to issue a report about the program's efficacy within one year after the program is established, and annually thereafter, to the Governor and Legislature. The report is to be posted on the DCF's website and made available to the public upon request. | In Committee |
| S1568 | Provides child tax credit for taxpayers with children ages six to 11 and increases amount of credit for taxpayers with children under 12 over period of two years. | This bill would provide a child tax credit for certain taxpayers with children ages six to 11 and increase the amount of the credit over a period of two years for taxpayers with children under age six and taxpayers with children ages six to 11. Under current law, a resident taxpayer with New Jersey taxable income of $80,000 or less is allowed a credit against the State income tax for each child under age six. The amount of the credit is $500 per child if the taxpayer's income is $30,000 or less and is incrementally reduced with respect to levels of income in excess of $30,000. The credit is completely phased out once a taxpayer's income exceeds $80,000. In addition to those taxpayers with children under age six, the bill expands eligibility for the child tax credit to taxpayers with children ages six to 11. The bill also increases the amount of the credit over a period of two years. Taxpayers with levels of income under $30,000 and a child under age six would be eligible for a $750 credit for the 2023 and 2024 tax years with an incremental reduction of the credit for levels of income over $30,000 before being completely phased out once the taxpayer exceeds $80,000 of income. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2025, the credit would increase to $1,000 for those taxpayers with levels of income under $30,000 with an incremental reduction of the credit for levels of income over $30,000 before being completely phased out once a taxpayer exceeds $80,000 of income. Taxpayers with an income of $30,000 or less with a child ages six to 11 would be eligible for a $500 credit for the 2023 and 2024 tax years with an incremental reduction of the credit for income that exceeds $30,000 before being completely phased out once the taxpayer exceeds $80,000 of income. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2025, the credit would increase to $600 for those taxpayers with levels of income under $30,000 with an incremental reduction of the credit for levels of income over $30,000 before being completely phased out once the taxpayer exceeds $80,000 of income. | In Committee |
| S718 | Requires premium payment made to municipality by purchaser of tax lien to be paid to property owner under certain circumstances. | This bill revises current law pertaining to premium payments paid to a municipality by the purchaser if a tax lien. Current law provides that a premium payment is to be held by the municipal tax collector and returned to the purchaser of the tax sale certificate if and when redemption is made. If that redemption is not made within five years from the date of sale, the premium payment is to be turned over to the treasurer of the municipality and become a part of the funds of the municipality. Instead, this bill would require that within one year of the date that a final judgment of foreclosure is entered vesting title to the property in the lienholder, the premium payment is to be deposited with the court and paid, upon application therefor, to the person against whom a judgment in foreclosure has been recovered. If no application is made within one year of the premium being deposited with the court, upon application to the court by the chief financial officer of the municipality in which the property is located, the premium will be turned over to the chief financial officer and become part of the funds of the municipality. The bill would also require that in the event that a property is required to be sold at a sheriff's sale, the premium is to be refunded to the holder of the tax lien if the property is sold to a third party within five years from the date of sale. | In Committee |
| S710 | Requires DCA to conduct surveys and report data related to homelessness in administering the Rental Assistance Navigation Program. | The bill clarifies the roles of a Resource Navigator and the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) in administering the Rental Assistance Navigation Program, established pursuant to P.L.2021, c.313. The bill requires the DCA to develop and conduct a survey of any newly evicted tenant who is willing to participate in a survey. The survey is to be used by the Resource Navigators to assess the circumstances and needs of individuals facing eviction and homelessness. The bill would require the survey to include questions concerning demographic information about the recently evicted tenant and their household. The survey would also include questions to assess: (a) the ability of a recently evicted tenant and their household to secure housing immediately following eviction and in the future; (b) the municipality and county in which the recently evicted tenant was evicted and the municipality and county in which the evicted tenant will seek shelter or new housing; and (c) the recently evicted tenant and their household's financial circumstances. The DCA is required to establish record retention and reporting standards for the surveys to include regular reports of all relevant information to the organization commissioned by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency to coordinate point-in-time counts of individuals and families experiencing homelessness, as required by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. The bill also requires the DCA to refer newly evicted tenants to housing assistance and homelessness prevention services and | Dead |
| S701 | Requires DOH to establish levels of maternity care at maternity care facilities. | This bill requires the Department of Health (DOH) to develop a formal, regionalized classification system that defines the roles of all State maternity care facilities based on the level of maternity care provided to the patients of such facilities, to ensure the provision of care to pregnant, antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum patients in the State along an integrated continuum of care, and to reduce the number of adverse maternity care experiences and outcomes and address obstetric inequities. The system, based on the specific needs and priorities of pregnant, antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum patients, would designate maternity care facilities as accredited birthing centers, Level I basic, Level II specialty, Level III subspecialty, or Level IV regional perinatal health care centers in accordance with criteria outlined in the bill. In developing the classification system, the DOH is to: (1) introduce uniform designations for levels of maternity care complimentary to, but distinct from, the levels of neonatal care; (2) designate a prospective service region for a regional perinatal health care center; (3) establish uniform criteria for the designation of maternity care facilities integrated with emergency response systems; (4) require that accredited birthing centers, Level I basic, Level II specialty, Level III subspecialty maternity care hospitals, and Level IV regional perinatal care centers maintain patient and newborn transfer criteria, transfer agreements, and admission protocols governing transfers between such birthing centers and hospitals; (5) require accredited birthing centers, Level I basic, Level II specialty, Level III subspecialty, and Level IV regional perinatal health care centers to participate in the Maternal Data Center; (6) establish an multi-disciplinary team to study actions that the DOH may take to adopt the levels of maternity care at all maternity care facilities; (7) establish a public awareness campaign to inform the public about the classification system; and (8) develop policies and procedures allowing patients receiving services at accredited birthing centers, Level I basic, Level II specialty, Level III subspecialty, and Level IV regional perinatal health care centers to pursue legal recourse against such birthing centers and hospitals based on acts of obstetric violence or obstetric racism. The DOH is to designate as many maternity care facilities as accredited birthing centers, Level I basic, Level II specialty, Level III subspecialty, and Level IV regional perinatal health care centers as apply for designation and demonstrate the ability to provide the level of care associated with the designation, and may revoke or suspend such designation if the requirements of the bill are not met. The DOH is also required to prepare, maintain, make available on its website, and update as necessary, a list of accredited birthing centers, Level I basic, Level II specialty, Level III subspecialty, and Level IV regional perinatal health care centers. | In Committee |
| S719 | Clarifies rights of parents with disabilities in child protective proceedings. | This bill would clarify certain rights of parents with disabilities in child protective proceedings. The bill provides that a parent's or guardian's disability could not be considered a negative factor in a determination concerning the child in certain child protection proceedings, absent a specific showing by clear and convincing evidence that there is a nexus between the parent's or guardian's disability and alleged harm to the child, and that such alleged harm cannot be prevented or alleviated by accommodations for the disability, including adaptive parenting equipment or supportive parenting services. The proceedings include determinations of child abuse and neglect, removal of the child from the child's home, termination of parental rights, and hearings concerning the disposition of the child as set forth in Title 9 of the Revised Statutes. The provisions of the bill would also apply to a determination by the court as to whether to appoint a guardian for a minor child. The bill defines "disability" as having the same meaning as is set forth in the definition of the term in the Law Against Discrimination, in subsection q. of section 5 of P.L.1945, c.169 (C.10:5-5). The bill defines "supportive parenting services" as services to help parents or guardians with a disability compensate for those aspects of the disability that affect their ability to care for the child and that will enable them to discharge their parental responsibilities. The term includes, but is not limited to, specialized or adapted training, evaluations, and assistance with effective use of adaptive equipment, as well as accommodations that allow a parent or guardian with a disability to benefit from other services, such as Braille text or sign language interpreters. | In Committee |
| S714 | Permits students experiencing menstrual disorder to attend school remotely. | This bill permits a student enrolled in a school district to attend school through virtual or remote means while experiencing symptoms of a menstrual disorder. The student's parent or guardian will submit a written request for accommodation no later than the start of the school day the accommodation is required. Under the bill, menstrual disorders include, but are not limited to, dysmenorrhea, endometriosis, menorrhea, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. A parent or guardian will provide medical documentation, as required by the principal of the school in which the student is enrolled, to prove the student meets the requirements for virtual or remote instruction related to menstrual disorders. Under the bill, a day of virtual or remote instruction will be considered the equivalent of a full day of school attendance for the purposes of meeting State and local graduation requirements or the awarding of course credit. Also under the bill, the Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, will provide school districts with criteria for defining an excused absence from school related to a menstrual disorder. Menstrual disorders, and the pain and discomfort associated with them, are often cited as the reason menstruating students miss school days. Menstrual disorders are also fairly common; one in five menstruating students experience menorrhagia, and nearly 70 percent of menstruating students experience dysmenorrhea. Students who attend class while experiencing a menstrual disorder often report classroom performance or concentration being negatively affected. Additionally, nearly one third of students who menstruate report missing at least one day of school while experiencing menstruation. | In Committee |
| S2243 | Establishes five-year community schools pilot program. | This bill establishes a five-year Community Schools Pilot Program in the Department of Education. Under the bill, the Commissioner of Education is to identify and enter into a contract with an institution of higher education or a qualified nonprofit organization with the appropriate capacity and experience located in the State to manage the pilot program. The organization or institution and the department will be responsible for selecting one public school of a school district, renaissance school, or charter school in each county of the State that would receive direct assistance from a site coordinator assigned to the school. Additionally, the selected institution or organization is required to establish a technical assistance center that would be available to schools participating in the pilot program and would be responsible for making group training sessions and information about community schools available to any school district, renaissance school, or charter school interested in establishing a community school. The technical assistance center will be responsible for the Statewide dissemination of information on effective and promising practices in the establishment and ongoing management of community school strategies through professional development and technical assistance activities. Under the bill, the department, in coordination with the organization or institution, and the New Jersey Community Schools Coalition, is to develop specific criteria for selecting schools to participate in the program and receive direct support from a site coordinator. The selection criteria would be posted on the department's website. The organization or institution is required to employ and train individuals who would be assigned to serve as a site coordinator. Site coordinators are to be employees of the organization or institution, and not the school district, renaissance school, or charter school to which they are assigned. The salaries, wages, and other financial compensation of the site coordinators would be the responsibility of the organization or institution. The bill directs a public school selected to participate in the pilot to enter into an agreement with the selected institution or organization outlining at a minimum the role, responsibilities, and authority the site coordinator has in supporting the establishment of the community school site. The organization or institution can enter into an agreement with another nonprofit entity to assist it in fulfilling responsibilities enumerated in certain sections of the bill, subject to approval of the commissioner. The commissioner would receive an annual audit of the accounts and financial transactions of the organization or institution for the duration of the pilot program. The bill also directs the commissioner to enter into a contract with an independent entity to conduct an evaluation of the pilot program. The final report, which the commissioner would forward to the Governor and the Legislature, would be due no later than six months following the conclusion of the pilot program. The bill establishes the Community Schools Pilot Program Fund in the Department of Education. The fund is to consist of any funds that are appropriated by the Legislature, investment earnings of the fund, and moneys contributed to the fund by private sources. The bill allows the moneys in the fund to be invested and reinvested as other trust funds in the custody of the State in the manner provided by law. | In Committee |
| S432 | 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 |
| S711 | Establishes "Guaranteed Rental Payment Pilot Program" for certain low-income tenants; appropriates $10,000,000. | This bill establishes the "Guaranteed Rental Payment Pilot Program" ("pilot program") within the Department of Community Affairs ("DCA") to study ways of maximizing housing opportunities for households who lack adequate credit histories and to better understand the relation between credit rating and the tenant's performance under the lease, including making required rental payments. Specifically, this pilot program will collect data from low- or moderate-income program participants who receive rental assistance under the State Rental Assistance Program ("SRAP"). The pilot program will also keep track of default rates for lease payments by tenants with less favorable credit ratings as compared to similar tenants who maintain a credit rating of "fair" or higher. The pilot program would select at random 1,000 low- or moderate-income households who are qualified and approved to participate in and receive benefits under SRAP or, at the discretion of DCA, the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program and who have completed a housing and credit counseling program through a DCA-approved agency. Under this pilot program, a landlord whose tenant fails to make a rental payment required by a lease agreement would be made whole and be reimbursed for this failure to pay through funding made available by the pilot program for this purpose. The bill creates the "Guaranteed Rental Payment Fund" ("fund") as an account within the General Fund, to be administered by DCA. The fund will provide reimbursements to landlords in the case of a default or other lease violation by a pilot program participant tenant that causes a loss to the landlord. Participation in this pilot program will not impact a landlord's right to statutorily evict a tenant. Within 30 days following payment from the program to a landlord, DCA would be required to provide the tenant with written notice of the amount paid from the fund and provide the tenant with notice of the tenant's obligation to repay it. On the 90th day following a payment to the landlord from the pilot program, an amount equal to the amount paid to the landlord would be due and owing to the pilot program from the tenant, to be reinvested in the fund. During the course of the payment period, if a participant household experiences conditions that violate the implied warranty of habitability, the bill authorizes the tenant to certify those conditions to DCA. Based on the tenant's written certification, DCA would be required to order an inspection be conducted on the dwelling. Upon confirmation that the violation of the implied warranty of habitability exists, DCA would notify the landlord and provide an opportunity to cure. DCA would then consider whether and in what amount to withhold rent based on the conditions. The bill provides DCA with authority to create rules and regulations for the pilot program established by the bill. Finally, this bill appropriates $10,000,000 from the General Fund into the fund. | In Committee |
| S1941 | Establishes minimum registered professional nurse staffing standards for hospitals and ambulatory surgery facilities and certain DHS facilities. | This bill establishes staffing standards for registered professional nurses in State hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, developmental centers, and psychiatric hospitals. Specifically, the bill provides that, in addition to existing staffing requirements provided by law or regulation, the Commissioner of Health is to adopt regulations that provide minimum direct care registered professional nurse-to-patient staffing ratios for all patient units in general and special hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities, in accordance with the minimum staffing requirements that are established by the bill. As specified in the bill, minimum nurse-to-patient ratios will vary depending on the type of unit, and will range from one registered professional nurse for every five patients in a behavioral health or psychiatric or a medical/surgical unit, to one registered professional nurse for every patient under anesthesia in an operating room. The regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Health are not to decrease any nurse-to-patient staffing ratios that are already in effect on the bill's effective date. The bill provides that the Commissioner of Health is to require all general and special hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities to employ an acuity and staffing system for the purpose of increasing direct care registered professional nurse staffing levels above the minimum levels established in the bill, or otherwise provided by law or regulation, in order to ensure adequate staffing of each unit, service, or department. The acuity and staffing system will be based on: patient classification or acuity; professional nurse staffing standards adopted by nurse specialty organizations; skill mix; and the staffing levels of other health care personnel and the use of agency or temporary staff. The system is to be established in the facility by the facility's department of nursing, with the approval of a majority of the unit staff nurses or their bargaining agent. The bill requires the acuity and staffing system to allow for the forecasting of staffing levels, and to provide a method to adjust staffing levels for each patient care unit based on objective criteria currently set forth at N.J.A.C.8:43G-17.1(a)3, including, but not limited to: (1) the documented skills, training, and competency of staff to plan and provide nursing services in the nursing areas where they function; (2) a patient database incorporating objective factors such as the case mix index, specific or aggregate patient diagnostic classifications or acuity levels, patient profiles, critical pathways or care progression plans, length of stay, and discharge plans; (3) operational factors, such as unit size, design, and capacity, the admission/discharge/transfer index, and support service availability; (4) contingency plans to address critical departures from the staffing plan, including policies and procedures to regulate the closure of available beds if staffing levels fall below specified levels; and (5) policies and procedures for the reassignment of staff, including float and agency staff. The acuity and staffing system will additionally be required to permit waiver of minimum staffing level requirements in the event of an unforeseen emergent circumstance which causes significant changes in the patient census for a regular shift. Waiver will not be permitted unless the facility has made reasonable efforts to provide sufficient additional staff to meet the required minimum staffing levels, including seeking volunteers and making use of on-call staff, per-diem staff, agency staff, and float pools. The bill defines "unforeseeable emergent circumstance" to mean an unpredictable or unavoidable occurrence requiring immediate action. The Commissioner of Health will also be permitted to waive the minimum staffing level requirements for any hospital or facility that the commissioner determines is in financial distress. A waiver may be revoked upon a determination that the facility is no longer in financial distress. The bill requires the Department of Health to enforce minimum staffing ratios by conducting periodic inspections and responding to complaints. The bill provides a system, pursuant to which a registered professional nurse, other staff member, or member of the public, believing that a facility is in violation of the staffing requirements or the staffing and acuity system, may file a complaint with the Commissioner of Health. In responding to a complaint, the commissioner will be required to conduct an investigation to determine whether or not a hospital or facility is in violation, and to take such other action as may be necessary to ensure compliance with the requirements of the bill. Finally, in addition to the above-described requirements applicable to the Commissioner of Health, the bill requires the Commissioner of Human Services to conduct a review of Department of Human Services regulations concerning registered professional nurse staffing standards in developmental centers and State psychiatric hospitals, and to revise the regulations, as appropriate, to reflect safe staffing practices and assure adequate staffing at the facilities. | In Committee |
| S2016 | Appropriates $70 million in federal funds to EDA to support arts and culture organizations negatively impacted by COVID-19 pandemic. | This bill appropriates $70 million in federal funds to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) to support arts and culture organizations, including for-profit businesses and non-profit organizations, that were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the bill, the EDA, in consultation with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (council), would be required to award $50 million in grants to support the financial recovery, resiliency, and growth of qualifying arts and culture organizations. However, of this total, $10 million in grants would be dedicated to arts education organizations that provide programs and services for public schools or afterschool programs. Specifically, these grants may be used to offset any revenue losses that occurred as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic or provide the cash reserves necessary to ensure continued operations in the event of future pandemic-related shutdowns. Additionally, the bill requires the EDA, in consultation with the council, to award $20 million in grants to qualifying arts and culture organizations to support the completion of placemaking projects in public spaces. Under the bill, placemaking projects would include any creative or artistic project intended to beautify or enrich public spaces, such as artistic paintings on roadways or sidewalks, landscape plantings in public areas, educational signage, and other artistic, cultural, or educational installations. The monies appropriated under the bill would be provided from the State's allocation of funds from the federal "Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund," established pursuant to the federal "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021". | In Committee |
| SR34 | Urges Supreme Court to establish payment kiosks for court-ordered obligations. | This resolution urges the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court to establish payment kiosks for the processing of court-ordered assessments. | In Committee |
| S1276 | Requires health insurance coverage of prenatal genetic test during first trimester of pregnancy. | This bill requires health insurance coverage of a prenatal genetic test during the first trimester of pregnancy. Under the bill, health insurance carriers (including insurance companies, hospital service corporations, medical service corporations, health service corporations, health maintenance organizations authorized to issue health benefits plans in New Jersey, and any entities contracted to administer health benefits in connection with the State Health Benefits Program and School Employees' Health Benefits Program) will be required to cover a prenatal genetic test during the first trimester of a pregnancy. The methods of testing for which benefits will be provided will include, but not be limited to, a carrier screening, a nuchal translucency screening, and a chorionic villus sampling. For the purpose of this bill, "carrier screening" means a blood sample or tissue sample swabbed from inside the cheek of an individual to determine whether the individual carries a gene for certain inherited disorders. | In Committee |
| S2191 | Requires DOH to encourage health care facilities and licensed health care professionals to develop a "Reach Out and Read Program." | This bill requires the Department of Health (DOH) to encourage health care facilities, pediatricians, family practice physicians, and other health care professionals in private practice licensed pursuant to Title 45 of the Revised Statutes to implement a "Reach Out and Read Program." The program would be based on the national Reach Out and Read Program that promotes early literacy anticipatory guidance from health care professionals to parents of children between six months and five years of age, as part of a well-child visit. The purpose of the program would be to: encourage parents to participate in developmentally appropriate shared-reading activities with their children; develop a child's language, social, and emotional skills; enhance parent-child relationships; offer pediatricians, family practice physicians, and other licensed health care professionals with tools to monitor a child's health and well-being; and facilitate the sharing of information between parents and pediatricians, family practice physicians, and other licensed health care professionals on topics relating to child rearing and early childhood development. Specifically, DOH would assist health care facilities, pediatricians, family practice physicians, and other licensed health care professionals in implementing a "Reach Out and Read Program" by: preparing and making available for distribution, both in print and in easily printable format on the department's Internet website, information on the national Reach Out and Read Program; and posting in a prominent location on its Internet website a link to the online application to become a Reach Out and Read program site. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatric providers promote early literary development for children beginning in infancy and continuing through kindergarten. The Reach Out and Read Program is an evidenced-based intervention that proves the integration of literacy promotion as part of a pediatric primary care practice can stimulate optimal patterns of brain development, strengthen parent-child relationships, and build a child's early language and literacy skills. This bill would require DOH to encourage health care facilities and licensed health care professionals in this State to implement a program that has been shown to improve children's language development and has led to increases in both receptive and expressive language scores. | In Committee |
| S1494 | Establishes crime of law enforcement officer choking another person; designated as George Floyd's Law. | This bill establishes a first degree crime of a law enforcement officer choking another person. Under the bill, a law enforcement officer who knowingly places pressure on a person's throat, windpipe, or carotid artery, thereby hindering or preventing that person's ability to breathe, or interfering with the flow of blood from the person's heart to the brain, is guilty of a crime of the first degree. First degree crimes are punishable by a prison term of 10 to 20 years, a fine of up to $200,000, or both. On June 5, 2020, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General issued notice that it will ban police departments from using chokeholds, carotid artery neck restraints, or similar tactics, except where deadly force is necessary. This bill prohibits these chokeholds. The bill is designated as George Floyd's Law, after George Floyd, who died while being choked by a Minneapolis law enforcement officer during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. | In Committee |
| S1501 | Establishes guidelines for creditworthiness determinations concerning affordable housing programs. | This bill would supplement the "Law Against Discrimination," P.L.1945, c.169 (C.10:5-1 et seq.), to establish guidelines for determining the creditworthiness of applicants seeking to rent affordable housing units. The critical shortage of affordable housing in New Jersey has forced many low- and moderate-income households to reside in market-rate housing they cannot afford but must occupy to avoid homelessness. These struggling families and individuals are frequently left with less money than needed to meet other basic household obligations. Late or partial payments, as well as missed payments made up in subsequent months, are often the result. These undesirable but unavoidable decisions negatively affect the households' credit reports and inevitably lead to lower-credit scores. As a result, many in the State are coping with damaged credit. Except in the specific circumstances provided in the bill, the bill would prohibit landlords from considering credit scores and other risk scores or assessments when determining the creditworthiness of a rental housing applicant who is the holder of a State or federal tenant-based housing subsidy. The bill provides that the consideration of negative credit history for such rental housing applicants would only be permitted if the tenant has, within the previous three years and while in receipt of a rental subsidy, failed on two or more occasions to pay the unsubsidized tenant share of the monthly rent in accordance with a rental agreement. Prior to making the decision to deny such an applicant, the bill would require the landlord to conduct an individualized assessment of the specific facts and circumstances surrounding the failures to pay. After a review of the circumstances, the holder of the State or federal tenant-based housing subsidy would still be deemed creditworthy if the tenant has a bona fide reason for late rental payments. Regarding other applicants for affordable rental housing who do not hold State or federal tenant-based housing subsidies, the bill would only permit the landlord to assess the applicant's creditworthiness if the landlord also conducts an individualized assessment of the applicant's income, employment, payment, and credit history. The individualized assessment would include, at a minimum, an evaluation of the following factors: employment history and wage history, especially the amount of household income in relation to the cost of living in the region; rent or mortgage and utility payment history; health history, including any health issues affecting other members of the applicant household; the need for a reasonable accommodation in the case of a household which includes a person with a disability; and the extent to which the household attempted and was able to develop a budget or payment plan that enabled it to meet most of its expenses most of the time, keeping payments of expenses as close to current as was reasonably possible, and considering the occurrence of unanticipated problems, and emergencies or other factors that significantly affected the household's ability to adhere to any such budget. Additionally, the bill would require that, for the purposes of evaluating the creditworthiness of an affordable housing applicant, there would be a rebuttable presumption that the applicant household is creditworthy if (1) the applicant household has demonstrated an ability to pay rent, as defined in the bill, (2) a member of the household has a history of regular employment or has been in receipt of another source of regular income, and (3) despite a household income that in the past was, for a period of time, below the self-sufficiency level or was otherwise inadequate to meet its basic needs, the household made a good faith effort to meet its regular rent or mortgage obligations and other household expenses, and was able to do so most of the time. An affordable housing applicant who has completed a credit counseling or debt management course certified by the Department of Community Affairs would also be presumed creditworthy, provided that the applicant household has demonstrated an ability to pay rent. The bill further directs that, if a landlord denies a rental housing application from an affordable housing applicant, approves an application with conditions that exceed reasonable conditions routinely imposed upon a prospective tenant, or takes any other adverse action, then the landlord would be required to provide a written notice of the adverse action to the applicant. The adverse action notice would disclose any screening information about the applicant accessed by the landlord, and append any screening report that the landlord accessed. The adverse action notice would include the findings as to each of the factors that are required for consideration in the individualized assessment. An adverse action notice that does not include a specific finding as to each factor or that does not consider the facts and circumstances relevant to the particular applicant would be deemed presumptively invalid and would not be considered to constitute a lawful basis upon which to take adverse action against an applicant. The bill requires the notices to be printed in both the English and Spanish languages and given to the applicants. In any county in which the Language Access Plan of the Department of Community of Affairs indicates that five percent or more of the residents' primary language is any language other than English or Spanish, all written notices in that county would also be printed in that additional language. The bill requires each landlord that denies, or takes any adverse action against, any applicant for creditworthiness reasons to submit to the Attorney General, on an annual basis, a report that contains the following information for the preceding 12-month reporting period: (1) the number of applications for housing reviewed over the preceding 12-month reporting period; (2) the number of denials of applications for housing rendered on the basis of creditworthiness reasons; (3) the number of denials to which the applicant filed a complaint in Superior Court; (4) the number of denials that were overturned or found unlawful in Superior Court; and (5) a disaggregation of the information provided based on the race of the applicant, the ethnicity of the applicant, the sex of the applicant, and whether the applicant had a disability. The bill allows a person claiming to be aggrieved pursuant to the provisions of the bill to file a complaint or action with the Division on Civil Rights in the Department of Law and Public Safety, or in the Superior Court of New Jersey, alleging a violation of the "Law Against Discrimination," P.L.1945, c.169 (C.10:5-1 et seq.). Following the receipt of a complaint the Director of the Division on Civil Rights would be authorized by the bill to prohibit the landlord from renting out the housing unit that the claimant applied for, pending the investigation of the claim. The bill directs the Attorney General, and in consultation with the Commissioner of Community Affairs, to adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the bill on or before the first day of the third month next following enactment of the bill, which would coincide with the effective date of the bill. | In Committee |
| S2244 | Establishes a Women's Menstrual Health Screening Program and requirements to screen appropriate patients for endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome. | This bill establishes a Women's Menstrual Health Program to identify and assist patients, who have displayed symptoms related to menstrual disorders, for endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Endometriosis may affect more than 11 percent of American women between the ages of 15 and 44, which is approximately 6.5 million women in the United States alone. Symptoms include severe pelvic and menstrual pain, infertility, painful bowel movements, pain with intercourse, excessive bleeding, and nausea. PCOS is one of the most common causes of female infertility, affecting six to 12 percent of women of reproductive age in the United States (as many as five million women). This life-long health condition continues far beyond the child-bearing years and involves other serious health complications, including insulin resistance, gestational diabetes, and heart disease. Given the increased health risks associated with endometriosis and PCOS and the number of women impacted by these disorders, the bill establishes a Women's Menstrual Health Program in the Department of Health (department), to identify and assist patients, who have displayed symptoms related to menstrual disorders, for endometriosis and PCOS. The bill requires the department, in accordance with evidence-based industry best practices, guidelines, and screening tools, as recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists or another nationally-recognized body as may be designated by the Commissioner of Health, to: (1) contract with appropriate health care providers to identify, assist, provide screenings for endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, and provide any necessary treatment, follow-up care, and referrals, as appropriate, to patients, who have displayed symptoms related to menstrual disorders; (2) provide education and training to health care providers, hospital staff who encounter patients in emergent situations, and the public concerning menstrual health, menstrual health screening, and menstrual health care; and (3) provide on the department's Internet website information and resources for health care providers and patients, which will include, but not be limited to: evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for health care providers for the screening, referral, treatment, and follow-up care of patients, who have displayed symptoms related to menstrual disorders; and educational materials for health care providers and the public concerning menstrual disorders, menstruation-related disorders, and menstruation-related conditions. The bill requires the commissioner to collect information on patients, who were screened pursuant to the bill, in a standardized manner and develop a system for quality assurance which includes the periodic assessment of indicators that are measurable, functional, and appropriate to the conditions for which patients, who have displayed symptoms related to menstrual disorders, will be screened pursuant to the bill. The commissioner will have the authority to use the information collected to provide follow-up care to, and appropriate referrals for, patients with positive diagnoses through the health care providers contracted pursuant to the bill. Information on patients compiled will be used by the department and agencies designated by the commissioner for the purposes of carrying out the provisions of the bill, but otherwise the information will be confidential and not divulged or made public so as to disclose the identity of any person to which it relates, except as provided by law. | In Committee |
| S2206 | Requires NJ Youth Suicide Prevention Advisory Council to prepare report regarding suicide prevention instruction in public schools. | This bill requires the New Jersey Youth Suicide Prevention Advisory Council to prepare a report regarding suicide prevention instruction in public schools. In preparing the report, the council may consult with the Department of Health, the Department of Education, and the Department of Children and Families. The council may also request administrative and technical support from the Department of Children and Families. In preparing the report, the council is to develop a survey to collect data from local education agencies, approved private schools for students with disabilities, and charter and renaissance school projects in the 2023-24 school year to be delivered by the Department of Education. The department is to aggregate the data and ensure any student-identifying or confidential information has been removed prior to transmitting to the council for use in the report. The report is required to include the following: (1) identifying the suicide prevention instruction already provided to public school teaching staff members and students; (2) reviewing the effectiveness and sufficiency of instruction in suicide prevention currently provided to public school teaching staff members and students; (3) identifying any methods public schools may use to identify students who may be at risk for suicide or self-injury; (4) identifying evidence-based and best practice programs in public schools for the prevention of youth suicide and self-injury, including a survey of programs being implemented in surrounding states; (5) identifying opportunities to enhance access to mental health treatment in public schools; and (6) findings and recommendations, including legislative and regulatory proposals, to improve suicide prevention instruction. The council is required to submit the report to the Governor and Legislature no later than 12 months after the effective date of the act. | Dead |
| S1291 | Requires boards of education, municipalities, counties, and certain other local contracting units to determine and utilize cost-saving practices when procuring goods and services. | This bill requires certain political subdivision contracting units (contracting units), including boards of education and local contracting units under the "Local Public Contracts Law," P.L.1971, c.198 (C.40A:11-1 et seq.), to determine and utilize cost-saving practices when procuring goods and services. The bill provides that a cost savings analysis prescribed by the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs is required to include, at a minimum: factors such as charges for service, materials, delivery, soft costs, costs of acquisition, and other costs of traditional bidding such as cost overruns, protest, rework, and change orders. If the purchasing agent determines that entering into a cooperative purchasing system for the procurement of goods or services will result in cost savings, the contracting unit is required to utilize a cooperative purchasing system. Under the bill, prior to entering into a contract for the procurement of any goods or services, the contracting unit is required to ensure that the contractor and any subcontractors are compliant with existing State and federal laws, rules, and regulations including, but not limited to, employment discrimination, employment opportunity, wage requirements, and material and product sourcing. This bill also requires the Director of the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, to develop harmonized guidelines for a local contracting unit, including boards of education, to enter into cooperative purchasing systems for the procurement of goods or services. Under the bill, the cooperative purchasing system guidelines will include, but not be limited to:· the types of goods and services, including work, labor, commodities, equipment, materials, or supplies of any tangible or intangible nature, except real property, that may be procured through a contract awarded by a contracting agent under a cooperative purchasing system;· the requirements concerning the process for advertising and soliciting bids for contracts through a cooperative purchasing system, and the factors that are required to be utilized in the awarding of contracts;· provisions ensuring contracting units enter into contracts for the procurement of goods or services through a cooperative purchasing system with contractors and subcontractors that are compliant with existing State and federal laws, rules, and regulations related to employment discrimination, employment opportunity, wage requirements, and material and product sourcing, and any other standards determined by the director to be appropriate for inclusion; and· information outlining the benefits of entering into cooperative purchasing systems, including but not limited to: cost-savings for the procurement of goods and services; access to experienced and reliable contractors and subcontractors; improvements in project execution time; elimination of pre-bid costs; and guaranteed maximum pricing to eliminate unforeseen expenses. The division is required to develop a cost savings analysis template comparing the costs of cooperative purchasing systems and other methods of procurement including, but not limited to, factors such as charges for service, materials, delivery, soft costs, costs of acquisition, and other costs of traditional bidding such as cost overruns, protest, rework, and change orders. The division will: (1) distribute the template to the governing body of each municipality, county, and school district in the State; and (2) publish the cost savings analysis template on the division's Internet website in an easily accessible location and format. Under the bill, the division is required to distribute the guidelines to the governing body of each municipality, county, and school district in this State, and publish the guidelines on the division's Internet website in an easily accessible location and format. | In Committee |
| S883 | Requires NJT to equip trains with defibrillators. | This bill requires the New Jersey Transit Corporation (corporation) to supply and maintain an automated external defibrillator on every railroad train set used by the corporation. The bill defines train set to mean a locomotive and any accompanying railroad car, passenger car, or other car in the train or a string of connected railroad cars. The bill requires the corporation to maintain a defibrillator in an accessible location on each train set, to ensure the availability of each defibrillator at all times during which the train set is in operation and used by the general public, to ensure that at all times that a train set is in operation, an employee is present who is trained in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and the use of a defibrillator, and to ensure that each defibrillator is tested and maintained. The corporation is required to mark the location of each defibrillator with a prominent sign. The corporation is required to provide notification to the appropriate first aid, ambulance or rescue squad or other appropriate emergency medical services provider of the type and location of each defibrillator in addition to providing requisite training in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and the use of a defibrillator for appropriate employees. The bill also specifies that the corporation and its employees are immune from civil liability in the acquisition and use of defibrillators pursuant to existing State law. | In Committee |
| SJR16 | Designates October of each year as "Eczema Awareness Month" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates October of each year as "Eczema Awareness Month" in New Jersey and calls upon the Governor to issue an annual proclamation and call upon public officials and the citizens of the State to observe the month with appropriate activities and programs. Eczema describes a group of skin conditions that is estimated to affect more than 32 million people nationwide. The goal in declaring October of each year to be "Eczema Awareness Month is to increase public awareness about eczema, generate a greater understanding of the condition, and foster a greater sense of community and shared purpose among individuals living with eczema and the general public. | In Committee |
| S1813 | Requires nursing homes to provide training to staff in behavioral health issues. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the Commissioner of Human Services, to establish a training program for nursing home staff (certified nurse aides, licensed practical nurses, registered professional nurses, and other health care professionals who provide direct care to nursing home residents) in the care of residents who have behavioral health issues. The training program would include, but not be limited to: sensitivity to behavioral health issues among residents of nursing homes; information about depression and other psychiatric disorders, as appropriate; and the use of medication to treat those disorders. The bill requires nursing homes to provide the training annually. | In Committee |
| Bill | Bill Name | Motion | Vote Date | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1636 | Changes MVC voter registration procedures. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2167 | Requires public and certain nonpublic schools to comply with breakfast and lunch standards adopted by USDA. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S317 | Revises "Athletic Training Licensure Act." | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2019 | Authorizes pharmacists to dispense HIV prophylaxis without individual prescription under certain circumstances; mandates prescription benefits coverage. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S862 | Requires DOT to provide additional information in annual report on pavement condition; makes report available to public. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2051 | Requires law enforcement officer to conduct risk assessment of and provide assistance to domestic violence victims. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S1403 | Requires employer or contractor engaged in work for public body to submit payroll records to DOLWD. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S1320 | Requires certain information be included in certain contracts with licensed public adjusters. | Senate Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S1067 | Directs DHS to conduct landscape analysis of available mental health services. | Senate Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A2929 | Requires disclosure of lead drinking water hazards to tenants of residential units; prohibits landlords from obstructing replacement of lead service lines; concerns testing of certain property for lead drinking water hazards. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3323 | Requires pay for extracurricular activities to be included in compensation for TPAF purposes. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3361 | Establishes limit on rent increase for certain dwelling sites for modular or industrialized buildings or manufactured homes. | Senate Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3128 | Authorizes HMFA to use certain tax credits; directs HMFA to conduct tax credit auctions to provide financial assistance for certain housing purposes. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A1948 | Requires VCCO to issue annual report to Governor and Legislature. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A1682 | Requires State Board of Education to adopt New Jersey Student Learning Standards pertaining to labor movement; requires school districts to provide instruction on labor movement. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2346 | Creates Code Red alert pilot program to shelter at-risk individuals during certain hot weather and air quality events; appropriates $5 million. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2373 | Provides employment protections for paid first responders diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder under certain conditions. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3424 | Establishes certain program requirements for school counselor certification; outlines role and duties of school counselor; requires professional development for school counselors; establishes position of School Counselor Liaison in DOE. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3518 | Requires MVC to create digital driver's licenses and digital non-driver identification cards. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2783 | "Travel Insurance Act." | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3802 | Differentiates certain legal services from traditional insurance products. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| SJR96 | Permanently designates August 17th as "Nonprofit Day" in NJ. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2951 | Authorizes provision of monetary awards to whistleblowers who report State tax law violations committed by employers in construction industry. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2961 | Establishes minimum qualifications for persons employed on public works contract. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2961 | Establishes minimum qualifications for persons employed on public works contract. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| SJR100 | Designates July of each year as "Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month" in NJ. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4085 | Allows for natural organic reduction and controlled supervised decomposition of human remains. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3041 | Prohibits cooperative from receiving public works contract when cooperative-approved vendor fails to pay prevailing wage; concerns cooperative purchasing agreements with other states; and permits contracting units to award certain indefinite contracts. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4178 | Authorizes State Treasurer to grant temporary deed of easement in Borough of Sea Girt in Monmouth County. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3132 | Imposes certain requirements on secondhand dealers of cellular telephones and wireless communication devices. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3189 | Makes various changes to "New Jersey Angel Investor Tax Credit Act" and Technology Business Tax Certificate Transfer Program; repeals "New Jersey Ignite Act." | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4331 | Establishes licensure for cosmetic retail services. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4429 | Expands prohibitions on employers concerning requirements for employees to attend or listen to communications related to political matters. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3287 | Provides gross income tax deduction for amounts paid to taxpayers for sale of certain real property interests for conservation purposes. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3309 | Establishes "Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act"; revises motor vehicle franchise agreements. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3309 | Establishes "Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act"; revises motor vehicle franchise agreements. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4455 | Allows exemption from New Jersey gross income of certain capital gains from sale or exchange of qualified small business stock. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3418 | Authorizes certain types of permanent structures, recently constructed or erected on preserved farmland, to be used, in certain cases, for purposes of holding special occasion events thereon. | Senate Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4603 | Allows commercial farmer to be awarded reasonable costs and attorney fees for defending against bad faith complaints under "Right to Farm Act". | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4712 | Establishes Office of Veteran Advocate and ombudsman for DMVA; appropriates funds. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4765 | Requires driver education and testing on responsibilities when approaching and passing pedestrians and persons operating bicycles and personal conveyances; requires driver's manual to include information on sharing roadway with motorists for certain road users. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3618 | Directs DEP and DOT to establish "Wildlife Corridor Action Plan." | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4897 | Revises law requiring certain student identification cards to contain telephone number for suicide prevention hotline. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3711 | Makes annual allocation of $500,000 from Clean Communities Program Fund for public outreach concerning single-use plastics reduction program permanent. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3776 | Establishes Chronic Absenteeism Task Force. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4937 | Concerns satellite cannabis dispensaries, Cannabis Regulatory Commission membership, and post-employment restrictions on State employees. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4937 | Concerns satellite cannabis dispensaries, Cannabis Regulatory Commission membership, and post-employment restrictions on State employees. | Senate Floor: Amend | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4954 | Requires members of historic preservation commissions to complete historic preservation planning course. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4971 | Requires EDA to provide grants to certain small businesses affected by State infrastructure and construction projects. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4969 | Ensures boards of elections have discretion to make initial determination of validity of cast ballots; requires Secretary of State to establish uniform guidelines for assessing validity of ballots. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3858 | Requires school bus personnel members to call 911 emergency line in potential life-threatening emergencies; requires certain school buses transportating students with disabilities to be equipped with certain safety features; makes appropriation. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3887 | Requires DEP to provide public access for boats to certain State-and county-owned lakes and reservoirs. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5049 | Removes certain limitations on receipt of retirement or death benefits under PFRS under certain circumstances. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3910 | Makes various changes to provision of preschool aid and facilities requirements; establishes Universal Preschool Implementation Steering Committee; requires full-day kindergarten in all school districts. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3917 | Makes various changes to school funding law and Educational Adequacy Report; establishes Special Education Funding Review Task Force. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3931 | Updates requirements for licensure in occupational therapy. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3933 | Establishes School Supervisor Mentorship Pilot Program; appropriates $500,000. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3944 | Provides that certain non-profit corporation alcoholic beverage theater licensees include disregarded entities of such corporations; allows certain community theaters to sell alcoholic beverages. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5100 | Re-appropriates unexpended balance of FY2024 appropriation for Town of West New York to support recreation center; appropriates $3 million for Town of West New York - Recreation Center to restore lapsed FY2024 funding. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5130 | Requires enforcing agency to conduct inspection of construction in specified time window. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3982 | Requires certain information be provided to parent at least two business days prior to annual Individualized Education Program (IEP) team meeting; establishes IEP Improvement Working Group in DOE. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5170 | Requires State to purchase certain unused tax credits issued under New Jersey Economic Recovery Act of 2020. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4028 | Limits amount of payment that State agency as property owner may withhold from certain contractors on State construction contracts to two percent of amount due. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5199 | Requires resident and fellow physicians employed by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, who are eligible for coverage in SHBP, to be eligible to enroll and receive health insurance on first day of employment. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5267 | Requires BPU to procure and incentivize transmission-scale energy storage. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5267 | Requires BPU to procure and incentivize transmission-scale energy storage. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5267 | Requires BPU to procure and incentivize transmission-scale energy storage. | Senate Floor: Reconsidered Vote | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5267 | Requires BPU to procure and incentivize transmission-scale energy storage. | Senate Floor: Amend | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5264 | Requires establishment of automated platform to expedite construction code approval of applications to install residential solar energy systems. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4122 | Revises apportionment of State lottery contributions. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4135 | Provides allowance for certain redevelopment projects undertaken by institutions of higher education under New Jersey Aspire program. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5309 | Permits up to three credits of continuing medical education on menopause to be used by advanced practice nurses and physicians for license renewal. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5378 | Modifies provisions of Cultural Arts Incentives Program, New Jersey Aspire Program, and Grow New Jersey Program; eliminates Community-Anchored Development Program. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5381 | Provides medical documentation requirement for certain members of PERS, PFRS, and SPRS to receive accidental disability retirement allowance for participation in 9/11 World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations; removes filing deadline. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4263 | Revises certain provisions concerning, and establishes certain education and data reporting requirements related to, involuntary commitment. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5447 | Prohibits sweepstakes model of wagering; establishes new penalties for unlawful gambling operations and practices; directs Division of Consumer Affairs and Division of Gaming Enforcement to enforce penalties. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5463 | Requires electric public utilities to submit annual report on voting to BPU. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4293 | Requires owner or operator of data center to submit water and energy usage report to BPU. | Senate Floor: Reconsidered Vote | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4293 | Requires owner or operator of data center to submit water and energy usage report to BPU. | Senate Floor: Concur in House Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4293 | Requires owner or operator of data center to submit water and energy usage report to BPU. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5563 | Establishes "Summer Termination Program" for certain utility customers. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5563 | Establishes "Summer Termination Program" for certain utility customers. | Senate Floor: Amend | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5546 | Concerns financial powers and responsibilities of Capital City Redevelopment Corporation. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4376 | Establishes Department of Veterans Affairs. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5687 | Establishes Next New Jersey Manufacturing Program to incentivize in-State manufacturing investments and job creation. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5688 | Imposes surcharge on hotel occupancies in certain municipalities to fund fire services; provides for appropriation. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4426 | Appropriates funds to DEP for environmental infrastructure projects in FY2026. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4426 | Appropriates funds to DEP for environmental infrastructure projects in FY2026. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4467 | Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend certain sums to make loans for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2026. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4467 | Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend certain sums to make loans for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2026. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4451 | Clarifies requirements for land use plan element and housing plan element of municipal master plan. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| SCR131 | Approves FY2026 Financial Plan of NJ Infrastructure Bank. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4400 | Extends hours that minor employed by national sports association, league, or team may work under certain circumstances. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4387 | Requires establishment of tracking system in Division of Consumer Affairs to determine compliance with continuing education requirements. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4423 | Authorizes BPU to provide site approval for small modular reactors; authorizes operators of small modular reactors to store spent nuclear fuel on-site. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4476 | Permits awarding of contracts for certain preschool education services by resolution of board of education; extends maximum length of preschool education services contracts to three years. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4472 | Eliminates five percent down payment requirement for local bond ordinances involving hazard mitigation and resilience projects. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4506 | Exempts minor league baseball players from certain State wage laws under certain circumstances. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4530 | Requires BPU to revise community solar program targets. | Senate Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4530 | Requires BPU to revise community solar program targets. | Senate Floor: Concur in Assembly Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| Committee | Position | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detail | New Jersey Joint Housing Affordability Committee | 1 | |
| Detail | New Jersey Joint Public Schools Committee | 2 | |
| Detail | New Jersey Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee | 4 | |
| Detail | New Jersey Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee | 2 | |
| Detail | New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee | 11 |
| State | District | Chamber | Party | Status | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NJ | New Jersey Senate District 28 | Senate | Democrat | In Office | 09/29/2022 |