Legislator
Legislator > Wayne DeAngelo
State Assemblymember
Wayne DeAngelo
(D) - New Jersey
New Jersey Assembly District 14
In Office - Started: 01/08/2008
contact info
Hamilton Office
The Shoppes at Nottingham Pointe
4621A Nottingham Way
Hamilton, NJ 08690
4621A Nottingham Way
Hamilton, NJ 08690
Phone: 609-631-7501
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1067 | Directs DHS to conduct landscape analysis of available mental health services. | Directs DHS to conduct landscape analysis of available mental health services. | Vetoed |
| A4182 | Concerns conditions of employment of certain cannabis workers. | This bill provides cannabis workers employed by cannabis employers rights and protections equal to the rights and protections provided to other workers with respect to employee representation, collective bargaining, and unfair labor practices. Cannabis employers are defined in the bill as employers who are licensed or regulated under chapter 6I of Title 24 of the Revised Statutes. Currently, certain cannabis workers, most notably those employed by licensed cannabis cultivators, are excluded from protections against unfair labor practices provided to most private sector workers by the federal National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. s.151 et seq.)("NLRA"), and provided to public employees by the State public employment relations law, P.L.1968, c.303 (C.34:13A-5.1 et seq.)("PERL") and the Workplace Democracy Enhancement Act, P.L.2018, c.15 (C.34:13A-5.11 et seq.) ("WDEA"). This bill brings those cannabis workers under protections similar to those laws, by expanding the responsibilities of the State Board of Mediation in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development regarding cannabis employment not regulated by the NLRA. It provides the board with the power to prevent specified unfair labor practices, thus providing rights to the cannabis workers similar to the rights provided to other private sector workers by the NLRA, and the rights provided to public employees by the PERL and the WDEA. The bill prohibits cannabis employers and their representatives and agents from the following unfair practices: 1. Interfering with, restraining, or coercing employees in the exercise of the rights granted by the bill. 2. Dominating or interfering with any employee organization. 3. Discriminating against employees for making disclosures or otherwise exercising their rights. 4. Refusing to negotiate in good faith or sign a negotiated agreement. 5. Violating any board regulation. The bill similarly prohibits cannabis worker organizations and their representatives and agents from the following unfair practices: 1. Interfering with, restraining or coercing employees in the exercise of their rights. 2. Interfering with, restraining, or coercing a cannabis employer in the selection of a representative for negotiations or grievance procedures. 3. Refusing to negotiate in good faith or sign a negotiated agreement. 4. Violating any board regulation. The board may order an offending party to cease any unfair practice and take reasonable remedial action, including, in the case of a discharge, reinstatement, paying lost wages, costs of action, and damages equal to the wages due. It is also an unfair practice under the bill for a cannabis employer to encourage or discourage employees from joining, forming or assisting an employee organization, or encourage them to end their employee organization membership or revoke authorization of the deduction of dues or fees. The board is required to order the employer to make whole the employee organization for any resulting losses to the organization. Current law, section 5 of P.L.1968, c.303 (C.34:13A-5.1), directs the New Jersey State Board of Mediation to designate a labor organization to represent employees of any private sector employer not regulated under the NLRA, including an employer who is not a cannabis employer, if the employees select the organization in an election conforming with NLRA procedures, or, if only one labor organization seeks to represent the employees, a majority of the employees sign cards showing that they prefer that organization. The bill provides that in such cases, including cases of non-cannabis employers, the employee organization may petition the board to require the employer to provide a list of current employees with contact information. The bill increases penalties for employer non-compliance from not more than $1,000 to not more than $5,000 per day of non-compliance. Finally, the bill clarifies that the provisions of section 5 of P.L.1968, c.303 (C.34:13A-5.1) concerning private employers not subject to the NLRA apply to employees not subject to the NLRA even if employed by an employer who has both employees not subject to the NLRA and employees who are subject to the NRLA. The bill provides, with respect to cannabis workers and employers, that if the employee organization petitions the board for that information, then the employer must also give the organization access to the employees, including allowing meetings in the workplace and employer-controlled living quarters. The bill provides that once the organization is designated as the employee representative, the employer must give the organization access to the employer's premises to investigate and discuss grievances and other issues, conduct meetings, and meet newly hired employees. The bill gives cannabis worker organizations the right to engage in publicity regarding products produced by an employer with which the organization has a dispute, including publicity asking the public to not patronize businesses distributing or selling the products. | Crossed Over |
| A4429 | Expands prohibitions on employers concerning requirements for employees to attend or listen to communications related to political matters. | Expands prohibitions on employers concerning requirements for employees to attend or listen to communications related to political matters. | Passed |
| A5381 | Provides medical documentation requirement for certain members of PERS, PFRS, and SPRS to receive accidental disability retirement allowance for participation in 9/11 World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations; removes filing deadline. | Provides medical documentation requirement for certain members of PERS, PFRS, and SPRS to receive accidental disability retirement allowance for participation in 9/11 World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations; removes filing deadline. | Passed |
| A5267 | Requires BPU to procure and incentivize transmission-scale energy storage. | Requires BPU to procure and incentivize transmission-scale energy storage. | Passed |
| AR186 | Honors life of Congressman William J. Pascrell, Jr. | This resolution honors late Congressman Pascrell. Congressman Pascrell, a tireless advocate for public health and safety who served New Jersey for decades, leaves behind a legacy of distinguished public service. Congressman Pascrell founded the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, an initiative that has played a critical role in advancing national policy, research, and resources for individuals affected by brain injuries. Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) occur due to a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that disrupts normal brain function, while acquired brain injuries (ABI) result from internal causes such as strokes, aneurysms, or tumors. Individuals who suffer from TBI or ABI often experience long-term disabilities ranging from minor impairments to severe and life-altering conditions, which affect their cognitive, physical, emotional, and social well-being. Over the years the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force has worked to increase awareness of brain injuries, support groundbreaking research initiatives, promote rehabilitation services, and address the long-term effects of brain injuries on individuals, families, and communities. As a co-chair of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, Congressman Pascrell advocated for research initiatives focused on treatment, rehabilitation, and potential cures for TBI. Brain injuries impact thousands of New Jersey residents in every congressional district, affecting children, veterans, athletes, seniors, and survivors of accidents and medical conditions, all of whom need strong legislative advocacy and support at both the State and federal levels. The Congressional Brain Injury Task Force remains a bipartisan effort, currently co-chaired by Democratic Congressman Chris Deluzio from Pennsylvannia and Republican Congressman Morgan Luttrell from Texas, and continues to advance Congressman Pascrell's legacy of championing policies that improve brain injury awareness, prevention, research, and treatment. It is vital that New Jersey's congressional delegation continues Congressman Pascrell's legacy by joining and supporting the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force to ensure that our State remains a leader in brain injury advocacy and policy. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5897 | Establishes workforce development training program for advanced transmission technology. | This bill establishes, in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Advanced Transmission Technologies Workforce Development Program, or "ATT Program." The purpose of the program is to equip electrical engineers and utility workers with skills specific to installing and managing advanced transmission technologies systems to ensure a skilled workforce that is able to support rapid and effective deployment, reducing delays related to technical capacity. To achieve its goals, the department will focus the ATT Program on developing the workforce for advanced transmission technologies systems by : (1) creating and retaining jobs and stimulating economic activity in the State; (2) embedding workforce training and employment services in infrastructure investments so that services more directly connect to the jobs created; (3) the use of community benefit agreements, community workforce agreements, and project labor agreements that connect workforce services and job training directly to jobs impacted or jobs created; (4) preparing the State's students with relevant career technical education that responds to business and industry demands; (5) developing worker retraining programs to assist the existing workforce with the necessary tools to upgrade their skills; (6) responding to the job creation and workforce needs of the State's new and emerging industries; and (7) identifying and leveraging State and federal funding resources to implement the program. The bill provides that the department is authorized to obtain, accept, and utilize resources for the ATT program as may be, or may become, available from appropriate State, federal, and non-governmental sources of funding for employment, training, and educational purposes. Finally, the bill requires the department to prepare and submit an annual evaluation report to the Governor and the Legislature. | In Committee |
| A5881 | Establishes "Community Power Storage Program." | This bill establishes the "Community Power Storage Program." Specifically, the Community Power Storage Program is intended to permit customers of an electric public utility to participate in an energy storage project that is located remotely from their properties but is within their electric public utility service territory to allow for a credit to the customer's utility bill greater than or equal to the electricity discharged to the electric distribution and transmission system that is attributed to the customer's participation in the energy storage project. The bill provides the Board of Public Utilities (board) the authority to establish rules and regulations in order to effectuate certain requirements set forth in the bill. The bill also requires the board to make available on its Internet website information on energy storage projects whose owners are seeking participants. Under the bill, the board is required establish certain standards and an application process for owners of energy storage projects who wish to be included in the Community Energy Storage Program. Finally, the bill allows an electric public utility, subject to review by the board, to recover the all costs incurred in the implementation and compliance with the bill. | In Committee |
| A5868 | Directs MVC Chief Administrator to enter into driver's license reciprocity agreement with Republic of Ireland. | This bill directs the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, in consultation with the Department of State, to coordinate with the Republic of Ireland to enter into a reciprocity agreement whereby a person with a valid New Jersey driver's license may apply for and receive a Republic of Ireland driver's license, and a person with a valid Republic of Ireland driver's license may apply for and receive a New Jersey driver's license. Under the bill, a person seeking a driver's license under the reciprocity agreement is required to meet certain requirements provided in the reciprocity agreement and is exempt from needing to take a driving knowledge test or driving skills test. | In Committee |
| A5871 | Exempts from property taxation real property privately owned and leased to certain public entities for public purposes. | This bill exempts from property taxation all buildings and lands that are privately owned and leased to the State of New Jersey, its counties, or municipalities, and their agencies and authorities, school districts, and other taxing districts, provided that such buildings and lands are used for a public purpose for the duration of the lease agreement. For purposes of the bill, a "public purpose" would include use of land and buildings for: the operation of government functions and the provision of government services; stadiums and arenas; the preservation or exhibit of historical data, records or property; school district property which is leased to an exempt nonprofit organization, another board of education, or governmental agency; and property acquired by a municipality through tax title foreclosure or by deed in lieu of foreclosure which is not otherwise used for a private purpose. | In Committee |
| A3558 | Establishes State definition of anti-Semitism; creates a public awareness campaign; appropriates $100,000. | This bill establishes a State definition of anti-Semitism. Under the bill, the term "definition of anti-Semitism" refers to the definition adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance on May 26, 2016, including the "contemporary examples of antisemitism". The bill provides that in reviewing, investigating, or deciding whether there has been a violation of any policy, law, or regulation prohibiting discriminatory acts, the State must take into consideration this definition of anti-Semitism adopted by the IHRA for purposes of determining whether the alleged act was motivated by anti-Semitic intent. Nothing contained in the bill would be construed to diminish or infringe upon any right protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, or paragraph 6 of Article I of the New Jersey State Constitution. Nothing in the bill would be construed to conflict with local, State, or federal anti-discrimination laws or regulations. This bill also appropriates $100,000 to the Office of the Attorney General for the creation of a public awareness campaign to promote bias crime reporting. Through extensive community outreach, the citizens of New Jersey will be empowered to identify and report bias crimes using the existing bias crime reporting hotline within the New Jersey Bias Crimes Reporting Unit. This appropriation represents an investment in safety and collective action against bias crimes, including acts considered anti-Semitic. | In Committee |
| A3781 | Requires BPU to develop program to promote certain energy businesses in State. | Requires BPU to develop program to promote certain energy businesses in State. | Crossed Over |
| A4688 | Requires MVC to utilize legal name including roman numerals on certain documents issued by MVC. | This bill requires the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) to permit an individual whose legal name includes a roman numeral to have the individual's legal name, including the roman numeral, displayed on the individual's standard basic driver's license; standard motorcycle license; standard special learner's permit; standard examination permit; standard probationary driver's license; standard identification card; REAL ID basic driver's license; REAL ID motorcycle license; REAL ID probationary driver's license; REAL ID identification card; or commercial driver license, provided that the individual has provided the commission with the required documentation to obtain such documents. As defined in the bill, "legal name" means the name recorded on a birth certificate unless otherwise changed by marriage, divorce, or order of court. | In Committee |
| A4748 | Extends accidental death benefit for survivors of certain SPRS retirees. | This bill extends accidental death benefits for survivors of certain State Police Retirement System (SPRS) retirees. Under current law, the surviving spouse or child of a retired member of the SPRS who died on or before July 8, 2019 and had been receiving an accidental disability retirement allowance is permitted to apply to receive accidental death benefits if the retired member had a qualifying condition or impairment of health due to World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations. This bill removes the limitation that only a surviving spouse or child of a qualifying SPRS retiree who died before July 8, 2019 is eligible, so that the provisions will apply regardless of when the SPRS retiree died. In addition, this bill establishes eligibility for a surviving spouse or child of a qualifying SPRS member who had been receiving an ordinary disability retirement, a special retirement, or a service retirement. This bill prohibits a written and sworn statement from being required when applying for the accidental death benefits. Under current law, a spouse or child is only eligible for accidental death benefits if the member's or retiree's death was the result of a qualifying condition or impairment of health which the medical board determines to be caused by participation in World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations. This bill also allows the World Trade Center Health Program to make this determination. Under current law, the spouse of a deceased retired member who is receiving a pension due to the death of that member on or before July 8, 2019 is eligible to apply to the board of trustees and, upon approval of the application by the board, will receive the accidental death benefits if the surviving spouse submits sufficient documentation that the deceased retiree would have qualified for a retirement. This bill also allows the spouse to apply if the member did qualify for retirement or if the member previously filed the required written and sworn statement. This bill requires notification to SPRS surviving spouses and children of the changes made by the bill by certified mail within 60 days after the bill's effective date. Under current law, a surviving spouse, former surviving spouse, or surviving child, or any legal guardian of the surviving child, must submit an application not later than two years after the effective date of the law. This bill allows survivors to submit an application not later than two years after the date of the member or retiree's death, or two years after the effective date of this bill, whichever is later. Under current law, a surviving spouse or former surviving spouse or surviving child, or any legal guardian of the surviving child, is prohibited from being granted a retroactive payment based upon the difference between the benefit the person would have received if the benefit had been applicable on the date of death of the retiree and the benefit that the person has received from that date of death to the effective date of the law. This bill also provides that these survivors are prohibited from being granted a retroactive payment based upon the difference between the benefit the person would have received if the benefit had been applicable on the date of death of the retiree and the benefit that the person has received from that date of death to the date of the application approval if the date of approval is later than the effective date of the law. | In Committee |
| A2415 | Requires Silver Alert System receive same broadcast alerts as Amber Alert System. | This bill requires media outlets that participate in the "Silver Alert System" to issue the same broadcast alerts used when an "Amber Alert" is initiated following a child's abduction. The "Silver Alert System" is a Statewide program for the dissemination of information regarding a missing person believed to be suffering from dementia or other cognitive impairment. Under current law, the program is a cooperative effort between State and local law enforcement agencies and print, radio, and television media outlets. This bill requires participating media outlets, when responding to a "Silver Alert," to broadcast a distinctive sound tone and the statement: "This is a Missing Person Silver Alert." The alert is to include a description of the missing person and other information the enforcement agency deems appropriate. In addition, the alert is to be broadcast as often as possible for the first three hours that a "Silver Alert" is in progress. After the initial three hours, the alerts are to be rebroadcast at intervals that the lead law enforcement agency and participating media deem appropriate. | Crossed Over |
| A5733 | Provides for State agency reviews and increases of income thresholds for residential customers to participate in certain utility bill payment assistance and energy efficiency programs. | 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. | Crossed Over |
| A5440 | 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, within one year of the effective date of the bill, the Department of Community Affairs, Department of Human Services, Board of Public Utilities, and any other State agency that administers a utility bill payment assistance program or energy efficiency program active upon the effective date of the bill to review and increase the income threshold for residential customers to participate in those programs. A State agency may 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. | In Committee |
| A1841 | Expands requirements for health insurance carriers concerning prostate cancer screening and requires coverage be provided without cost sharing. | Expands requirements for health insurance carriers concerning prostate cancer screening and requires coverage be provided without cost sharing. | In Committee |
| A3283 | Directs certain unclaimed electric, gas, and water public utility deposits in Unclaimed Utility Deposits Trust Fund and societal charge revenues to be paid to Statewide nonprofit public utility assistance organizations meeting certain eligibility criteria. | Directs certain unclaimed electric, gas, and water public utility deposits in Unclaimed Utility Deposits Trust Fund and societal charge revenues to be paid to Statewide nonprofit public utility assistance organizations meeting certain eligibility criteria. | Crossed Over |
| A5275 | Imposes locational restriction on construction of a new crematory. | Imposes locational restriction on construction of a new crematory. | Crossed Over |
| S3525 | Requires financial institutions to allow mortgagors to make biweekly and semi-monthly payments and payments to mortgage principal. | An Act concerning financial institutions servicing mortgages and supplementing P.L.2009, c.53 (C.17:11C-51 et seq.). | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4751 | Permits purchase of service credit in SPRS for period of enrollment in military service academy and in New Jersey State Police Academy, and employment as class two special law enforcement officer. | An Act concerning the purchase of service credit in the State Police Retirement System for certain military and police service and amending P.L.1965, c.89 and P.L.2013, c.87. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A1825 | Establishes certain guidelines for SHBP, SEHBP, and Medicaid concerning step therapy protocols. | An Act concerning step therapy protocols and supplementing Titles 30 and 52 of the Revised Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5427 | Eliminates presumption of pretrial release for sex offenses committed against minor. | This bill eliminates the presumption of pretrial release for defendants charged with a sex offense, if the alleged victim of the offense is a minor. Under P.L.2014, c.31, also known as the Criminal Justice Reform Law, criminal courts are authorized to order the pretrial release of a defendant pending further proceedings, or order pretrial detention of a defendant who is found to be a flight risk, a danger to another or the community, or likely to obstruct further criminal proceedings. Currently, the Criminal Justice Reform Law establishes a presumption for some form of pretrial release, except with respect to an eligible defendant charged with: murder; a crime for which the eligible defendant would be subject to an ordinary or extended term of life imprisonment; theft of or unlawful taking of a motor vehicle or receiving stolen property where the property involved is a motor vehicle under certain circumstances; or a crime under any statute of the United States, this State, or any other state that is substantially equivalent. Under the bill, the presumption of pretrial release also would not apply to an eligible defendant charged with a sex offense, as defined under Megan's Law pursuant to subsection b. of section 2 of P.L.1994, c.133 (C.2C:7-2), if the alleged victim is under 18 years of age. | In Committee |
| A5526 | Provides for permit of pool and spa service business as general contractor for pool and spa building and installation and pool and spa service contracting. | This bill provides for the permit of a pool and spa service business as a general contractor for pool and spa building and installation and pool and spa service contracting. The bill defines "pool and spa service business" as a partnership, corporation, or any other business entity engaged in the management and coordination of all phases of pool and spa building and installation and pool and spa contracting and holds a valid business license. The bill requires that a pool and spa service business shall secure a business permit from the Pool and Spa Service Contractors and Pool and Spa Builders and Installers Advisory Committee prior to engaging in the performance of any work. The board will issue a permit to a business: (1) where at least one employee holds a valid pool and spa builder and installer license or pool and spa contractor license issued by the board; (2) that pays required application and renewal fees; and (3) that meets any additional requirements established by the board. Business permits must be renewed every three years. Under the bill, a pool and spa service business holding a valid permit is authorized to serve as a general contractor for all aspects of pool and spa building and installation and pool and spa contracting, provided that all specialized work is performed by appropriately licensed professionals where required by law. Finally, the bill establishes that subcontractors working under a pool and spa service business are not required to obtain a separate license but are required to perform work under the supervision of a permitted pool and spa service business. | In Committee |
| ACR157 | Condemns Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu bigotry and intolerance. | This resolution condemns Hinduphobia, anti-Hindu bigotry and intolerance, and declares the State of New Jersey as a place that welcomes the diversity brought by Hindu Americans. This resolution recognizes that Hinduism is one of the world's largest and oldest religions with over 1.2 billion adherents in over 100 countries and which encompasses an array of diverse traditions and belief systems with values of acceptance, mutual respect, and peace. The United States has always been a beacon of hope, progress, and innovation, attracting people from around the world to create and live a better and fulfilling life, and has welcomed more than four million Hindus from all corners of the world and given them better opportunities and the freedom to practice Hinduism, also known as "Sanatana Dharma". The American Hindu community has been a major contributor to diverse sectors such as medicine, science and engineering, information technology, hospitality, finance, academia, manufacturing, energy, retail trade, and so much more. Hindu contributions of Yoga, Ayurveda, meditation, food, music, arts, and more have enriched the cultural fabric and have been widely adopted in American society and enriched the lives of millions. Hinduphobia, as described by the Understanding Hinduphobia Initiative, is "a set of antagonistic, destructive, and derogatory attitudes and behaviors towards Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) and Hindus that may manifest as prejudice, fear, or hatred". There have been documented instances of hate crimes against Hindu Americans over the last few decades in many parts of the country. | In Committee |
| AR168 | Urges US Congress to enact legislation allowing individuals with disabilities to retain federal disability benefits upon marriage. | This resolution respectfully urges the United States Congress to enact legislation allowing individuals with disabilities to retain federal disability benefits upon marriage. The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers two disability related programs known as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). SSI is a need-based program that provides financial assistance to disabled individuals, as well as seniors, with limited income and resources, regardless of their work history. SSDI is based on an individual's work history and the Social Security taxes they have paid. It provides benefits to those who have worked and paid into Social Security for a sufficient number of years but have become disabled and are unable to work. The SSA recently recognized Patrice Jetter and Garry Wickham, subjects of "Patrice: The Movie", a documentary that focuses on the couple's concerns about losing their disability benefits if they were to get married. The film highlights how changes to the asset limit and related marriage rules can only be made by Congress because those have been set by statute. On September 30, 2024 the Social Security Administration issued a public statement acknowledging that some of the policies enforced by the administration are antiquated and should be updated to reflect the modern day needs of individuals living with disabilities and receiving disability benefits. Along with the public statement issued by the SSA on September 30, the SSA enacted three SSI enhancements that is estimated to lead to new or increased SSI payments for hundreds of thousands of Americans with disabilities. In New Jersey, approximately 10.2 percent of the population has a disability. The majority of recipients are disabled workers. In order to implement effective changes to the SSA's policies concerning SSI and SSDI, Congress should take action to enact legislation concerning these two programs that would allow individuals with disabilities to retain their federal disability benefits upon marriage. | In Committee |
| A3169 | Allows property tax rebate for disabled veterans. | Allows property tax rebate for disabled veterans. | In Committee |
| A2156 | Authorizes creation of honorably discharged veteran license plates. | Authorizes creation of honorably discharged veteran license plates. | In Committee |
| A5439 | Restructures electric and gas public utility industries. | This bill establishes a framework for the restructuring of the electric and gas public utility industries in New Jersey. Restructuring the Electric Public Utility Industry This bill permits electric public utilities to own and operate electric generation facilities but requires any electric public utility that does not elect to own and operate electric generation facilities to comply with the provisions of the "Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act" (EDECA). Under the bill, an electric public utility that elects to own and operate electric generation facilities is to file an updated schedule of tariffs with the Board of Public Utilities (board) for approval, which schedule is to reflect any necessary changes to the electric public utility's rates as a result of the electric public utility's decision to own and operate electric generation facilities. Once the board has approved the updated schedule of tariffs, the bill prohibits any customer of that electric public utility from exercising retail choice through an electric power supplier. Restructuring the Gas Public Utility Industry This bill permits gas public utilities to discontinue retail choice for its residential customers. However, the bill provides that any gas public utility that does not elect to discontinue retail choice for its residential customers is to comply with the provisions of EDECA. Under the bill, a gas public utility that elects to discontinue retail choice for its residential customers is to file an updated schedule of tariffs with the board for approval, which schedule is to reflect any necessary changes to the gas public utility's rates as a result of the gas public utility's decision to discontinue retail choice for its residential customers. Once the board has approved the updated schedule of tariffs, the bill prohibits any customer of that gas public utility from exercising retail choice through a gas supplier. Electric Facility Needs Assessment This bill requires an electric public utility to obtain a certificate of public convenience and necessity (certificate) from the board prior to constructing an electric facility. Specifically, under the bill, one year prior to submitting a formal application for a certificate, an electric public utility is to submit a notice of intent to the board, which notice, once received, is to mark the beginning of the early assessment stage of the certificate process. After receiving the notice, the board is to hold public hearings in the area served by the electric public utility to: (1) solicit feedback from the public; (2) provide advice to the electric public utility regarding certain aspects of the proposed facility; and (3) analyze how the proposed electric facility will impact the State and serve the public interest. In the early assessment stage, the board is to publish interim reports on the progress of its analysis of the proposed electric facility. Moreover, no later than nine months after receiving the notice of intent, the board is to publish a comprehensive report addressing any major concerns regarding the proposed electric facility that were raised during the early assessment stage and comparing the proposed electric facility with feasible alternatives. Under the bill, a certificate application is to include any information that the board deems necessary. The bill requires the board, while reviewing the application based on certain criteria outlined in the bill, to determine whether a proposed electric facility is necessary to meet the projected need for electricity in the area served by the electric public utility and that no more efficient, economical, or environmentally-sound alternative exists. In addition, the bill authorizes the board to charge and collect a nonrefundable application fee of no more than $250,000 for the filing, processing, and review of a certificate application and for the board's review of certificate renewal applications. Once the board receives a completed application, the board is to forward a copy of the application to other appropriate State departments, agencies, and instrumentalities (State entities) for additional review. These State entities are to develop and forward recommendations on the application to the board and the electric public utility within 120 days of receiving a copy of the application. The State entities are to base their recommendations on the same criteria used by the board in the board's review of the application. Upon receiving a completed application, the board is to also transmit the application and all supporting documents, including the board's comprehensive report from the early assessment stage, to the Office of Administrative Law, which is to conduct a hearing on the application pursuant to the provisions of current law. Within six months of receiving a decision from the presiding administrative law judge, the board shall approve, conditionally approve, or deny the application and support its determination with a written report that is to address certain matters regarding the proposed electric facility. If the board conditionally approves the application, the bill requires the board to provide the electric public utility with a clear statement of conditions to be met for approval. Under the bill, a certificate is to be valid for three years and eligible for renewal subject to the board's review. If a certificate renewal application is denied, the electric public utility holding the certificate may either: (1) continue the project; or (2) terminate or alter the project under terms and conditions established by the board. Electric Public Utility Accident Fault Determination Under the bill, if an electric public utility files for a rate increase to recover costs in excess of $10 million attributable to an accident at an electric generating or transmission facility in which the electric public utility has a full or partial interest, the board is to conduct a hearing or series of hearings to investigate all circumstances related to the accident and to determine fault, if any, related to the accident. The bill stipulates that fault is to be assigned to any party whose negligent actions or omissions either contributed substantially to causing the accident or failed to mitigate its severity. Under the bill, in determining fault, the board is to consider any credible, fair, and public assessments rendered by certain, appropriate federal entities. The bill prohibits the board from authorizing an electric public utility that is determined by the board to be at fault to recover any fault-related repair costs, cleanup costs, additional incremental costs for purchased power, or damage costs resulting from an accident at an electric generating or transmission facility. However, the bill does require the board to consider whether and, if so, to what extent an electric public utility is permitted to mitigate denied fault costs through certain measures outlined in the bill. The bill establishes various restrictions for these cost mitigation measures but clarifies that nothing in the bill is to prevent the board from granting interim relief necessary to enable the electric public utility to provide safe, adequate, and proper service. In addition, the bill prohibits the board from authorizing an electric public utility to include, as an operating expense, any percentage of the repair, cleanup, or damage costs resulting from an accident at an electric generating or transmission facility greater than the electric public utility's percentage of ownership in the generating or transmission facility. The board is required to authorize as an operating expense, regardless of fault, any cost that the board certifies as appropriate to contribute to national cost-sharing formulas under federal law or voluntary cost-sharing plans under certain circumstances outlined in the bill. However, the bill provides that the authorization to recover these costs does not absolve the electric public utility from any assessment of fault or its obligation under the remedy imposed by the board. | In Committee |
| AR178 | Condemns U.S. House of Representatives for passage of budget resolution cutting $1.5 trillion from federal budget and urges U.S. Senate to reject House resolution. | This Assembly Resolution condemns the United States House of Representatives for passage of a budget resolution, on February 25, 2025, cutting $1.5 trillion over ten years from the federal budget and respectfully urges the United States Senate to reject this House resolution. The budget resolution specifically targets $880 billion in cuts from the House Energy and Commerce Committee which regulates public healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, $330 billion from the Education and Workforce Committee which routinely legislates matters on education funding, and $230 billion from the Agriculture Committee whose purview includes the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Given the size and scope of the desired cuts, as well as budget documents circulated by House leadership, policy experts believe that these cuts are aimed at or will ultimately fall on critical safety net programs such as Medicaid and SNAP. In New Jersey, approximately 1.8 million low- and moderate- income people rely on NJ FamilyCare, which encompasses the Medicaid Program and the Children's Health Insurance Program, to cover their healthcare needs. Funding reductions of this size would have severe consequences for these enrollees, as well as the provider community who deliver the critical healthcare services under the program. Approximately 830,000 low-income residents in New Jersey receive SNAP benefits, which provides them with the resources needed to feed their families. It is anticipated that federal funding cuts to SNAP under the House budget resolution would be realized by limiting benefits, restricting eligibility, or some combination of both of these actions; thereby, significantly reducing the number of residents who receive support from this program. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A1673 | "Right to Mental Health for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Act"; establishes certain requirements concerning provision of mental health services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. | "Right to Mental Health for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Act"; establishes certain requirements concerning provision of mental health services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. | In Committee |
| A919 | Establishes procedures and standards regarding public service privatization contracts. | This bill prohibits the privatization of public services unless there are cost savings which are not based on increased charges or reduced services to the public, or lowered workforce standards. Each prospective private contractor would be required to demonstrate cost reductions based on improvements such as management efficiencies or technical innovation, not based on added burdens imposed on the members of the public using the services or the employees producing them. The bill requires that a contract for the privatization of public services not be entered into without cost analyses demonstrating that there will be actual cost savings for the public agency and the taxpayers without increased fees, fares, or other charges to the public, reduced quantity or quality of services, or lowered workforce standards, including reduced staff qualifications and remuneration. The bill further requires sustained oversight and public disclosure regarding those contracts to provide accountability to taxpayers, public users of the services, and employees producing the services, that the cost savings actually occur without increased charges, or reduced services or workforce standards, and provides penalties and sanctions for any noncompliance involving agency or contractor misrepresentation, fraud or other malfeasance, misfeasance or nonfeasance. The bill's prohibition on the privatization of public services does not apply to contracts for: (1) legal, management consulting, planning, engineering or design services, (2) prevailing wage construction work, (3) certain services provided by disabled individuals employed by rehabilitation facilities, (4) a vendor providing software or other information technology or equipment for the purpose of enhancing or increasing the productivity, efficiency, or effectiveness of regular employees of the agency in providing services; or (5) services which a vendor provides during an emergency or other unpredictable situation which creates a need for more services than the current regular employees are able to provide during the emergency or situation, provided that there is no loss of employment for regular employees who normally provide the services. The bill prohibits any political subdivision from entering into a contract of $500,000 or more, and any public body, including the State, from entering into a contract of $1 million or more, to purchase from private entities services previously performed by agency employees, unless: 1. The agency solicits competitive sealed bids for the contracts based on a comprehensive statement of requirements by the agency; 2. The contract requires that the public not be charged fares, fees or other charges greater than those currently charged, that the quantity and quality of the services provided equal or exceed the quantity and quality of services currently provided, that the contractor is qualified, and that contractor employees have qualifications and wage and benefit rates at least equal to the agency employees currently performing the services. Contractors are required to submit payroll records to the agency and, upon any failure to pay the agreed upon wage and benefit rates, are subject to the remedies and penalties provided by the "New Jersey Prevailing Wage Act," P.L.1963, c.150 (C.34:11-56.25 et seq.) for failure to pay the prevailing wage; 3. The agency permits the union of the affected agency employees to review the agency's estimate of current costs and submit an alternative cost estimate and propose cost saving measures compliant with requirements of the bill and the agency reviews the union estimate and proposal and makes a determination whether to reduce the agency's estimate of current costs; 4. The contract requires compliance with antidiscrimination standards, requires available positions to be offered to qualified displaced agency employees, and requires the agency to prepare a plan of training and assistance for displaced employees; 5. The contractor and specified associates have no adjudicated record of substantial or repeated noncompliance with any federal or State law pertaining to the operation of a business, including laws regarding contracting and conflict of interest; 6. After receiving bids, the agency publicly designates the bidder to which it proposes to award the contract and issues a comprehensive written analysis of the total contract cost of the designated bid; and 7. The agency provides written certification that the agency and the proposed contract are in compliance with all provisions of the bill and the total estimated contract cost is less than the cost of agency employees performing the services, with a statement of the amount of the savings. The bill requires the agency to make public its determination of whether to award a contract within 60 days of the completion of the bidding. The Office of the State Comptroller would be required to review the certification and prohibit the agency from entering into the privatization contract if the office provides a written determination that the bid does not provide cost savings or that the agency has otherwise failed to comply with any requirement of the bill. The State Auditor would be required to conduct post-audits of contracts subject to the bill, evaluating whether the projected cost savings were obtained without raising charges, cutting services, or lowering workforce standards. If the noncompliance was related to agency or contractor misrepresentation, fraud or other malfeasance, misfeasance or nonfeasance, the agency or contractor would be subject to penalties and sanctions including, where appropriate, debarment or rescission of contracts, or reimbursement of excess charges to the public and underpayments of employees. The requirements of the bill apply to any privatization contract entered into after the effective date of the bill and any renewal, extension or transfer of that contract, but do not apply to contracts entered into before the effective date or renewals, extensions or transfers of those contracts. | In Committee |
| A5302 | Requires electric public utilities to submit to BPU and implement electric infrastructure improvement plans. | This bill would require each electric public utility in the State to submit, within 120 days after the bill's enactment, an electric infrastructure improvement plan to the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) for approval. The purpose of the plan would be to reopen many of the State's electric distribution circuits that have been closed to any additional renewable energy installations, or restricted to 100 kilowatts or less of remaining circuit capacity. The bill would require each plan to contain certain provisions, as enumerated in subsection b. of section 1 of the bill, as well as any additional provisions included by the utility. The bill would require the BPU to approve, approve with modifications, or disapprove each plan within 300 days after the bill's enactment. Each utility would be required to schedule the work associated with each plan at the earliest date possible. | In Committee |
| S684 | Requires telecommunications, cable television, and Internet service providers to allow for service contracts to be paused or canceled following service recipients's admission to long-term care facility. | An Act allowing for service contracts to be paused or canceled following service recipients' admission to certain long-term care facilities and supplementing Title 56 of the Revised Statutes. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5221 | Requires DCA to review and amend State Uniform Construction Code concerning parking structures to address increased weight of electric vehicles. | This bill requires the Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs (commissioner) to review and amend the State Uniform Construction Code (UCC) to address the increased weight imposed upon those structures due to electric vehicle occupancy. The commissioner is to review and amend the UCC to address both new and existing parking structures. The bill provides that, for new parking structures, the commissioner is to study, develop, and implement UCC requirements, which are to include, but not be limited to: (1) requirements for the increased weight of electric vehicles; (2) new installation codes for electric vehicle chargers; (3) distributing electric vehicle parking spaces for the reduction of load intensity; (4) an analysis of common parking structure construction types to determine whether the parking structure could withstand an increased load; and (5) establishing a minimum of 10 percent electric vehicle parking spaces in new parking structures. The bill further provides that, for existing parking structures, the commissioner is to study, develop, and implement UCC requirements, which are to include, but not be limited to: (1) a review of existing parking structure load requirements; (2) a process for monitoring, measuring, and documenting parking structure performance with increased electric vehicle occupancy; (3) publishing detailed example analysis and strengthening projects as models for assessment and upgrade; and (4) requirements for the owners of parking structures, which the department deems unsound or structurally deficient due to increased electric vehicle occupancy, to develop a remediation plan, including a timeline for coming into compliance within 90 days of the notice of deficiency, or the department is to be empowered to close the parking structure until the owner brings the parking structure into compliance. The bill provides that the commissioner is to, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules and regulations as necessary to implement the provisions of the bill. The bill is to take effect on the first day of the third month next following the date of enactment, except that the commissioner is permitted to take anticipatory action necessary to effectuate the provisions of the bill. | In Committee |
| A2507 | Requires Administrative Law Judges to be enrolled in Workers Compensation Judges Part of PERS. | This bill requires the enrollment in the Workers Compensation Judges Part of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) of Administrative Law Judges of the Office of Administrative Law, as a condition of employment for service as an administrative law judge for each judge enrolled after the effective date of the bill. Currently, administrative law judges are enrolled in the Defined Contribution Retirement Program (DCRP). Administrative law judges will be subject to and governed by the laws and regulations of the Workers' Compensation Judges Part which was established in 2001 and reopened in 2021. An administrative law judge who is currently a participant in the DCRP will be transferred out of the program to the Workers' Compensation and Administrative Law Judges Part of PERS within 90 days following the bill's effective date. An administrative law judge who is currently a participant in PERS will be transferred into the Workers' Compensation and Administrative Law Judges Part of PERS within 90 days following the bill's effective date. The account in the DCRP for each judge will be transferred and each judge will be given service credit for service during participation in the program of administrative law judges. The unfunded liability for the benefits provided by the transfer will be paid by appropriations from the State General Fund. | In Committee |
| A4590 | Permits purchase of service credit in PERS, TPAF, PFRS, and SPRS for period of enrollment in military service academy. | Permits purchase of service credit in PERS, TPAF, PFRS, and SPRS for period of enrollment in military service academy. | In Committee |
| A5128 | Allows certain breweries to sell and deliver brewed beer off-premises at retail salesrooms. | This bills allows certain breweries to sell brewed beer off premises at retail salesrooms. Specifically, this bill allows the holder of a limited brewery license to operate up to 15 salesrooms apart from the brewery premises. Under current law, only wineries that produce 250,000 gallons or less per year have this privilege. Under the bill, limited breweries would be allowed to sell and deliver their draft beer and products in original containers for consumption on the salesroom premises. However, the bill prohibits licensees from jointly controlling and operating salesrooms. | Dead |
| A5160 | Provides PERS members and certain retirees same benefits provided to members enrolled in retirement system before July 1, 2007. | This bill removes the membership tiers established in the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) and transfers all current non-retired members of PERS to the membership tier referred to as "Tier 1" by the Division of Pensions and Benefits. All transferred members will be considered eligible for any benefits associated with Tier 1. Under the bill, employees of public employers who earn more than the minimum salary requirement, but do not currently meet the minimum hour eligibility requirements, will be considered eligible to be enrolled as members of PERS. The employer is to process the compulsory enrollment of each affected employee within two months following the enactment of the bill. Any affected employees who are currently enrolled as participants of the Defined Contribution Retirement Program (DCRP) will be eligible for an automatic transfer of all years of service credit to PERS, if the employee elects to transfer their membership from DCRP to PERS. Any years of service credit transferred to PERS from DCRP will be used to qualify members for retirement and health benefits associated with PERS, but will not be used to calculate the amount of pension benefit. A participant's prior contributions into the DCRP will not be transferred into PERS and will remain in the fund. The employee will receive a notice of the transfer of service credit to PERS within two months following the enactment of the bill. Upon receiving the notice, the affected employee has six months to notify their employer if they do not wish to become enrolled as a member and transfer their service credit to PERS. Employees in the DCRP who opt out of the transfer will remain in the DCRP. Additionally, any members of PERS who are receiving long term disability insurance will be eligible to apply for disability retirement as long as they apply within two calendar years following the enactment of the bill. Any changes to the early retirement, deferred retirement, service retirement, and maximum base salary resulting from the transfer of members to Tier 1 of PERS will only affect members who begin processing a retirement application after the bill is enacted. | In Committee |
| A5158 | Provides TPAF members and certain retirees same benefits provided to members enrolled in retirement system before July 1, 2007. | This bill removes the membership tiers established in the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) and transfers all current non-retired members of TPAF to the membership tier referred to as "Tier 1" by the Division of Pensions and Benefits. All transferred members will be considered eligible for any benefits associated with Tier 1. Under the bill, employees of public employers who earn more than the minimum salary requirement, but do not currently meet the minimum hour eligibility requirements, will be considered eligible to be enrolled as members of TPAF. The employer is to process the compulsory enrollment of each affected employee within two months following the enactment of the bill. Any affected employees who are currently enrolled as participants of the Defined Contribution Retirement Program (DCRP) will be eligible for an automatic transfer of all years of service credit to TPAF, if the employee elects to transfer their membership from DCRP to TPAF. Any years of service credit transferred to TPAF from DCRP will be used to qualify members for retirement and health benefits associated with TPAF, but will not be used to calculate the amount of pension benefit. A participant's prior contributions into the DCRP will not be transferred into TPAF and will remain in the fund. The employee will receive a notice of the transfer of service credit to TPAF within two months following the enactment of the bill. Upon receiving the notice, the affected employee has six months to notify their employer if they do not wish to become enrolled as a member and transfer their service credit to TPAF. Employees in the DCRP who opt out of the transfer will remain in the DCRP. Additionally, any members of TPAF who are receiving long term disability insurance will be eligible to apply for disability retirement as long as they apply within two calendar years following the enactment of the bill. Any changes to the early retirement, deferred retirement, service retirement, and maximum base salary resulting from the transfer of members to Tier 1 of TPAF will only affect members who begin processing a retirement application after the bill is enacted. | In Committee |
| A5175 | Reinstates automatic COLAs for retirement benefits of certain PFRS members. | This bill reinstates automatic cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for annual pension, ordinary disability pension, or accidental disability pension retirement benefits for certain members of the Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS). Provisions contained in P.L.2011, c.78 (C.43:3C-16 et al.), signed into law on June 28, 2011, had suspended the automatic annual adjustment for current and future retirees and beneficiaries of PFRS and other State-administered retirement systems until those systems reach a target funded ratio. Decades of underfunding those systems by the State had placed the systems in precarious financial conditions. Although this bill does not reinstate COLAs for other retirees, it serves as the first step in reinstating COLAs for all retirees of the State-administered retirement systems. Through the prioritization of PFRS, the State will begin this process with retired first responders, police and firefighters, to provide them greater financial security and stability at a time when inflation has significantly eroded the value of their retirement benefit payments, which are already based on the lower salaries of years ago. To that end, the bill includes restrictions intended to limit costs and focus on segments among PFRS retirees expected to be most in need of an immediate benefit. Under the bill, members of PFRS will receive automatic COLAs for annual pension, ordinary disability pension, and accidental disability pension benefits if the member has been retired and receiving retirement benefits for a minimum of ten years. Longer-term retirees generally will have lower pension benefits and be less able to obtain employment to offset the erosion of their benefits. Members of PFRS who are hired more than 30 days following the effective date of this act will not be considered eligible to receive these automatic COLAs. Additionally, members who are enrolled in deferred retirement will not be considered eligible for these automatic COLAs, nor will members who retired with 20 or more years of service but less than 25 years of service. The COLAs will only apply to future pension benefit payments. The bill does not provide for retroactive COLAs. The adjustment in eligible members' pension benefits will be calculated based on an amount up to $75,000 of a retiree's benefit for the first year following the enactment of this bill. Eligible members receiving up to $75,000 of pension benefits will receive a COLA tied to the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. This will ensure that greater initial benefits will be provided to those likely to be most in need. The adjustment in eligible member's pension benefits will be limited to one percent if the member receives more than $75,000 in benefits for the first year following the enactment of the bill. After the first calendar year following the enactment of the bill, the $75,000 threshold will be adjusted annually according to the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, except that the adjustment will be calculated at a rate not to exceed three percent. The bill also grants the cost-of-living adjustment to the monthly pension or survivorship benefit of a surviving spouse, child, or beneficiary that is provided by PFRS. Under the bill, if the Board of Trustees of PFRS fails to comply with the provisions of this bill within six months following the effective date, then the State Treasurer will be responsible for implementing the cost-of-living adjustments. The bill requires the Legislature to appropriate monies from the General Fund as necessary to effectuate the cost-of-living adjustments established under the bill that are sufficient to cover both State and local expenses, and to reimburse each PFRS local employer for the full cost incurred. The bill further provides that this appropriation will take precedence over any additional funding added to the annual State budget by the Legislature through non-emergency supplemental appropriations, resolutions or other changes to the Governor's budget message. | In Committee |
| A4893 | Requires financial institutions to allow mortgagors to make biweekly and semi-monthly payments and payments to mortgage principal. | Requires financial institutions to allow mortgagors to make biweekly and semi-monthly payments and payments to mortgage principal. | In Committee |
| AR173 | Urges federal government to investigate unidentified drones operating in NJ airspace. | This resolution affirms support for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the program's progress in reducing hunger among vulnerable populations in New Jersey. The resolution urges the United States Congress to reject the proposed federal cuts to SNAP. On May 14, 2025, to achieve a minimum $1.5 trillion cut from the federal budget over a ten year period, the House Agriculture Committee voted in favor of a bill that would reduce up to $300 billion in food aid funding, largely aimed at SNAP. In New Jersey, SNAP is a critical resource for residents, with nearly 850,000 individuals, or nine percent of the total population, relying on the program's benefits to feed their families. A significant number of the households that participate in SNAP include some of the State's most vulnerable members: the elderly, disabled, veterans, and children. The New Jersey General Assembly supports State and federal collaboration to identify programmatic efficiencies within SNAP; however, budgetary cost savings implemented at the expense of striping income-limited children, seniors, and families of safety net food and nutrition services is unconscionable. The General Assembly urges Congress to reject these drastic proposed federal funding reductions, or any subsequent proposals, and to maintain SNAP as an accessible resource for those in need of food assistance. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A2334 | Requires telecommunications, cable television, and Internet service providers to allow for service contracts to be paused or canceled following service recipient's admission to long-term care facility. | Requires telecommunications, cable television, and Internet service providers to allow for service contracts to be paused or canceled following service recipient's admission to long-term care facility. | In Committee |
| A5127 | 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 |
| A3161 | Broadens eligibility for certain civil service and pension benefits for veterans by eliminating requirement of service during specified dates or in specified locations. | This bill broadens the eligibility for certain veterans' benefits by eliminating the requirement that a veteran serve during specific wars or other periods of emergency, and, in certain instances, that a veteran serve in a war zone. Instead of service during specific dates or in specific locations, the bill requires federal active service in any branch of the United States Armed Forces or a Reserve component thereof. The benefits in the bill are (1) a civil service preference under Title 11A of the New Jersey Statutes; (2) a veteran's retirement allowance under the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) or the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS); and (3) the purchase of additional military service credit in the Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS), TPAF, PERS, and the State Police Retirement System (SPRS). Eligibility for the civil service benefits for all veterans is contingent upon voter approval of an authorizing amendment to the State Constitution. | In Committee |
| SJR103 | Declares NJ "Purple Heart State." | This resolution declares New Jersey a "Purple Heart State." New Jersey veterans and active duty military members have fought selflessly to preserve our nation's freedom, with many being wounded or killed while in the line of duty. The Purple Heart Medal is awarded in the name of the President to veterans and active duty military members who have been wounded or killed while serving in our nation's Armed Forces. The recipients of the Purple Heart Medal deserve recognition and honor for the bravery that recipients have shown while serving our nation. Three states, including West Virginia, Virginia, and Washington, are declared "Purple Heart States." Parts of 45 states are part of the "Purple Heart Trail," a symbolic and honorary system of roads, highways, bridges and other monuments that give tribute to the veterans and active duty military members who have been awarded the Purple Heart Medal. New Jersey has multiple counties, cities, and locations that are part of the "Purple Heart Trail." The "Purple Heart Trail" was established at the 1992 Military Order of the Purple Heart convention, which was held in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Declaring New Jersey a "Purple Heart State" honors the contributions and sacrifices of the New Jersey service members who have received the Purple Heart Medal. Purple Heart Medal recipients from the State have been vital in maintaining the freedoms and way of life enjoyed by the State's citizens. The people of New Jersey have great respect, admiration, and the utmost gratitude for all of the service members who have selflessly served our country and the State. Therefore, it is altogether fitting and proper to declare New Jersey a "Purple Heart State." Declares NJ "Purple Heart State." | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| SJR71 | Designates first week of May of each year as Wounded Warrior Appreciation Week. | This joint resolution designates the first full week of May of each year as Wounded Warrior Appreciation Week in New Jersey. With advancements in battlefield medicine and body armor, an unprecedented percentage of military service members are surviving severe wounds and injures in the service of the United States. It is estimated that during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, over 48,000 servicemen and women were physically injured. In addition to the physical wounds, it is estimated that as many as 400,000 service members live with the invisible wounds of war including combat-related stress, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, with another 320,000 believed to have experienced a traumatic brain injury while on deployment. This State should honor and empower all wounded warriors, encouraging them in their adjustment to civilian life and achievement of their goals. Designates first week of May of each year as Wounded Warrior Appreciation Week. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S2962 | Requires contractor subject to prevailing wage law to provide orientation meeting to new employee on prevailing wage project. | An Act concerning the rights of employees under the prevailing wage law and amending P.L.1963, c.150. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| S3201 | Upgrades certain penalties for assaulting law enforcement officer and requires offender to be tested for communicable diseases in certain instances. | An Act upgrading certain penalties for assault and requiring testing for communicable diseases, and revising various parts of statutory law. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A5047 | Requires certain large developments, to be used as retail facility or warehouse, to be designed and constructed to accommodate load associated with solar panels. | This bill requires newly constructed large retail and warehouse developments to be designed and constructed in a manner so that the load-bearing system for the large development's roof is able to accommodate the additional weight of an operational solar photovoltaic or solar thermal system. The bill applies to such large developments, for which an application for a construction permit has not been declared complete before the first day of the 12th month following the effective date of the bill, and requires the Department of Community Affairs to adopt rules and regulations establishing standards for the design and construction of large developments that are designed and constructed in a manner so that the load-bearing system for the large development's roof is able to accommodate solar photovoltaic or solar thermal systems on such large developments, as specified in the bill. The bill defines the term "large development" to mean any building, room, structure, or facility of at least 75,000 square feet, and which is designed predominantly for use as a warehouse, as otherwise defined in current law, or as a retail facility. The bill defines the term "retail facility" to mean a building, room, structure, or facility used predominantly by one or more retailers who engages in the sale, within the State, of products intended for retail sale to consumers for off-premises use or consumption. The bill would take effect on the first day of the fourth month following the date of enactment, except the Commissioner of Community Affairs would be permitted to take anticipatory action necessary to effectuate the provisions of the bill. Data shows that the retail supply chain contributes 25 percent of greenhouse gas emissions globally, which emissions continue to contribute to global climate change. By requiring newly constructed large retail and warehouse developments to be designed and constructed to accommodate operational solar photovoltaic or solar thermal systems, the sector would contribute less to global climate change while benefitting from economies of scale for the location of these systems in the most densely populated state in the country. | In Committee |
| AJR25 | Designates first week of May of each year as Wounded Warrior Appreciation Week. | This joint resolution designates the first full week of May of each year as Wounded Warrior Appreciation Week in New Jersey. With advancements in battlefield medicine and body armor, an unprecedented percentage of military service members are surviving severe wounds and injures in the service of the United States. It is estimated that during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, over 48,000 servicemen and women were physically injured. In addition to the physical wounds, it is estimated that as many as 400,000 service members live with the invisible wounds of war including combat-related stress, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, with another 320,000 believed to have experienced a traumatic brain injury while on deployment. This State should honor and empower all wounded warriors, encouraging them in their adjustment to civilian life and achievement of their goals. | In Committee |
| AJR60 | Declares NJ "Purple Heart State." | This resolution declares New Jersey a "Purple Heart State." New Jersey veterans and active duty military members have fought selflessly to preserve our nation's freedom, with many being wounded or killed while in the line of duty. The Purple Heart Medal is awarded in the name of the President to veterans and active duty military members who have been wounded or killed while serving in our nation's Armed Forces. The recipients of the Purple Heart Medal deserve recognition and honor for the bravery that recipients have shown while serving our nation. Three states, including West Virginia, Virginia, and Washington, are declared "Purple Heart States." Parts of 45 states are part of the "Purple Heart Trail," a symbolic and honorary system of roads, highways, bridges and other monuments that give tribute to the veterans and active duty military members who have been awarded the Purple Heart Medal. New Jersey has multiple counties, cities, and locations that are part of the "Purple Heart Trail." The "Purple Heart Trail" was established at the 1992 Military Order of the Purple Heart convention, which was held in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Declaring New Jersey a "Purple Heart State" honors the contributions and sacrifices of the New Jersey service members who have received the Purple Heart Medal. Purple Heart Medal recipients from the State have been vital in maintaining the freedoms and way of life enjoyed by the State's citizens. The people of New Jersey have great respect, admiration, and the utmost gratitude for all of the service members who have selflessly served our country and the State. Therefore, it is altogether fitting and proper to declare New Jersey a "Purple Heart State." | In Committee |
| A4987 | Establishes protections for immigrants interacting with government agencies; designates "New Jersey Immigrant Trust Act." | This bill creates a uniform code for State and local government entities, as well as health care facilities, regarding the use of resources to aid federal immigration law enforcement, and designates the "New Jersey Immigrant Trust Act." Under the bill, the definition of government entities includes any of the principal departments of the executive branch of State government and any parts or creations thereof, any independent State authority, commission, instrumentality or agency, including any public institution of higher education. The bill's definition also includes political subdivisions of the State and combinations of political subdivisions, independent authorities, commissions, instrumentalities and agencies created by a political subdivision or combination of political subdivisions. Under the bill, government entities and healthcare facilities are prohibited from collecting certain personal and identifying information unless it is strictly necessary for program or service administration. Any record resulting from that collection, whether written or oral, would not be a government record under the "Open Public Records Act" unless an election agency requires it to ascertain the eligibility of a candidate when citizenship is required for an elected office. Any record also shall not be disclosed except as required to administer benefits or services pursuant to State or federal law, or valid court order or warrant, issued by a federal Article III judge or magistrate or the State equivalent. The bill provides that the prohibition on sharing information may be waived if the subject of the record or information provides written consent in that person's preferred language. The written consent shall include the following: (1) the exact record or information to be shared; (2) the purpose for sharing the record or information; (3) a statement clarifying that consent is voluntary and declining to consent shall not result in discrimination or retaliation by the government entity; (4) a statement clarifying that consent may be revoked, but that revocation does not impact a record or information already shared via prior written consent provided pursuant to this section; and (5) the person or agency to receive the record or information. The bill requires government entities to review their confidentiality policies, guidance and recommendations to identify any changes necessary to ensure compliance with the provisions of the bill and make any changes as expeditiously as possible, but no later than one year after the bill becomes effective. The bill also requires these entities to share their policies prominently on their Internet websites. This bill also requires the Attorney General, in consultation with the Public Defender, to prepare a written notice explaining in plain language the provisions of section 6 of the bill. Section 6 of the bill details the prohibition of certain actions by law enforcement. The bill requires the notice and all translations to be posted to the Internet website of the Department of Law and Public Safety and to be considered vital documents pursuant to P.L.2023, c.263 (C.52:14-40 et seq.). The Attorney General is also required to consult with stakeholders serving or representing immigrant communities in the development of standardized training and guidance for law enforcement to comply with the bill's provisions. The AG also shall provide mandatory training to all State, county and local law enforcement agencies within one year of the bill's effective date. Any newly sworn officer is required to complete this training within a year of the officer's appointment. The Department of Human Services is required to consult with stakeholders serving or representing immigrant communities to develop and lead a multilingual campaign to promote public awareness of the bill's requirements for law enforcement agencies. As part of the awareness campaign, DHS is required to publish the text of section 6 of the bill's provisions and a plain language summary and explanation of those requirements on its Internet website within 180 days of the bill's enactment. Under the bill, the Attorney General is also required to consult with other government entities and stakeholders in the development of model policies for sensitive locations. These locations include health care facilities, public schools, public libraries, shelters, and any other locations deemed appropriate by the Attorney General to ensure that eligible individuals are not deterred from seeking services or engaging with government entities. The model policies prohibit the request or collection of certain information regarding a person's immigration status, place of birth or taxpayer identification except to determine eligibility for services or program benefits. The model policies prohibit assistance or participation of immigration enforcement, and prohibit the permission of immigration enforcement on entity premises that are not open without restriction to the general public. The Attorney General is required to publish the model policies on the Internet website of the Department of Law and Public Safety. The bill requires government entities with authority to regulate sensitive places to adopt the model policies within 180 days of issuance by the Attorney General's office and encourages facilities not regulated by government entities to adopt the policies. The bill prohibits certain actions by law enforcement. Specifically, State, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies and officials shall not: (1) stop, question, arrest, search, or detain any individual based on actual or suspected citizenship or immigration status, or actual or suspected violations of federal civil immigration law; (2) inquire about an individual's immigration status, citizenship, place of birth, or eligibility for a social security number; (3) make an arrest, detain, or prolong the detention of an individual based on civil immigration warrants; (4) use agency or department moneys, facilities, property, equipment, or personnel to investigate, enforce, or assist in the investigation or enforcement of any federal program requiring registration of individuals on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, immigration status, citizenship, or national or ethnic origin; or (5) make agency or department databases available to anyone or any entity for the purpose of immigration enforcement or investigation or enforcement of any federal program requiring registration of individuals on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, immigration status, citizenship, or national or ethnic origin. The bill nullifies any agreement, policy or practice in place that is in conflict with this clause. Law enforcement agencies in the State are also prohibited from: (1) participating in civil immigration enforcement operations; (2) providing to federal immigration authorities any information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular person; (3) providing access to any State, county, or municipal law enforcement equipment, office space, database, or property; (4) providing access to a detained individual for an interview; (5) facilitating or complying with immigration detainers, notification requests, and transfer requests from federal immigration authorities; (6) continuing to detain a person past the time the person would otherwise be eligible for release from custody based solely on an immigration detainer or civil immigration warrant; (7) entering into, modifying, renewing, or extending any agreement to exercise federal immigration authority or conduct immigration enforcement pursuant to section 287(g) of Title 8 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. §1357(g), or otherwise exercising federal civil immigration authority or conducting immigration enforcement outside of the purview of 287(g) of Title 8 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. §1357(g); or (8) providing or sharing funds, property, equipment, personnel, or access to facilities or real property not open to the general public for purposes of engaging in, assisting, supporting, or facilitating immigration enforcement. The bill provides that violations of the prohibitions on police conduct in the bill would be enforceable under the "New Jersey Civil Rights Act," P.L.2004, c.143. If an agency or law enforcement official intends to comply with an immigration detainer, notification request, civil immigration warrant, or transfer request concerning a person in custody, a written explanation specifying the legal basis for that action is required to be given to the person is custody. Lastly, the bill requires each State, county, and municipal law enforcement agency to submit to the Attorney General a report that includes: (1) the number of detainer requests, transfer requests, and notification requests made by immigration authorities, and the responses of the State, county, or municipal law enforcement agency. For any request that was granted, the report shall specify any legal basis for granting that request; (2) the number of interviews requested and the number of interviews conducted, either in person or telephonically, by immigration authorities of people in State, county, or municipal law enforcement custody. For each interview conducted, the report shall specify any legal basis for granting the interview; (3) any other requests made by immigration authorities for the agency's participation in immigration enforcement, the responses of the State, county, or municipal law enforcement agency, and the legal basis for granting the request; and (4) to the extent the law enforcement agency has knowledge, any information about State, county, and municipal databases to which immigration authorities have had access to at any time in the course of the year, including: the name of the database; an overview of information available on the database; the purpose for which immigration authorities have access to this database; the process through which immigration authorities requested access and agencies reviewed this request, if applicable; any legal basis for providing immigration authorities access to the database; and the frequency with which immigration authorities accessed the database over the course of the year. Law enforcement agencies have 180 days after the effective date of the bill to produce the first report and must then annually submit a report within 30 days of the end of the State's fiscal year. The Attorney General is initially required to publish the report on the office's website within 90 days of receipt, and then within 90 days of the end of the fiscal year thereafter. The Attorney General is also required to annually submit to the Governor and Legislature a report on each law enforcement agency's compliance with the provisions of this act. | In Committee |
| A4889 | Mandates certain child care centers to retain audio-visual recordings for 180 days and requires review of such recordings before recordings can be deleted. | This bill would require all child care and family day care centers that have an audio-visual surveillance system in place to retain all recordings for 180 days. This bill would also require the Department of Children and Families or an independent third-party organization designated by the department to review the recordings before the recordings can be deleted. This bill would not require child care and family day centers that do not currently have an audio-visual surveillance system in place to install such a surveillance system. | In Committee |
| A516 | Requires public water systems to provide certain notice of boil water notices. | Requires public water systems to provide certain notice of boil water notices. | Crossed Over |
| A2378 | Upgrades certain penalties for assaulting law enforcement officer and requires offender to be tested for communicable diseases in certain instances. | Upgrades certain penalties for assaulting law enforcement officer and requires offender to be tested for communicable diseases in certain instances. | In Committee |
| A4745 | Requires contractor subject to prevailing wage law to provide orientation meeting to new employee on prevailing wage project. | The bill requires contractors and subcontractors who are subject to the "New Jersey Prevailing Wage Act" to conduct a mandatory orientation meeting for each employee on or up to three days before the employee's first day of a project that explains the employee's wages and the employee's classification under that law, unless the employer has entered into a collective bargaining agreement with the employee's labor organization. An employer may satisfy this requirement by conducting one orientation meeting to a group of employees if the employees start employment on the same day. Upon completion of the orientation, each employee will be required to sign a form, promulgated by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, stating that the employee has received the orientation. The bill requires the contractor or subcontractor conducting the orientation to retain each completed form for a period of no less than six years and to provide each completed form to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development upon request by the department. Under the bill, employers that enter into a collective bargaining agreement with an employee's labor organization are not required to conduct an orientation or comply with the subsequent requirements of the orientation with that employee. | In Committee |
| A3860 | Establishes certain medical billing requirements concerning specific nature of charges or expenses for health care services. | Establishes certain medical billing requirements concerning specific nature of charges or expenses for health care services. | Crossed Over |
| S2810 | Changes membership of board of trustees of SPRS to remove requirement that two members be private citizens. | An Act concerning the membership of the board of trustees of the State Police Retirement System and amending P.L.1965, c.89. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A3861 | "Louisa Carman Medical Debt Relief Act." | An Act concerning the report and collection of medical debt and supplementing P.L.1997, c.172 (C.56:11-28 et seq.). | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A3779 | Changes membership of board of trustees of SPRS to remove requirement that two members be private citizens. | This bill changes the membership requirements for the board of trustees of the State Police Retirement System (SPRS). Under the bill, two members appointed by the Governor will no longer be required to be private citizens who are neither an active nor retired member of the system. The SPRS board of trustees currently consists of two active or retired members of SPRS, two private citizens appointed by the Governor, and the State Treasurer. The board of trustees is responsible for the operations of the SPRS in accordance with current law and administrative regulations. | In Committee |
| A4703 | Appropriates $393,480,000 from "New Jersey Debt Defeasance and Prevention Fund"; establishes process for authorizing future appropriations for debt defeasance and capital projects. | This bill appropriates a total of $393,480,000 from the "New Jersey Debt Defeasance and Prevention Fund" for various capital projects. Department of Environmental Protection The bill appropriates $70,000,000 to the Department of Environmental Protection for Liberty State Park, Capital Improvements, which would be used only for: the construction of athletic fields, active recreation, community center, railroad terminal, or community gardens, and improvements that directly support such facilities, including concessions, restrooms, and mobility within Liberty State Park; and Greenway planning, revitalization, and remediation. According to the Budget in Brief, the groundbreaking for the Garden State Greenway project is expected to occur in Fiscal Year 2025. Department of Law and Public Safety The bill appropriates $198,359,000 to the Department of Law and Public Safety to support three projects, including: (1) $120,480,000 to support the second and final installment of funding to support the balance of anticipated costs of a new State Police Training Center, for which an initial appropriation of $120,000,000 was provided from the fund under P.L.2023, c.68; (2) $60,000,000 for the construction of a third facility for the Juvenile Justice Commission; and (3) $17,879,000 for the design and construction of a new State Police Southern Regional Laboratory. Department of the Treasury The bill appropriates $38,721,000 to the Department of the Treasury for capital construction projects recommended by the New Jersey Commission on Capital Budgeting and Planning. According to the Executive, this funding is expected to support projects in the Departments of Agriculture, Corrections, Health, Human Services, Military and Veterans' Affairs, Juvenile Justice Commission, and the State Library. Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs The bill appropriates $21,000,000 to the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs to convert the New Jersey Veterans' Memorial Home-Menlo Park and the New Jersey Veterans' Memorial Home-Paramus into single occupancy rooms. According to the Budget in Brief, the federal government will cover 65 percent of this project. Office of Information Technology The bill appropriates $65,400,000 to the Office of Information Technology for improvements and upgrades to the New Jersey State Enterprise Data Center and its power infrastructure. According to the Executive, this project aims to replace the 35-year old electrical and mechanical systems that support the center. The project is expected to be completed in Fiscal Year 2027. Future Debt Defeasance and Prevention Fund Appropriations The bill also authorizes balances remaining in the fund, including amounts previously credited to the fund, to be appropriated for the purpose of retiring and defeasing State debt and funding capital projects on a pay-as-you-go basis rather than issuing additional State debt. The bill establishes a process by which the Executive and Legislative branches of State government will determine future appropriations from the fund for capital projects. The bill requires the Joint Budget Oversight Committee (JBOC) to meet at least once each calendar quarter to consider appropriations for capital projects on lists provided by the State Treasurer. JBOC may appropriate funding for all, some, or none of the projects recommended by the State Treasurer. If JBOC fails to meet during a given calendar quarter, any recommendation submitted to JBOC more than 45 days prior to the last day of the calendar quarter is deemed approved. | In Committee |
| S3511 | Appropriates $393,480,000 from "New Jersey Debt Defeasance and Prevention Fund"; establishes process for authorizing future appropriations for debt defeasance and capital projects. | An Act concerning the "New Jersey Debt Defeasance and Prevention Fund" and making appropriations. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A4656 | Secures protections for patients and providers accessing and providing legally protected health care activities; establishes right of residents to legally protected health care services, which are restricted in other states. | This bill establishes certain protections for individuals seeking abortion or gender-affirming health care services, as well as certain protections for professionals who provided abortion-related health care services. Crime: Interference with Reproductive or Gender-Affirming Health Services This bill creates the new crime of "interference with reproductive or gender-affirming health services." A person is guilty of the crime if the person purposely or knowingly, with the purpose to unlawfully restrict another's access to or receipt or provision of reproductive or gender-affirming health care services or to intimidate the person from becoming or remaining a reproductive or gender-affirming health care services patient, provider, volunteer or assistant: (1) inflicts or attempts to inflict bodily injury; (2) obstructs any person seeking to enter into or exit from a reproductive or gender-affirming health care services facility; (3) intimidates, threatens, or coerces, or attempts to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, any person or entity because that person or entity is a reproductive or gender-affirming health care services patient, provider, volunteer, or assistant; (4) damages, defaces, or destroys the property of a person, entity, or facility, or attempts to do so, because the person, entity, or facility is a reproductive or gender-affirming health care service patient, provider, assistant, volunteer, or facility; (5) videotapes, films, photographs, or records by electronic means, within 100 feet of the entrance to a reproductive or gender-affirming health care services facility, a patient, provider, volunteer, or assistant without that person's consent; or (6) discloses or distributes a videotape, film, photograph, or recording of the person. Interference with reproductive or gender-affirming health care services is a crime of the fourth degree, but is a crime of the second degree if the victim suffers significant or serious bodily injury. Further, interference with reproductive or gender-affirming health care services is a disorderly persons offense if the act would cause a reasonable person to suffer: (1) damage to the victim's business or personal reputation; (2) financial harm; or (3) pain and suffering, mental anguish, or emotional harm. A crime of the fourth degree is punishable by up to 18 months imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. A crime of the second degree is punishable by five to ten years imprisonment, a fine of up to $150,000, or both. A disorderly persons offense is a punishable by up to six months imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. Civil Action: Interference with Reproductive or gender-affirming Health Services The bill also authorizes a person to bring a civil action against a person who unlawfully interferes with another person's reproductive or gender-affirming health care services. Under the bill, a court may award: (1) injunctive relief; (2) compensatory damages in an amount not less than liquidated damages computed at the rate of $1,000 for each violation; (3) punitive damages upon proof of willful or reckless disregard of the law; (4) reasonable attorney's fees and other litigation costs; and (5) any other preliminary and equitable relief as the court determines to be appropriate. Under the bill, the Attorney General may bring a civil action to enjoin a violation of the law, for compensatory damages, and for the assessment of a civil penalty against each person who violates the law. The civil penalty imposed on each actor will be up to, but not exceed, $10,000 for a first violation, and $25,000 for any subsequent violation. Dispersal of Gatherings The bill authorized any law enforcement officer to order the immediate dispersal of a gathering that substantially impedes access to or departure from an entrance or driveway to a reproductive or gender-affirming health care facility during the business hours of the facility. Failure to comply with an order to disperse issued by the Attorney General or a law enforcement officer is a disorderly persons offense. A disorderly persons offense is punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. Licensing Boards The bill prohibits a board from imposing any additional or alternative penalties, in accordance with N.J.S.A.34:1-22, on the holder of a certificate, registration, or license based solely on the holder providing, authorizing, participating, referring to, or assisting with any health care, medical service, or procedure related to an abortion for a person who resides in a jurisdiction where the provision, authorization, participation, referral, or assistance is illegal. Applicability of Laws of Other States The bill establishes that a law of another state that authorized a person or government entity to bring a prosecution, civil action, or any other legal action to deter, prevent, sanction, or punish any person engaging, aiding, or assisting in providing or prescribing any legally protected health care activity is against the public policy of this State. Further, such laws of another state are prohibited from being applied to any matter, case, or controversy heard in a State court or in an administrative tribunal of this State. The prohibition does not apply to an action founded in tort, contract, or statute under the laws of this State, or an action founded in tort, contract, or statute under the similar laws of another state. This includes, but is not limited to, an alleged act of malpractice or negligence by a person in the person's profession or occupation. Protection of Patient Information This bill updates P.L.2022, c.51 to provide a definition of "legally protected health care activity" and "gender-affirming health care services." P.L.2022, c.51 provides certain protections with respect to the disclosure of patient information relating to reproductive health care services, as well as protecting access to health care, medical services, and procedures related to an abortion for persons who come to this State from jurisdictions in which these actions are illegal. The bill provides that in any civil action or other proceeding preliminary thereto, a medical provider or other covered entity, as described under federal law concerning medical privacy and security, is barred from disclosing the following communications or information, unless the patient or patient's conservator, guardian, or other authorized legal representative explicitly consented in writing to the disclosure: (1) any communication made to the covered entity, or any information obtained by the covered entity from, a patient or the conservator, guardian, or other authorized legal representative of a patient relating to legally protected health care activity; or (2) any information obtained by personal examination of a patient relating to legally protected health care activity that is permitted under the laws of this State. Additionally, under the bill, a public entity of this State or employee, appointee, officer or official or any other person acting on behalf of a public entity would be prohibited from providing any information, or expending or using time, money, facilities, property, equipment, personnel or other resources in furtherance of any interstate investigation or proceeding seeking to impose civil or criminal liability upon a person or entity for: (1) the provision, receipt, or seeking of, or inquiring or responding to an inquiry about legally protected health care activity that is legal in this State; or (2) assisting, advising, aiding, abetting, facilitating, soliciting, or conspiring with any person or entity providing, receiving, seeking, or inquiring or responding to an inquiry about legally protected health care activity that is legal in this State. Extradition This bill updates N.J.S.A.2A:160-14.1 to prevent a person from being extradited to another state under certain circumstances related to "legally protected health care activity." Under current law, N.J.S.A.2A:160-14.1 prevents extradition as it relates to "reproductive health care services." Under the bill, "Legally protected health care activity" is defined as activity providing, seeking, receiving, assisting with, or inquiring about reproductive health care services or gender-affirming health care services that are lawful in this State, regardless of the patient's location. Relatedly, the bill also defines "gender-affirming health care services" to mean all supplies, care, and services of a medical, behavioral health, mental health, surgical, psychiatric, therapeutic, diagnostic, preventative, rehabilitative, or supportive nature, including medication, relating to the treatment of gender dysphoria and gender incongruence. "Gender-affirming health care services" does not include sexual orientation change efforts as defined by N.J.S.A.45:1-55. In Vitro Fertilization Protections This bill strengthens reproductive health care freedom in New Jersey by specifying that: every individual present in this State, including, but not limited to, an individual who is under State control or supervision, shall have the fundamental right to choose whether to use assisted reproductive technology (ART), including, but not limited to in vitro fertilization (IVF); and a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus shall not have independent rights under any of the laws of the State. Medicolegal Investigations This bill removes the requirement that a medical examiner conduct a medicolegal investigation of a death in the State related to a fetal death occurring without medical attendance. This provisions seeks to ensure that a woman who has a miscarriage or fetal complications is not investigated or the fetal death criminalized. Repealers The bill repeals the following statutes, which have either been obviated by court decision or would be obviated by this bill: (1) N.J.S.A.2A:65A-5 through N.J.S.A.2A:65A-7 (banned partial birth abortions); (2) N.J.S.A.9:17A-1.1 through N.J.S.A.9:17A-1.12 (required parental notification for minors' abortion); (3) N.J.S.A.30:4D-6.1 (barred Medicaid payment for abortion except where necessary to save the woman's life). | In Committee |
| A4604 | Expands Division of State Police rank and grade titles. | This bill expands on certain Division of State Police titles that may change in rank and grade upon the approval of the Attorney General. Currently, the Superintendent of the Division of State Police in the Department of Law and Public Safety may change or increase the rank and grade of any member or increase the number of personnel for the efficient operation of the division. These changes are to be approved by the Attorney General and budgeted within the limitations of the divisions' appropriations. This bill specifies the titles in which the superintendent may change or increase ranks and grades and which changes require the approval of the Attorney General. Specifically, the bill permits that the superintendent may change the ranks and grades of any trooper, detective, first-line supervisor, mid-level manager, or executive-level personnel for the efficient operation of the division without the approval of the Attorney General. Further, the bill provides that the superintendent may only make changes to command staff positions holding the rank of major and lieutenant colonel upon the approval of the Attorney General. The bill requires that any personnel changes should be achieved within the limitations of the division's appropriations, consistent with current law. | In Committee |
| A4591 | Establishes "Energy Infrastructure Public-Private Partnerships Program"; amends law concerning NJ infrastructure Bank; and authorizes certain energy contracts under "Public School Contracts Law" and "Local Public Contracts Law" up to 25 years. | This bill, entitled the "Energy Infrastructure Public-Private Partnership Act," would permit private entities to propose to public-private partnership eligible entities, as defined in the bill, certain energy-related projects through a public-private partnership (P3) agreement. The bill would create an Energy Infrastructure Public-Private Partnership Program (Energy P3 Program) and an Energy Infrastructure Financing Program within the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (NJIB). The Energy P3 Program would be responsible for the formulation and execution of a comprehensive Statewide policy for P3 agreements that facilitate the development of energy-related projects and for the development, promotion, coordination, oversight, and approval of P3 agreements for energy-related projects. The Energy Infrastructure Financing Program would provide loans and other forms of financial assistance to P3 eligible entities that are parties to public-private partnership agreements to develop and finance energy-related projects pursuant to the bill. The bill defines "public-private partnership eligible entity," or "P3 eligible entity," as the State, its subdivisions, and any department, agency, commission, authority, board, or instrumentality thereof, a county, a municipality, a board of education, a State college or university, a county college, a private not-for-profit higher education institution, a regional or municipal utility authority, a quasi-State agency, a State-created corporation, and a private not-for-profit hospital licensed by the Department of Health pursuant to the "Health Care Facilities Planning Act," P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.). The Energy P3 Program would consult and coordinate with representatives of other State departments, agencies, boards, and authorities to accomplish the goals of the bill and facilitate P3 agreements for energy-related projects. The bill directs the NJIB to develop criteria by which a P3 eligible entity would award an energy-related project to a private entity whose proposal is determined to be the most advantageous. The bill prescribes competitive contracting procedures to govern P3 agreements, including procurements and prevailing wage requirements for workers engaged in construction activities and other worker protections, and provides oversight authority to the Energy P3 Program to protect the interests of participating entities. The bill permits the inclusion of a project labor agreement in all energy-related projects created pursuant to the provisions of the bill. The bill also requires, beginning three years after the bill is enacted into law, an annual report concerning energy-related P3 projects to be submitted to the Governor and to the Legislature. The bill amends the "New Jersey Infrastructure Trust Act" to establish an Energy Infrastructure Financing Program in the NJIB to provide loans and other forms of financial assistance, as the NJIB deems appropriate, to P3 eligible entities and private entities that are parties to P3 agreements to develop and finance energy-related projects pursuant to the bill. The bill would also add the President of the Board of Public Utilities as an ex-officio member to the board of directors for the NJIB. The bill makes various changes to existing statutes related to the NJIB in order to expand its mission from water, environmental infrastructure, and transportation projects, to include energy-related projects. The bill requires that funds and accounts of the NJIB be segregated in such a way as to prevent the mixing of transportation monies and water or environmental infrastructure monies with energy-related monies. The bill creates an interim financing program for energy-related projects and establishes an Energy Loan Origination Fee Fund similar to the existing interim financing programs and fee funds for environmental and transportation projects. The bill would require the NJIB to submit to the Legislature, on or before May 15 of each year, a financial plan designed to implement the financing of the energy-related projects on the Energy Financing Program Project Priority List or the Energy Financing Program Project Eligibility List. The bill provides that on or before June 30 of each year the Legislature may reject the financial plan through the adoption by both houses of a concurrent resolution. If the Legislature rejects the financial plan, the project list would be removed from the annual appropriations act and the NJIB would not undertake any of the proposed activities contained in the plan. If the Legislature takes no action on the financial plan on or before June 30, the financial plan would be deemed approved. Under the bill, the development of an energy-related project would be deemed to constitute the performance of an essential public function. A component of an energy-related project predominantly used by, or developed in furtherance of the purposes of a P3 eligible entity that is owned by or leased to a P3 eligible entity, foreign or domestic nonprofit business entity, or business entity wholly owned by a nonprofit business entity, would be exempt from property taxation and special assessments of the State, a municipality, and any other political subdivision of the State, and, notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary, would not be required to make payments in lieu of taxes, and the land upon which an energy-related project is located would be exempt from property taxation for the useful life of the project. The bill provides that the provisions of P.L.2009, c.136 (the requirements for certain public contracts with private firms) do not apply to energy-related projects developed under the bill. The bill also provides that nothing in the bill limits the powers of the Office of the State Comptroller or the authority of the Board of Public Utilities. Finally, the bill amends the "Public School Contracts Law" and the "Local Public Contracts Law" to provide that a contract may be for up to 25 years for the sale of electricity or thermal energy, or both, produced by a combined heat and power facility, cogeneration facility, on-site generation facility, a district energy system, or a distributed electric generation resource constructed and operated pursuant to a public-private partnership agreement under the bill. | In Committee |
| A4561 | Includes Sikhs as protected class in bias intimidation law; appropriates $100,000. | This bill amends N.J.S.A.2C:16-1, the crime of bias intimidation,to specifically include Sikhism in the protected classes set forth in the statute. Sikhism is the monotheistic religion founded in India in the 15th century by Guru Nanak. New Jersey is home to approximately 100,000 Sikhs, which is one of the largest Sikh populations in the United States. On October 16, 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") released its annual report of hate crime statistics, which recorded 198 anti-Sikh hate crime incidents. According to the FBI report, Sikhs remain the second-most targeted group in the nation for religiously-motivated hate crime incidents. Current law enumerates the protected classes of race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, and ethnicity in the bias intimidation statute. Under the provisions of the bill, a person is guilty of the crime of bias intimidation if he commits, attempts, conspires, or threatens the immediate commission of certain specified offenses with a purpose to intimidate an individual or group because of their membership within a protected class, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ethnicity, or Sikhism, or knowing that the conduct would cause an individual or group to be intimidated on that basis or under circumstances in which the victim believes he was targeted on that basis. Pursuant to this bill, all local, county, and State law enforcement entities in New Jersey are to report all violations under the statute to the State and federal law enforcement agencies responsible for preparing bias crime reports. Further, this bill sets forth that the Office of Attorney General, in consultation with the Department of Education, is to: (1) develop training, for the dissemination to county and local law enforcement agencies, on Sihkism, which shall include, but not limited to, visible Sikh identity features, including turbans, bracelets, moustaches, beard, and physical attire, and the classification of bias intimidation cases as anti-sikh, to prevent the misclassification of hate and bias incidents. (2) coordinate with other State agencies and departments in the creation of a public awareness campaign and educational initiatives on Sikhism; and (3) annually report to the Governor and the Legislature on the public awareness campaign,educational initiatives on Sikhism executed through the public awareness campaign across different public platforms, and on the steps taken to include Sikhism education across curriculum standards in different grades across township boards of education within this State. Pursuant to this bill, the New Jersey Office of Attorney General, in consultation with the New Jersey field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, shall develop a transnational repression recognition and response training program that is to include how to identify different tactics of transnational repression and best practices for appropriate county, local and state law enforcement prevention, reporting, and response tactics. Current law establishes within the Division of Purchase and Property in the State Department of the Treasury, the position of Chief Diversity Officer. This bill expands the Chief Diversity Officer's responsibilities to include: ensuring that each public entity of this State incorporate the definition for anti-Sikh hate into the bias intimidation policy of the public entity; and ensuring that the definition of anti-Sikh hate is incorporated into the diversity, equity, and inclusivity promotion policies in any program offered by the State or any political subdivision of the State. This bill appropriates $100,000, for three consecutive years following enactment, from the General Fund to the Office of the Attorney General to fund Sikh awareness educational initiatives and outreach efforts to the Sikh community. | In Committee |
| A506 | Exempts disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients from payment of municipal parking meter fees when vehicle bears veteran's or recipient's special license plate or placard issued by MVC. | Exempts disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients from payment of municipal parking meter fees when vehicle bears veteran's or recipient's special license plate or placard issued by MVC. | In Committee |
| A519 | 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 |
| A500 | Requires telecommunications companies to provide prorated refunds for service outages of longer than 72 hours. | Requires telecommunications companies to provide prorated refunds for service outages of longer than 72 hours. | In Committee |
| A502 | Bars sex offenders from jobs which primarily consist of contact with children. | This bill is intended to protect the children and youth of this State by prohibiting sex offenders from holding jobs which primarily consist of contact with children. The bill defines a "primarily consists of contact with children" as a job where 80 percent or more of the actual or official duties or responsibilities include contact with a child. "Sex offender" is defined as a person who has been convicted, adjudicated delinquent or found not guilty by reason of insanity for committing a broad range of sexual offenses as defined in the sex offender registration law (Megan's Law). Under the bill, it would be crime of the third degree for a sex offender to hold a job which primarily consists of contact with children. It would also be a crime of the third degree for a person to knowingly hire a sex offender for a job which primarily consists of contact with children. A crime of the third degree carries a penalty of three to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $15,000, or both. | In Committee |
| A4364 | Establishes EMS part of PERS; provides enhanced benefits for emergency medical services employees. | This bill creates an EMS Part in the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) to provide enhanced pension benefits under terms identical to those provided to prosecutors under the Prosecutors Part of the PERS, including mandatory retirement at age 70. The members of the EMS Part will include State, county, or municipal employees serving in one of the following positions: emergency medical technician; mobile intensive care paramedic; paramedic; flight paramedic; mobile intensive care nurse; flight nurse; emergency medical services supervisor or deputy supervisor; emergency medical services chief or deputy chief; emergency medical services hazardous materials responder technician; emergency medical services coordinator, dispatcher, or instructor; or any position the primary or essential duties of which require the employee to be trained in basic or advanced life support services and who is certified or licensed by the Department of Health to perform these services. The State will be liable for the increased pension costs payable by counties or municipalities as a result this bill. | In Committee |
| A3143 | Removing requirement of service during specified dates or in specified locations, thereby broadening eligibility for certain veterans' benefits. | This bill broadens the eligibility for certain veterans' benefits by eliminating the requirement that a veteran serve during specific wars or other periods of emergency, and, in certain instances, that a veteran serve in a war zone. Instead of service during specific dates or in specific locations, the bill requires a veteran to serve for at least 90 days, exclusive of certain types of initial training, in order to be eligible for any of the veterans' benefits identified in the bill. The bill also requires a veteran of a Reserve Component of the United States Armed Forces, including the National Guard, to serve the entire period to which called to federal active service, exclusive of training, in order to be eligible for the veterans' benefits. A veteran who is discharged as the result of a service-connected disability will be eligible even if the veteran has not completed the 90 day service period or the period to which called to federal active service. The benefits that an eligible veteran could apply for are (1) a civil service hiring preference under Title 11A of the New Jersey Statutes; (2) a veteran's retirement allowance under the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) or the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS); and (3) the purchase of additional military service credit in the Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS), TPAF and PERS. In addition, the surviving spouse of a veteran or of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States or a Reserve Component thereof killed while in active service is eligible in certain instances for a civil service preference. The bill also provides that an active service member of the United States Armed Forces or a member of a Reserve Component thereof, including the National Guard, who has not been discharged from service is eligible for the civil service hiring preference provided that the member otherwise qualifies as a veteran. Eligibility for civil service hiring preference is contingent upon voter approval of an authorizing amendment to the State Constitution. | In Committee |
| AJR165 | Designates first full week of June of each year as "New Jersey Fishing and Boating Week." | This joint resolution would designate the first full week of June of each year as "New Jersey Fishing and Boating Week." Fishing and boating are cornerstones of the American recreational experience. In 2012, an estimated 47 million Americans participated in fishing and 46 million Americans participated in boating. In New Jersey, 766,000 anglers spent a total of 9.5 million days fishing in 2011. The State's parks and natural areas, 127 miles of coastline, hundreds of miles of bayshore, and numerous inland lakes and tributaries provide countless fishing and boating opportunities. New Jersey also offers some of the best and most diverse fishing in the country, including saltwater fishing for striped bass and flounder and stream fishing for brook trout. The State hosts a variety of boating activities, such as sailing, cruising, dining and entertaining, nature observation, and water sports. Recreational fishing and boating are excellent opportunities for families to spend time together, and for people to learn about and help conserve the natural environment. Fishing and boating are also believed by many to be significant stress-relieving activities. National Fishing and Boating Week, which often takes place at the beginning of June, highlights the importance of fishing and boating in enhancing people's quality of life and preserving the country's natural beauty. By designating New Jersey Fishing and Boating Week in June, it is hoped that this will encourage all people to participate in fishing and boating, and enjoy the natural beauty of the State in one of the best months to take it in. This joint resolution would request the Governor to annually issue a proclamation calling upon public officials and citizens of the State to observe "New Jersey Fishing and Boating Week" with appropriate activities and programs. It would also direct the Division of Fish and Wildlife to take appropriate measures each year to publicize "New Jersey Fishing and Boating Week," and to coordinate at least one of the State's free fishing days, selected pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1985, c.352 (C.23:3-1b), with that week. | In Committee |
| A4086 | Provides additional State school aid to school districts experiencing enrollment increases due to conversion of age-restricted housing developments to non-restricted developments. | P.L.2009, c.82 (C.45:22A-46.3 et seq.) established a procedure by which an age-restricted housing development previously approved for construction by a municipal or regional planning board, zoning board of adjustment, or joint land use board may convert to a development that would be marketed with no age restrictions. The law requires that the approving board approve an application for such a conversion if the developer satisfied certain requirements, and if the approving board determines that the conversion can be granted without substantial detriment to the public good and not substantially impair the intent and purpose of the zone plan and zoning ordinance. The conversion of an age-restricted development to a non-restricted development has the potential to increase the number of students enrolled in a district's public schools. This bill provides converted development assistance aid to a school district in which such a conversion has occurred. Specifically, the school district would receive an amount equal to the lesser of: 1) its actual cost per pupil, or 2) the per pupil tuition rate adopted by the school district's board of education for the school year, multiplied by the increase in its resident enrollment between the last school year prior to a dwelling unit within a converted development being occupied and the budget year. However, the change in enrollment used to determine the aid may not exceed the total number of students who reside in a converted development. | In Committee |
| AJR163 | Designates March 15 of each year as Jewish War Veterans Day in NJ. | Jewish men and women serve in the United States Armed Forces. They have faced antisemitism both at home and in service, yet proudly served, and fought in the United States military. Jewish War Veterans of the USA traces its history back to March 15, 1896 when 63 Civil War veterans gathered for the first meeting of the Hebrew Union Veterans Association, the group's original name, in New York City. That meeting was called to counter false claims of a lack of service by Jewish Americans in the Civil War. Jewish War Veterans of the USA is the longest continuously serving veterans group in the United States, with 128 years of service as of March 15, 2024. It received its congressional charter in 1984. The Jewish War Veterans, Department of New Jersey, is at the forefront of efforts to educate and inform federal and State legislators on issues of particular concern to all veterans including funding, services, and benefits. They are also involved in support of local veterans' activities such as parades, memorial events, picnics, and flag retirement services. Jewish war veterans continue to live up to the mission to preserve the Jewish-American military legacy to protect veteran rights, to spread Americanism, and to promote community. It is fitting and proper to recognize the Jewish war veterans and their contributions on the battlefields and to the cause of freedom and justice for all veterans. | In Committee |
| AR108 | Urges United States Department of Veterans Affairs to establish inpatient hospital facility at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. | This Assembly resolution urges the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to establish an inpatient hospital facility at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. The citizens of this nation and State are indebted to the sacrifice and heroism of all who have bravely served in the Armed Forces of the United States. In return for their sacrifices, this country has made a commitment to meeting the health care needs of veterans. As of 2023, 338,012 veterans live in New Jersey, with 119,200 of them residing in the southern counties of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean, and Salem. Currently, there is no federal Department of Veterans Affairs inpatient hospital facility in southern New Jersey, making it necessary for veterans needing inpatient care to travel long distances to northern New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware. The East Orange Veterans Medical Center is the largest health care facility serving veterans from southern New Jersey, which is over two hours away from some veterans. In New Jersey, the average resident lives approximately 12 minutes away from the closest hospital, therefore, requiring veterans to travel multiple hours for medical care is unjust. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is an ideal location for an inpatient hospital facility for veterans from southern New Jersey as it shortens the travel distance for these veterans. Additionally, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst provides a variety of other services to veterans, therefore, making trips to the base efficient and convenient for veterans and their families. It is fitting and appropriate for the State to take steps to ensure that our nation's promise of health care access is kept to the veterans of southern New Jersey. | Signed/Enacted/Adopted |
| A3778 | Reaffirms continuation of Rutgers Institute of Management and Labor Relations; appropriates $750,000. | Reaffirms continuation of Rutgers Institute of Management and Labor Relations; appropriates $750,000. | In Committee |
| A3945 | Provides for law enforcement officer benefits for certain public employees enrolled in PERS; prohibits hiring by State or county of public employees after age 35 in positions eligible for PFRS. | A law enacted in 1955 established the law enforcement officer (LEO) category as a special group of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS). The members of the LEO group are eligible for enhanced retirement benefits not available to regular PERS members. Under current law, the category of individuals authorized to participate as LEO members is limited and is specifically defined in the law by the title of the eligible position. An individual who does not meet the age or medical requirements for entry into the Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS) as a result of employment in a title specifically named in that law is eligible to participate in the LEO category or as a regular member of the PERS. An individual employed in an eligible job title who meets the enrollment criteria is enrolled in the LEO category of PERS membership, unless the member specifically signs a waiver. A LEO-eligible individual who signs the waiver is enrolled as a non-law enforcement officer in the regular PERS retirement system; however, any member holding a LEO-eligible title is subject to the mandatory retirement provision of the current law. Under the bill, the term "law enforcement officer" would also mean county corrections police officer, county corrections police sergeant, county corrections police lieutenant, county corrections police captain, and investigator in a county department of corrections, and officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain of a county police department, State corrections officer and detective and investigator in the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety, sheriff's corrections police officer, sheriff's corrections police sergeant, sheriff's corrections police lieutenant, and sheriff's corrections police captain, Burlington County Bridge Commission police officer, Burlington County Bridge Commission police sergeant, Burlington County Bridge Commission police lieutenant, and Burlington County Bridge Commission police captain, Cherry Hill campus police officer, and any permanent and fulltime firefighter, emergency medical technician, and public safety dispatcher employed by the State, a county, fire district, or a municipality, or agency thereof. Upon enrollment in the law enforcement officer category, these members will be eligible for the enhanced benefits provided to LEO group members. The bill also would prohibit a person who is over the age of 35 years from being appointed by a county or the State to a position that is eligible for enrollment in the Police and Firemen's Retirement System. Nothing contained in the bill would affect the employment or continuance in office of any person employed prior to the effective date the bill. | In Committee |
| A518 | Provides for expansion of county transportation services to include disabled veterans; provides funding source for expansion. | Provides for expansion of county transportation services to include disabled veterans; provides funding source for expansion. | In Committee |
| A3177 | Establishes New Jersey Veteran Services Grant Program in DMVA; makes appropriation. | This bill establishes the New Jersey Veteran Services Grant Program to assist veterans in applying for and receiving State and federal benefits and to provide training for veterans service officers employed by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA). The grants will be awarded to qualified veterans' organizations on a competitive basis based on criteria developed by DMVA. An application for a grant must have a detailed outline of the training that will be provided to State veterans service officers or the number of additional veterans service officers the organization will provide to assist veterans with applying for and receiving State and federal benefits, or both. Implementation of the grant program would be subject to a future appropriation by the Legislature. Under the bill, "qualified veterans' organization" is defined as a nonprofit veterans' organization that qualifies as a section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) tax exempt organization under the Internal Revenue Code, or a federally chartered Veterans' Service Organization. This bill also appropriates $2,000,000 from the General Fund to the department to defray the costs of the grant program. | In Committee |
| A3176 | Establishes and allocates funds for program to provide mental health services to veterans; appropriates $2 million. | This bill directs the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs to establish a program to provide grants to certain veterans organizations to provide mental health services to veterans. The veterans organizations will contract with mental health care professionals to provide the services. The bill appropriates $2,000,000 from the General Fund for the program. The bill defines "veterans organization" to mean a veterans organization that qualifies as a section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) tax-exempt organization under the Internal Revenue Code, or a federally chartered Veterans' Service Organization. It shall also include the New Jersey SOS Veterans Stakeholders Group and the New Jersey Catholic Charities Diocese. | In Committee |
| A1803 | Directs State Board of Education to authorize issuance of new endorsements in certain fields. | This bill directs the State Board of Education to authorize the issuance of new endorsements in the areas of special education, elementary and middle school education, and bilingual and bicultural education. The bill directs the State Board of Education to authorize the issuance of a Students with Disabilities Preschool through Grade 12 endorsement to the instructional certificate. The endorsement authorizes the holder to teach students with disabilities, with the exception of students who are blind or visually impaired or deaf or hard of hearing, in all public schools and in all grade levels. Under the bill, the holder of a Students with Disabilities Preschool through Grade 12 endorsement may provide consultative services and supportive resource programs to students with disabilities in general education programs. The bill further provides that the holder of a current students with disabilities endorsement issued administratively prior to the bill's effective date may be granted the new endorsement upon application to the board. Under current law, special education teachers may teach students classified with disabilities in only the grade levels specified on their other endorsements. The bill directs the State Board of Education to authorize the issuance of a Kindergarten through Grade 8 endorsement to the instructional certificate. The endorsement will permit the holder to teach: · students in all public schools in grades kindergarten through six; and · the specialty subjects on the face of the certificate to students in grades seven and eight in all public schools. Under current law, numerous endorsements limit the holder to teaching either only to students in elementary level grades or only to students in middle school grades. Finally, the bill authorizes the State Board of Education to issue a Bilingual and Bicultural Preschool through Grade 12 endorsement to the instructional certificate. The endorsement will authorize the holder to teach bilingual and bicultural education in all public schools and in all grade levels. Under the bill, a candidate for the endorsement is required to demonstrate oral and writing competence in English and the target language; complete an approved bilingual and bicultural education program; and meet any other requirements established by the board. Under current law, candidates for the Bilingual and Bicultural endorsement are required to have an additional endorsement for subject or grade level to be taught. | In Committee |
| AR114 | Recognizes 100th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between United States and Ireland. | This Assembly resolution recognizes the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Ireland. On October 7, 1924, 100 years ago, Ireland formally opened diplomatic relations with the United States of America when Irish Ambassador Timothy Smiddy performed the presentation of credentials to President Calvin Coolidge. The United States was one of the first nations to recognize the new Irish state following the Irish people's long and painful struggle for independence. When Ambassador Smiddy emerged from the White House, he had become Ireland's first ambassador to any country in the world. The already established and deep connection of the Irish people to the United States made it appropriate that the first dispatch of an Irish representative was to Washington D.C. Approximately 32 million people in the United States and 1.3 million people in New Jersey today claim Irish ancestry. Irish immigrants helped build the America known to the world today, from the skyscrapers of Manhattan and the transcontinental railroad to our modern political system. Irish people have made an enormous contribution to public debate and politics in America, from their local communities to the White House. More than twenty American Presidents have claimed some Irish ancestry. The influence of Irish-Americans extends well beyond the Oval Office and the United States Capitol to every state of the nation. This fact being most evident by the significant number of State legislators in the American Irish State Legislators Caucus. Since Timothy Smiddy's presentation of credentials 100 years ago, an additional 18 Irish Ambassadors have presented credentials to United States Presidents. Over this time, the relationship between Ireland and the United States has progressed significantly. Ireland has transformed into the economically prosperous, culturally vibrant, and peaceful nation it is today. This transformation is due to the support of friends in the United States, from the crucial role America played in brokering peace in Northern Ireland, culminating with the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, to the substantial American economic investment in Ireland. America and Ireland have a two-way prosperous economic relationship as there are almost 1,000 American companies in Ireland employing over 200,000 people and almost 650 Irish companies in America employing over 100,000 people. The American-Irish relationship is a shining example of how ancestral ties, historical connections, cultural affinities, and shared values can create a foundation for an enduring partnership and mutual prosperity. Irish-American State legislators in New Jersey and across the United States are playing a vitally important role in fostering this partnership and ensuring that it continues and flourishes for another century to come. | In Committee |
| A3776 | Establishes "Cop 2 Cop Sustainability Fund" to support "Law Enforcement Officer Crisis Intervention Services" Cop 2 Cop telephone hotline program; appropriates $500,000. | This bill establishes the "Cop 2 Cop Sustainability Fund" and appropriates an additional $500,000 from the General Fund to this fund to support the "Law Enforcement Officer Crisis Intervention Services" Cop 2 Cop telephone hotline program in the current fiscal year and ongoing. The "Law Enforcement Officer Crisis Intervention Services" Cop 2 Cop telephone hotline program is a 24-hour confidential peer support hotline and service for law enforcement personnel and their families. This program is currently operated at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care's National Call Center. The Cop 2 Cop telephone hotline program currently receives up to $400,000 annually from Body Armor Replacement Funds pursuant to R.S.39:5-41. This bill would dedicate an additional $500,000 to the "Cop 2 Cop Sustainability Fund" to support the Cop 2 Cop telephone hotline program. | In Committee |
| A3784 | Makes $100 million in federal funds available to DEP for grants to local governments for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure projects. | This bill would allocate $100 million in federal funding provided by the State pursuant to the federal "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021" to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop a grant program to provide grants to local governments to fund drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure projects. The bill would direct the DEP to establish a grant application process and transparent eligibility and ranking criteria, and publish them on the DEP's website no later than six months after the bill's effective date. The bill would also direct the DEP to determine a maximum grant amount, to ensure that grants are distributed to local government units throughout the State. The bill would direct the DEP to reserve at least 10 percent of the grant funds for wastewater or stormwater projects that would alleviate harmful algal blooms in Lake Hopatcong and Greenwood Lake. The DEP would be authorized to utilize up to three percent of the money allocated to administer the program. Finally, the bill would direct the DEP, no later than three years after the bill's enactment, to prepare and submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature that provides details about the projects funded by the grant program. After the report is submitted, or three years after the bill's enactment, whichever is sooner, the bill would expire. The State received more than $6 billion in funding from the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021," but, as of January 2022, much of the funding remains unspent. | In Committee |
| A513 | Provides tuition fee waiver for certain apprenticeship courses. | Provides tuition fee waiver for certain apprenticeship courses. | In Committee |
| A2892 | Increases personal needs allowance to $50 for recipients of Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income who are veterans or spouses of veterans and provides for annual cost-of-living increase in allowance. | This bill increases the personal needs allowance for veterans and their spouses who are recipients of Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and reside in a nursing home or developmental center, or are patients in a psychiatric hospital. This allowance is used to purchase personal items, such as clothing, grooming aids, newspapers, and other items not regularly provided by the facility in which the recipients reside. The bill provides that the monthly personal needs allowance for Medicaid recipients who are veterans or the spouses of veterans is to increase from $35 to $50, and that the monthly personal needs allowance for recipients of SSI who are veterans or the spouses of veterans is to increase from $40 to $50. The bill further provides that these amounts will be increased annually, on January 1 of each year, by the same percentage as the cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security benefits that year. In the case of SSI recipients, the bill provides that the Commissioner of Human Services shall administer the $10 increase provided in the bill if the federal government, which provides the basic allowance, cannot administer the increase. The bill also directs the Commissioner of Human Services to apply to the federal government for such Medicaid State plan amendments as may be necessary to increase the personal needs allowance for Medicaid recipients, and to seek federal government approval for the commissioner's administrative plan to implement the increase for SSI recipients. The respective increases provided for in the bill will not be operative until such time as the commissioner receives federal approval for the Medicaid State plan amendment and the commissioner's SSI administrative plan. | In Committee |
| A503 | Provides PFRS member in federal or State military service who is injured or killed with disability or death benefits. | This bill provides that a member of the Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS) on official leave of absence with or without pay due to federal or State active duty or active duty for training in the reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States, when the federal active duty has been ordered by the President of the United States, or in the organized militia of this State, when the State active duty has been ordered by the Governor, will be considered to be an active PFRS member. Active member status ensures that police officers and firefighters called to active duty or active duty for training in the military service who are killed or injured remain eligible for PFRS death or disability benefits. | In Committee |
| A2392 | Eliminates veterans' gross income tax deduction requirement that New Jersey National Guard member serve in federal active duty status. | This bill eliminates the requirement that a New Jersey National Guard member serve in federal active duty status in order to qualify for the veterans' gross income tax deduction. A member of the New Jersey National Guard, who has been honorably discharged or otherwise been released under honorable circumstances, may claim a gross income tax deduction of $3,000 per taxable year. Under this bill, this veterans' gross income tax deduction is available regardless of whether the servicemember claiming the deduction was, at any point, called up for federal active duty status (meaning military service under the jurisdiction of the United States Secretary of Defense pursuant to 10 U.S.C. s.1209). This bill honors the service of the men and woman who enlist in the New Jersey National Guard. These servicemembers, as with all members of our armed forces, dedicate their time, make personal sacrifices, and incur costs for the benefit of the State and its residents. Accordingly, these servicemembers deserve the same honor, recognition, and tax relief already afforded under State law to veterans of other military branches. | In Committee |
| A1186 | Establishes "5G Network and Development Task Force." | This bill establishes the "5G Network and Development Task Force" to study and develop recommendations on how to harmonize the approaching rollout of "5th Generation" (5G) wireless networks and future development within the State. Before 5G networks begin to be rolled out, the requirements for building in the State are going to have to be updated in order to ensure that these networks are not disrupted by future development. This task force would be charged with laying critical groundwork in anticipation of the shift to 5G network technology. The task force would consist of five members as follows: (1) the Commissioner of Community Affairs, or a designee; (2) the President of the Board of Public Utilities, or a designee; (3) one member who is a representative of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, appointed by the Governor; (4) one public member appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the President of the Senate; and (5) one public member appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly. The task force would have one year from the bill's effective date to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature setting forth the results of its studies and recommendations. The task force would expire upon the submission of this report. | In Committee |
| A3199 | Provides accidental death benefit to surviving spouse, surviving child, or surviving parent of a State Police recruit who dies during required pre-service training. | Under current law, State Police recruits are not sworn members of the New Jersey State Police until the recruits complete the required training and graduate from the New Jersey State Police Academy. As a result, the death cannot be classified as a death of a member and therefor benefits cannot be provided to the survivors. This bill classifies the death of a State Police recruit who dies during required pre-servicing training, or complications therefrom, as a death in the line of duty and provides an accidental death benefit to the surviving spouse, surviving child, or surviving parent of the State Police recruit. Under the bill, the benefit paid to the surviving spouse must be at least $50,000. The bill provides that if there is no surviving spouse, a final compensation of at least $50,000 would be used to calculate the death benefit to the surviving child or surviving parent, as the case may be. On December 1, 2020, Lucas C. Homeijer, 27, of Boonton, succumbed to injuries sustained during a training exercise at the New Jersey State Police Academy. Mr. Homeijer, the son and nephew of retired troopers, was an Eagle Scout, a past attendee of Trooper Youth Week, and a member of the 161st Class of the New Jersey State Police Academy. It is the sponsor's belief that this bill will honor the commitment and sacrifices of State Police recruits who die while training to become State Troopers. | In Committee |
| A2297 | Revises workers' compensation coverage for certain injuries to volunteer and professional public safety and law enforcement personnel. | This bill revises the law governing workers' compensation coverage for certain injuries to volunteer and professional public safety and law enforcement personnel. Under current law, there is a rebuttable presumption that any cardiovascular or cerebrovascular injury or death which occurs to individuals who are volunteer and professional public safety and law enforcement personnel while those individuals are engaged in a response to an emergency is compensable if that injury or death occurs while the individual is responding, under orders from competent authority, to an emergency. As amended, the bill clarifies that the rebuttable presumption means that a response to an emergency was a work effort sufficient to cause injury or death and is therefore compensable under the workers' compensation law. This bill expands the individuals that are covered by the presumption to include any recognized emergency management member doing volunteer duty, any career emergency medical technicians and paramedics employed by the State, a county, a municipality, or a private sector counterpart who is engaged in public emergency medical and rescue services, and any individual working as a 9-1-1 dispatcher. It also removes the requirement that the individual must be responding to orders under competent authority in order to recover, and provides that individuals are covered by the presumption when remediating from an emergency. The bill provides that a rebuttal of the presumption of compensability requires clear and convincing medical evidence that the work experience was not a substantial cause of the cardiovascular or cerebrovascular injury. The bill provides that the presumption of compensability is rebuttable by use of casual factors such as horseplay, skylarking, self-infliction, voluntary intoxication, and illicit drug use. | In Committee |
| A2762 | "Food Desert Elimination Act"; provides incentives to supermarkets and grocery stores that locate in "food deserts." | This bill, the "Food Desert Elimination Act," establishes the Food Desert Elimination Program (program) and requires the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (authority) to administer the program. The bill further requires the authority, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, to initially designate no more than 75 physical boundaries of food desert communities in the State. The program provides tax credits to certain supermarkets and grocery stores that newly open in food desert communities. Under the program, a taxpayer that opens the first supermarket or grocery store in each designated food desert community after the bill's effective date will be allowed a credit against certain taxes due, in an amount equal to the total amount the taxpayer is assessed in property taxes by the municipality in which the supermarket or grocery store is located, during the first full tax year for the property where the supermarket or grocery store is open for business to the public, and for the three subsequent tax years after opening. Under the program, the authority will also be required to direct the Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control in the Department of Law and Public Safety to issue a special retail distribution permit to the first supermarket or grocery store that is established in each food desert community after the bill's effective date. The permit holder would be entitled to sell alcoholic beverages in original containers for consumption off the premises of the supermarket or grocery store. The permit would be restricted to the premises of the supermarket or grocery store for which the permit was issued, and will not be transferrable for use in connection with another premises. The bill provides that the special retail distribution permit is to be used in a manner consistent with a plenary retail distribution license issued pursuant to current law, and is to be subject to any other fees and regulations promulgated by the director. Under current law, a municipality may only issue one plenary retail distribution license for every 7,500 persons residing in that municipality. This limitation on the number of plenary retail distribution licenses would not apply to the issuance of a special retail distribution permit under the program. In addition, current law prohibits a person from holding an interest in more than two retail licenses unless that person held more than two retail licenses prior to August 3, 1962. This limitation also would not apply to the issuance of a special retail distribution permit. The special retail distribution permit's initial issuance fee is based upon the average sales price of plenary retail distribution licenses during the five years preceding the bill's enactment in the municipality in which the supermarket or grocery store is located. If less than three licenses have been sold in the municipality within the previous five years, the municipality is required to obtain an appraisal, at the applicant's expense, to determine the appropriate fair market value of the permit. The initial issuance fee is to be reduced by the fair market value of the limitation on the permit's transferability. The bill takes effect on the first day of the seventh month after enactment, but the authority and the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control are permitted to take administrative action in advance of the effective date, as necessary to effectuate the bill. | In Committee |
| A642 | Permits application for PERS accidental disability benefit for injury sustained after January 2003 while employed at State psychiatric institution or correctional facility immediately prior to PERS membership. | This bill allows a member of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) to apply for accidental disability benefits based upon an injury sustained while employed temporarily at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, any other State psychiatric institution or any State correctional facility, which injury continues to be disabling after the person becomes a PERS member. Temporary public employees are not eligible for PERS membership until the employment becomes permanent or the passage of one year, whichever occurs first. Currently, persons employed temporarily at any State psychiatric institution or any State correctional facility who are injured while ineligible for PERS membership are eligible for workers compensation benefits only. They are not eligible for PERS accidental disability benefits even after attaining PERS member status because the injury occurred when not a PERS member. The bill provides that, for purposes of application for a PERS accidental disability benefit, a traumatic event (1) occurring during and as a result of the performance of a State employee's regular or assigned duties as, but not limited to, a doctor, nurse, healthcare worker, social worker, or correction officer caring for or guarding individuals who are permanently or temporarily incarcerated for any reason at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, any other State psychiatric institution or any State correctional facility and (2) occurring when the employee is employed temporarily and not yet eligible for membership in the retirement system will be deemed as occurring during membership, if the employee becomes a member of the retirement system without interruption in that employment. The bill's provisions would apply retroactively to January 1, 2003. In addition, the bill also adds to the duties of the Civil Service Commission a personnel orientation program that informs new employees of State psychiatric institutions and State correctional facilities of the risk of injury occurring during and as a result of the performance of their regular or assigned duties. | In Committee |
| A2299 | Requires notification to collective bargaining unit of law enforcement officer prior to release of certain information to the public. | This bill requires notification to the collective bargaining unit of a law enforcement officer prior to releasing certain information to the public. Under current law, when a person's death occurs during an encounter with law enforcement or while the decedent was in custody, the Attorney General is required to supersede the county prosecutor for the purpose of conducting an investigation, a criminal action or a proceeding concerning the incident. Furthermore, current law provides that the identity of each arresting and investigating officer is subject to public disclosure. Under this bill, the Attorney General, the Executive Director of the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability within the Department of Law and Public Safety, or a designee is required to notify the collective bargaining unit of each investigating or arresting officer prior to releasing any information regarding the identity of the law enforcement officer pursuant to current law; or releasing to the public any mobile video recording system recordings or body worn camera recordings concerning the incident, any report regarding the incident, or any other information regarding an investigation of the incident to the public. | In Committee |
| AJR35 | Designates March of each year as "Women Veterans Month" in New Jersey. | Women have served honorably and with courage in all of America's wars and conflicts since the American Revolution. This joint resolution designates March of each year as "Women Veterans Month" in New Jersey in honor and remembrance of all women veterans who have proudly and valiantly served this State and Nation. Today, women constitute approximately 15 percent of the military personnel on active duty and demonstrate great skill, sacrifice, and commitment to defending the principles upon which our Nation was founded and continues to uphold. To pay respect to the State and Nation's women veterans for their dutiful service to the Nation, the Governor is respectfully requested to issue an annual proclamation calling upon public officials and the citizens of this State to observe March of each year as "Women Veterans Month" in New Jersey. | In Committee |
| ACR80 | Commemorates 126th anniversary of Jewish War Veterans of United States of America. | This resolution commemorates the 126th anniversary of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America (JWV). The JWV was founded on March 15, 1896 when 63 Jewish Civil War veterans gathered in New York City with the goal of combatting anti-Semitism. The result was the creation of the Hebrew Union Veterans Association, now known as the JWV. The JWV is the oldest continually active veterans' organization in the country, and has played prominent roles in the wartime efforts of the United States of America during the past 126 years. In addition to providing wartime support to the country, the JWV advocates for the rights of Jewish military members and has a history of achievements including lobbying successfully in 1913 for service leave for Yom Kippur and supporting legislation to ensure that the graves of service members who died in World War I in France were marked with a Star of David. New Jersey is proudly home to 20 Jewish War Veterans posts: Augenblick-Marcus Post 669; Bayonne Post 18; Clearbrook Post 395; Dan Michelson-Livingston Post 740; David Blick Post 63; Essex-Preiskel-Miller-Glassberg Post 47; Furer-Barag-Wolf Post 126; Jersey Shore Post 125; Kaufman Harris Cone Wayne Post 695; Lt. Garr-Greenstein-Friedenberg Post 39; Lt. James I. Platt Post 651; Lt. Seth Dvorin Post 972; Memorial Post 601; Monroe Township Post 609; N. Hudson-J. George Fredman Post 76; Ocean County Post 178; Oglensky Jackson Post 359; Sanford L. Kahn Post 538; Sgt. Sheldon Sheinfine Post 311; and Spc. Mark Seiden-Ben Kaufman Post 444. The JWV continues to offer services to veterans and members of the military, and offers a number of programs, as well as providing grant funding through their Jewish War Veterans of the USA Foundation. | In Committee |
| A520 | Requires owners or operators of public community water systems to perform certain tests for Legionella bacteria. | This bill would require the owner or operator of a public community water system to perform certain tests for Legionella bacteria on the drinking water in the public community water system. Specifically, the bill would require the owner or operator to test water from the system side of a random sample of 0.1 percent of the service lines in the service area of the public community water system, at least once every three months. In addition, the bill would require testing of a random sample of one percent of the public community water system's facilities (including storage tanks, treatment plants, pumps, and water mains), at least once every month. The bill requires the water sampling and testing to be performed using a set of best practices developed by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). In addition, the bill would require the water testing to be performed by a laboratory accredited by the DEP. The bill would also require the owner or operator of a public community water system to transmit the test results to the DEP. If the test results reveal the presence of excessive Legionella contamination, according to a standard to be developed by the DEP under the bill, the owner or operator would be required to begin remediation of the problem within 30 days, and the remediation would be required to be completed within six months. The owner or operator would also be required to notify customers that may be affected by the Legionella contamination. A violation of the bill's provisions would be considered a violation of the "Safe Drinking Water Act," P.L.1977, c.224 (C.58:12A-1 et seq.), which could result in civil administrative penalties of up to $25,000 per violation. | In Committee |
| A1096 | Excludes gains on sales of certain real estate purchases from taxation under corporation business tax and gross income tax. | This bill excludes the gains on sales of certain real estate purchases from taxation under the corporation business tax and gross income tax to stimulate real estate sales. The exclusions apply to gains on the sales of certain land purchased by the taxpayer during the three year period beginning on the date of enactment of this bill and ending on that same calendar date three years later. The exclusions apply to investment property that is not occupied by the taxpayer. Vacant land, land in its unimproved state and idle land not actively used for agriculture or other purposes, are not eligible for the exclusion. If this investment property is held for more than two years before it is sold, then any gain on the sale is excluded from the income subject to the corporation business tax or the gross income tax. | In Committee |
| AR66 | Urges Congress to oppose trade agreements with United Kingdom unless Good Friday Agreement and other Irish peace elements are preserved. | The Good Friday Agreement was signed on April 10, 1998, Good Friday, and centered on the division in Northern Irish society. The conflict dates back to the early 1920's when Northern Ireland became separated from the rest of Ireland. Great Britain ruled Ireland for hundreds of years. Northern Ireland became part of the United Kingdom with England, Wales and Scotland, leaving the Republic of Ireland as a separate country. The population of Northern Ireland was divided in two: Unionists who wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom, and Nationalists who wanted Northern Ireland to be independent from the United Kingdom and join the Republic of Ireland. In 1998, after nearly two years of talks and 30 years of conflict, the Agreement was signed, resulting in a new government being formed that would see power being shared between Unionists and Nationalists. An attempt by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union on its own terms will undermine the Agreement, causing the Agreement to become a casualty of Brexit talks. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is attempting to redraw elements of the Brexit treaty with the European Union relating to Northern Ireland because he wants British ministers to have the right to interpret key parts of the Northern Ireland protocol, a legal document designed to avoid a hard border with Ireland. However, the change threatens to put London's highly-prized trade deal with the United States in jeopardy. The United Kingdom must continue to honor the Agreement, which supported the peace settlement in Northern Ireland, as it departs from the European Union. Four senior members of the U.S. Congress in a joint statement warned that the United Kingdom's plans could have disastrous consequences for the Agreement and the broader process of maintaining peace on the island of Ireland, and many in the Congress and the United States consider the issue of the Agreement and a potential United States-United Kingdom free trade agreement inextricably linked. This House supports the idea that we cannot allow the Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit and any trade deal between the United States and United Kingdom must be contingent upon respect for the Agreement and preventing the return of a hard border. This House urges Congress to oppose any agreement with the United Kingdom unless the Agreement and other elements of the Irish peace process are preserved. | In Committee |
| A511 | Permits new cigar lounges to be opened under certain circumstances. | This bill would authorize a municipality to adopt an ordinance allowing certain new cigar lounges within the municipality that are exempt from the provisions of the "New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act." The ordinance would set forth how many such lounges may open and operate within the municipality. If a municipality adopts such an ordinance, a prospective cigar lounge would have to apply to the local board of health in the municipality for a registration to open and operate in the municipality. The local board of health could only grant such application if the lounge will: not sell or serve food or alcoholic beverages, except at certain private events not open to the public; not be located within a bar or restaurant; have an entrance distinct from any other establishment; be directly accessible by the public; be equipped with an exhaust system appropriate to ensure worker and customer safety; and not permit the use of hookahs. Under current law, only a cigar bar or lounge that opened before December 31, 2004 could be registered with the local board of health, and be exempted from the provisions of the "New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act." The bill would require a new cigar lounge to renew its registration after one year, and each year thereafter. The local board of health could only renew a registration if the cigar lounge generates 15 percent or more of its total annual gross income from the on-site sale of tobacco products and the rental of on-site humidors, not including any sales from vending machines, continues to comply with all the requirements of the initial registration, replaces the filter of the exhaust system, and does not expand its size or change its location. If a cigar lounge fails to have its registration renewed, its owner would not be permitted to register another cigar lounge. | In Committee |
| A512 | Establishes manufacturing machine and metal trade apprenticeship tax credit program. | The bill establishes a manufacturing machine and metal trade apprenticeship tax credit program under the gross income tax and corporation business tax. The purpose of the program is to encourage manufacturing employers to provide structured training to machine and metal trade apprentices to add more skilled workers to New Jersey's labor market. The bill gives manufacturing employers with qualified machine and metal trade apprenticeship programs the lesser of $7,500 per apprentice, or 50 percent of an apprentice's wages. To qualify for credit, an apprenticeship must employ an unskilled or semi-skilled person in machine tool or metal trades for no less than 1,500 hours in the tax year as part of a term of machine and metal trade training not exceeding four tax years. The machine and metal trade apprenticeship must involve wage progression, defined job training processes, course instruction, and completion resulting in designation as a skilled worker. The bill schedules the credits for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2016. The credits are nonrefundable. | In Committee |
| A1690 | Establishes "NJpass Program" to provide discounted fares to eligible organizations; establishes "GO NJ Transit Card Program" to develop transit cards that can be used to purchase any NJT service. | This bill requires the New Jersey Transit Corporation (corporation) to establish the "NJpass Program" and the "GO NJ Transit Card Program." The purpose of the NJpass Program is to support workforce development and increase access to public transportation in the State by providing discounted rates to approved classes of certain eligible organizations when purchasing a ticket or pass for a New Jersey Transit Corporation service (corporation service). Under the program, the corporation would be required to contract with eligible organizations that have been approved by the corporation to participate in the NJpass Program to provide discounted rates to approved classes of the eligible organizations. The corporation would be required to establish eligibility criteria and develop an application process for eligible organizations to apply to participate in the NJpass Program. Upon approval of an application, the corporation and the eligible organization will have the opportunity to negotiate the terms and conditions of the contract to be entered into, including, but not limited to, the amount of the discounted fares to be offered and the types of corporation services to be accessed under the NJpass Program. Following any negotiations necessary between the corporation and the eligible organization, the corporation will enter into a contract with the eligible organization to provide discounted group rates to the approved class of the eligible organization. The terms and conditions of the contract are required to include, at a minimum: (1) the discounted rates to be offered to the approved class of the eligible organization; (2) specific information as to what the approved class of the eligible organization will be; (3) information concerning any limitations on times of use or types of corporation services available to the approved class; and (4) the amount of compensation or reimbursement required from the eligible organization, if any, to cover the administrative costs of the corporation. A contract under the NJpass Program will be valid upon the approval of the corporation for a term of not more than two years, except that the first contract with an eligible organization cannot exceed 12 months. The bill also requires the corporation to establish the "GO NJ Transit Card Program." The purpose of the GO NJ Transit Card Program is to develop GO NJ Transit Cards (transit cards) and a system in which the transit cards can be purchased and utilized to purchase a ticket or pass for any corporation service in the State. Under the program, transit cards would be available for purchase. Individuals who purchase a transit card would be able to load money onto the transit card and utilize the transit card to purchase a ticket or pass for any corporation service within the State. Money loaded onto a transit card never expires. In establishing the transit cards under the GO NJ Transit Card Program, the corporation is required to: (1) develop and implement a fare capping system to ensure individuals who utilize a transit card are paying the lowest authorized fare for any period of travel, without having to pay the full cost upfront; and (2) provide discounted fares, in an amount to be determined by the corporation, to transit card users, which are to be in addition to any other discounted fares already provided by the corporation, including, but not limited to, the discounted fares provided to any senior citizen or person with a disability who receives reduced fares for transportation provided by the corporation, or provided under contract with the corporation. The bill requires the corporation to publish information concerning the NJpass Program and the GO NJ Transit Card Program on its Internet website and update the information as necessary. The bill also requires the corporation to submit reports to the Governor and the Legislature on the effectiveness of each of the programs established by the bill. In establishing and implementing the programs, the corporation is required to consider the efforts other states have taken to implement similar programs. | In Committee |
| A2844 | Provides tuition benefits at public institutions of higher education for dependents of certain veterans. | This bill provides free undergraduate tuition and student fees at public institutions of higher education to the child, spouse, civil union partner or domestic partner of certain New Jersey veterans. The benefits will apply to a child, spouse, civil union partner or domestic partner of a New Jersey resident who served on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States or a Reserve component, or the National Guard or a Reserve component, and who: (1) was killed in the line of duty during active military service; (2) has been declared to be a prisoner of war or a person missing in action by the United States Department of Defense; (3) has been honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active service and has been declared by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to have a service-connected total or 100 percent permanent disability; or (4) has died from a service-connected disability after being honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active service. The maximum tuition benefit under the bill for an eligible individual attending a public four-year institution of higher education will not exceed the total number of credits necessary to complete a baccalaureate degree program at the institution, as determined by the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA). The maximum tuition benefit for an eligible individual attending a county college will not exceed the total number of credits necessary to complete an associate degree program at the college, as determined by HESAA. In order for a child, spouse, or partner of a veteran to be eligible for benefits under the bill, the following conditions must be met: (1) the veteran was a resident of New Jersey at the time of entry into active duty; (2) the spouse, partner, or child is a resident of New Jersey; (3) the spouse, partner, or child has been accepted to pursue a course of undergraduate study at a public institution of higher education and is enrolled as an undergraduate student in good standing at that institution; and (4) the spouse, partner, or child has applied for all available State and federal student grants and scholarships for which he is eligible. The child of a veteran must be between the ages of 17 and 26 to be eligible for benefits under the bill. In the case of a spouse, civil union partner, or domestic partner of a veteran, eligibility for benefits is limited to a period of 10 years from the date of the death, determination of permanent and total disability, or determination of prisoner of war or missing in action status of the veteran. A veteran's spouse or partner is ineligible for benefits upon a remarriage or entry into a new civil union or domestic partnership. The bill provides that HESAA, in consultation with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, will develop procedures to determine the eligibility of an applicant for benefits. The State will reimburse a public institution of higher education for the cost of tuition and student fees that have been waived for each eligible spouse, partner, or child of a veteran pursuant to the bill's provisions. | In Committee |
| A2134 | Prohibits four-year public institution of higher education from charging tuition and fees to student who is spouse or dependent child of disabled veteran. | This bill prohibits four-year public institutions of higher education from charging tuition or fees to the spouse or dependent child of a disabled veteran. Under the bill, the spouse or dependent child of a disabled veteran is eligible to attend a four-year public institution of higher education tuition-free and fee-free provided that: (1) the spouse or child has been accepted to pursue a course of undergraduate study and is enrolled as an undergraduate student in good standing at that institution; (2) the spouse or child has applied for all available State student grants and scholarships and all available federal student grants and scholarships for which the spouse or child is eligible; and (3) the spouse or child has applied for tuition benefits available through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for which the spouse or child is eligible under the "Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008," Pub.L.110-252 (38 U.S.C. s.3301 et seq.). The bill directs the State to reimburse each institution of higher education for the costs of waiving tuition and fees pursuant to the bill's provisions. | In Committee |
| A1099 | Provides "Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act" exemption, and clarifies municipal planning or zoning authority, for certain development along commercial corridors in Highlands Region. | This bill amends the "Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act," P.L.2004, c.120 (C.13:20-1 et al.), to (1) clarify municipal planning or zoning authority, and (2) provide an exemption from the Highlands permitting review program for certain development along commercial corridors in the Highlands Region. Specifically, this bill provides that, notwithstanding any provision of the "Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act," or any regional master plan, or rule or regulation adopted pursuant thereto, to the contrary, a municipality or county would not be denied conformance approval or be deemed to have taken an action inconsistent with the regional master plan if the municipality or county is exercising its planning or zoning authority for property located within a commercial corridor in a manner inconsistent with the regional master plan. In addition, the bill amends the "Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act" to add a new exemption for the construction or reconstruction of commercial or industrial development within a commercial corridor. This construction or reconstruction would be exempt from the provisions of the "Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act," the regional master plan, any rules or regulations adopted by the Department of Environmental Protection pursuant thereto, or any amendments to a master plan, development regulations, or other regulations adopted by a local government unit to specifically conform them with the regional master plan. The bill defines a "commercial corridor" as the land area with frontage on a State, county, or rail thoroughfare in the Highlands Region zoned for commercial or industrial use as of August 10, 2004, i.e., the effective date of the "Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act," or, subsequent to that date, the land area along such a thoroughfare that is deemed by a municipal planning board and governing body of a municipality to be necessary for commercial or industrial use for the economic viability of that municipality. This bill is meant to encourage reasonable and necessary economic growth in the Highlands Region as set forth in the findings and declarations section of the "Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act" that "it is important to ensure the economic viability of communities throughout the New Jersey Highlands; and that residential, commercial, and industrial development, redevelopment, and economic growth in certain appropriate areas of the New Jersey Highlands are also in the best interests of all the citizens of the State, providing innumerable social, cultural, and economic benefits and opportunities." This bill would further these findings and declarations by providing that commercial corridors along well-traveled thoroughfares are appropriate areas for economic development in the Highlands Region. | In Committee |
| A507 | Directs BPU to conduct study to determine whether microgrid and distributed energy resource deployment will reduce length of power outages. | This bill directs the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to study and make findings and recommendations concerning whether the utilization of "microgrids," as that term is defined in the bill, and the deployment of distributed energy resources will assist in reducing the length of long-term power outages in the State. The BPU's study is to also provide recommendations for improvements to the resilience and reliability of the State's electric distribution system. In conducting the study, the bill provides that the BPU is to: 1) compare the general performance of this State's electric distribution system to that of other states; 2) assess the impact of the utilization of microgrids and the deployment of distributed energy resources on the length of long-term power outages in other states; 3) consult with relevant persons and public and private entities in this State and other states that have utilized microgrids during power outages and provide information on best practices for microgrid utilization as demonstrated in other states; 4) consult with relevant electric public utilities in this State and other states that have deployed distributed energy resources to communities during power outages; 5) consider the costs and savings to ratepayers, government entities, electric public utilities, and the State associated with the implementation of the BPU's findings and recommendations; and 6) provide an assessment of microgrid pilot programs awarded through the BPU, including, but not limited to, awards provided under the Town Center Microgrid Feasibility Studies program. The bill requires the BPU to prepare and submit the report containing its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature within six months of the enactment of the bill. | In Committee |
| ACR35 | Recognizes 138th anniversary of Knights of Columbus. | This concurrent resolution commemorates the 138th anniversary of the founding of the Knights of Columbus, and commends its tireless efforts in selfless works of charity. By their deeds, the Knights of Columbus exemplify both individual and collective commitment to the bedrock principles of charity, unity, fraternity, patriotism, the protection of human life, as well as their deep, abiding faith. As the Knights of Columbus grows, in terms of membership, works, and presence throughout the world, its charity touches the lives of millions. The New Jersey State Council, in particular, has been recognized as one of the most fruitful branches of the Knights of the Columbus, and their contributions to our community are evident throughout the State. The New Jersey State Council has been an essential part of New Jersey's culture. Accordingly, this resolution serves to recognize the Knights of Columbus on its 138th anniversary, memorialize their works of charity, and honor their past, present, and future members. | In Committee |
| A2490 | Requires DHS to establish Alzheimer's disease public awareness campaign. | This bill requires the Department of Human Services (DHS) to establish Alzheimer's disease public awareness campaign. Under the bill, the Commissioner of Human Services, subject to available funds, is to establish an Alzheimer's disease public awareness and education program. The purpose of the program is to promote public awareness of Alzheimer's disease and the value of early detection and possible treatments, including the benefits and risks of those treatments. The DHS may accept for that purpose any grant of monies, services, or property from the federal government, an organization, or a medical school. The program is to include the following: (1) development of a public campaign to promote Alzheimer's disease awareness and education, including, but not limited to, the subjects outlined in the bill; (2) development of educational materials to be made available through local boards of health, physicians, hospitals, and clinics; and (3) development of educational programs for judicial staff, police officers, fire fighters, and social services and emergency medical service providers, to assist them in recognizing the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and understanding how to respond to the needs of persons with the disease in the course of performing their duties. The bill provides that the DHS, in consultation with the Greater New Jersey Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, is to prepare and make available on the DHS's Internet website, in English and Spanish, and in a manner that is easily understandable by the general public, information about the symptoms and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and any other information that the commissioner deems necessary. | In Committee |
| A1233 | Requires limited liability company to disclose ownership information when submitting deed for recording. | This bill would require a limited liability company or foreign limited liability company that is the grantee of a deed for residential real property containing one or two dwelling units and intended for rental purposes to disclose the registered agent of the company when it files a deed for recording. If the registered agent is not a member of the company, the company would be required to also append to the deed an affidavit identifying at least one member of the company. | In Committee |
| A1588 | Increases certain penalties for violations of wage and hour law. | This bill revises certain penalties for violations of the "New Jersey State Wage and Hour Law," P.L.1966, c.113 (C.34:11-56a et seq.). The bill provides that an employer who violates any provision of that law is, upon conviction of a first or second violation, guilty of a disorderly persons offense, and, upon conviction of a third or subsequent offense, guilty of a crime of the fourth degree. Current law states that for a first violation an employer is guilty of a disorderly persons offense and may be punished by a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $1,000 or by imprisonment for not less than 10 and not more than 90 days or by both the fine and imprisonment. The bill increases the applicable fines for a first violation to not less than $500 and maintains the maximum fine of not more than $1,000. Current law also states that for a second or subsequent violation an employer is guilty of a disorderly persons offense and may be punished by a fine of not less than $500 and not more than $1,000 or by imprisonment for not less than 10 and more than 100 days or by both the fine and imprisonment. The bill increases the applicable fines for a second violation to not less than $1,000 and not more than $2,000. Finally, the bill provides that a third or subsequent violation constitutes a crime of the fourth degree, punishable by a fine of not less than $2,000 and not more than $10,000 or by imprisonment for up to 18 months or by both the fine and imprisonment. | In Committee |
| A2750 | Authorizes State constitutional convention to reform system of property taxation; makes appropriation. | This bill implements many of the recommendations of the New Jersey Property Tax Convention Task Force. It provides for convening a State constitutional convention for the sole purpose of reforming, pursuant to the requirements and limitations specified by this bill, the system of property taxation in this State. The bill places the question of whether a convention should be convened before the voters at the general election to be held in November 2012. The approval by the voters at that general election of the holding of a convention will confer upon the convention the authority to recommend relevant changes to the State Constitution and changes to the New Jersey statutes. The convention's recommendations for changes to the State Constitution and changes to the New Jersey statutes would be presented to the voters as a single package for their approval at the general election held in November 2013; except that, if a temporary constitutional amendment authorizing the convention to propose statutory changes for voter approval is not placed on the ballot at the 2012 general election, the convention may anticipate that such a constitutional amendment may be placed on the 2013 general election ballot at the same time as the convention's proposal and the convention, at its discretion, may structure its proposal so that, if the constitutional amendment fails to receive voter approval, the convention's entire proposal will also fail, or any constitutional amendments proposed by the convention and approved by the voters, but not statutory changes, will be adopted. Thus, statutory changes proposed by the convention will become effective if a separate temporary constitutional amendment authorizing the convention to propose statutory changes for voter approval is adopted not later than the general election at which the voters approve the convention's proposal. The bill provides that at the annual school election in April 2013, two delegates to the convention will be elected from each of the 40 legislative districts, for a total of 80 elected delegates. The names of candidates for the office of delegate on the ballot will rotate in successive election districts in order to limit any potential impact of ballot position on voter choice. A nominee for election of the office of delegate would not be bracketed with any other candidate on the ballot and no designation, slogan or affiliation for a nominee would be printed on the ballot. The bill limits the amount of a contribution to a candidate for the office of delegate from any contributor to $250 with a limit of $6,250 in the aggregate on contributions to all candidates for the office of delegate. Delegates would be nominated by a petition signed by at least 100 registered voters of the district from which the delegate seeks election. Local elected officials would be eligible to serve as delegates, but members of the Legislature would be ineligible to be elected, or to serve, as delegates. Labor organizations and corporations would be prohibited from contributing to the campaigns of candidates for the office of delegate. The bill establishes a voluntary limit of $25,000 on expenditures made in connection with a candidacy for the office of delegate. Any candidate, or any committee, group or organization in support of that candidate, that pledges to expend, and expends, less than that amount in connection with that candidate's candidacy may include on its campaign materials a statement indicating that the candidate, committee, group, or organization has complied with the voluntary campaign expenditure limit. Any candidate for the office of delegate, or any committee, group or organization in support of that candidate, that expends more than $25,000 in connection with that candidate's candidacy would be required to include on all subsequent campaign materials a statement indicating that the candidate, committee, group, or organization has exceeded the voluntary campaign expenditure limit. In addition to the 80 elected delegates to the convention, 10 additional delegates will be appointed, two each by the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the General Assembly, and the Minority Leader of the General Assembly. These appointments will be made within ten days of the certification of the results of the election for delegates. In making the appointments, the appointing authorities will take into consideration this State's demographic diversity and the degree to which that diversity is represented by the delegates elected to the convention. The convention will convene on May 8, 2013 and complete its work by August 26, 2013. The duty of the convention will be to prepare a proposal consisting of amendments to the New Jersey Constitution and, if the voters approve a temporary constitutional amendment authorizing the convention to propose statutory changes, changes to existing law, which, while revenue neutral in their overall impact, eliminate inequities in the current system of property taxation, ensure greater uniformity in the application of property taxes, reduce property taxes as a share of overall public revenue, provide alternatives which lessen the dependence of local government on property taxes, or provide alternative means, including possible increases in other taxes, of funding local government services. The bill expressly provides that the convention may not propose amendments affecting the obligation of the Legislature, under the New Jersey Constitution, to provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of free public schools or the obligation of any municipality to provide affordable housing pursuant to decisions of the New Jersey Supreme Court. In addition, the convention will not consider or recommend any proposal providing for a Statewide equalized school property tax, or detracting from collective bargaining rights or dispute resolution procedures as those rights and procedures exist on the effective date of this act, or that fails to provide tenants of residential rental units with their proportionate share of any property tax reduction, in a non-discriminatory manner, for as long as the reduction lasts. Any changes of the New Jersey statutes recommended by the convention and approved by the voters at the general election held in November 2013 will thereafter be subject to amendment or repeal by the Legislature and the Governor in the same manner as other laws. The convention is limited to considering the issue of tax reform. It may not consider any other issues. The bill directs the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court to appoint a committee of three retired members of the Judiciary, no more than two of whom shall be of the same political party, that will review proposals prepared by the convention during the course of the convention's proceedings and advise the convention whether such proposals are in compliance with the convention's instructions as voted by the people and do not exceed those instructions or the convention's limited purpose in any way. The convention will not take a vote on its final proposal to be placed on the ballot for voter approval unless the committee has certified that the convention has complied with its instructions and not exceeded those instructions or its limited purpose. The bill directs the Legislative Services Commission to undertake certain research tasks in advance of the convention, as well as during the convention, and to recruit qualified employees who may be employed by the convention. The bill appropriates $3,845,000 to effectuate its purposes. | In Committee |
| A700 | Requires DOE to include military-connected student identifier in student-level database; requires district inform teacher when military-connected student enrolls in class taught by teacher. | This bill requires the Department of Education to maintain an indicator for military-connected students in its student-level database. The bill also requires the Commissioner of Education to annually report statistics on the academic engagement and outcomes of these students, including attendance rates, performance on the State assessments, and high school graduation rates. The reported information must be consistent with the provisions of federal law that protect the confidentiality of student records. The bill also allows a parent or guardian to opt their child out of being identified as a military-connected student, in which case the student's classroom teacher will not be notified upon enrollment. | In Committee |
| A1811 | Requires DEP to adopt Statewide plan to reduce lead exposure from contaminated soils and drinking water. | This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection to develop and adopt, within one year after the effective date of the bill, a Statewide plan to reduce public exposure to lead in the environment. The department would be required to use existing soil testing results from site remediations that have been submitted to the department, as well as public water supply and private well testing results and any other relevant information it may have, in preparing the plan and any updates thereto. The department would be required to designate those geographic areas where lead in soils or drinking water poses the greatest danger of exposure to the public. The bill would require the department to identify public moneys that may be used to address the risks of exposure to lead and prioritize the expenditure of public moneys to remediate soils or drinking water supplies to minimize those risks. The bill would also require the department to develop a public education program to ensure the widespread dissemination of information concerning the health risks posed by lead exposure and measures that may be taken to minimize the risks. | In Committee |
| A1098 | Exempts disabled veterans from certain fees at State parks and forests. | This bill would provide free admission to State parks and forests to disabled veterans residing in New Jersey who have been honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active service in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States and who have been declared by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, or its successor, to have a service-connected disability of any degree. This bill would also exempt such disabled veterans from any fees for accessing State park beaches by motor vehicle in order to fish there, including fees for mobile sportfishing vehicle permits. State law currently only provides free admission to State parks and forests to New Jersey residents who are 62 or more years of age, totally disabled, or active members of the New Jersey National Guard who have completed Initial Active Duty Training, and current law does not specifically exempt disabled veterans from fees for motor vehicle access to State park beaches to fish. This bill would extend free State park and forest admission, as well as free motor vehicle access to State park beaches to fish, to all veterans who have incurred a service-connected disability, regardless of the degree of disability. | In Committee |
| A2630 | Creates special license plates supporting Autism Awareness. | This bill authorizes the creation of a special license plate supporting Autism Awareness. The design of the Autism Awareness license plate is to be chosen by the Chief Administrator (chief administrator) of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission), in consultation with the Governor's Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism (council). In addition to all fees otherwise required by law for the registration of a motor vehicle, there is an application fee of $50 and an annual renewal fee of $10 for the Autism Awareness license plates. The additional fees, after the deduction of the cost of designing, producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the plates and of any computer programming changes that are necessary to implement the license plate program, will be deposited into a special non-lapsing fund known as the " Autism Awareness License Plate Fund." The proceeds of the fund are to be annually appropriated to the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, to be expended in consultation with the council. . The chief administrator is required to annually certify the average cost per license plate in producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the Autism Awareness license plates. If the average cost exceeds $50 for two consecutive fiscal years, the chief administrator may discontinue the license plate program. The bill provides that no State or other public funds may be used by the commission for the initial cost of designing, producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of Autism Awareness license plates or any computer programming changes which may be necessary to implement the Autism Awareness license plate program. The bill also requires that an individual or entity designated by the council contribute monies in an amount to be determined by the chief administrator, not to exceed a total of $25,000, to be used to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission for designing, producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of Autism Awareness license plates, and any computer programming which may be necessary to implement the program. The bill prohibits the commission from designing, producing, issuing, or publicizing the availability of Autism Awareness license plates, or making any necessary programming changes, until: (1) an individual or entity designated by the council has provided the commission with the money necessary to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission in establishing the Autism Awareness license plate program; and (2) the council, or its designee, has provided the commission with a minimum of 500 completed applications for Autism Awareness license plates, upon the availability for purchase of those license plates. The chief administrator is responsible for publicizing the availability of the license plates on the commission's website. The council, or any individual or entity designated by the council, may also publicize the availability of Autism Awareness license plates in any manner the council deems appropriate. The provisions of the bill will remain inoperative until the appropriate applications and fees required to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission are provided by an individual or entity designated by the council. The bill expires after 12 months if sufficient applications and fees to offset the initial costs are not received. | In Committee |
| A2705 | Authorizes issuance of license plates series honoring military academies that represent five branches of United States military. | This bill authorizes the issuance of a series of special license plates honoring the military academies that represent the five branches of the United States military. The bill provides that the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (chief administrator), in consultation with the Adjutant General of the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs, is to select the design and color scheme for each of the military academy license plates. In addition to the registration number and other markings or identification otherwise prescribed by law, a license plate is to be created to honor each of the following: 1) The United States Military Academy; 2) The United States Naval Academy; 3) The United States Air Force Academy; 4) The United States Merchant Marine Academy; and 5) The United States Coast Guard Academy. In addition to all fees otherwise required by law for the registration of a motor vehicle, there is a fee of $15 for the military academy license plates. The chief administrator is required to notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain a set of military academy license plates by publicizing the availability of the license plates on the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission's website. | In Committee |
| ACR36 | Proposes constitutional amendment to increase to $500 veterans' property tax deduction. | If approved by the voters of the State, this proposed constitutional amendment would increase the veterans' property tax deduction from the current $250 to: $300 in calendar year 2023, $350 in calendar year 2024, $400 in calendar year 2025, $450 in calendar year 2026 and $500 in calendar year 2027 and for each year thereafter. The veterans' property tax deduction provided for in the State Constitution was last increased in 1999, when the amount of the annual deduction was raised from $50 to $250 over four years. | In Committee |
| A3171 | Requires converting portion of Paramus and Menlo Park veterans' memorial homes into single occupancy rooms; requires upgrades to ventilation systems; provides Adjutant General discretion for additional room considerations. | Under this bill and subject to the availability of federal funds provided by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and federal funds provided or made accessible to the State from the federal "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021," the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs will convert at least one ward in the New Jersey Veterans' Memorial Home-Menlo Park and at least one ward in the New Jersey Veterans' Memorial Home-Paramus to single occupancy rooms. The rooms will be equipped with negative pressure ventilation to support infectious disease control measures, and the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems will be upgraded throughout the two homes to infection control system standards. If the federal funds are not sufficient to accomplish the conversions and upgrades, there will be appropriated such sums from the General Fund as necessary, in amounts subject to approval by the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting, for use by the department to accomplish the changes outlined in the bill. | In Committee |
| A3113 | "Garden State Manufacturing Jobs Act." | This bill permits the establishment of a new type of corporation termed as a Garden State Corporation. Garden State Corporations would be corporations that are principally engaged in manufacturing, principally utilizing facilities located in New Jersey, and which provide employees with a greater role in the corporate decision-making process. Garden State Corporations would qualify for credits against the corporation business tax. The bill allows a corporation to be formed as a Garden State Corporation, an existing corporation to convert to become a Garden State Corporation, and a Garden State Corporation to terminate its status as a Garden State Corporation. The certificate of incorporation or by-laws of a Garden State Corporation must provide that half of the members of the board of directors of the corporation are elected by the employees of the corporation who work in New Jersey facilities. The employee-elected members of the board would have access to all corporation documents and records and equal authority with other members of the board regarding all matters affecting the business and affairs of the corporation, including:· The selection and removal of officers of the corporation;· The amendment or repealing of the by-laws or the certificate of incorporation of the corporation;· Any decision regarding the location of corporation facilities;· Any decision to seek to obtain or terminate the status of the corporation as a benefit corporation under the provisions of P.L.2011, c.30 (C.14A:18-1 et seq.); and· Any decision that may result in the termination of the status of the corporation as a Garden State Corporation. To qualify as a Garden State Corporation, a corporation's governing documents must include procedures regarding the election of the employee-elected board members which require that only employees of the Garden State Corporation who work in facilities in New Jersey are eligible to seek election and serve as employee-elected members of the board of directors. The bill requires that each employee of the corporation who works in facilities in New Jersey, without respect the position or rank of the employee or the amount of any ownership interest that the employee may have in the corporation, have the right to vote in the selection of the employee-elected members of the board of directors, with the vote of the employee vote having equal weight with the vote of any other employee, and the right to seek election as an employee-elected member of the board of directors and serve on the board if elected. The bill provides that a Garden State Corporation would qualify for credits against the corporation business tax. These credits vary as to years of operation and whether the Garden State Corporation is also a "benefit corporation" under P.L.2011, c.30 (C.14A:18-1 et seq.). If a corporation is a Garden State Corporation but not a "benefit corporation," the bill allows the corporation credits against its liability for the corporation business tax of: 35% during the first five tax years in which it is continuously a Garden State Corporation; 25% during the sixth and seventh tax years, and 15% during the eight and ninth tax years. If a corporation is both a Garden State Corporation and a "benefit corporation," the bill allows the corporation credits against its liability for the corporation business tax of: 60% during the first five tax years in which it is continuously both a Garden State Corporation and a benefit corporation; 45% during the sixth and seventh tax years, and 30% during the eight and ninth tax years. The number of tax years in which the lower tax credit for being only a Garden State Corporation applies would be reduced by the number of years in which the higher tax credit for being both a Garden State Corporation and a "benefit corporation" applies, thus limiting to nine the total number of tax years to which the credits may apply. | In Committee |
| A2427 | Prohibits use of education, occupation, and credit score as rating factors in automobile insurance underwriting. | This bill prohibits automobile insurers from assigning an insured or prospective insured to a rating tier based upon that person's: (1) educational level; (2) employment, trade, business, occupation or profession; or (3) credit score, or any information derived from an insured's credit report. The bill also prohibits automobile insurers from inquiring of an insured or applicant for insurance, or of a third-party concerning an insured or applicant, as to these factors. | In Committee |
| A1976 | Prohibits vehicles from parking in electric vehicle charging location under certain circumstances. | This bill adds electric vehicle charging locations to the places an operator of a motor vehicle is prohibited from parking under certain circumstances. Under the bill, an individual is prohibited from parking in an electric vehicle charging location if the vehicle is a non-electric vehicle, the vehicle is an electric vehicle that is not connected to the charging equipment, or the vehicle is an electric vehicle that is connected to the charging equipment but the vehicle is fully charged, and where the location is clearly marked 1) as an electric vehicle charging location, 2) as designated for electric vehicle charging only, and 3) to indicate that violators are subject to a penalty. The bill defines "electric vehicle charging location" as a publicly accessible parking space or group of parking spaces, with visible signage designating that the parking space or spaces are available for use by the public for charging plug-in electric vehicles. A violation of the provisions of this bill is punishable by a fine of not more than $50 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 15 days, or both. The sponsor notes that many electric vehicle drivers report that non-electric vehicles are often parked in electric vehicle charging locations. Occasionally, drivers of the non-electric vehicles may not notice the spot was intended for electric vehicle charging because of unclear or confusing signage, but many times the non-electric vehicle driver simply disregards the designation of the spot. Unfortunately, many non-electric vehicle drivers do not realize how critical these locations are to electric vehicle drivers. Parking in an electric vehicle charging location is equivalent to blocking gas pumps, except that there are far more gas stations than electric vehicle charging locations. The sponsor hopes that this bill will help deter non-electric vehicle drivers from parking in electric vehicle charging locations and will allow law enforcement officers to enforce penalties on individuals who violate the bill's provisions. | In Committee |
| AJR55 | Designates March 16 as "Paws Healing Heroes Day" in New Jersey. | This joint resolution designates March 16 as "Paws Healing Heroes Day" in New Jersey. Service dogs play an important role in assisting veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), military sexual trauma, and seizure disorder. It is estimated that 29 percent of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom may experience PTSD, and 28 percent of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom may experience TBI. New Jersey has a current veteran population of over 300,000. However, despite federal law to expand the availability of service dogs to veterans, the training and placement of service dogs falls primarily upon community non-profit organizations that depend on charitable donations, such as Paws Healing Heroes of Glassboro. The average cost to rescue, train, and present a service dog to a veteran can be $3,000 to $5,000, which is not covered by insurance or other veterans' benefits. Designating "Paws Healing Heroes Day" will promote greater awareness of the unique role of service dogs in assisting veterans. | In Committee |
| ACR58 | Proposes constitutional amendment to increase amount of veterans' property tax deduction from $250 to $2,500 over four years. | If approved by the voters of the State, this proposed constitutional amendment would increase the amount of the veterans' property tax deduction from the current $250 to $2,500. The increase would occur over four years. Veterans who are honorably discharged from active service in a branch of the United States Armed Forces qualify for the deduction. A qualified veteran's surviving spouse would receive the deduction after the qualified veteran dies. The amendment would increase the amount of the deduction to $1,000 in tax year 2024, $1,500 in tax year 2025, $2,000 in tax year 2026, and $2,500 in tax year 2027, and every tax year thereafter. The voters of the State last approved an increase in the amount of the deduction in 1999, from $50 to $250, over four years. The amount of the deduction has been $250 since 2003. | In Committee |
| A1197 | Requires school districts to establish procedures for online reporting of harassment, intimidation, and bullying. | This bill requires school districts to establish procedures for the online reporting of acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying. Under the "Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act," P.L.2002, c.83 (C.18A:37-13 et seq.), as amended and supplemented by P.L.2010, c.122 (C.18A:37-13.1 et al.), school districts are required to adopt a policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation, or bullying. Current law requires this policy to contain a procedure for the reporting of acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying, including a provision that permits a person to anonymously report these acts. This bill amends the "Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act" to provide that beginning on the 120th day following the enactment of the bill, each school district's policy would also be required to include a procedure that permits a person to electronically report an act of harassment, intimidation, or bullying using an online reporting form, which would be accessible through the official Internet website of the school district. In addition, the bill requires a link to the online reporting form to be prominently posted on the home page of the school district's website and distributed annually to parents and guardians who have children enrolled in the district. Under current law, the Commissioner of Education is required to develop a model policy to assist school districts in developing policies for the prevention of harassment, intimidation, or bullying. This bill also requires the commissioner to adopt amendments to the model policy to establish procedures for the electronic reporting of harassment, intimidation, or bullying using online reporting forms. | In Committee |
| A2150 | Creates New Jersey Cold War medal. | This bill creates a Cold War medal to be presented by the Governor to a veteran who is a resident of the State, or who was a resident on the date of commencement of service, in recognition of his or her honorable service during the Cold War between the dates of September 2, 1945 and December 26, 1991, inclusive. The Cold War was a long and costly struggle between the forces of freedom and democracy led by the United States and the forces of communism led by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The Cold War started after World War II and ended with the collapse of the government of the Soviet Union in December of 1991. Tens of thousands of soldiers, sailors, marines, and air force personnel served during this period of crisis and struggle and some paid with their lives to protect the freedom and democracy we have today. | In Committee |
| A517 | Provides corporation business tax credit and gross income tax credits for purchase and installation of certain electric vehicle charging stations. | This bill provides corporation business tax credit and gross income tax credits for the purchase and installation of certain electric vehicle charging stations. The credits are available for the taxpayer tax periods beginning in calendar years 2014, 2015 and 2016. The bill provides credits under the corporation business tax and the gross income tax for electric vehicle charging stations used directly and exclusively by the taxpayer in the taxpayer's business, trade, or occupation. For charging stations purchased and installed in 2014 tax periods a taxpayer will be allowed a credit in an amount of 25 percent of the cost, up to $500 per electric vehicle charging station; for a charging station purchased and installed in 2015 tax periods the credit is 15 percent of the cost, up to $300 per charging station; and for a charging station purchased and installed in 2016 tax periods the credit is eight percent of the cost, up to $150 per station. The bill also provides a gross income tax credit for a charging station purchase that is not required to be for business use. The credit for 2014 is 25 percent of cost, up to $500, for 2015 15 percent of cost, up to $300, and for 2016 eight percent of cost, up to $150, for the purchase and installation of a charging station. Married taxpayers filing separately are allowed up to half of those amounts. To qualify for the bill's tax credits, the bill requires the taxpayer to file an application for a certification with the Commissioner of Environmental Protection that the charging station purchased and installed by the taxpayer is a qualified electric vehicle charging station. | In Committee |
| ACR97 | Urges Governor to develop plan for applying to VA State Home Construction Grant Program. | This resolution respectfully urges the Governor to develop a plan for applying to the State Home Construction Grant Program under the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In 1866, New Jersey Governor Marcus L. Ward introduced the concept of veterans homes in the United States after having concern for the wounded and sick soldiers of the Civil War. There are currently 162 state veterans homes across the United States, with the following three located in New Jersey: (1) Veterans Memorial Home-Paramus; (2) Veterans Memorial Home-Menlo Park; and (3) Veterans Memorial Home-Vineland. These New Jersey state veterans homes provide around-the-clock care and supply a crucial need for veterans with low incomes and veterans seeking care as they grow older. With over half of the adult veteran population being age 65 and older, it is imperative that New Jersey provide for these deserving individuals. The current State veterans homes provide services for 948 residents, but this covers just a small portion of the over 350,000 veterans in New Jersey. The VA State Home Construction Grant Program assists with construction, renovation, or repair of State-owned and operated nursing homes, domiciliaries, and adult day health care facilities by providing federal grants of up to 65 percent of the total cost. It is important that New Jersey strive to offer increased availability of these essential services for veterans who have served the United States. | In Committee |
| A2991 | Increases distribution to municipalities from Energy Tax Receipts Property Tax Relief Fund over two years; prohibits anticipation of certain revenue in municipal budget; requires additional aid be subtracted from municipal property tax levy. | This bill requires the distribution of additional State aid to municipalities under the "Energy Tax Receipts Property Tax Relief Act." Budget constraints required reductions in the amount of Consolidated Municipal Property Tax Relief Aid (CMPTRA) distributed to all municipalities in Fiscal Years 2009, 2010, and 2011. Some municipalities also experienced reductions in their Energy Tax Receipts Property Tax Relief Aid (ETR Aid) distribution during that period. This supplemental funding would restore, over a two-year period, approximately $331 million in reductions to CMPTRA and ETR Aid. In Fiscal Year 2023, municipalities would receive an aid increase equal to 50 percent of the difference between the distribution of CMPTRA and ETR Aid they received in Fiscal Year 2008 and Fiscal Year 2012. The fully restored amount would be distributed beginning in Fiscal Year 2024 and in each fiscal year thereafter. The total amount of aid to be restored to each municipality would be in addition to the total amount of CMPTRA and ETR Aid distributed to each municipality in Fiscal Year 2012. This legislation also extends the existing ETR Aid "poison pill" protection to ensure that each municipality received an aid amount not less than the combined payment of CMPTRA and ETR Aid to municipalities in Fiscal Year 2012 and the additional aid distributed under the bill. This bill also amends current law to require a municipality to subtract any additional amount of ETR aid it receives, pursuant to the bill, from its adjusted tax levy when computing that amount for its next fiscal year. By deducting the additional amount of ETR Aid from the previous year's levy, municipalities would be permitted to raise a lower amount of taxes through the levy for municipal purposes. The bill prohibits a municipality from anticipating, for purposes of preparing its annual budget, the receipt of any State aid payment from the ETR aid under the provisions in the bill. The bill also requires a municipality to amend its local budget to properly reflect the total amount distributed to the municipality from the ETR aid. | In Committee |
| A337 | Creates offenses related to election officials; permits election workers to shield personal information from public. | This bill establishes four disorderly persons offenses concerning offenses against election officials. First, the bill establishes a disorderly persons offense for any person to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce an election official or election worker in the discharge of their official duties. Second, this bill establishes a disorderly persons offense for any person who attempts to induce an election official to violate or refuse to comply with the election official's duty or any law regulating the same. Third, this bill establishes a disorderly persons offense for a person to knowingly and willfully prevent an election official or election worker from performing their official duties. Fourth, this bill establishes a disorderly persons offense for a person who knowingly makes available on the Internet personal information about an election official or an election official's immediate family if the dissemination of the personal information poses an imminent and serious threat to the safety of the election official or the election official's immediate family and the person making the information available on the Internet knows or reasonably should know of the imminent and serious threat. Finally, the bill requires the Divisions of Elections in the New Jersey Department of State to remove an election worker's personal information from records that are available on the Internet at the worker's written request. The request is to provide evidence that the person submitting the request is an election worker and evidence as to why the person believes the dissemination of personal information in the records poses an imminent and serious threat to the safety of the worker. | In Committee |
| A1293 | Establishes Office of Inspector General for Veterans' Facilities. | This bill would create the Office of Inspector General for Veterans' Facilities. The inspector general will be appointed to a five-year term by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The inspector general must have experience as either a prosecutor or investigator, or in the operation of veterans' facilities, nursing homes, or long-term care facilities. The inspector general will be independent of supervision or control by any other State officer or employee. The role of the Inspector General for Veterans' Facilities will be to receive and investigate complaints concerning policies and procedures at State veterans' facilities. In exercising investigatory powers, the inspector general would also be empowered to conduct evaluations, inspections, and other such reviews as deemed necessary to ensure the safety and quality of care provided at State veterans' facilities. The inspector general would also be empowered to initiate investigations independent of any complaints received. Upon the appointment of the inspector general, the inspector general will immediately begin an investigation into the policies and practices that may have caused or contributed to the high number of deaths in the veterans' facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The inspector general may refer possible criminal conduct or activity to the appropriate prosecutorial authority. In light of the uncontrolled outbreak of COVID-19 at veterans' facilities in Paramus and Menlo Park, there is need for additional State oversight of the policies and procedures at all State veterans' facilities. By establishing the position of Inspector General for Veterans' Facilities, the State can ensure that the health and well-being of New Jersey's veterans are protected and that tragedies like those that occurred in Paramus and Menlo Park never happen again. | In Committee |
| A2422 | Upgrades assault on victims who are disabled. | This bill would upgrade the offense of assault in situations where the victim is disabled. Under the bill, a person who causes bodily injury to a person with a disability would be guilty of a crime of the third degree and would be sentenced to a mandatory term of imprisonment of three years. Under the bill, a "person with a disability" means a person who by reason of a pre-existing medically determinable physical or mental impairment is substantially incapable of exercising normal physical or mental power of resistance, and includes, but is not limited to, a person determined disabled pursuant to the federal Social Security Act or any other governmental retirement or benefits program that uses substantially the same criteria for determining eligibility. This bill was prompted by the brutal assault and mugging of Joey Damiano, a Trenton man with an intellectual disability, in May 2006. According to Trenton police, Joey was beaten and blinded in one eye by an unknown assailant, or group of assailants, as he was taking his daily walk on Washington Street and Roebling Avenue in the Chambersburg section of Trenton. | In Committee |
| A1213 | Makes supplemental appropriation of $15 million to DMVA for New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation for facilities expansion. | This bill provides a supplemental appropriation of $15 million from the General Fund to the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs for the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation for the purpose of providing financial assistance to complete facilities expansion, consisting of an additional 11,850 square feet for the Vietnam Era Museum. The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation commemorates New Jersey service members who served in Vietnam and their families through storytelling that enhances public understanding of the Vietnam War Era. The Foundation serves over 10,000 New Jersey students annually. The expansion would help the Foundation obtain critical accreditation and recognition from national bodies and public audiences, acquire State-of-the-art equipment to care for museum artifacts, and deliver a premier educational experience that would attract volunteers, tourists, and revenues to the museum and the State. | In Committee |
| A3070 | Requires State entities to recycle certain materials and provide recycling bins in State buildings. | This bill would require State governmental entities to source separate and recycle any aluminum, corrugated cardboard, glass, paper, or plastic waste generated at buildings and facilities owned, leased, or operated by the State entity. Under the bill, every State entity would be required to establish procedures for the collection and storage of any materials to be recycled under the bill, and make necessary contractual arrangements for the collection, transportation, and recycling of those materials. State entities also would be required as to provide adequate receptacles, signage, information, education, and staffing at buildings and facilities owned, leased, or operated by the State entities to ensure compliance with the bill. The provisions of the bill would not apply to any building or facility located in a State park or forest where the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is implementing a "carry-in, carry-out" trash program in which visitors to the State park or forest are required to take their trash with them upon departing the State park or forest. The bill would require the Department of the Treasury, in consultation with the DEP, to (1) prepare and distribute guidance to assist State entities with compliance, and (2) work with the Administrative Office of the Courts and the Legislature to ensure compliance with the requirements of the bill by the Judicial and Legislative Branches of State Government, respectively. | In Committee |
| A1443 | Establishes procedures for disqualification from public office or employment upon conviction of certain crimes; creates registry. | This bill would amend N.J.S.2C:51-2 concerning forfeiture of public office, position or employment upon conviction of certain criminal offenses. Currently under subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:51-2 a court shall enter an order of forfeiture when the defendant is found guilty or pleads guilty in State court, or upon application of a county prosecutor or Attorney General when the criminal offense is based on another state's law or federal law. Currently under subsection d. of N.J.S.2C:51-2 any person convicted of an offense "involving or touching" his public office, position, or employment is forever disqualified from holding any office or position of honor, trust or profit in the State or any of its administrative or political subdivision. This bill would establish a procedure for disqualification in subsection d. similar to the procedure set out in N.J.S.2C:51-2 under subsection b. concerning forfeiture. The bill would require that the court order concerning the disqualification of employment set forth in subsection d. of N.J.S.2C:51-2 be entered at the same time the court enters the order of forfeiture set forth in subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:51-2. However, if the conviction is for an offense under the laws of another state or of the United States, the county prosecutor or the Attorney General would be required to make an application to a Superior Court judge designated by the Chief Justice for a disqualification order. This disqualification order would be deemed to have taken effect on the date the person was found guilty by the trier of fact or pled guilty to the offense. The Administrative Office of the Courts would be required to establish and maintain a central registry of all persons who have had disqualification orders entered pursuant to subsection d of the statute. | In Committee |
| A1439 | Provides that purchase of insulin is not subject to deductible; requires health insurers to limit copayments and coinsurance for insulin; requires insulin manufacturers to submit report to Commissioner of Banking and Insurance. | This bill makes certain findings and declarations concerning the rising cost of insulin and requires health benefits plans issued pursuant to the New Jersey Individual Health Coverage and Small Employer Health Benefits Programs, the State Health Benefits Program, and the School Employees' Health Benefits Program, to provide coverage for insulin for the treatment of diabetes. The bill further requires health insurers (health, hospital and medical service corporations, commercial individual and group health insurers, and health maintenance organizations) and health benefits plans issued pursuant to the New Jersey Individual Health Coverage and Small Employer Health Benefits Programs, the State Health Benefits Program, and the School Employees' Health Benefits Program to provide coverage for the purchase of insulin that is not subject to any deductible and to limit the copayment or coinsurance that may be required for an insulin prescription to $50 per 30 day supply of insulin. The bill specifies that nothing in the bill is to prevent the State Health Benefits Commission or the School Employees' Health Benefits Commission from reducing an enrollee's cost-sharing requirement by an amount greater than the amount specified in the bill or from utilizing formulary management, including a mandatory generic policy, to promote the use of lower-cost alternative generic drugs that are the therapeutic equivalent of the brand-name drug. Lastly, the bill requires insulin manufacturers to submit an annual report to the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance containing certain information concerning the manufacture, pricing, and sales of insulin products. | In Committee |
| A2901 | Requires public community water systems to provide customers with certain information regarding lead in drinking water. | This bill, to be known as the "Lead Education, Accountability, and Disclosure Act," would require public community water systems to provide customers with certain information regarding lead in drinking water. The bill would require public community water systems to include certain information on lead in drinking water in their annual Consumer Confidence Reports, prepared pursuant to the federal "Safe Drinking Water Act." This bill would require the Consumer Confidence Report to include information on: the possible sources of lead in drinking water, including, but not limited to, lead service lines, pipes, and fixtures; the health effects of lead in drinking water; and measures a customer can take to reduce or eliminate lead in drinking water. Additionally, under the bill, within 90 days after beginning water service to a new customer, a public community water system would be required to send the new customer a notice, in writing, containing the information on lead described above. If the public community water system provides for, and the new customer has requested, the ability to receive or access water bills in electronic format, the public community water system would also be required to send the notice in electronic format. As used in the bill, "new customer" includes any new residential, commercial, or institutional customer who connects, reconnects, or establishes new water service with the public community water system after the bill is enacted into law. Lastly, the bill would require public community water systems to notify all residential, commercial, and institutional customers and residents at least 48 hours prior to commencing any construction, maintenance, repair, or replacement of any lead service line or lead water main. The bill provides that, in the case of emergency work, this notice would be provided as soon as practicable, rather than 48 priors to commencing work. The notice would include, but not be limited to, the following information: (1) notification that the planned work may loosen lead-containing particles and temporarily increase lead levels in the water; (2) the estimated length of time that lead levels may remain elevated; (3) general information on the possible sources of lead in drinking water, and the health effects of consuming lead-contaminated water; (4) measures residents can take to reduce or eliminate their exposure to lead in drinking water; and (5) a recommendation that any lead service line serving the property be fully replaced, and a list of available resources to assist in any replacement. For all three notice requirements, the bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to publish a public notice on its Internet website and in the New Jersey Register specifying the information to be included in each notice. Public community water systems would not be required to provide the notices set forth in the bill until after the DEP publishes the public notices. | In Committee |
| A2634 | Requires MVC to accept emergency medical technician and paramedic certification cards as two points of documentation for purposes of MVC identification verification program. | This bill allows the applicant for an examination permit, a driver's license, commercial driver license, non-driver identification card, or power vessel operator license to submit a valid emergency medical technician or paramedic certification card issued by the Department of Health to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) for the purposes of the MVC's Six-Point Identification Verification Program. The bill provides that these certification cards are to count for two points for the purposes of identification verification. | In Committee |
| A505 | Requires DCA to verify income of low-income home energy assistance benefit applicants. | This bill requires the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to verify the income of applicants for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) benefits before awarding benefits under LIHEAP. The bill requires the DCA to cross-check applicants with income data supplied by both the Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury before awarding LIHEAP benefits. This bill also permits the DCA to utilize a third-party commercial consumer reporting agency, in accordance with the federal "Fair Credit Reporting Act," for the purpose of acquiring an applicant's necessary income information. The cross-check required by this bill may be made on a random or risk basis, except that every applicant claiming to have no income is to be subjected to an income verification review. | In Committee |
| A2584 | Requires notification to consumers of collection and disclosure of personal data by certain entities. | This bill requires an online service operator (operator) to notify consumers of the collection and disclosure of "personally identifiable information," as that term is defined in the bill, to third parties. An operator that collects the personally identifiable information of a consumer through an online service is to provide on its online service notification to a consumer that includes, but is not limited to: 1) the categories of the personally identifiable information that the operator collects through the online service about a consumer who uses or visits the online service; 2) all third parties to which the operator may disclose a consumer's personally identifiable information; 3) whether a third party may collect personally identifiable information about a consumer's online activities over time and across different online services when the consumer uses the online service of the operator; 4) a description of the process for an individual consumer who uses or visits the online service to review and request changes to any of the consumer's personally identifiable information that is collected by the online service of the operator; 5) the process by which the operator notifies consumers who use or visit the online service of material changes to the notification required to be made available pursuant to the bill, along with the effective date of the notice; and 6) information concerning one or more designated request addresses of the operator. This bill requires that an operator that discloses a consumer's personally identifiable information to a third party make the following information available to the consumer free of charge upon receipt of a verified request from the consumer for this information through a designated request address: the category or categories of a consumer's personally identifiable information that were disclosed; and the category or categories of the third parties that received the consumer's personally identifiable information. An operator that receives a request from a consumer is to provide a response to the consumer within 60 days of its verification of the request and is to provide the information for all disclosures of personally identifiable information that occurred in the prior 12 months. The bill provides that an operator that collects the personally identifiable information of a consumer through its online service and sells the personally identifiable information of the consumer is to clearly and conspicuously post a link on its online service, or in another prominently accessible location the online service maintains for consumer privacy settings, to an Internet webpage maintained by the operator which enables a consumer, by verified request, to opt in to the sale of the consumer's personally identifiable information. The method by which a consumer may opt in is required to be in a form and manner determined by the operator, provided that a consumer is not to be required to establish an account with the operator in order to opt into the sale of a consumer's personally identifiable information. An operator is prohibited from discriminating against a consumer if the consumer chooses to opt out of the sale of the consumer's personally identifiable information. The provisions of the bill are not to prohibit the operator from offering consumer discounts, loyalty programs, or other incentives for the sale of the consumer's personally identifiable information, or to provide different services to consumers that are reasonably related to the value of the relevant data, provided the operator has clearly and conspicuously disclosed to the consumer that the offered incentives require consenting to the sale or processing of personally identifiable information that the consumer otherwise has a right to opt out of. The provisions of the bill are not to apply to certain types of information and institutions listed in the bill. Nothing in the bill is to require an operator to re-identify de-identified data or to collect, retain, use, link, or combine personally identifiable information concerning a consumer that it otherwise would not. Additionally, nothing in this bill is to be construed as the basis for, or subject to, a private right of action. The Attorney General is to have sole authority to enforce a violation of the bill. | Dead |
| A514 | Provides incentives for certain businesses associated with military installations. | This bill modifies current business incentive programs consistent with recommendations set forth in the July 2015 report by the New Jersey Military Installment Growth and Development Task Force in order to encourage businesses to undertake innovative projects related to the missions and operations of military installations located within New Jersey. The bill establishes incentives for businesses to engage in projects involving science, technology, engineering, math, or research and development (STEM/R&D), that are related to and supportive of the missions and operations of a New Jersey military installation, and are located within a five-mile radius of the outer boundary of a military installation in this State. For those businesses, the bill:· amends a small business loan program to establish eligibility for reduced interest rate loans for projects involving STEM/R&D related to and supportive of the missions and operations of a New Jersey military installation and located within a five-mile radius of a military installation in this State; · amends the Grow New Jersey Assistance Program, to make an area located on commercial property within a five-mile radius of a military installation in this State an area qualified for the program; a project that locates in one of these areas, meets the capital and employment requirements, for which the program incentives are a material factor, demonstrates the required net positive benefit and other qualifiers may receive Grow New Jersey benefits;· establishes a Grow New Jersey tax credit bonus of $500 per employee if the qualifying project located within a five-mile radius of a military installation in this State is used in connection with projects involving STEM/R&D related to and supportive of the missions and operations of a New Jersey military installation; and amends a program that streamlines the review and issuance of permits to make a business project located within a five-mile radius of a military installation in this State and used in connection with projects involving STEM/R&D related to and supportive of the missions and operations of a New Jersey military installation eligible for assistance. The bill repeals a duplicative provision added by section 3 of P.L.2019, c.240. | In Committee |
| A509 | Authorizes special Ancient Order of Hibernians license plate. | This bill authorizes the Chief Administrator (chief administrator) of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) to issue Ancient Order of Hibernians license plates. The chief administrator is to select the design of the license plates in consultation with the Ancient Order of Hibernians, New Jersey State Board (the organization). In addition to the required motor vehicle registration fees, there is an application fee of $50 and an annual renewal fee of $10 for these license plates. After deducting the cost of producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the license plates and any computer programming changes that are necessary to implement the license plate program, in an amount not to exceed $150,000, the additional fees are to be deposited into a special non-lapsing fund known as the "Ancient Order of Hibernians License Plate Fund." The proceeds of the fund are to be annually appropriated to the organization. The chief administrator is required to annually certify the average cost per license plate in producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the Ancient Order of Hibernians license plates. If the average cost exceeds $50 for two consecutive fiscal years, the chief administrator may discontinue the license plates. The bill also requires the organization to appoint a liaison to represent the organization in all communications with the commission regarding the license plates. The bill provides that no State or other public funds may be used by the commission for the initial cost of producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of Ancient Order of Hibernians license plates or any computer programming changes which may be necessary to implement the Ancient Order of Hibernians license plate program. The bill also requires that the organization, or other individual or entity designated by the organization, contribute monies in an amount to be determined by the chief administrator, not to exceed a total of $25,000, to be used to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission for producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of Ancient Order of Hibernians license plates, and any computer programming which may be necessary to implement the program. The bill prohibits the commission from designing, producing, issuing, or publicizing the availability of Ancient Order of Hibernians license plates, or making any necessary computer programming changes, until: (1) the organization, or its designee, has provided the commission with the money necessary to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission in establishing the Ancient Order of Hibernians license plate program; and (2) the organization's liaison has provided the commission with a minimum of 500 completed applications for Ancient Order of Hibernians license plates, upon the availability for purchase of those plates. The chief administrator is responsible for publicizing the availability of the license plates on the commission's website. The organization, or any individual or entity designated by the organization, may also publicize the availability of Ancient Order of Hibernians license plates in any manner the organization deems appropriate. The provisions of the bill remain inoperative until the first day of the seventh month following the date on which the appropriate applications and fees required to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission are provided by the organization or its designee. The bill expires on the last day of the 12th month following enactment if sufficient applications and fees to offset the initial costs are not received. | In Committee |
| A1172 | Waives business formation and registration fees for establishment of businesses owned by veterans. | This bill would waive business formation and registration fees for the establishment of veteran-owned for-profit businesses and non-profit organizations. The bill defines veteran as any person who has served in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, including a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces, for at least 90 days who has been honorably discharged. To provide proof of veteran status, a veteran would be required to submit a copy of the veteran's DD-214 form or a certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty with the veteran's formation and registration forms. Under current State law, for-profit businesses are required to pay $125, and domestic non-profit organizations are required to pay $75, respectively, along with their business formation applications. This bill would exempt veteran-owned businesses and non-profit organizations from this requirement, and any other business formation and registration fees required for the establishment of a business or non-profit organization. This bill would not change any renewal fees required by law. In 2016, the state of Pennsylvania enacted legislation to waive business fee requirements for veteran-owned businesses. This legislation would ease the financial requirements for veterans to establish their own businesses and successfully transition to civilian life. | In Committee |
| A2891 | Authorizes wiretap orders for investigation of luring or enticing a child, identity theft, stalking and cyber-harassment under certain circumstances. | This bill would expand the wiretap statutes to authorize wiretap orders for investigation of the following crimes or a conspiracy to commit them: luring or enticing a child, impersonation or theft of identity, stalking, and cyber-harassment. Current law authorizes wiretap orders for investigations of the following crimes or a conspiracy to commit them: murder; kidnapping; gambling; robbery; bribery; certain aggravated assault offenses; health care claims fraud; certain wrongful credit practices; money laundering; terrorism; false public alarms; causing or risking widespread injury or damage; certain damages to nuclear electric generating plants; terroristic threats; leader of a narcotics trafficking network; maintaining or operating an unlawful CDS production facility; unlawfully manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing CDS; certain violations of the Casino Control Act; human trafficking; certain prostitution offenses; arson; burglary; certain theft offenses; endangering the welfare of a child; escape; certain forgery and fraudulent practices; alteration of motor vehicle identification numbers; unlawful manufacture, purchase, use, or transfer of firearms; unlawful possession or use of destructive devices or explosives; weapons training for illegal activities; racketeering; and leader of organized crime and organized criminal activity concerning certain hazardous substances. | In Committee |
| A3109 | Creates white collar crime registry. | This bill creates the New Jersey White Collar Crime Offender Registry and requires the Department of Law and Public Safety to develop and maintain a registry website. The information to be provided on the registry includes: (1) all names and aliases by which the offender is or has been known, excluding any Internet identifiers; (2) a physical description, including the offender's date of birth, height, weight, and eye and hair color; (3) a recent photograph of the offender; (4) the "white collar" crimes listed in section 5 of the bill, of which the offender has been convicted; and (5) when available, the crimes for which the offender has been convicted; a description of the offender's targets; and any other relevant identifying information of the offender. A person convicted of the following offenses is required to be registered under the bill: insurance fraud; mortgage fraud; securities fraud; misapplication of entrusted property by fiduciary; money laundering; theft by deception; and any other financial or monetary crime, fraudulent act, or theft included in the department's rules and regulations adopted as a result of this bill. Offenders who were convicted of the specified offenses between December 31, 2005 and the date of this bill's enactment will not be placed on the registry if they have complied with all court orders, paid all restitution claims, and have not been convicted of any other offenses for which registration is required. The duration for which offenders will be placed on the registry would be 10 years for a first offense, an additional 10 years for a second offense, and for life if convicted of a third offense. The bill also provides for a process and conditions under which a person may apply to have his or her name and information removed from the registry. | In Committee |
| A501 | Establishes uniform rates for water and sewer services for residential use based exclusively on metered consumption. | This bill requires local public authorities that charge for water and sewer services to base residential customers' bills exclusively upon metered consumption. Under current law, local public authorities providing water and sewer services may establish charges for those services based on any number of factors, including consumption, the number and type of water outlets, the number and type of plumbing fixtures or facilities, the number of persons residing on the property, the capacity of fixtures, or any other factors determining the type, class, and amount of water or sewer use. In addition, this bill permits local public authorities and local units to establish a tiered system of rates, through which a local unit may charge different rates based upon the total metered units of water consumed on or in connection with the real property in a billing cycle. The bill exempts residential customers with separate outdoor water or sewer accounts from charges for sewer disposal services recorded by meters tied to the outdoor account or that resulted from the disposal of water obtained from an outdoor source. Essentially, a resident with a separate outdoor account is not to be responsible for sewer service charges related to the resident's use of water from an outdoor source. This bill takes effect immediately, except with respect to local public authorities and local units that do not have meters installed on the effective date of this bill. For those entities, the provisions of the bill are to become operative as soon as technically feasible, but not later than the first day of the fourth year next following enactment. | In Committee |
| A510 | Creates cigar night smoking ban exemption at racetracks and off-track wagering facilities. | This bill creates an exemption to the smoking ban on indoor public places by permitting racetracks and off-track wagering facilities to host "cigar nights." The "cigar nights" will be permitted in controlled specified areas no more than five times per year per facility. | In Committee |
| A2389 | Establishes offense of harassing, intimidating, or bullying minor; establishes diversionary program for juveniles charged with offense. | This bill establishes the offense of harassing, intimidating, or bullying a minor and establishes a diversionary program for juveniles who are charged with this offense. The provisions of the bill provide that a person commits the offense of harassment, intimidation, or bullying a minor if the person, through any gesture, written, verbal, or physical act, or any electronic communication, whether it be a single incident or a series of incidents, communicates with a minor: · with the purpose to physically or emotionally harm the minor, damage the minor's property, or place a minor in fear of physical or emotional harm to the minor's person or damage to the minor's property because of the minor's race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, or ethnicity; or · knowing that the communication would physically or emotionally harm the minor, damage the minor's property, or place the minor in fear of physical or emotional harm to the minor's person or damage to the minor's property because of the minor's race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, or ethnicity. Under the bill, harassing, intimidating, or bullying a minor is a disorderly persons offense, unless a minor is adjudicated for an act that, if committed by an adult would constitute the offense, in which case the minor is guilty of a petty disorderly offense. In addition, any adult or juvenile who commits an offense is subject to a fine of up to $100 for a first offense and a fine of up to $250 for each subsequent offense. The bill establishes a presumption that a complaint against a minor who commits an offense of harassing, intimidating, or bullying a minor is to be diverted. If the offense was committed in a jurisdiction in which there is an existing applicable restorative and transformative justice program, the matter is to be diverted to the restorative justice hub. The bill provides that where a complaint against a juvenile alleges that the juvenile has committed an offense that, if committed by an adult, constitutes an "eligible offense involving harassment, intimidation, or bullying" as defined in the bill and the court approves diversion of the complaint, the resolution of the complaint would include participation in a remedial education or counseling program if the juvenile is amenable to participation in such a program, and a program is available in the area where the juvenile resides. Also, if appropriate, the court may permit the juvenile to participate in a self-guided awareness program in lieu of a remedial education or counseling program provided that it satisfies the bill's requirements. A remedial education or counseling program satisfies the bill's requirements if the program is designed to increase the juvenile's awareness of: · the legal consequences and penalties for harassing, intimidating, or bullying a minor, including applicable federal and State statutes;· the non-legal consequences of harassing, intimidating, or bullying a minor including, but not limited to, the effect on relationships, loss of educational and employment opportunities, and being barred or removed from school programs and extracurricular activities;· the potential of long-term and unforeseen consequences for harassing, intimidating, or bullying a minor; and· the possible connection between cyber-bullying and harassing, intimidating, or bullying a minor. | In Committee |
| A3103 | Permits municipalities to hold certain inactive liquor licenses reserved for smart growth developments for an additional five years. | P.L.2007, c.351 (C.33:1-24.1 et seq.) established a procedure for the Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control to issue special licenses to sell alcoholic beverages to corporations or other legal entities developing smart growth development projects. The legislation also permitted a municipality which is located an urban enterprise zone or designated as a Planning Area 1 (Metropolitan) in the "State Planning Act" to acquire and sell any existing plenary retail consumption licenses within the municipality that are inactive only for use in a development project within a smart growth area. In addition, municipalities were permitted to maintain the licenses so acquired in an inactive status for up to five years. Plenary retail consumption licenses are the liquor licenses issued to bar and restaurants. Under this bill, a municipality that acquired, pursuant to the provisions of P.L.2007, c.351, an inactive plenary retail consumption license that remains inactive on the bill's effective date may maintain that license in an inactive status for up to five additional years. Moreover, if the license is still inactive five years after the bill's effective date, the municipality may continue to maintain that license in an inactive status subject to the approval of the Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. | In Committee |
| A521 | Requires owners of certain buildings to test drinking water for Legionella bacteria. | This bill would require owner of certain buildings to test the drinking water of the building for the presence of Legionella bacteria. Specifically, the bill would apply to acute care facilities, assisted living facilities, boarding houses, county correctional facilities, hospitals, multiple dwellings, nursing homes, units of public housing that have received funding from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, rooming houses, and State correctional facilities. The bill would require the building owner to test water from a tap in the building, at least once per year. The water sampling and testing would be required to be performed using a set of best practices developed by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), under the bill. In addition, the water testing would be required to be performed by a laboratory accredited by the DEP. The bill would also require the building owner to transmit the test results to the DEP. If the test results reveal the presence of excessive Legionella contamination, according to a standard to be developed by the DEP under the bill, the building owner would be required to immediately notify residents and other users of the building. If the drinking water in the service line connected to the building has been tested for Legionella in the previous month, and the test result was negative, the bill would require the building owner to begin remediation of the Legionella contamination within 30 days, and the remediation would be required to be completed within six months. A violation of the bill's provisions would be considered a violation of the "Safe Drinking Water Act," P.L.1977, c.224 (C.58:12A-1 et seq.), which could result in civil administrative penalties of up to $25,000 per violation. | In Committee |
| A515 | Allows utility lines necessary for certain solar energy generation facilities to cross municipally-owned preserved open space under certain circumstances. | This bill would allow the utility lines associated with certain solar electric power generation facilities to cross municipally-owned preserved open space subject to certain conditions. The bill contains two parallel sections to supplement 1) the statutes concerning lands acquired for recreation and conservation purposes by a local unit with financial assistance from the State in the form of a grant or loan of Green Acres bond funds, and 2) the "Garden State Preservation Trust Act." The bill provides that utility lines integral to a solar electric power generation facility approved by the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) pursuant State law would not be deemed to constitute a disposal or diversion of lands preserved for recreation and conservation purposes, provided that: 1) the land was acquired for recreation and conservation purposes by the local unit prior to the date the bill is enacted into law; 2) the solar electric power generation facility will not be located on the land; 3) the installation of the utility lines will not interfere with the use of the land for recreation and conservation purposes, as determined by the local unit; 4) the utility lines will be located underground, and any land and vegetation disturbed by the installation of the underground lines will be restored to the satisfaction of the local unit; 5) the owner of the proposed solar electric power generation facility provides a report to the BPU, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection (commissioner), and the local unit demonstrating that there are no other available lands that could be traversed for the solar electric power generation facility to be "connected to the distribution system," as defined in law; 6) the owner of the solar electric power generation facility obtains the written approval of the local unit for the use of the land for the purpose of the utility lines; and 7) the owner of the solar electric power generation facility provides compensation for the use of the municipally-owned preserved open space as required pursuant to law. Prior to the installation of the solar electric power generation facility and the utility lines across the municipally-owned preserved open space, the owner of the facility would be required to notify the local unit and the commissioner of the proposed construction and the need for utility lines to cross municipally-owned preserved open space in order for the facility to be connected to the distribution system. The notice is to include: the location and a description, including photographs, of the lands where the solar electric power generation facility is proposed and the lands to be crossed by the utility lines; and documentation demonstrating that the construction complies with the conditions set forth in the bill. If the local unit finds that the proposed construction and the associated utility lines do not comply with the conditions set forth in the bill, the local unit would notify, in writing, the BPU, the commissioner, and the owner of the solar electric power generation facility of this finding and the reasoning therefor. The construction of the solar electric power generation facility and associated utility lines is not to proceed until the concerns of the local unit have been satisfied and the project complies with the conditions set forth in the bill. | In Committee |
| A1957 | 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 |
| A2281 | Requires certain information to be included in SHBP claims experience data provided to certain public employers. | This bill can be known and may be referred to as the Public Health Transparency Act. Under current law, the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) provides upon request and not more than once in a 24-month period complete claims experience data to a public employer other than the State that participates in the SHBP. This bill changes the 24-month period to not more than once per calendar year, and adds language to allow the majority representative of the employees of public employer to be able to request and receive the claims experience data if a public employer requested the data. This bill requires information to be included in the claims experience data. The information includes, but is not limited to, medical claims summary report by classification; top 50 drugs or medicines that require a doctor's prescription by total number dispensed; top 50 drugs or medicines that require a doctor's prescription by total dollars paid; number and type of ongoing maintenance prescriptions by mail order and retail; prescription utilization summary; prescription executive summary report; prescription trend performance summary for each plan design; and a prescription key performance indicator report. Current law requires the State Health Benefits Program to issue claims experience data only in a manner that complies with the privacy requirements of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, HIPPA, and related regulations. In addition, the bill specifies that no information will be released in such form as to result in the identification of an individual or in such form as to adversely affect personal privacy rights. | In Committee |
| A1748 | Establishes task force to study issues facing returning members of the United States Armed Forces and New Jersey National Guard and make recommendations on how State should address issues. | This bill establishes a task force in the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to address issues facing members of the United States Armed Forces and New Jersey National Guard returning from overseas deployments involving the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and make recommendations on how the State should address those issues. The task force will consist of the following 11 members: the Commissioners of Education, Labor and Workforce Development, Health and Senior Services, and Human Services, or their designees; the Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission, or a designee; and the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The Adjutant General will appoint five public members, with at least three persons with knowledge or experience in one of the following areas: demobilization and post deployment; post traumatic stress disorder, family readiness groups or family assistance centers; employer support groups; veterans service officers; issues relevant to women in the military and veteran homeless shelters. It will be the duty of the task force to identify and review the issues and concerns facing servicemembers returning from overseas deployments, and recommend the measures the State should take to address and remedy the issues and concerns, including legislation if appropriate. The task force will issue a final report containing its findings and recommendations, including any recommendations for legislation that it deems appropriate, no later than six months after the task force organizes. | In Committee |
| A2216 | Requires certain information to increase public awareness and use of voting by mail; requires certain mail-in ballots received by county board within 48 hours be considered valid; requires certain mail-in ballots to be retained. | This bill requires certain information to increase public awareness and use of voting by mail, requires certain mail-in ballots received by county board within 48 hours be considered valid, and requires certain mail-in ballots to be retained. Under current law, county boards of elections are required to retain voted mail-in ballots for a period of two years. This bill clarifies that ballots that are received 48 hours after the closing of the polls, along with their envelopes, are also required to be retained for two years. The bill would also require that every mail-in ballot that does not bear a postmark date but that is received by the county board by delivery of the United States Postal Service within 48 hours after the time of the closing of the polls for the election for which the ballot was prepared is to be considered valid and canvassed. Under the bill, the Secretary of State is required to: (1) prepare informational posters for use at all polling places that promote voting by mail, (2) include with mail-in ballots information for the voter on how to check the status of the voter's mail-in ballot, and (3) provide educational materials to county board of elections employees on the standards for acceptance and rejection of mail-in ballots. Under the bill, the educational materials prepared by the Secretary of State would serve an educational purpose for the county board and would not replace, supersede, or void the authority of the county board or a judge of the Superior Court to accept or reject a mail-in ballot. This bill also prohibits the rejection of a mail-in ballot due to missing or insufficient glue on an outer or inner envelope. | In Committee |
| A1990 | Required Commissioner of Education to develop emergency notification system to alert students and staff of active shooter on school grounds. | This bill requires the Commissioner of Education to develop an emergency notification system that enables schools to alert the students, the parents and guardians of the students, teachers, and all staff of an active shooter situation in the school or on school grounds. Under the bill, the notification system will: · provide that the parents or guardians of students, students, with the permission of a parent or guardian, teachers, and all other school staff, may register any mobile electronic communications device with the school to receive the notification; · be accessible and compatible with all makes and models of mobile electronic communications devices;· be directly linked to local law enforcement authorities or, in the case of a school located in a municipality in which there is no municipal police department, a location designated by the Superintendent of State Police, and will immediately transmit a signal or message to such authorities upon activation; and· be made available to each public and nonpublic school at no cost to the school. Under the bill, if a board of education or the chief school administrator of a nonpublic school determines to use the notification system, the principal of each school in the school district or chief school administrator of a nonpublic school is required to ensure that the notification system is customized to each particular school and includes the contact information for each person who registered with the school to receive the notification. | In Committee |
| A944 | Eliminates certain practice restrictions for advanced practice nurses. | This bill eliminates practice restrictions for advanced practice nurses (APNs), including restrictions that limit the ability of APNs to prescribe medications and administer anesthesia, and establishes new requirements for APNs to prescribe medications. The bill expressly provides that, notwithstanding the provisions of any other law or regulation to the contrary, an APN with greater than 24 months or 2,400 hours of licensed, active, advanced nursing practice will be authorized to practice without a joint protocol with a collaborating provider. With regard to prescribing medications, the bill requires the use of New Jersey Prescription Blanks and satisfying continuing professional education requirements related to pharmacology and prescribing controlled substances. An APN with fewer than 24 months or 2,400 hours of licensed, active, advanced nursing practice in an initial role will be permitted to prescribe medication only if a formal joint protocol with a physician or experienced advanced practice nurse is in place. The bill revises the requirements for APNs to authorize patients for medical cannabis and to issue written instructions for medical cannabis, to provide that the APN will only be required to meet the requirements set forth under the "Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act," P.L.2009, c.307 (C.24:6I-1 et al.). Those requirements include: possessing active State and federal registrations to prescribe controlled dangerous substances; being the health care practitioner responsible for the ongoing treatment of a patient's qualifying medical condition; and complying with various other requirements for issuing written instructions for medical cannabis. The bill further provides that every APN who is an APN-Anesthesia and who has completed 24 months or 2,400 hours of licensed, active, advanced nursing practice in an initial role will be authorized to practice as an APN-Anesthesia to the full scope of practice for APNs-Anesthesia, without any requirement for supervision by a licensed physician and without any requirement that the APN-Anesthesia enter into joint protocols with a licensed physician. The bill provides that any State law or regulation that requires the signature or similar endorsement of a physician will be deemed to require the same of an APN, to the extent consistent with an APN's scope of practice. The bill revises and repeals certain sections of law that are obviated by the changes made under the bill. | In Committee |
| A2760 | Directs BPU to establish two-year innovative drinking water supply and wastewater infrastructure grant program. | This bill directs the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to establish a two-year program to provide grants for the development and promotion of innovative drinking water supply and wastewater infrastructure projects that would improve the quality and functioning of the State's publicly-owned drinking water supply and wastewater systems. Grants would be made available to individuals, businesses, business incubation facilities, not-for-profit corporations, and public and private institutions of higher education to develop and promote innovative technologies that may be used in pilot or demonstration projects at publicly-owned drinking water supply and wastewater systems, where appropriate, throughout the State to improve the quality and functioning of those systems. An upgrade or improvement to existing infrastructure would not qualify for a grant unless it is part of a pilot or demonstration project implementing an innovative new technology. Innovative technologies and the pilot or demonstration projects developed pursuant to this program would: improve the delivery of safe, clean water; improve overall water flow; improve water purification processes; aid in water conservation and energy efficiency efforts; improve system infrastructure; or otherwise assist publicly-owned drinking water supply and wastewater facilities, as applicable, with better, affordable, and cleaner methods to clean, conserve, and deliver water. In addition, consideration would be given to technologies and projects that implement energy efficiency measures or incorporate renewable energy technologies, including implementation of innovative technologies such as in-pipe hydropower, in order to reduce energy consumption and provide long-term sustainability and potential cost savings. The board would determine the total amount of grants funded in each year of the program, and the amount of each grant would be determined by the board based on the proposals for innovative technologies it receives and the number of drinking water supply or wastewater systems at which each innovative technology may be implemented as a pilot or demonstration project. This bill is a "call to action" to form a public-private partnership to help solve one of the most important environmental problems facing the State, i.e., the decay of its critical infrastructure that provides drinking water and treats wastewater for the health and welfare of the State, its citizens, and the environment. The program is intended to assist publicly-owned drinking water supply and wastewater facilities that are thinking about the future and are looking for better, affordable, and cleaner ways to clean, conserve, and deliver water. | In Committee |
| A2324 | Requires hazard mitigation plans to include climate change-related threat assessments and hazard prevention and mitigation strategies. | This bill would require any hazard mitigation plan (HMP) that is adopted or revised on or after the date the bill is enacted into law, either by the State Office of Emergency Management (OEM) or by a county office of emergency management, to address the current and future impacts of climate change, identify the specific hazards and risks associated with climate change, and include strategies to prevent and mitigate the impacts of climate change on the natural hazards identified through the planning process. The bill would require each HMP, among other things, to: (1) identify and analyze the existing and future threats to, and vulnerabilities of, resources of value including buildings, facilities, and equipment, which result from natural hazards that are caused or worsened by climate change; (2) identify the critical facilities, utilities, roadways, and other types of infrastructure that are necessary for evacuation, for sustaining assets and systems that protect life and property during a natural disaster, or for facilitating rapid recovery after a natural disaster; (3) include a social vulnerability assessment that evaluates how, and to what extent, socially vulnerable and underserved communities may be disproportionately impacted by climate change-related natural hazards; (4) include an assessment as to whether, how, and to what extent, identified climate change-related threats and vulnerabilities will impact the State's or county's ability, over time, to successfully implement other components of its HMP; (5) describe the proactive and preventive means, methods, strategies, procedures, protocols, and design and building standards that will be used under the HMP to eliminate or reduce climate change-related threats and vulnerabilities, to mitigate the hazardous impacts of climate change, and to mitigate the impacts of climate change on socially vulnerable communities; and (6) describe the means, methods, strategies, procedures, protocols, and design and building standards that will be used under the HMP to remediate or off-set the effects of natural hazards. The bill requires the climate change-related components of an HMP to be based on the most recent natural hazard projections and best available science. Finally, the bill further requires the provisions of a floodplain management plan, emergency response plan, post-disaster recovery plan, capital improvement plan, or similar plan, which is adopted or revised by the State, a county, or a local government or other local jurisdiction on or after the date the bill is enacted into law, to be consistent with, and to reflect, the natural hazard risks of the applicable HMP. | Dead |
| A615 | "New Townhouse Fire Safety Act"; requires automatic fire sprinkler systems in new townhomes. | This bill, entitled the "New Townhouse Fire Safety Act," would require the installation of an automatic fire sprinkler system in new townhouses during construction. The bill requires that a construction permit application for a new townhouse would not be declared complete without provisions for the installation of an automatic fire sprinkler system in accordance with the requirements of the bill. The bill defines "new townhouse" as a dwelling not previously occupied, for which a construction permit has been issued after the effective date of the bill, and which is intended for residential use by not more than two households, and constructed in a group of two or more attached units. The bill also directs the Commissioner of Community Affairs to modify the building subcode of the State Uniform Construction Code to require the installation of fire suppression systems in all new townhouses. This modification would require the installation of separate shut-off valves from the domestic water supply and the fire sprinkler water supply. The requirements of this bill would apply to newly constructed townhouses as of the first day of the seventh month after enactment. Accordingly, development plans and building permits approved prior to the bill's effective date would not be subject to the provisions of the bill. | Dead |
| A1593 | Establishes the "Student Loan Assistance and Home Purchase Act." | This bill is entitled the "New Jersey Student Loan Assistance and Home Purchase Act." The purpose of the New Jersey Student Loan Assistance and Home Purchase program is to facilitate the purchase of first homes for individuals who are burdened by excessive student debt at extremely high interest rates. Under the bill, the Executive Director of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) would establish a Student Loan Assistance and Home Purchase program to be administered by the agency. The executive director would appoint a program manager to oversee the implementation of the Student Loan Assistance and Home Purchase program. Once appointed, the manager would be required to establish a list of near eligible properties that for purchase through the program. For the purposes of the bill, "eligible property" means foreclosed residential single family homes in near move-in condition, which shall be determined based on the following factors: (1) cleanliness, (2) structural integrity, (3) expected maintenance costs, (4) property location, and (5) general habitability. Participants in the Student Loan Assistance and Home Purchase program would be required to maintain the purchased home as their primary residence for at least five years from the date of closing. Penalties and fees would be imposed if this provision is not satisfied. In addition to any regulations necessary to implement and administer the Student Loan Assistance and Home Purchase program, the regulations promulgated by the Executive Director of NJHMFA would include (1) eligibility requirements for individuals with education-related debt to participate in the program and (2) interest rates and other penalties, charges, and fees in an amount necessary to implement the provisions of the Student Loan Assistance and Home Purchase program. | In Committee |
| A2628 | Creates crime of victimization of a senior citizen or a person with a disability. | This bill establishes a separate crime of victimization against a senior citizen or a person with a disability, which must be charged and proved as any other crime. Victimization would be graded one degree higher than the offense that was committed. A person would be guilty of victimization if the person commits any crime listed in the bill against a senior citizen or a person with a disability. Upon a conviction, the sentence imposed by the court would not merge with the sentence imposed for the underlying offense. This bill also provides that if the underlying crime for which the person is being sentenced was graded as a crime of the first or second degree, the sentence imposed shall include a term of post-incarceration parole supervision. Under the bill, a "senior citizen" is defined as a person 62 years of age or over. A "person with a disability" is defined as a person who by reason of any pre-existing medically determinable physical or mental impairment is substantially incapable of exercising normal physical or mental power of resistance, and includes, but is not limited to, any person determined disabled pursuant to the federal Social Security Act or any other governmental retirement or benefits program that uses substantially the same criteria for determining eligibility. | In Committee |
| A1143 | Establishes annual cost of living adjustment based on Consumer Price Index for programs providing mental health, substance use treatment, or services to persons with developmental disabilities. | This bill stipulates that on or after the effective date of the bill, the terms of a contract entered into between the Divisions of Mental Health and Addiction Services and Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Human Services (DHS) and a program providing mental health services, substance use treatment services, or services to persons with developmental disabilities include an annual increase in the cost of living adjustment received by the organization. The cost of living adjustment would be based on the Consumer Price Index for the previous 12-month period beginning October 1 and ending September 30, as published by the United States Department of Labor, and the DHS would be required to announce the rate of the increase on October 1 of each year. As used in the bill, a program providing mental health services, substance use treatment services, or services to persons with developmental disabilities shall include State programs partially funded or fully funded by Medicaid and licensed or approved by the Commissioner of Human Services or other appropriate State licensing agencies. | In Committee |
| A2298 | Limits "tobacco and vapor products tax" on cigars to up to $0.50 per cigar. | This bill limits the taxation of cigars under the Tobacco and Vapor Products Tax Act to a maximum of 50 cents per cigar. Currently, the tax on cigars is 30 percent of the wholesale price. Under this bill, the tax will still be 30 percent of the wholesale price, but the tax will be capped at 50 cents per cigar. The bill also amends current law to clarify tax payment responsibilities of tobacco product wholesalers and distributors. Every state imposes some tax on non-cigarette tobacco products. Ten states have adopted a tax cap per cigar. Cigar retailers with establishments in those states have claimed that prior to the establishment of the cap their retail sales prices suffered a serious competitive disadvantage with out-of-state, Internet, and catalog businesses that did not collect state tobacco products tax. Setting a maximum tax per cigar is proposed to encourage New Jersey consumers to make more of their cigar purchases from New Jersey "brick and mortar" retailers who are often small locally-owned businesses. A 50 cent per cigar tax cap will level the playing field for New Jersey retailers and potentially increase State revenues collected under the tax. | In Committee |
| A540 | "Ensuring Transparency in Prior Authorization Act." | The bill places certain requirements regarding the use of prior authorization of health benefits on carriers and utilization review entities acting on behalf of carriers. The bill defines "carrier" to include insurance companies, health, hospital, and medical service corporations, health maintenance organizations, and the State Health Benefits Program and School Employees' Health Benefits Program. The bill also adds a definition of "enrollee" and "medications for opioid use disorder" and adds mental health services and behavioral health services to the definition of "urgent health care service." The bill requires a utilization review entity to make certain disclosures regarding its prior authorization requirements and restrictions, on its website and in writing, including certain statistics concerning approvals and denials, as set forth in the bill. This includes data on whether prior authorization determinations were appealed, approved or denied on appeal, and the time between submission of prior authorization requests and the determination. The bill also requires that a utilization review entity ensure that a physician make any adverse determination and specifies the qualifications the physician is to meet to make the determination. Additionally, questions over the medical necessity of a health care service are to be conveyed from the utilization review entity to the physician of the enrollee who is to receive the health care service and that physician is granted the opportunity to discuss the service with the physician who will determine its authorization for the review entity. The utilization review entity is to also ensure that a physician who is to review an appeal of an adverse determination meets certain requirements delineated in the bill. The bill provides that if a utilization review entity requires prior authorization of a covered service, the utilization review entity shall make a prior authorization or adverse determination and notify the subscriber (also commonly known as a "policyholder") and the subscriber's health care provider of the prior authorization or adverse determination within one calendar day of obtaining all necessary information to make the prior authorization or adverse determination. Necessary information is considered received if it is transmitted to the utilization review entity after being sent by electronic portal, e-mail, facsimile, telephone or other means of communication. The bill provides that a utilization review entity is to render a prior authorization or adverse determination concerning an urgent health care service, and notify the subscriber and the subscriber's health care provider of that prior authorization or adverse determination, not later than 24 hours after receiving all information needed to complete the review of the requested service. The bill further adds that medications for opioid use disorder do not require prior authorization. The bill requires a utilization review entity to adhere to certain practices with respect to authorization of emergency health care services, establishes a presumption that these services are medically necessary in some situations, and deems certain services to be approved under certain circumstances. The bill also prohibits a utilization review entity from:· Requiring a health care provider offering services to a covered person to participate in a step therapy protocol if the provider deems that the step therapy protocol is not in the covered person's best interests; · Requiring that a health care provider first obtain a waiver, exception, or other override when deeming a step therapy protocol to not be in a covered person's best interests; or · Sanctioning or otherwise penalizing a health care provider for recommending or issuing a prescription, performing or recommending a procedure, or performing a test that may conflict with the step therapy protocol of the carrier. Additionally, the bill establishes requirements regarding the prior authorization of certain medications. The bill further provides that a utilization review entity is not to revoke, limit, condition, or restrict a prior authorization if care is provided within 45 business days from the date the health care provider received the prior authorization. A prior authorization is to be valid for purposes of authorizing the health care provider to provide care for a period of one year from the date the health care provider receives the prior authorization. The bill also includes a provision authorizing a utilization review entity to honor a previous prior authorization for the initial 60 days of coverage under a new health plan of an enrollee, grant the entity the right to review the prior authorization during the initial 60 days, and prohibit any change in coverage or approval criteria for prior authorization from impacting an enrollee's access to the service authorized previously if the service was authorized before the effective date of the change for the remainder of the enrollee's plan year. Any failure by a utilization review entity to comply with a deadline or other requirement under the provisions of the bill is to result in any health care services subject to review being automatically deemed authorized. Finally, the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance is to promulgate rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), including any penalties or enforcement provisions, that the commissioner deems necessary to effectuate the purposes of the bill. | Dead |
| A2300 | Makes supplemental appropriation of $650,000 to New Jersey Division of State Police for trooper recruitment and retention. | This supplemental appropriation provides $650,000 to the Division of State Police for the purpose of augmenting State Trooper salaries to assist the division with recruitment and retention. The Division of State Police - Retention supplemental appropriation is to be dedicated to State Troopers at Step 9 of the base salary of the existing Collective Negotiations Agreement between the State of New Jersey and the State Troopers Fraternal Association. This supplemental appropriation should be distributed in amounts pursuant to the authority granted to the Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission as provided for in Title 4A of the New Jersey Administrative Code. | Dead |
| A1133 | Provides for uniform regulation of small wireless facility deployment in this State. | This bill provides for the uniform regulation of small wireless facility deployment in the State by the State government and local government units (authorities). The bill prohibits an authority from regulating small wireless facilities in a manner inconsistent with the bill, including entering into an exclusive arrangement with any person or entity for the use of the right-of-way for: 1) the collocation of a small wireless facility; 2) the mounting or installation of a small wireless facility on new or replacement poles; 3) the installation of associated antenna equipment adjacent to a structure on which a small wireless facility is or will be collocated, mounted, or installed; or 4) the installation, operation, marketing, modification, maintenance, or replacement of associated poles. The bill provides that a wireless provider, as defined in the bill, is to have the right, as a permitted use not subject to zoning review or approval, and without the need for authority consent to: 1) collocate small wireless facilities; 2) mount or install small wireless facilities on new or replacement poles; 3) install associated antenna equipment adjacent to a structure on which a small wireless facility is or will be collocated, mounted, or installed; or 4) install, modify, or replace its own poles, or, with the permission of the owner, a third party's poles, associated with a small wireless facility, along, across, upon, and under the right-of-way. The bill provides that each new, replaced, or modified pole installed in the right-of-way for the purpose of collocating, mounting, or installing a small wireless facility is to follow certain height restrictions pursuant to the bill. A wireless provider is not to install a new pole unless the wireless provider has determined it cannot meet its service objectives by collocating on existing poles or structures. An authority may adopt aesthetics requirements governing the deployment of small wireless facilities and associated antenna equipment and poles in the right-of-way, subject to certain requirements pursuant to the bill. A wireless provider is to comply with undergrounding requirements that are consistent with the bill. The bill requires a wireless provider to repair all damage to the right-of-way caused by the activities of the wireless provider and to return the right-of-way to its functional and aesthetic equivalence before the damage, pursuant to the competitively neutral, reasonable requirements, and specifications of the authority. If the wireless provider fails to make the repairs required by the authority within a reasonable time after written notice, the authority may make those repairs and charge the applicable party the reasonable documented cost of the repairs. Under the bill, a wireless provider is not required to replace or upgrade an existing pole, except for reasons of structural necessity or compliance with applicable building codes. A wireless provider may, with the permission of the pole owner, replace or modify the existing pole, but any replacement or modification is to be consistent with the design aesthetics of the pole being modified or replaced. The bill requires wireless provider to notify an authority at least 30 days before the abandonment of a small wireless facility located within the authority's jurisdiction. Following receipt of the notice, the authority is to direct the wireless provider to remove all or any portion of the small wireless facility and associated antenna equipment that the authority determines would be in the best interest of the public. If the wireless provider fails to remove the abandoned small wireless facility within 90 days after the notice, the authority may undertake to remove the small wireless facility and recover the actual and reasonable expenses of the removal from the wireless provider, its successors, or assigns. The bill allows an authority to require an applicant to obtain a permit for: 1) the collocation of a small wireless facility; 2) the mounting or installation of a small wireless facility on a new, modified, or replacement pole; or 3) the installation, modification, or replacement of a pole or antenna equipment as provided in the bill. Each permit issued pursuant to the bill is to be of general applicability and is not to apply exclusively to a small wireless facility and an authority is to receive and process applications following certain requirements pursuant to the bill. Application fees for any permit issued pursuant to the bill are not to exceed certain amounts pursuant to the bill. Under the bill, the rates, fees, and terms and conditions for any make-ready work to collocate, mount, or install a small wireless facility on an authority pole and to install associated antenna equipment are to be non-discriminatory, competitively neutral, commercially reasonable, and are in compliance with the provisions of the bill. The bill further provides that all rates and fees established pursuant to the bill are to be a reasonable approximation of the authority's reasonable costs, and are to be applied by the authority in a non-discriminatory manner. An authority may not require a wireless provider to pay any rates, fees, or compensation to the authority or other person other than what is expressly authorized by the bill for the right to use or occupy the right-of-way for the collocation, mounting, or installation of a small wireless facility on a pole in the right-of-way, or for the installation, maintenance, modification, or replacement of associated antenna equipment or a pole in the right-of-way. The bill provides that an authority is not to have or exercise any jurisdiction or authority over the design, engineering, construction, installation, or operation of a small wireless facility located in an interior structure or upon the site of a campus, stadium, or athletic facility not owned or controlled by the authority, other than to require compliance with applicable building codes. Further, except as it relates to small wireless facilities subject to the permit and fee requirements established pursuant the bill or otherwise specifically authorized by State or federal law, an authority is not to adopt or enforce any regulations or requirements on the placement or operation of communications facilities in the right-of-way by a communications service provider authorized by federal, State, or local law to operate in the right-of-way, regulate any communications services, or impose or collect any tax, fee, rate, or charge for the provision of additional communications service over the communications service provider's communications facilities in the right-of-way. The bill allows an authority to adopt an ordinance that makes available to wireless providers rates, fees, and other terms and conditions that comply with the provisions of the bill. In the absence of an ordinance, a wireless provider may install and operate a small wireless facility and any associated poles and antenna equipment under the requirements of the bill. An authority may not require a wireless provider to enter into an agreement to implement the provisions of the bill, but agreements are permissible if voluntary and non-discriminatory. The bill provides that an authority may adopt reasonable indemnification, insurance, and bonding requirements related to a small wireless facility and associated pole permits and antenna equipment. The bill requires a wireless provider that owns or operates a small wireless facility or utility pole in the right-of-way to indemnify, protect, defend, and hold the authority and its elected officials, officers, and employees, agents, and volunteers harmless against all claims, lawsuits, judgements, costs, liens, losses, expenses and fees. The bill further provides that an authority may require a wireless provider to have in effect certain insurance coverage as provided in the bill. The bill also allows an authority to impose reasonable and non-discriminatory requirements for bonds, escrow deposits, letters of credit, or any other type of financial surety to ensure removal of abandoned or unused wireless facilities or damage to the right-of-way or authority property caused by the wireless provider or its agent. The bill provides that nothing in the bill is to be construed to authorize certain actions, including authorizing a person to collocate a small wireless facility on property owned by a public utility without consent of the public utility, to impact, modify or supersede any construction standard or other obligation applicable to certain entities that are not wireless providers, or to apply to a public utility's use of its own poles, facilities, or both for communications associated with its public utility operations. The bill provides that a court of competent jurisdiction is to have jurisdiction to determine disputes arising pursuant to the bill. A dispute is to be pursued in accordance with accelerated docket or complaint procedures, where available. | In Committee |
| A2080 | Requires institution of higher education to have automatic external defibrillator on premises of each athletic facility and student center. | This bill requires an institution of higher education to place an automated external defibrillator in an unlocked location in each athletic facility and student center with an appropriate identifying sign. The defibrillator will be accessible during the normal operating hours of the athletic facility or student center and within reasonable proximity of the institution's athletic fields. Under the bill, the institution is required to ensure that: (1) at least two staff members who are trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of the defibrillator are in the athletic facility or student center during the normal operating hours; and (2) each defibrillator is tested and maintained according to the manufacturer's operational guidelines, and notification is provided to the appropriate first aid, ambulance, or rescue squad, or other appropriate emergency medical services provider regarding the defibrillator, the type acquired, and its location. An institution of higher education and its staff are granted immunity from civil liability in the acquisition and use of a defibrillator. | In Committee |
| AR31 | Urges President and Congress of United States to restore "net neutrality" in federal law. | This Assembly Resolution respectfully urges the President and Congress of the United States to restore the principle of "net neutrality" in federal law. "Net neutrality" is a principle concerning the free and open Internet, which specifically discourages Internet service providers from speeding up or slowing down Internet access and discriminating against or blocking access to content, applications, or websites. | In Committee |
| A504 | "Vegetation Management Response Act"; concerns vegetation management related to electric public utility infrastructure. | This bill authorizes an electric public utility (electric utility) to utilize all reasonably available methods according to ANSI A300 tree care standards and pursuant to Board of Public Utilities (BPU) rules and regulations, which may include, but not be limited to, clearing, moving, cutting, or destroying to remove, replace, or maintain dangerous vegetation and to establish a program to develop effective strategies to implement the bill's provisions. Under the bill, "dangerous vegetation" is defined as a tree, shrub, plant, or any other vegetation growing in, near, or adjacent to the electric utility's right-of-way, and its distribution and transmission system, but not including a service line to an individual customer, which may fall into, touch, affect, or otherwise interfere with a distribution line, as determined by the electric utility or local government entity having control of the right-of-way. The bill requires an electric utility to notify all customers, property owners, and local and other government entities that may be affected by planned vegetation management activity near the electric utility's distribution or transmission system. The bill also requires an electric utility to conduct an annual public education program to inform its customers and local and other government entities in the electric utility's service territory of the importance of vegetation management and of the electric utility's role and responsibility in performing vegetation management. The bill prohibits the Community Forestry Council (council) and a county or municipal shade tree commission (commission) from interfering with or restricting an electric utility's removal, replacement, or maintenance of dangerous vegetation. The bill provides that, upon there being a vacancy on the council after the effective date of the bill, the State Forester is to appoint an electric utility employee who is an approved forester to represent the electric utility on the council until such time as there are at least two members serving on the council meeting that description. The bill also provides that, in order to allow any public utility or cable television company to clear, move, cut, or destroy dangerous vegetation upon any lands in which it has acquired an easement or right-of-way or upon any public right-of-way, a public utility or cable television company is not required to receive the permission of any commission to undertake that work and is not subject to any penalty imposed by any commission as provided by law. Under the bill, a public utility or cable television company is not exempt from any penalty or replacement assessment imposed as a result of damage to a tree, shrub, or plant caused by non-compliance with any rule or regulation of a commission, provided that the rule or regulation does not interfere with or restrict any vegetation management work conducted by the public utility or cable television company from complying with any federal rule, regulation, or law, any vegetation management rule, regulation, or order of the BPU, or any national or federal standard applicable to a public utility or cable television company. The bill provides that a public utility or cable television company, that is acting in good faith, with due diligence and reasonable judgment, in its performance of vegetation management pursuant to the bill's provisions and any board rules or regulations, is not to be held liable, penalized, or otherwise subject to undue hardship by a governing body of a county or municipality or a commission. | In Committee |
| A508 | Requires certain CATV companies to provide Internet service at public libraries with business customer class Internet access bandwidth and circuit capacity proportional to public libraries' needs. | This bill amends existing law to require cable television companies having a system-wide franchise to install free Internet access at public libraries within its franchise area that has a business customer class Internet access bandwidth and circuit capacity proportional to the public libraries' needs.bandwidth and circuit capacity proportional to public libraries' needs. | In Committee |
| A3021 | "New Jersey Ticket Consumer Choice Act." | This bill, the "New Jersey Ticket Consumer Choice Act," would guarantee the right of New Jersey ticket purchasers to opt-out of ticket restrictions that limit their ability to use, sell, or give away the tickets they have purchased. Specifically, this bill allows ticket issuers to sell tickets through a ticketing system that restricts the rights of consumers to resell their tickets only if, at the time of the initial sale, the consumer is offered the option to purchase the same ticket in a form not subject to restrictions by the issuer. Issuers would be permitted, however, to sell or give away tickets in a non-transferable form in the context of targeted promotions or private events. The bill prohibits any penalty or discrimination against a ticket holder solely because the ticket was resold or because of the specific ticket platform on which the ticket was resold. The bill provides for the recognition of the rights of issuers and venue owners and operators to institute policies governing overall operation of entertainment events and ticket sales. In addition, the bill removes the existing statutory caps on the resale prices of tickets. The consumer choice provisions of this bill protecting the right of ticket purchasers to resell their tickets have been in effect in New York State for six years. This bill provides an exemption to issuers of tickets for an entertainment event held in a venue owned or operated by an entity which is subject to a hotel and motel occupancy fee and located in a city the governing body of which has levied a retails sales tax. | In Committee |
| A2509 | Revises child pornography law. | This bill revises the State's laws governing child pornography. The bill modifies subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:24-4, concerning "real" child pornography to include: (1) upgrading to a first degree crime for all persons, not just parents and guardians, causing or permitting a child to engage in or simulation of a prohibited sexual act knowing that the act would be photographed or reproduced; (2) explicitly stating that an intent to distribute, advertise, offer or agree to offer is not an element of creating or reproducing child pornography and clarifying that the elements of this offense include producing, creating, copying or duplicating images of child pornography, or posting those images on the Internet; (3) clarifying that possessing child pornography for the purpose of distributing it is a second degree crime and streamlining the definition of "distribute"; (4) upgrading possession of child pornography to a crime of the third degree; and (5) establishing a rebuttable presumption that a person appearing to be a child in a photo, video, or computer file, is in fact an actual child; (6) requiring defendants who intend to defend a charge of child pornography by claiming that it was created without using an actual child, or the face or any of the intimate parts of an actual child, or depicts the image of a person who is not a child, to notify the prosecutor of that claim in accordance with the Rules of Court; and (7) allowing the admissibility of hearsay evidence to be used to establish the existence, identity and age of an actual child depicted in child pornography. The bill also adds a new subsection c. to N.J.S.2C:24-4 to establish the crime of "virtual" child pornography, the provisions of which parallel the provisions of subsection b. concerning "real" child pornography. This new subsection: (1) makes it a crime of the second degree to use any device, including a computer, to produce, create, or reproduce an image which appears to depict a child in a obscene prohibited sexual act or in a simulation of such an act; (2) makes it a crime of the second degree to knowingly distribute obscene virtual child pornography; (3) makes it a crime of the third degree to knowingly possess obscene virtual child pornography; (4) defines an "obscene" depiction to be one in which: a sexual act is patently offensive; lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value when taken as a whole; and is part of a work which, taken as a whole in light of contemporary community standards, appeals to the prurient interest; and (5) specifies that when virtual child pornography is obscene, the defendant is strictly liable; Other provisions of the bill: require defendants to be reviewed for referral to the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center if convicted of certain real and virtual child pornography crimes; prohibit expungement of criminal records; provide for notification to the prosecuting agency and victim when a defendant is placed in a community release program or released from incarceration; and require certain repeat offender's presentence and parole eligibility report to include a complete psychological evaluation for repeat offenders. The bill also eliminates the presumption of nonincarceration, normally applicable to third degree crimes, for the crime of possessing real or virtual child pornography. The bill includes a fixed mandatory minimum term of imprisonment for certain recidivists who violate N.J.S.2C:24-4. Defendants convicted of engaging in sexual conduct which would impair or debauch the morals of a child in violation of subsection a. of N.J.S.2C:24-4 or of child pornography crimes under subsection b. or c. of N.J.S.2C:24-4 must be sentenced to prison and serve one-third to one-half of their sentences before being eligible for parole if they have previously been convicted of other sex crimes including luring or enticing a child, sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, or child endangerment. The bill also makes a prior conviction under N.J.S.2C:24-4 the basis for a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment pursuant to N.J.S.2C:14-6, and provides that the minimum term must be imposed regardless of whether the defendant is sentenced to an extended term of imprisonment. Finally, the bill amends various other statutes to ensure that virtual child pornographers are subject to the same penalties as real child pornographers. Thus, wherever a statute specifically refers to a provision of subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:24-4, this bill adds subsection c. to the statute. | In Committee |
| A3145 | Grants certain leaves of absence for Vietnam Veterans of America conventions. | This bill adds the Vietnam Veterans of America to the list of organizations whose duly authorized representatives are entitled to receive a leave of absence with pay to attend State and national conventions under R.S.38:23-2, which applies to persons in the service of the State, a county, or a municipality. This bill also removes two defunct organizations from the list. | In Committee |
| A282 | Establishes construction workforce recruitment and training program in DOLWD. | This bill requires the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to establish the "Go Build" program. The purpose of the program is to increase awareness of and provide access to construction workforce opportunities and training in New Jersey. The bill provides that the program will: 1. educate the public concerning construction workforce opportunities and training, and the construction industry in general in this State; 2. provide workforce training programs for the construction trades; 3. recruit workers for construction workforce training programs and construction workforce jobs; 4. engage in media advertising, marketing, website and database creation, and other related activities in order to promote construction workforce training programs, construction workforce opportunities, and the program overall; 5. partner with the construction industry and educational institutions in the State in developing and implementing the program; 6. consult with the Alabama Construction Recruitment Institute of the State of Alabama, and the Workforce Division in the Georgia Department of Economic Development, in developing and implementing the program; and 7. identify and seek assistance from other private, public, and nonprofit partners that may help in developing and implementing the program. The bill also provides that no later than five years after the program is established, the department must submit to the Governor and Legislature a written report containing information on the development and implementation of the program, evaluation of the program, and recommendations for improving the program. | In Committee |
| A3849 | "Louisa Carman Medical Billing and Medical Debt Relief Act." | "Louisa Carman Medical Billing and Medical Debt Relief Act." | Introduced |
| Bill | Bill Name | Motion | Vote Date | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S2167 | Requires public and certain nonpublic schools to comply with breakfast and lunch standards adopted by USDA. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S317 | Revises "Athletic Training Licensure Act." | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S1403 | Requires employer or contractor engaged in work for public body to submit payroll records to DOLWD. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S1320 | Requires certain information be included in certain contracts with licensed public adjusters. | Assembly Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A775 | "Fairness in Women's Sport Act." | Assembly Floor: Table Motion | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A2929 | Requires disclosure of lead drinking water hazards to tenants of residential units; prohibits landlords from obstructing replacement of lead service lines; concerns testing of certain property for lead drinking water hazards. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A2090 | Requires solid waste management district to develop strategy to reduce food waste; requires DEP to adopt certain rules and regulations regarding composting facilities. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3099 | Establishes option for students nearing completion of program in chiropractic medicine to participate in preceptorship provided by State-licensed chiropractor. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3361 | Establishes limit on rent increase for certain dwelling sites for modular or industrialized buildings or manufactured homes. | Assembly Floor: Suspend Rule 22:5b | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3361 | Establishes limit on rent increase for certain dwelling sites for modular or industrialized buildings or manufactured homes. | Assembly Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3007 | Increases maximum age for pediatric long-term care facility residents to 26. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3128 | Authorizes HMFA to use certain tax credits; directs HMFA to conduct tax credit auctions to provide financial assistance for certain housing purposes. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3035 | Prohibits certain vehicles from parking in electric vehicle charging spaces under certain circumstances. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A1682 | Requires State Board of Education to adopt New Jersey Student Learning Standards pertaining to labor movement; requires school districts to provide instruction on labor movement. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A1675 | Extends membership in TPAF to 10 years after discontinuance of service and to 15 years for those who were laid off or had 10 or more years of continuous service upon voluntary termination. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A2998 | Permits court to order counseling for children in households with domestic violence in appropriate cases; establishes presumption of award of custody to domestic violence victim in appropriate cases. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A2390 | Requires municipalities in compliance with affordable housing obligations be provided priority consideration for certain State grants and assistance. | Assembly Floor: Table Motion | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A2390 | Requires municipalities in compliance with affordable housing obligations be provided priority consideration for certain State grants and assistance. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A551 | Permits certain consumers up to five business days to cancel home improvement contracts and up to three days to cancel certain consumer goods contracts. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2335 | Requires school districts to provide instruction on history of Latinos and Hispanics as part of implementation of New Jersey Student Learning Standards. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3518 | Requires MVC to create digital driver's licenses and digital non-driver identification cards. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| AJR128 | Designates August of each year as "American Artist Appreciation Month" in New Jersey. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3742 | Requires Secretary of Agriculture to establish Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse school districts for costs expended in sourcing and procuring local foods for students; appropriates $4,500,000. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2783 | "Travel Insurance Act." | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2788 | Appropriates $128.241 million from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues to State Agriculture Development Committee for farmland preservation purposes. | Assembly Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3802 | Differentiates certain legal services from traditional insurance products. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3974 | Prohibits use of deceptive marketing practices by substance use disorder treatment providers. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3979 | Requires certain providers of substance or alcohol use disorder treatment, services, or supports to be assessed for conflicts of interest prior to receiving State funds, licensure, or certification. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A3973 | Revises law concerning patient referrals to substance use disorder treatment facilities, recovery residences, and clinical laboratories. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S2961 | Establishes minimum qualifications for persons employed on public works contract. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4085 | Allows for natural organic reduction and controlled supervised decomposition of human remains. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3052 | Concerns grade options at public institutions of higher education for service member and dependents unable to complete course due to military obligation. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3041 | Prohibits cooperative from receiving public works contract when cooperative-approved vendor fails to pay prevailing wage; concerns cooperative purchasing agreements with other states; and permits contracting units to award certain indefinite contracts. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4182 | Concerns conditions of employment of certain cannabis workers. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3132 | Imposes certain requirements on secondhand dealers of cellular telephones and wireless communication devices. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4215 | Directs BPU to adopt rules and regulations concerning small modular nuclear reactors; authorizes EDA to incentivize construction and operation of such reactors. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4248 | Requires certain documentation as proof of voter identity to vote; updates procedures for challenging voters regarding proof of identity. | Assembly Floor: Table Motion | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4295 | Establishes New Jersey-India Commission. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4302 | Amends current child labor laws to protect minor working as vlogger in certain circumstances. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3189 | Makes various changes to "New Jersey Angel Investor Tax Credit Act" and Technology Business Tax Certificate Transfer Program; repeals "New Jersey Ignite Act." | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4429 | Expands prohibitions on employers concerning requirements for employees to attend or listen to communications related to political matters. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3309 | Establishes "Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act"; revises motor vehicle franchise agreements. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4455 | Allows exemption from New Jersey gross income of certain capital gains from sale or exchange of qualified small business stock. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4479 | Requires social media platforms to cooperate with nonprofit organization initiatives to remove nonconsensual intimate images or videos. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4521 | Concerns provision of services to defendants on pretrial release. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4544 | Expands eligibility requirements of State's child care assistance program to include full-time graduate and post-graduate students. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3418 | Authorizes certain types of permanent structures, recently constructed or erected on preserved farmland, to be used, in certain cases, for purposes of holding special occasion events thereon. | Assembly Floor: Concur Governor Recommendations | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4577 | Requires State departments and Office of Technology to provide reports on proposed technology upgrades. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4636 | Requires that notice concerning gift card fraud be posted by retail mercantile establishments that sell gift cards to consumers. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4643 | Creates penalty for child endangerment via use of social media. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4651 | Establishes penalties for certain conduct related to public brawl and disorderly conduct. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4712 | Establishes Office of Veteran Advocate and ombudsman for DMVA; appropriates funds. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4714 | Broadens riot; enhances penalties for certain crimes committed during riot; creates new crimes of mob intimidation and cyber-intimidation by publication; establishes duty in municipality to permit law enforcement to respond appropriately. | Assembly Floor: Table Motion | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4765 | Requires driver education and testing on responsibilities when approaching and passing pedestrians and persons operating bicycles and personal conveyances; requires driver's manual to include information on sharing roadway with motorists for certain road users. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4818 | Reduces and clarifies requirements for municipal tourist development commission disbursements for advertising. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3618 | Directs DEP and DOT to establish "Wildlife Corridor Action Plan." | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3663 | Establishes reproductive health travel advisory. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3711 | Makes annual allocation of $500,000 from Clean Communities Program Fund for public outreach concerning single-use plastics reduction program permanent. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3776 | Establishes Chronic Absenteeism Task Force. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3773 | Concerns requirements to report separations from employment under employee leasing agreements. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4937 | Concerns satellite cannabis dispensaries, Cannabis Regulatory Commission membership, and post-employment restrictions on State employees. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4937 | Concerns satellite cannabis dispensaries, Cannabis Regulatory Commission membership, and post-employment restrictions on State employees. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A4971 | Requires EDA to provide grants to certain small businesses affected by State infrastructure and construction projects. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5000 | Requires Medicaid coverage for fertility preservation services in cases of iatrogenic infertility caused by medically necessary treatments. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5004 | Creates separate crime for items depicting sexual exploitation or abuse of children; concerns computer generated or manipulated sexually explicit images. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5049 | Removes certain limitations on receipt of retirement or death benefits under PFRS under certain circumstances. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5077 | Extends statutory pause on collection of student growth objective data. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3910 | Makes various changes to provision of preschool aid and facilities requirements; establishes Universal Preschool Implementation Steering Committee; requires full-day kindergarten in all school districts. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3933 | Establishes School Supervisor Mentorship Pilot Program; appropriates $500,000. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3944 | Provides that certain non-profit corporation alcoholic beverage theater licensees include disregarded entities of such corporations; allows certain community theaters to sell alcoholic beverages. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5146 | Removes exception to civil service working test period for political subdivision employees. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3982 | Requires certain information be provided to parent at least two business days prior to annual Individualized Education Program (IEP) team meeting; establishes IEP Improvement Working Group in DOE. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S3992 | Modifies capital reserve funding requirements for certain planned real estate developments. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5213 | Establishes "New Economy Opportunity Skills System Pilot Program" to strengthen alignment and collaboration between local workforce development boards, community colleges, and county vocational school districts; makes appropriation. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5199 | Requires resident and fellow physicians employed by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, who are eligible for coverage in SHBP, to be eligible to enroll and receive health insurance on first day of employment. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5195 | Requires producer of certain firefighting equipment containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances to provide written notice to purchaser; prohibits sale, manufacture, and distribution of certain firefighting equipment containing intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5267 | Requires BPU to procure and incentivize transmission-scale energy storage. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5267 | Requires BPU to procure and incentivize transmission-scale energy storage. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5260 | Prohibits sale, manufacture, and distribution of certain apparel containing intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4122 | Revises apportionment of State lottery contributions. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5277 | Establishes public awareness campaign and call center for certain property tax relief programs; requires submission of annual report by Stay NJ Task Force. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5278 | Establishes "New Jersey Menopause Coverage Act"; requires health insurance coverage of medically necessary perimenopause and menopause treatments. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5309 | Permits up to three credits of continuing medical education on menopause to be used by advanced practice nurses and physicians for license renewal. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| SJR154 | Directs BPU to investigate PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.'s Reliability Pricing Model; directs State to promote affordable energy practices and to urge PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. to implement certain reforms. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5362 | Prohibits casino licensees from using non-wagering casino games to solicit future gaming. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5378 | Modifies provisions of Cultural Arts Incentives Program, New Jersey Aspire Program, and Grow New Jersey Program; eliminates Community-Anchored Development Program. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5383 | Requires unrestricted Medicaid coverage for ovulation enhancing drugs and medical services related to administering such drugs for certain beneficiaries experiencing infertility. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5381 | Provides medical documentation requirement for certain members of PERS, PFRS, and SPRS to receive accidental disability retirement allowance for participation in 9/11 World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations; removes filing deadline. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5420 | Permits 30-calendar day extension to cure period for certain businesses to address and resolve certain violations. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5421 | Requires development of online tax training for small and micro-businesses. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5422 | Allows businesses to receive information via email concerning new regulations and economic incentives that affect business. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4263 | Revises certain provisions concerning, and establishes certain education and data reporting requirements related to, involuntary commitment. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| AR180 | Urges DEP, Pinelands Commission, and Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council to engage in alternative forest management practices during periods of drought when prescribed burning is unsafe. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5447 | Prohibits sweepstakes model of wagering; establishes new penalties for unlawful gambling operations and practices; directs Division of Consumer Affairs and Division of Gaming Enforcement to enforce penalties. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5462 | Requires electric public utilities to develop and apply special rules for certain data centers to protect non-data center customers from increased costs. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5463 | Requires electric public utilities to submit annual report on voting to BPU. | Assembly Floor: Concur in Senate Amendments | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| S4293 | Requires owner or operator of data center to submit water and energy usage report to BPU. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5517 | Directs BPU to study feasibility of developing advanced reactors Statewide. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5533 | Establishes requirements for receipt and purchase of scrap metals containing lithium-ion or propulsion batteries. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| A5563 | Establishes "Summer Termination Program" for certain utility customers. | Assembly Floor: Third Reading - Final Passage | 06/30/2025 | Yea |
| State | District | Chamber | Party | Status | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NJ | District 14 | House | Democrat | In Office | 01/08/2008 |