NJASA Legislative Update
March 11, 2020
If you have any questions regarding the legislative information below, please email me at  mschulz@njasa.net . 
The following Legislative Activity took place March 5, 2020:

A-2549 Schaer
Requires certain health care providers, SHBP, and School Employees' Health Benefits Program to submit certain health care claims data to DOBI.
Reported and Referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee

A-3592 Timberlake
Requires meeting between student and appropriate school personnel after multiple suspensions or proposed expulsion from public school to identify behavior or health difficulties.
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

A-3595 Timberlake
Directs Department of Agriculture in consultation with DOE to establish online applications for National School Lunch Program and school breakfast programs.
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

A-3597 Peters/Stanfield
Establishes School Funding Commission to study school funding formula and prepare report that will serve as basis of new formula.
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

A-3599 Dunn
Requires individuals appointed to serve as school anti-bullying specialist and district anti-bullying coordinator to serve in those capacities full-time.
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

A-3600 Dunn
Increases penalties for injuring school crossing guard or student pedestrian in crosswalk.
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

A-3601 Quijano
Allocates Amistad Commission in but not of DOE; requires commission to elect chairperson and appoint executive director; requires public schools to include instruction on accomplishments and contributions of African Americans to American society; appropriates $400,000.
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

A-3609 Quijano
Includes administration of medication as nonpublic school nursing service.
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

AR-136 DiMaso
Urges boards of education to adopt recommendations of New Jersey School Boards Association's mental health report.
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

S-108 Gill/Turner
Concerns speech rights of student journalists at public schools and public institutions of higher education.
Passed by the Senate; Received in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

S-1028 Ruiz/Turner/Singleton
Allocates Amistad Commission in but not of DOE; requires commission to elect chairperson and appoint executive director; requires public schools to include instruction on accomplishments and contributions of African Americans to American society.
Passed by the Senate; Received in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

S-2013 Ruiz
Establishes task force to examine and make recommendations regarding professional development requirements for public school teachers and school leaders.
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee

S-2015 Ruiz
Requires candidates for teacher certification to complete technology training program.
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee

S-2018 Lagana
Provides that criminal history record checks for employees of nonpublic schools are mandatory.
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee

S-2027 Cardinale/Beach/Kean, Jr.
Permits use of virtual or remote instruction to meet minimum 180-day school year requirement under certain circumstances.
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee

SR-56 Pennacchio/Kean, Jr.
Urges State to fully fund extraordinary special education aid for students in 2019-2020 fiscal year and thereafter.
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee
For Your Information:

EPA awards New Jersey $1.5M for lead testing in schools
By Samantha Maldonado, POLITICO New Jersey 
March 11, 2020


The federal Environmental Protection Agency today awarded New Jersey more than $1.5 million in funding to identity sources of lead in drinking water in schools and child care facilities.

The funding comes from the agency’s $43.7 million Voluntary Lead Testing in Schools and Child Care grant program.

Under the program, the state will test for lead, create a response plan and communicate the results with the public.

New Jersey Future has estimated that replacing the more than 300,000 lead service lines in the state will cost $2.3 billion.

In his budget for fiscal year 2021, Gov. Phil Murphy proposed $80 million to replace lead service lines.

Last year, Murphy called for a $500 million bond to replace every lead service line served by a public utility, as well as cover the cost of lead paint abatement. He said in February that he hopes to have a lead-related bond question on the ballot for voters in November.

Lead contamination is a statewide issue, with Newark’s problem making its mark over the past few years. The city’s water in 2017 exceeded lead rules because of a lack of corrosion control. Starting in August, tens of thousands of Newark residents started to rely on bottled water for drinking and cooking after it was discovered that city-distributed water filters may not have been screening tap water for lead.