Weekly Legislative Update
Monday February 22nd
Assembly Voting Session:
Monday morning, the Assembly and Senate met to vote on recreational marijuana clean up legislation that addresses final concerns that the Administration had for underage use and possession of marijuana. The legislation was passed this morning and signed by the Governor thereafter. The Governor also signed the recreational marijuana legislation and a reform bill into law shortly before his briefing this afternoon. Please find the release here.
A5342 (Wimberly) - Revises consequences for underage possession or consumption of various forms of cannabis included in legislation passed by both Houses of Legislature; requires AG reports, reviewable by task force, on law enforcement interactions on underage violations. Passed and Signed by Governor
S3453 / A5359 (Cryan / Scutari / Pou / Quijano / Lopez / Caputo) - Amends certain provisions and effective date applicable to disclosure of personal information of judicial officers, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers. Passed and Signed by Governor
Assembly State and Local Government Committee:
*A2117 (Tully / Swain / Armato) - Establishes State to oversee application for and receipt of federal funds Ombudsman by State agencies. Passed with committee amendments
A3471 (Sumter / Chaparro) - Concerns certification of tax collectors. Passed
A4473 / S2725 (Houghtaling / Downey / Gopal) - Concerns assessment of real property in counties operating under "Real Property Assessment Demonstration Program." Passed with committee amendments
*A4992 / *S446 (Schaer / Mazzeo / Murphy / Doherty / Sweeney) - Permits counties to share county tax administrators. Passed
Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee
A1223 (Chaparro / Webber) - Requires rail passenger service to provide purchasers with proof of payment at time of purchase. Passed with committee amendments
A3533 / S324 (Benson / Diegnan / Bucco) - Authorizes operators of motor vehicles to display electronic proof of registration. Passed with committee amendments
A4552 / S767 (Houghtaling / Benson / Tully / Gopal / Greenstein) - Exempts New Jersey Infrastructure Bank projects from certain local bond requirements. Passed with committee amendments
A4742 / S2938 (Benson / Vainieri Huttle / Turner / Diegnan) - Limits certain appointment times at MVC locations to obtain REAL ID to senior citizens and persons with certain medical conditions during COVID-19 pandemic. Passed
A4947 (Johnson / Wirths / Reynolds-Jackson) - Establishes retroactive date for provisions of P.L.2018, c.165, which clarifies provisions of "Predatory Towing Prevention Act." Passed
Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee
A1976 (Pinkin / Benson) - Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to issue up to $20 million in bonds to finance cost-effective energy efficiency improvements in State, local, and school district buildings. Passed with committee amendments
A2863 / S968 (Moen / Swain / Tully / Singleton / Lagana) - Requires public water systems to provide notice of elevated lead levels in drinking water to customers and local officials; requires landlords to notify tenants of elevated lead levels. Passed with committee amendments
A3352 (Pinkin) - Requires all newly constructed warehouses to be solar-ready buildings. Passed with committee substitute
A4899 (Benson / Verrelli) - Extends existing plug-in electric vehicle incentives to plug-in electric motorcycles. Passed with committee amendments
Assembly Agriculture Committee
A503 (Webber) - Concerns baked goods sold at farm markets. Passed
A3619 (Houghtaling / Dancer) - Allows commercial farmer to be awarded reasonable costs and attorney fees for defending against bad faith complaints under "Right to Farm Act". Passed
AJR21 (Mazzeo / Armato) - Designates months of June through September of each year as "Jersey Fresh Season." Passed
Assembly Human Services Committee
A209 (Tucker / Vainieri Huttle / Wimberly) - Establishes Disparity in Treatment of Persons with Disabilities in Underrepresented Communities Commission in DCA. Passed
A998 (Downey / Houghtaling / Benson) - Establishes social innovation loan guarantee pilot program and study commission within New Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority concerning opioid and other substance use disorders. Passed
A1020 (Downey / Zwicker / Chiaravalloti) - Requires certain hospitals and healthcare facilities to collect patients' gender and sexual orientation information. Passed with Committee Amendments
A4963 (McKnight / Conaway) - Provides comprehensive Medicaid benefits to certain individuals formerly in foster care. Passed
AR214 (McKnight / Speight / Timberlake) - Urges support and protection for African-American women. Passed
Assembly Labor Committee
A1534 (Spearman / Chiaravalloti / Quijano) - "New Jersey Works Act"; Permits businesses to create pre-employment training programs in partnership with nonprofit organizations or educational institutions; provides tax credit to businesses that provide financial assistance to pre-employment training. Passed with Committee Amendments
A1597 (Mejia / Timberlake / Vainieri Huttle) - Establishes Task Force to Promote Employment by State Agencies of People with Disabilities. Passed with Committee Amendments
A1650 (Quijano) - Limits certain provisions in and enforceability of restrictive covenants. Passed
A4380 / S2488 (Benson / Moen / Johnson / Singleton / Scutari) - Allocates $50 million to Department of Labor and Workforce Development from federal government assistance to improve unemployment insurance benefit claims processing capacity. Passed
A4680 / S2932 (Burzichelli / Sweeney) - Concerns subcontracting agreements entered into by four-year public institutions of higher education. (pending referral) Passed
Assembly Science, Innovation, and Technology Committee
A195 (Carter / Karabinchak) - Requires Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development to conduct study and issue report on impact of artificial intelligence on economic growth. Passed with Committee Amendments
A320 (Danielsen / McKeon / DeCroce) - Requires State to review and approve digital payment platform. Passed with Committee Amendments
A1191 (Zwicker) - Establishes "Beatrice Hicks Innovation Partnership"; provides funding for certain nonprofit partnerships to promote certain emerging technology businesses. Passed with Committee Amendments
A2455 (Benson / Pinkin / Vainieri Huttle) - Establishes pilot program in DOE to support FIRST Robotics Programs in school districts. Passed with Committee Amendments
A5013 (Zwicker / Carter / Vainieri Huttle) - Directs Secretary of State to develop national marketing campaign promoting State's innovation economy. Passed with Committee Amendments
Committee on Infrastructure and Natural Resources
The committee received testimony from invited guests concerning the impact of climate change and how variable weather patterns, sea level rise, and rising temperatures would exacerbate issues like flooding, water supply problems, and State or regional droughts.
Tuesday February 23rd:
Assembly Women and Children Committee
A4884 / *S3070 (Vainieri Huttle / McKnight / Reynolds-Jackson / Weinberg / Turner) - Establishes "Sexual Violence Restorative Justice Pilot Program." Passed with Committee Amendments
A4885 / *S3071 (Vainieri Huttle / Lopez / Reynolds-Jackson / Weinberg / Ruiz) - Requires law enforcement provide victim of sexual assault with police report; provides victim with option to review police report and submit corrective form. Passed with Committee Amendments
A4886 / *S3072 (Vainieri Huttle / Murphy / Reynolds-Jackson / Weinberg / Cunningham) - Requires resources be made available to victims of sexual assault. Passed
A4887 / *S3073 (Vainieri Huttle / Jasey / Timberlake / Weinberg / Corrado) - Establishes right of victims to be notified of county prosecutor's charging decision in sexual assault cases. Passed with Committee Amendments
A4888 / *S3074 (Vainieri Huttle / Lopez / Schepisi / Weinberg / Greenstein) - Requires AG audit sexual assault cases and issue annual report. Passed with Committee Amendments
A4889 / *S3075 (Vainieri Huttle / Quijano / Speight / Weinberg / Pou) - Establishes sexual violence liaison officer in Division of State Police and local police departments. Passed with Committee Amendments
A4890 / *S3076 (Vainieri Huttle / McKnight / Reynolds-Jackson / Weinberg / Gill) - Requires sexual assault training for prosecutors. Passed with Committee Amendments
A4892 / *S3078 (Vainieri Huttle / Lopez / Schepisi / Weinberg / Addiego) - Codifies State Workplace Anti-Harassment and Discrimination Policy. Held
Wednesday February 24th:
Assembly Appropriations Committee
A954 / A653 / A1669 (Karabinchak / Armato / Quijano / Mazzeo / Downey / Freiman / Vainieri Huttle) - 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. Passed with Committee Amendments / Held / Held
A1061 / S890 (Jasey / Johnson / Verrelli / Pou / Codey) - Requires DOH and DHS to identify and take appropriate steps to secure federal sources of funding to support maternal mental health. Passed
A1079 / S703 (Speight / Pintor Marin / Reynolds-Jackson / Ruiz / Cunningham) - Requires certain health care professionals to undergo implicit bias training. Passed with Committee Amendments
A1483 (Moriarty / Quijano) - Regulates pay-off of trade-in vehicles and certain vehicle title releases. Passed with Committee Amendments
A2101 / S828 (Swain / Tully / Verrelli / Lagana / Greenstein) - Requires public utilities and local units to provide notice prior to initiating certain infrastructure projects. Passed with Committee Amendments
A2302 (Pintor Marin / Benson / Timberlake) - Establishes creative crosswalks pilot program. Passed
A2562 (DeAngelo / Dancer / Chaparro) - Provides retirement allowance after 20 years of service regardless of age for members of PFRS. Passed with Committee Amendments
A2614 (Murphy / Benson / Timberlake) - "21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act." Passed
*A2890 / *S942 (Lopez / Chiaravalloti / Timberlake / Singleton / Cardinale) - Requires certain standards for professional and occupational boards considering applicants with criminal history records. Passed with Committee Amendments
A2891 (Lopez / Zwicker / Danielsen) - "Digital Asset and Blockchain Technology Act." Passed with Committee Amendments
A3998 / S2476 (Murphy / Giblin / Verrelli / Singleton / Addiego) - Concerns certain workers' compensation supplemental benefits for surviving dependents of essential employees who die in course of employment. Held
*A4310 (Benson / Dancer) - Requires Division of Local Government Services to approve local unit budgets with excess anticipated miscellaneous revenue due to COVID-19 and authorizes school districts to maintain surplus at four percent for 2020-2021 school year. Passed with Committee Amendments
A4463 (Quijano / Wimberly) - Establishes confidentiality of court records of certain eviction actions initiated during COVID-19 pandemic. Passed with Committee Amendments
A4473 / S2725 (Houghtaling / Downey / Gopal) - Concerns assessment of real property in counties operating under "Real Property Assessment Demonstration Program." Passed with Committee Amendments
*A4623 / *S2815 (Downey / Danielsen / Houghtaling / Gopal / Gill) - Requires DMVA assist service members discharged solely due to LGBTQ status with petitions to change discharge designation. Passed
A4632 (Giblin / Benson / Dunn) - Requires MVC to provide written knowledge examination online during COVID-19 public health emergency and state of emergency. Passed
A4830 / *S3203 (Zwicker / Danielsen / Reynolds-Jackson / Gill / Greenstein / Turner) - Requires in person early voting period for certain elections; makes appropriation. Passed with Committee Amendments
A5016 (Verrelli / McKnight / Egan) - Establishes Water Apprenticeship, Training, and Resources Pilot Program in DOLWD. Passed with Committee Amendments
A5059 (Conaway / Vainieri Huttle / Benson) - Requires DOH to establish certain nursing education and professional advancement programs. Passed with Committee Amendments
*A5075 (Burzichelli / Dancer / Johnson) - Establishes New Jersey Fire museum and Fallen Firefighter Memorial Commission. Passed through Senate and Assembly
A5147 (Lampitt / Freiman / Speight) - Establishes Alleviating Learning Loss in New Jersey Grant Program in DOE to assist public schools in establishing or expanding certain educational programs to address learning loss in students. Passed
A5149 / S3234 (Greenwald / Benson / Johnson / Singleton / Bucco) - Allows deduction from tax of certain expenses when taxpayer's federal paycheck protection program loan is forgiven and excludes those forgiven loans from gross income tax. Passed with Committee Amendments
*A5385 / *S3456 (Chiaravalloti / Mukherji / Carter / Cunningham / Scutari) - Eliminates mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment determined by Legislature to be of non-violent nature. Passed
*A5405 (Coughlin / Speight / Armato) - Appropriates $10 million in federal funding to DHS to support Emergency Feeding Organizations and for direct food assistance. (pending intro and referral) Passed
S526 (Vitale / Pou / Sweeney) - Provides that purchase of insulin is not subject to deductible and requires health insurers to limit copayments and coinsurance for insulin. Passed with Committee Amendments through Assembly
S1017 (Gopal / Lagana) - Provides retirement allowance after 20 years of service regardless of age for current members of PFRS who retire within two years. Passed through Senate
*S2691 (Greenstein / Pou / Turner) - Authorizes school districts to maintain surplus at four percent for 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years. Passed through Senate and Assembly
Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee
A2448 (Benson) - Requires certain CATV companies to make CATV service available throughout residential areas of municipality within specified number of years after CATV company first provides service to municipality. Passed
A4569 (Reynolds-Jackson / Benson) - Requires electric power suppliers and gas suppliers to receive written signature from person prior to switching provision of electric generation service or gas supply service. Passed with Committee Amendments
A4819 / S3033 (Lampitt / DeAngelo / Giblin / Sweeney / Singleton) - Establishes School and Small Business Energy Efficiency Stimulus Program in BPU. (S3033 is pending referral) Passed with Committee Amendments
A5131 (McKeon / Danielsen / Jasey) - Authorizes imposition of fee for connection to municipal electric distribution system. (pending referral) Passed
A5160 (DeAngelo / Conaway / Zwicker) - Establishes minimum energy and water efficiency standards for certain products sold, offered for sale, or leased in the State. (pending referral) Passed with Committee Amendments
Assembly Education Committee
A1662 / S1790 (Quijano / Jimenez / Danielsen / Pennacchio / Diegnan) - "Mallory's Law"; revises provisions required in school district's anti-bullying policy; provides for civil liability of parent of minor adjudicated delinquent for cyber-harassment or harassment; and increases certain fines against parents. Passed with Committee Substitute
A4859 (Jasey / Vainieri Huttle / Caputo) - Mandates training on remote teaching for all candidates for teaching certification. Passed
A5007 (Lampitt / Vainieri Huttle) - Requires DOE to compile list of professional development programs on virtual and remote instruction; requires public school teachers and school leaders to complete professional development program on virtual and remote instruction. Passed with Committee Amendments
Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness
A1663 (Quijano / Vainieri Huttle / Karabinchak) - Establishes "New Jersey Nonprofit Security Grant Program." Passed with Committee Amendments
A2427 (Benson / Pinkin) - "The Reliability, Preparedness, and Storm Response Act; requires public utilities to file certain information concerning emergency preparedness with BPU and increases certain penalties. Passed
AJR208 (McKnight / Benson) - Condemns hate and violent extremism and commits to defense of safe and just democracy. Passed