Friday, March 19th
NJ Weekly Newsletter
New Jersey Update
This afternoon, Governor Phil Murphy announced an additional 3,738 positive COVID-19 cases, increasing the statewide total to 758,470. An additional 21 deaths were announced, increasing the statewide total to 21,588. There have been 3,303,734 vaccinations administered as of mid-morning today, with 2,145,935 being 1st doses and 1,156,827 being 2nd doses. The Governor, Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, and NJ Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli spent the morning visiting vaccination sites at the NJ TRANSIT General Office Building and the St. Matthew AME Church.

As of 6am this morning, the indoor gathering limit has increased to 25 individuals and the outdoor limit has increased to 50 individuals. Indoor capacity limits for restaurants, gyms, health clubs, recreational facilities and arcades, and personal care businesses have increased to 50% of listed capacity. The mask mandate remains in effect.

The Governor signed an Executive Order on Wednesday extending the public health emergency another 30 days. The Department of Health's ability to regulate the distribution of the vaccination is directly linked to the declaration of the public health emergency.
 
Governor Murphy signed an Executive Order to end the current prohibition on outdoor interstate youth sports competitions that ended this morning. Attendees are limited to coaches, players, officials and up to 2 parents/guardians per player. The indoor prohibition remains in effect at this time.
 
Yesterday marked the 1 year anniversary since all schools in NJ closed and moved to remote learning. Now, we are moving forward and toward in-person instruction. $2.8 million from the American Rescue Plan will help schools re-open safely and combat learning loss.
 
As of Wednesday, of the 811 public schools, charter schools, renaissance schools, and schools for students with disabilities:
·     142 open for all in-person instruction
·     534 open for hybrid instruction
·     37 using a combination of in-person, hybrid and all-remote instruction
·     98 using all-remote instruction
 
Since August 1, 2020, only 800 of 565,000 confirmed COVID cases attributed to in-person transmission in schools. The Governor expects every school to re-open for full-time, in-person instruction for the 2021-2022 school year.
 
Governor Murphy announced NJ's solidarity with the city and people of Atlanta, GA against Tuesday's events resulting in the murder of 8 people, 6 of which were Asian women. There is no room for hate in our American family.
 
The Department of Education Acting Commissioner, Angelica Allen-McMillan, announced that this week, the Department will be submitting a waiver for the U.S. DOE requirements for statewide assessments. The more time a student is away from in-person instruction, the greater the risk for learning loss, social, emotional and mental health impacts. If the waiver is granted, assessments will not be administered for the 2020-2021 school year. If the waiver is not granted, a memorandum will be issued to all school districts in NJ with instructions on how to prepare for the assessments. She also announced the Department submitted the application for $1.2 billion in federal emergency relief funds for elementary and secondary schools in NJ.
 
The Department of Health Commissioner, Judy Persichilli, announced that central western NJ and northwest NJ have been pushed back to orange on the CALI scale, which measures COVID-19 activity levels. She believes this is due to increased COVID-19 cases. She also announced that later this week, a new dashboard will be released with COVID-19 cases, hospitalization discharges and death, and will be broken down by municipality, race, ethnicity, age and gender.


Monday morning, the Governor announced that he will be nominating a new NJ Supreme Court Associate Justice, Rachel Wainer Apter, following the notice that Justice LaVecchia will be stepping down from her position. Wainer Apter headed the NJ Division of Civil Rights in 2018. She is a Harvard Law School graduate and clerked for three federal judges, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Dr. Jill Biden joined Governor Murphy Monday morning in Burlington, NJ to visit Samuel Smith Elementary School as part of the Help is Here Tour to highlight the American Rescue Plan which was signed into law last week by President Biden. The Plan will bring funding to schools for cleaning supplies, education technology and mental health services.
Vaccine Distribution Information and Notices from NJ DOH


General Information

EUA Fact Sheet for COVID-19 Vaccine Recipients and Caregivers [Pfizer/BioNTech] [Moderna]

Healthcare Provider Toolkit

Information for Long-Term Care Facilities

Policy, Guidance, and Directives

NJ News Quick Links


Governor's Notices



Department and Agency Notices

Department of Labor and Workforce Development

Department of Human Services
Weekly Legislative Update

Monday, March 15th Committee Meetings:

Assembly Labor Committee

A2487 / S989 (Quijano / Benson / Egan / Weinberg / Greenstein / Sweeney) - "Healthy Terminals Act"; requires certain airport and train station workers to be paid certain wage rates and benefits. (S989 is pending referral) Passed with Committee Substitute

A2628 / S1259 (Murphy / Singleton) - Concerns labor contractors. Passed

A4906 (Mukherji / Vainieri Huttle) - Allows minors to serve as election workers between 5:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on elections days. Passed

A5378 / S3414 (DeAngelo / Sweeney / Greenstein) - Promotes workforce diversity in public works projects; revises "public works projects" definition to permit project labor agreements for more projects. Passed

AJR87 (Murphy / Verrelli / Karabinchak) - Designates April 18 of each year as "Worker Safety Day." Passed

Assembly Judiciary Committee

*A1032 / *S758 (Downey / Gopal / Scutari) - Requires workers' compensation judges to be enrolled in PERS; requires JRS rights and benefits be applied to such judges enrolled in PERS. Passed with Committee Amendments

A3796 (Johnson / Karabinchak) - Makes it aggravated sexual assault or sexual contact for transportation network company or taxicab driver to commit act of sexual penetration or sexual contact using coercion or without permission on passenger. Passed

*A4313 (Mukherji) - Changes eligibility of Workers' Compensation Judges and Administrative Law Judges from DCRP to PERS. Passed with Committee Substitute

A5322 (Mosquera) - Provides for process to vacate and expunge certain arrests, charges, complaints, convictions, other dispositions, and DNA records, associated with violations by certain human trafficking victims. Passed with Committee Amendments

A5344 / S3197 (Mukherji / Scutari / Smith) - Clarifies eligibility for deferred retirement for certain judges in JRS. Passed

Assembly Women & Children Committee

A720 / S381 (Johnson / Mosquera / Vainieri Huttle / Weinberg / Greenstein) - Establishes supervised community reintegration program for certain victims of domestic abuse. Passed with Committee Amendments

A1078 (Speight / Pintor Marin / McKnight) - Requires domestic violence orders to be issued in other languages in addition to English under certain circumstances. Passed with Committee Amendments

A1736 (McKnight / Chaparro / Mosquera) - Concerns counseling for children who were either physically present or who may have seen or heard act of domestic violence. Passed

A4920 (Downey) - Requires obstetrical providers to perform domestic violence screenings and all health care professionals to take certain actions to prevent perpetrator of domestic violence from obtaining copies of victim's medical record. Passed

Assembly Science, Innovation, & Technology Committee

A2799 (Murphy) - Requires Business Action Center to establish "Entrepreneur Learner's Permit Pilot Program" for certain designated industries. Discussion Only

A3255 (Burzichelli / Armato) - Requires certain businesses to notify customers of certain information concerning the collection and sale of personally identifiable information and to allow customers to opt-in to collection and sale. Discussion Only

A3283 (Zwicker / Vainieri Huttle) - "New Jersey Disclosure and Accountability Transparency Act (NJ DaTA) establishes certain requirements for disclosure and processing of personally identifiable information; establishes Office of Data Protection and Responsible Use in Division of Consumer A Discussion Only

A5448 (Mukherji) - Requires commercial Internet websites and online services to notify consumers of collection and disclosure of personally identifiable information and allows consumers to opt out. Discussion Only

Assembly Telecommunications & Utilities Committee

A257 (DeAngelo / Houghtaling / Mukherji) - Requires DCA to provide certain information on low-income home energy assistance program, annually update its low-income home energy assistance program handbook, and provide quarterly training sessions on administering program. Passed

A2846 (Mukherji / Karabinchak) - Permits certain local units and authorities to reduce water, and sewer, and stormwater fees and other charges for low-income persons. Passed with Committee Amendments

A3878 (Timberlake / Speight / McKnight) - Prohibits electric, gas, or water public utility service discontinuances to residential customers during certain epidemics. Held

A4677 (Schaer / Freiman / Vainieri Huttle) - Requires certain utilities to allow residential customers to satisfy outstanding balances over time. Passed with Committee Amendments

A4678 (Schaer / Mukherji / Benson) - Prohibits certain utilities and authorities from increasing rates and assessing late or restoration fees or charges during and within 180 days after major public health emergency. Held

A4819 / S3033 (Lampitt / DeAngelo / Giblin / Sweeney / Singleton) - Establishes School and Small Business Energy Efficiency Stimulus Program in BPU. (pending referral) Passed with Committee Amendments

A5290 / S3335 (McKnight / Ruiz / Turner) - Requires BPU to conduct study of effect of coronavirus 2019 pandemic on local and public utility service and to quarterly collect and publish certain local and public utility service and customer information. Passed

Assembly Transportation & Independent Authorities

A5334 (Lopez / Mazzeo) - Requires DOT and NJT to study and implement transportation mobility and accessibility improvements for persons with autism and developmental disabilities. Passed with Committee Amendments

A5335 (Tully / Swain / Vainieri Huttle) - Requires NJT to expand or modify routes and hours of certain transportation services and to solicit input from individuals diagnosed with autism. Passed

A5336 (Benson / Freiman / Vainieri Huttle) - Requires Director of Division of Developmental Disabilities to establish payment programs for purchase of transportation services from private sector and government transportation service providers. Passed with Committee Amendments

A5337 (Chaparro / Benson / Mukherji) - Requires DOT to implement complete streets policy that considers individuals diagnosed with autism. Passed with Committee Amendments

A5338 (Benson / Lopez / Zwicker) - Requires certain transportation research to consider needs of individuals with physical, sensory, intellectual, and developmental disabilities. Passed

A5339 (Chaparro / Downey / Vainieri Huttle) - Requires driver education programs to be inclusive of all students. Passed with Committee Amendments

A5340 (Benson / Lopez / Armato) - Establishes Office of Statewide Mobility Manager to assist individuals with autism and their families with transportation and mobility needs. Passed with Committee Amendments

A5341 (Lopez / Houghtaling / Benson) - Updates 2-1-1 telephone system information to include all current modes of public transit and information on access and usage. Passed with Committee Amendments

Assembly Environment & Solid Waste Committee

A1075 (Speight / Vainieri Huttle / DeAngelo) - Requires DEP, DOH, DCA, owners or operators of public water systems, and owners or operators of certain buildings to take certain actions to prevent and control cases of Legionnaires' disease. Passed with Committee Amendments

A1979 (Lopez / Kennedy) - Requires paint producers to implement or participate in paint stewardship program. Passed with Committee Amendments

A2783 (Vainieri Huttle) - Directs DEP to develop guidelines concerning State and local government purchase of goods made from recycled material. Passed with Committee Amendments

A4393 (Kennedy) - Increases maximum penalty for certain violations concerning asbestos hazard abatement; allocates moneys from increased penalties to asbestos control and licensure programs. Passed with Committee Amendments

Assembly Special Committee on Infrastructure & Natural Resources Committee

A5343 (Schaer / McKnight / Spearman) - Requires public water systems to inventory and replace lead service lines within 20 years and provides for recoupment of costs by investor-owned public water systems. Passed with Committee Amendments

A5407 (Schaer / Karabinchak) - Removes restrictions on special assessments and bond issuances for replacement of residential lead service lines; revises budgetary, maintenance, and reporting requirements for operators of certain water systems. Passed with Committee Amendments

Assembly Agriculture Committee

A1581 (Houghtaling / Dancer / Space) - Establishes "Invasive Species Task Force." Passed

AJR102 (Taliaferro / Dancer) - Establishes "Healthy Pollinators Task Force." Passed

Assembly Military & Veterans Affairs Committee

A911 / S956 (Gove / Rumpf / Armato / Connors / Stack) - Extends veterans' property tax exemption to tenant shareholders in cooperatives and mutual housing corporations. Passed with Committee Amendments

AR234 (Verrelli / Danielsen / Vainieri Huttle) - Recognizes service of New Jersey Army and Air National Guard who were mobilized to Washington D.C. after attack on United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Wednesday, March 17th Committee Meetings:

Assembly Appropriations Committee

A209 (Tucker / Vainieri Huttle / Wimberly) - Establishes Disparity in Treatment of Persons with Disabilities in Underrepresented Communities Commission in DCA. Passed

A275 (Armato / Vainieri Huttle) - Allows persons owing certain court-imposed financial obligations and ordered by court to serve term of probation or diversionary program to earn transformative credit against amount owed by participating in treatment programs, educational or vocational services, or service to community. Passed

A1058 (Jasey / Reynolds-Jackson / Murphy) - Requires discrimination prevention training for certain providers of services to senior citizens. Passed

A1116 (Murphy / Greenwald / DeAngelo) - Provides for uniform regulation of small wireless facility deployment in this State. Passed with Committee Amendments

A1191 (Zwicker / Carter / McKnight) - Establishes "Innovation Partnership"; provides funding for certain nonprofit partnerships to promote certain emerging technology businesses.Passed

A1194 (Zwicker / Jimenez) - Provides for temporary travel license to practice chiropractic. Passed

*A1676 / *S3208 (Quijano / DeAngelo / McKnight / Sarlo / Diegnan) - Provides accidental death benefits in certain circumstances to surviving spouse and surviving child of SPRS member or retiree who participated in 9 / 11 World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations. (pending referral) Passed with Committee Amendments

A1841 (Timberlake / Quijano / Schaer) - Allows gross income tax deduction for amounts paid for removal of lead, asbestos and other contaminants from taxpayer's residential property. Passed with Committee Amendments

A1976 (Benson) - Establishes Renewable and Efficient Energy Financing Program; authorizes BPU to transfer up to $20 million annually in societal benefits charge revenues to New Jersey Infrastructure Bank for purposes of program. Passed

A2487 (Quijano / Benson / Egan) - "Healthy Terminals Act"; requires certain airport and train station workers to be paid certain wage rates and benefits. (pending referral) Passed

A3110 / S537 (McKeon / Verrelli / Vainieri Huttle / Codey) - Establishes certain minimum and maximum temperatures in rooming and boarding houses, dementia care homes, and certain nursing homes and residential health care facilities. Passed

A3396 (Reynolds-Jackson / Verrelli) - Encourages timely recording of residential deeds. Passed with Committee Amendments

A4013 (Downey / Vainieri Huttle) - Requires certain group homes to install electronic monitoring devices in common areas, upon request and with uniform resident consent, and to permit consensual use of such devices in private rooms. Passed with Committee Amendments

A4264 / S2486 (Taliaferro / Lampitt / Vainieri Huttle / Sweeney) - Establishes Clayton Model Pilot Program in DOE to provide school-based social emotional learning to students in grades kindergarten through five at certain public schools. Passed

A4274 / S2525 (Conaway / Sumter / Rice / Singleton / Turner) - Expands powers and duties of State Chief Diversity Officer to promote diversity in State government and public contracting. Passed

A4819 / S3033 (Lampitt / DeAngelo / Giblin / Sweeney / Singleton) - Establishes School and Small Business Energy Efficiency Stimulus Program in BPU. (pending referral) Passed

A4825 / S647 (McKeon / Karabinchak / Greenstein / Singleton) - Revises cybersecurity, asset management, and related reporting requirements in "Water Quality Accountability Act." Passed with Committee Amendments

A4835 / S2728 (Verrelli / Burzichelli / Wirths / Sweeney / Bucco) - Adds two members to State Board of Examiners of Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) Contractors. (pending referral) Passed

A4864 (Johnson / Vainieri Huttle / Spearman) - Makes FY 2021 supplemental appropriation of $210,000 to DHS for temporary 25 percent increase to certain assisted living facilities in Medicaid. Passed

A4958 (Tully) - Provides temporary exemption under sales and use tax for winterizing certain small business operations. Passed

A4963 (McKnight / Conaway / Zwicker) - Provides comprehensive Medicaid benefits to certain individuals formerly in foster care. Passed with Committee Amendments

A5121 (Coughlin / Zwicker / Karabinchak) - Concerns provision of energy to certain manufacturing facilities by providing exemptions to certain energy related taxes. Passed

A5123 (Vainieri Huttle / Downey / Benson) - Requires group homes and other community-based residential programs, as condition of licensure, to implement policies to prevent social isolation of residents. Passed with Committee Amendments

A5133 (Greenwald / Chiaravalloti / Benson) - Expands indoor capacity for food or beverage establishments and banquet and wedding venues under certain circumstances during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. (pending referral) Passed with Committee Amendments

A5443 (Johnson / Freiman / Armato) - Makes $25 million in federal funds available to EDA to support microbusinesses in need. Passed with Committee Amendments

A5444 (Mazzeo / Tully / Mejia) - Makes $35 million in federal funds available to EDA to support food and beverage establishments in need. Passed with Committee Amendments

A5445 (Swain / Mosquera / Taliaferro) - Makes $10 million in federal funds available to EDA to support child care centers in need. Passed with Committee Amendments

A5446 (Zwicker / Downey) - Makes $15 million in federal funds available to EDA to support businesses and nonprofits in need. Passed with Committee Amendments

A5447 (Carter / Houghtaling / McKnight) - Makes $15 million in federal funds available to EDA to support arts and culture organizations in need. Passed with Committee Amendments

A5478 / S2714 (Mazzeo / Freiman / Dancer / Sarlo / Addiego) - Authorizes special occasion events at certain farms on preserved farmland, under certain conditions. (pending referral) Passed

S989 (Weinberg / Greenstein / Sweeney) - "Healthy Terminals Act"; requires certain airport and train station workers to be paid certain wage rates and benefits under "New Jersey Prevailing Wage Act." (pending referral) Passed

Assembly Regulated Professions Committee

A1256 (Schaer / DeCroce) - Concerns licensure of persons rendering barbering services in another state or foreign country. Passed

A4649 / S845 (Lopez / Pou / Singleton) - Requires health care professional licensing boards to utilize National Practitioner Data Bank. Passed

Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee

A1173 (Zwicker / Vainieri Huttle) - Establishes central registry of residents with special needs for use during emergencies. Held

A2133 (Tully / Swain) - Requires NJ Office of Homeland Security and State Preparedness to conduct study regarding rental companies reporting suspicious behavior to law enforcement. Passed with Committee Substitute

A4945 (Tully) - Requires NJ Office of Homeland Security and State Preparedness to conduct study of information collected and reported by rental companies, designated as "Darren Drake Act." Combined with A2133

A5302 (Houghtaling) - Requires director of State Office of Emergency Management to designate emergency response liaison for people with special needs. Passed

Assembly Community Development and Affairs Committee

A4656 (McKnight / Wimberly / Sumter) - Authorizes creation of local civilian review boards to review police operations and conduct; appropriates $600,000. Passed with Committee Amendments

A5472 (Conaway / Speight) - Requires law enforcement provide written notification to parent or guardian of person under age 18 who commits first offense of unlawfully buying or possessing alcoholic beverages or cannabis. (pending intro and referral) Passed with Committee Amendments

ACR145 (McKnight / Timberlake / Speight) - Amends Constitution to prohibit slavery or involuntary servitude. (pending referral) Passed

Assembly State & Local Government Committee

A1180 / S2644 (Zwicker / Bateman / Beach) - Allows public libraries to dispose of certain materials without advertising for bids. Passed

A2284 / S818 (Mazzeo / Armato / Webber / Lagana / Pou) - Permits transmittal of certain proposed county ordinances by electronic mail. Passed

A3828 (Taliaferro / Giblin) - Provides for enhanced benefits for certain firefighters, corrections officers, and county police officers enrolled in PERS. Passed with Committee Amendments

A4655 (Reynolds-Jackson / Wimberly / Carter) - Limits law enforcement presence at polling places and ballot drop boxes; prohibits electioneering within 100 feet of ballot drop box. (pending referral) Passed with Committee Amendments

A4881 (Greenwald / Mazzeo) - Prohibits appeal of land use decision related to holding meeting electronically. (pending referral) Passed with Committee Amendments

A5373 / S3322 (Moen / Beach) - Allows county boards of elections to determine location of ballot drop boxes by majority vote of its members. Passed with Committee Amendments

AR232 (Webber / Pintor Marin) - Respectfully urges National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum induct Joan Whitney Payson into Hall of Fame. Passed

Assembly Human Services Committee

A1015 (Downey / Houghtaling / Murphy) - Establishes public awareness campaign concerning persons with disabilities and employment. Passed

A1016 (Downey / Houghtaling / Murphy) - Requires Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development to design and make available to public webpage with employment information for individuals with disabilities. Passed with Committee Amendments

A1017 (Downey / Houghtaling / Murphy) - Requires Division of Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action create "Model Employer for People with Disabilities" program for State government. Passed with Committee Amendments

A4790 / S887 (Downey / Benson / Sweeney / Greenstein) - "Medicaid Prescription Drug Quality, Cost, and Transparency Act."; establishes requirements for single entity to administer prescription drug benefits under Medicaid program. Passed with Committee Amendments

Assembly Education Committee

A169 / S108 (Caputo / Wirths / Gill / Turner) - Concerns speech rights of student journalists at public schools and public institutions of higher education. Passed with Committee Amendments

A3394 / S854 / S237 (Reynolds-Jackson / Carter / Jasey / Turner / Singleton / Ruiz / Greenstein) - "Laura Wooten's Law"; Requires civics instruction in middle school; authorizes New Jersey Center for Civic Education to provide curricula, professional development and technical assistance for middle and high school civics and provides annual center funding. Passed with Committee Amendments

A1055 (Jasey / Lampitt / Zwicker) - Establishes five-year community schools pilot program. Passed with Committee Amendments

A4789 (Spearman / Schaer / Reynolds-Jackson) - Establishes Safe and Equitable Remote Learning Program in DOE to support provision of mobile broadband Internet access service and remote learning safe havens by certain school districts. Passed with Committee Amendments

A5295 / S2832 (Quijano / Lampitt / Ruiz / Beach) - Allows student enrolled in institution of higher education who has completed 30 semester-hour credits to serve as substitute teacher. Passed with Committee Amendments

A5374 (Lampitt / Jasey / Downey) - Directs DOE to request waiver of certain student academic assessment requirements from federal government. Passed
Federal and National Update
Administration and Department Information
The New Jersey Governor's Office
The Governor's Office has been updating their website with the latest information on the COVID-19 response.

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