Since our last Public Policy Update on May 8, several legislative committees have considered a few bills that are worth monitoring due to their relevance to the life sciences sector:
S3135 (Smith/McKeon) - Requires producers of plastic packaging and certain other plastic products to reduce quantity of plastic sold; restricts additional substances under "Toxic Packaging Reduction Act."
Prior to being amended by the Senate Environment and Energy Committee on May 13, this bill had an exemption for FDA approved products in a section of the bill — but this exemption did not appear to apply to a subsequent section that would prohibit the use of PFAS in any package, packaging component, or any product contained in a package. Following Committee amendments, an FDA exemption has been modified to apply more broadly. Please contact Ian McLaughlin, VP of Government Affairs, with any thoughts or concerns regarding the status of the exemptions for life sciences companies: IMcLaughlin@BioNJ.org.
S208 (Smith) - Requires producers of packaging products sold in New Jersey to adopt and implement packaging product stewardship plans.
S226 (Smith/McKeon) - Prohibits use by certain retailers of shipping box greater than two times volume of product being shipped.
A2365 (Tully/Murphy/DePhillips) - Increases amount of tax credits for investments made in certain technology business ventures under "New Jersey Angel Investor Tax Credit Act."
This bill was reported by the Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee unanimously on May 16 — and BioNJ was glad to support this progress towards ensuring that New Jersey’s Angel Investor Tax Credit remains nationally competitive. We look forward to continuing to advocate for this prudent policy in both the New Jersey Senate and Assembly.
|