New Jersey Bills

Appropriates $3 million annually to Freedom Schools in New Jersey using funds collected under Social Equity Excise Fee.

Requires MVC to accommodate walk-in services on certain days.

Requires boards of education to adopt policy on use of surveillance systems with artificial intelligence capabilities.

Requires certain public water systems to publish certain financial and employee information on Internet.

Requires State Treasurer to collect and study certain demographic information on corporate boards and in senior management.

Requires instruction on cybersecurity in grades nine through 12; requires Office of Secretary of Higher Education to develop cybersecurity model curricula; establishes loan redemption programs for individuals in certain cybersecurity occupations.

Provides for designation of manufacturing and production business resource center by EDA to provide services and assistance to manufacturing businesses.

Establishes cybersecurity employment grant program for qualified businesses; appropriates $750,000.

"New Jersey Transit Accountability Act"; requires independent audit of NJT.

Reduces taxable wage base applied to certain tax contributions.

Permits licensed motor vehicle dealers to facilitate issuance of titles and registrations for used motor vehicles purchased by private sale.

Allows distributions from NJBEST account to Roth IRA as qualified withdrawals and excludes such distributions from gross income tax.

Permits members of Community Emergency Response Teams to perform traffic duties under certain circumstances.

Requires NJTA and SJTA to automatically offer toll discounts to senior citizens.

Expresses no confidence in BPU.

Designates November 2026 as Veterans Month in New Jersey.

Establishes "New Jersey Cybersecurity Task Force."

Designates May 15 of each year as "Water Safety Day" in New Jersey.

Memorializes President and Congress to expand certain benefits to grandchildren of veterans impacted by Agent Orange.

Recognizes role of natural gas in New Jersey's energy policy goals and declares natural gas clean fuel.

Broadens epinephrine administration mechanisms permitted in schools, institutions of higher education, and youth camps.

Clarifies public school student attendance recording and reporting requirements.

Establishes Health Equity Access and Leadership Fund; appropriates $25 million from General Fund, and allocates portion of Health Care Subsidy Fund revenues, to fund.

Mandates access to periodic cancer screening examinations for volunteer firefighters; increases tax on fire insurance premiums.

"Medical Debt Homestead Protection Act."

Limits use of State, county, and municipal property or funding to support immigrant detention facilities.

Makes FY2026 supplemental appropriation of $175 million from General Fund to DHS for Emergency SNAP Replacement Benefits.

Requires each institution of higher education to designate student parent liaison.

Requires institution of higher education to collect certain information concerning student parents.

Grants priority course registration to certain student parents attending institutions of higher education.

"Stolen Vehicle Possession Accountability Act"; increases penalties for adult and juvenile repeat offenses of receiving stolen motor vehicle.

Eliminates transfer inheritance tax for step-grandchildren.

Allows 50 percent sales and use tax exemption for telephone, mail-order, and internet transactions by qualified businesses within Urban Enterprise Zone; allows quarterly tax returns for qualified businesses; increases allowable administrative expenses by qualified municipalities.

Prohibits the employment of unauthorized aliens and requires employers to use E-Verify program.

Establishes process for submittal and publication of proposed revisions to Governor's budget recommendations and requires publication of proposals by June 1 annually.

Requires State parks, forests, State-owned beaches, and MVC offices to remain open to public if emergency is declared due to failure to enact general appropriation law as prescribed by NJ Constitution.

Changes membership of Lake Hopatcong Commission and requires DEP to develop water level management plan for Lake Hopatcong to be approved by commission.

Establishes bee-friendly habitat pilot program in Department of Agriculture; appropriates $1 million.

Allows possession of bear spray under certain conditions.

Increases certain power vessel operator license fees and amount dedicated from license fees to Lake Hopatcong Fund.

Exempts certain officers trained in animal cruelty from certain additional Police Training Commission training courses.

Allows counties and municipalities to use open space trust funds for remediation of collapsed mine shafts and sinkholes on property owned by county or municipality.

Requires electric public utilities to provide training, equipment, indemnity, and reimbursement to certain municipal employees for moving and securing detached, above-ground distribution lines impeding vehicular traffic during lengthy power outages.

Exempts certain non-profit entities from requirement that certain employers offer employees certain pre-tax transportation fringe benefits.

Establishes task force to study technology and other methods used to reduce or eliminate telemarketing harassment and intimidation.

Permits certain drivers' schools to conduct road tests.

Requires BPU to establish best practices and to assess electric public utilities' compliance with BPU best practices during BPU's review of rate increase.

Eliminates presumption of pretrial release for defendants charged with repeat home invasion offenses.

Delays fourth round of affordable housing obligations, including present and prospective need and related litigation, until July 1, 2028.

Permits pharmacists to dispense certain drugs in emergency without prescription.

Allows corporation business tax and gross income tax credits to businesses employing certain persons with developmental disabilities.

Establishes "Community Power Storage Program."

Requires water suppliers to reimburse residential customers for drinking water testing under certain circumstances.

Creates Office of Sustainability.

Requires DEP to perform certain assessments concerning regulation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

Allows identity theft victims to petition for judicial determination of factual innocence.

Requires public water systems to provide certain notice of boil water notices and violations of drinking water quality standards.

Exempts community gardens composting on-site from certain DEP permits under certain conditions.

Directs DEP to establish rebate program for purchase of microfiber washing machine filter or replacement filter; appropriates $2.5 million.

Directs DEP to develop guidelines concerning State and local government purchase of goods made from recycled material.