Education
Senate Committee Advances High School Financial Literacy Course Requirement – On March 2nd, the Senate Education Committee unanimously approved Bill S3462, legislation sponsored by Senators Vin Gopal (D-11) and Angela McKnight (D-31) that would require New Jersey high school students to complete a one-semester standalone course in financial literacy as a condition of graduation. The bill would narrow the current rule that allows students to satisfy a requirement with courses on business and economic literacy rather than personal finance management. The bill has been referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, while a companion bill has not yet been heard by the Assembly Education Committee.
Newly Introduced Bill Would Establish Five-Year Community Schools Pilot Program – On March 5th, Senator M. Teresa Ruiz (D-29) introduced Bill S3804, legislation which would establish a five-year pilot program to create community schools that integrate academic instruction with wraparound services including health care, mental health support, family engagement programs, and after-school activities. Community schools are defined in the proposed legislation as those that participate in a community-based effort to coordinate and integrate educational, developmental, family, health, and other comprehensive services. The bill is a carryover from previous legislative attempts (A4107 and S2243).
Health
Maternity Care Survey Bill Introduced in Senate – On March 5th, lawmakers introduced Bill S3798, the “Listening to Mothers Survey Act,” legislation that would require the Department of Health to establish and conduct a comprehensive survey evaluating maternity care access and quality across New Jersey. The bill is a carryover from the previous legislative session (previously S2231). The survey would gather data directly from mothers about their pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum experiences to identify disparities in care, barriers to access, and areas for improvement in the state’s maternity healthcare system. The legislation has been referred to the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee.
Senate Committee Approves 40-Cent Phone Fee to Fund 988 Crisis Hotline – On February 11th, the Senate Health Committee approved S3013, sponsored by Senator Joseph Vitale (D-19), which would impose a 40-cent monthly fee on each commercial mobile service and IP-enabled voice service subscriber to support New Jersey’s 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline system of care. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness if the legislation passed, New Jersey would become the 13th state to have this kind of funding. A fiscal estimate released on February 24th projects revenue from the fee at approximately $61 million annually, which would be deposited into a newly created trust fund account and used to support these services.
Housing
Senate Committee Advances Ban on Rent-Setting Algorithms – On March 5th, the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee reported Bill S451 with amendments, legislation that would make determining rental prices by using profit-maximizing algorithms a violation of the New Jersey Antitrust Act. The carryover Bill (previously S3657) would make it unlawful for a rental property owner or an agent to use or contract any service that would facilitate a price agreement among other rental property owners. The measure has advanced to second reading in the Senate while a companion bill awaits action in the Assembly Housing Committee. Similarly, the Committee also unanimously passed Bill S1759, under which a taxpayer may deduct up to $15,000 from gross income for property taxes paid during the calendar year on their homestead; and Bill S1821, that allows gross income tax credits to certain renters whose rent exceeds 35% of their gross income. Both pieces are sponsored by Committee Chair Troy Singleton (D-7). The measures have advanced to second reading in the Senate.
Public Administration
Lawmakers Propose Bills to Reform Budget Process – Multiple legislators have introduced bills aimed at improving New Jersey’s budget process to increase transparency and accountability, particularly during the final weeks before a legislative term ends. Bill A837, cosponsored by Assemblymembers Aura Dunn (R-Morris) and Gerry Scharfenberger (R-Monmouth), would require lawmakers to submit written resolutions documenting each proposed budget change a full month before the start of the state’s fiscal year. Similarly, Assemblymembers Ravi Bhalla and Katie Brennan, both D-32, introduced Bill A3993 that would require the governor’s budget to include two-year revenue and expenditure projections, and formal introduction of the annual spending bill to occur on or before June 1 each year.
Transportation
Introduced Bill Would Create Alternative EV Charging Compliance Standards – On March 5th, Senator Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. (D-18) introduced Bill S3738 which would establish an alternative compliance method for the development of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) and Make-Ready parking spaces based on charging capacity. The bill would allow developers and building owners to meet the State EV infrastructure requirements through consideration of total charging capacity instead of the number of parking spaces that provide the charging service. The legislation has been referred to the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee.