Economics
Senate Panel Advances Bill Banning Grocery Surveillance Pricing – On March 16th, the Senate Commerce Committee approved Bill S3612/S3717, the “Fair Price Protection Act,” sponsored by Senators Joseph P. Cryan (D-20) and Joseph A. Lagana (D-38), which would bar grocery stores and third-party delivery from using algorithms to adjust the prices paid by individual shoppers. This bill was advanced over the complaints of industry representatives who claimed the bill could inadvertently block coupons and other discounts. The measure is a targeted effort to curb a practice known as surveillance pricing, where individual shoppers are charged different prices for the same item on the same shelf at the same time. In her budget address, Governor Sherrill also took aim at the practice, vowing to prohibit it as part of her affordability agenda.
Environment
Scrap Metal Safety Bills Advance through Assembly Committee – On March 16th, the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee voted to release two bills aimed at imposing stricter safety requirements and state oversight on scrap metal facilities. Bill A2401, sponsored by Assemblyman William F. Moen Jr. (D-5), would require scrap metal companies to install remotely operated fire suppression systems and adopt other safety measures like installing heat detection equipment, and develop publicly available fire safety plans. Similarly, Bill A2406 would require the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to regulate scrap metal facilities as recycling facilities. The legislation follows a January 2026 lawsuit filed by New Jersey’s attorney general against major scrap metal recycler EMR, alleging a dozen fires at the Camden facility over five years.
Health
Reproductive Health and Abortion Protection Rights Bills Advance – On March 9th, the Assembly Community Development and Women’s Affairs Committee discussed bills aimed at strengthening protections for abortion access in New Jersey. Advanced legislation includes Bill A1679, which would prohibit deceptive advertising by anyone who provides pregnancy-related or abortion services and bar people from claiming to provide health care services if false. Bill A1970 would enter New Jersey into an interstate “women’s reproductive health care compact” meant to protect abortion patients and providers by preventing the disclosure of records and extradition of patients or providers to states looking to hold them criminally or civilly liable for abortion services. Bill A2731 would protect access to assisted reproductive technology such as in vitro fertilization, while Bill A4074 that would establish a reproductive health travel advisory to alert New Jersey women about reproductive health care restrictions in other states. Finally, Bill A4532 would prohibit the sharing of automated license plate reader data for interstate investigations related to reproductive health care services that are legal in NJ. The committee took testimony for more than two hours, with the hearing turning contentious when human trafficking claims were raised.
Public Administration
Legislature Begins Public Hearings on Gov. Sherrill Budget Proposal – Following the Governor’s March 10th budget address, the Legislature has launched public hearings allowing residents and advocacy groups to testify on the proposed fiscal year 2027 spending plan. The Assembly Budget Committee held its first hearing on March 18th, and will hold a second session on March 25th, while the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee scheduled hearings for March 24th (remote, 10 a.m.) and March 30th in-person at 10 a.m. at the NJIT Campus Center Atrium. Residents may register to testify at one Senate hearing and/or one Assembly hearing through the Legislature’s website. The public hearings begin a review period of the annual budget. While the governor introduces the budget, the Legislature is responsible for drafting the final spending bill, according to the state constitution.
Bill to Impose New Taxes on Private Detention Facilities Advances – On March 19th, the Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee approved A4077, legislation that would impose three separate taxes on private prison operators including immigrant detention centers to offset “social costs of incarceration.” The bill would impose a fee based on the value of a private prison’s contract with a government entity, create a monthly per-inmate fee, and subject private prisons to a new corporate tax surcharge. The bill would go into effect January 1st if passed through both chambers and signed into law. The measure must still clear the Assembly Appropriations Committee before reaching a floor vote in the lower chamber.
Committees Advance Bill to Extend Early Voting for Municipal Elections in May – On March 19th, the Senate Judiciary Committee and Assembly Appropriations Committee approved legislation sponsored by Senator Brian Stack (D-33) that would allow municipalities to extend early voting in local May elections. Bill S420 would allow municipalities to start early voting for a regular May election on the eighth day before Election Day. Currently, early voting begins on the fourth day before the election and ends on the second day before, giving voters three days to vote early.