Bills in the 2014–2015 Session, Senate.
James W. Holzapfel
Sponsored
Became law2
Designates State Highway Route No. 35 bridge between Brielle and Point Pleasant Beach as "Veterans of All Wars Memorial Bridge."
Establishes additional requirements, and penalties for failure to comply, concerning information to be provided to persons purchasing cats or dogs from pet shops. *
Passed the Senate3
Permits municipalities and school districts to contract for video monitoring systems to assist in enforcing law against unlawfully passing a school bus.
Increases criminal penalties if leaving loaded firearm within easy access of minor results in injury or death.
Designates portion of State Highway Route No. 35 as "Chosin Few Memorial Highway."
Out of committee5
Requires mortgage lenders to maintain vacant, age-restricted dwelling units during foreclosure.
Requires veterinarians at for-profit veterinary facilities to provide written notification concerning absence of supervision after normal business hours; designated as "Betsy's Law."**
Requires police notification when driver's license is suspended.
Requires DOT, NJTA, and SJTA to use only native vegetation for landscaping, land management, reforestation, or habitat restoration.
Enhances penalties imposed on drivers who have never been issued a driver's license.
In committee70
Prohibits additional jughandles on roads or highways in the State.
Recodifies offenses against animals under State criminal code; increases degree of crime for certain offenses.
Establishes animal cruelty offenses pertaining to chaining or other restraint of animals.
Ensures operation of certain motor fuel storage, distribution and dispensing facilities during disasters and emergencies.
"Homestead School Property Tax Reimbursement Act"; provides State reimbursement for 50% of school property taxes paid by seniors, 65 years and older.
Eliminates remarriage prohibition for PFRS death benefits; provides retirement allowance to certain survivors of PFRS members.
Provides State income tax credit for removal of lawns near Barnegat Bay.
Concerns subcontracting agreements entered into by public school districts.
Requires municipalities to reimburse qualified private communities for street paving costs.
"Barnegat Bay Protection Act"; establishes Barnegat Bay Protection Fund, dedicates portion of sales tax on fertilizer, authorizes special license plates, and provides for donations.
Enhances penalty for leaving the scene of a boating accident.
Requires reporting of suspected abuse of institutionalized elderly to police and that facility employees receive notice of reporting requirement annually; designated as "Peggy's Law."
Eliminates supplemental realty transfer fee.
Establishes NJ Animal Abuser Registry.
Establishes offense of soliciting image of minor with unlawful purpose.
Provides for electronic monitoring of domestic violence offenders and notification to the victim; designated as "Lisa's Law."
Establishes the "Healthy Puppies and Kittens Assurance Act."
Requires school districts to provide instruction on the dangers of texting while driving as part of the Core Curriculum Content Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.
Requires installation of emergency power supply systems to certain common areas of new planned real estate developments; provides related tax incentives.
Prohibits public utility from filing rate increase petition under certain circumstances.
Concerns valuation of property condemned for dune construction or beach replenishment.
Requires health certificate, bill of sale, and certain breeder information for each cat or dog sold in the State and such information be made available to consumers; establishes penalties for violations.
Establishes new offenses concerning the unlawful possession and use of credit card scanners.
Requires local governing body and DCA to suspend collection of certificate of occupancy and related inspection fees for homes being rented by persons identified by FEMA as displaced individuals.
Requires Director of Division of Taxation to include sales of properties in age-restricted developments by third parties in table of equalized valuations.
Increases income eligibility limit for homestead property tax reimbursement program.
Requires newly-constructed grocery stores to have generators.
Permits consolidation of all fire districts in a municipality; sets forth procedure for consolidation.
Revises distribution of monies from Alcohol Education, Rehabilitation and Enforcement Fund to municipalities.
Exempts certain transactions of residential property involving senior, blind, and disabled citizens from general purpose fee under realty transfer fee and one percent assessment on real property selling for more than $1,000,000.
Doubles amount of certain retirement income that may be excluded from gross income under the gross income tax.
Clarifies that fishing license is not required to fish at a private community lake.
Prohibits sale, distribution, and use of urea as an ice melt.
Imposes criminal penalties for discharges of untreated sewage from containment devices installed on watercraft.
Requires labeling of ingredients and restricts phosphorus in household cleansing products.
Permits county board of chosen freeholders to appoint interim member of county tax board under certain circumstances.
Clarifies crime of unlawful access concerning certain password protected communications in electronic storage.
Provides certain immunities from spectator-based lawsuits arising from youth sports events.
Upgrades penalties for drag racing.
Exempts police from jury duty.
Establishes mandatory penalties for committing burglary and theft during a state of emergency.
Requires State park and forest restroom facilities to include an exclusive family restroom.
Prohibits smoking at State-owned beaches.
Provides gross income tax credit for certain tolls paid via E-ZPass.
Criminalizes fourth or subsequent drunk driving offenses.
Requires each municipality to establish a Reverse 9-1-1 system.
Requires State agencies to review operations and to implement use of Internet to conduct public business when cost savings may be realized, with certain exceptions.
Establishes Autism Education Council.
Directs BPU to study whether State's electric distribution system meets certain standards.
Requires electric distribution lines be located underground in areas affected by severe weather or natural disasters.
Authorizes creation of 33rd urban enterprise zone in Borough of Seaside Heights.
Requires Family Part under certain circumstances to dispose of charge of contempt of a domestic violence order on an emergency basis, without setting bail.
Expands statute authorizing temporary restraining orders for certain alleged stalking victims to include victims of any age or mental capacity.
Revises certain provisions of New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program concerning reporting of and access to information, and mandatory use by practitioners and pharmacists.
Special legislation to permit appointment of Christian Kant to Toms River Police Department and enrollment in PFRS.
Requires fire suppression systems in all elementary and secondary schools 12,000 square feet or larger.
Concerns telemarketing political calls.
Extends authority to appoint Class Two special law enforcement officers to perform court security duties to all county sheriffs.
Requires public utility to reimburse business customer during period when business ceases operations due to utility repairing or replacing its equipment on business customer's property.
Provides corporation business tax and gross income tax credits for employing immediate family members of members of the Armed Forces of the United States who were killed in action.
Requires liability insurance for certain vessels.
Requires insurers that sell flood insurance to provide certain policyholders with certain information.
Requires State to lower compensation rate of civilly committed sexually violent predators to same level as State inmates for institutional work.
Authorizes court to impose rescue operation costs of public entity under certain circumstances.
Requires explosive gas detectors to be installed in certain residential properties.
Establishes JerseySource Supply Network database and business visitation program for NJ businesses in EDA.
Requires suspension without pay and health care benefits if public officer or employee formally charged with crime involving or touching office, position, or employment.
Prohibits utility from billing customer for costs incurred for certain upgrades to utility infrastructure; allows costs for certain upgrades to utility infrastructure be recovered in utility's rate base.
Regulates tethering of, and outdoor shelter for, dogs.
Allows shore municipalities to provide spouse and dependent children of veterans free or reduced cost access to beaches.
Carried from the General Assembly
Became law1
Requires certain veterinarians at for-profit veterinary facilities to provide written notification concerning absence of supervision after normal business hours; designated as "Betsy's Law." *
Co-sponsored
Became law · 6
Establishes crimes of dog fighting and leader of a dog fighting network, and updates crime of animal fighting; amends RICO concerning dog fighting.*
Enhances penalty for leaving the scene of boating accident.
Requires DCA to post on its website information about inspection reports for residential health care facilities, boarding homes, and emergency shelters for the homeless, and requires notifications to DHS and counties.*
Revises certain provisions of New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program.
Prohibits manufacture, sale, or installation of counterfeit or nonfunctional air bags in motor vehicles.*
Prohibits Division of Developmental Disabilities from compelling transfers of individuals with developmental disabilities from out-of-State to in-State facilities unless certain exceptions apply.
Vetoed · 2
Prohibits treatment, discharge, disposal, application to roadway, or storage of wastewater, wastewater solids, sludge, drill cuttings or other byproducts from natural gas exploration or production using hydraulic fracturing.*
Requires interior light of motor vehicle be turned on when stopped by law enforcement under certain circumstances.*
Passed the Senate · 2
Permits municipality to sell certain impounded vehicles.
Establishes Class Three special law enforcement officers to provide security in public and nonpublic schools.
Out of committee · 6
Enacts the "Jessica Lunsford Act"; imposes mandatory term of imprisonment; provides for negotiated reduction of mandatory term under certain circumstances. *
Requires DOT Commissioner to develop public awareness programs and use variable message signs to inform motorists about State's "move over" law.*
Abigail's Law; requires that newly-manufactured school buses be equipped with sensors.
Establishes certain requirements for hospitals regarding patient-designated caregivers.
Establishes crime-fraud exception to marital and civil union partnership privilege.*
Prohibits administration of standardized assessments in kindergarten through second grade.
In committee · 29
Requires labeling of foods containing genetically modified material.
Requires prescribers and pharmacists to check prescription monitoring program prior to prescribing and dispensing Schedule II drugs.
Provides that English shall be the official language of the State.
Reestablishes senior citizen supplemental stabilization aid.
Allows certain drug dealing offenses to be graded by "units," rather than weight, of controlled dangerous substances.
Prohibits animal cruelty violators from working at, or owning or operating, an animal-related enterprise; designated as "Moose's Law."
Makes a $3 million supplemental appropriation for increased Per Capita Library Aid.
Establishes special license plates for honorably discharged veterans.
Eliminates State aid growth limit for school districts in which individuals age 65 and over comprise more than 33.3 percent of the population.
Establishes one-year moratorium on replacement of copper-based landline telephone service with non-copper-based landline or wireless telephone service; requires BPU to report to Governor and Legislature.
Phases out estate tax over five-year period.
Concerns access to information maintained by Prescription Monitoring Program.
"The Reliability, Preparedness, and Storm Response Act of 2012"; requires public utilities to file certain information concerning emergency preparedness with BPU and increases certain penalties.
The "Safe Playing Fields Act"; restricts use of lawn care pesticides at child care centers and certain schools.
Designates "I'm From New Jersey" as State song.
Establishes a formula for the distribution of State aid to school districts.
"Drug Dealer Accountability Act;" increases penalties for distribution of phencyclidine; establishes criminal liability for drug dealers under certain circumstances; imposes civil and criminal penalties for combinations of controlled dangerous substances.
Provides protections for individuals with developmental disabilities through accountability and transparency; designated as "Stephen Komninos' Law."
Doubles amount of certain retirement income that may be excluded from gross income under gross income tax, eliminates income cap on exclusion.
Clarifies that crime victim has a right to make a victim impact statement directly to the defendant at sentencing.
Eliminates transfer inheritance tax and increases filing threshold and applicable exclusion amounts under New Jersey estate tax in accordance with provisions of federal tax law.
Eliminates power of DRPA to finance economic development; changes composition of board; imposes restrictions regarding financing, contract procedures, conflicts of interest, and review audits; creates commuter's council.
Requires school districts and charter schools to annually provide to parents or guardians of enrolled students information on certain tests to be administered during the school year.
Allows parent or guardian to exclude student from administration of certain assessments.
Imposes three-year moratorium on use of assessments developed by Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers for certain purposes.
Implements certain governance and transparency reforms at PANYNJ.
Provides governance, transparency, and accountability reforms at PANYNJ.
Establishes "Superstorm Sandy Homeowners Protection Act."
Makes reforms to mental health treatment; clarifies law governing purchase of firearms by persons with history of mental illness.