Bills in the 2012–2013 Session, General Assembly.
Gregory P. McGuckin
Sponsored
Out of committee2
Establishes pilot program for municipalities and school districts to contract for video monitoring systems to assist in enforcing law against unlawfully passing a school bus.*
Requires mortgage lenders to maintain vacant, age-restricted dwelling units during foreclosure.
In committee50
Increases penalties for committing serious offenses while released on bail.
Requires police notification when driver license is suspended.
Establishes new offenses concerning the unlawful possession and use of credit card scanners.
Doubles amount of certain retirement income that may be excluded from gross income under the gross income tax.
Recodifies offenses against animals under State criminal code; increases degree of crime for certain offenses.
Establishes offense of soliciting image of minor with unlawful purpose.
Ensures operation of certain motor fuel storage, distribution and dispensing facilities during disasters and emergencies.
Eliminates supplemental realty transfer fee.
Permits use of overseas absentee ballots for all elections.
Requires municipalities to reimburse qualified private communities for street paving costs.
Requires notification of victims and certain additional persons through Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) system.
Expands statute authorizing temporary restraining orders for certain alleged stalking victims to include victims of any age or mental capacity.
Provides State income tax credit for removal of lawns near Barnegat Bay.
"Barnegat Bay Protection Act"; establishes Barnegat Bay Protection Fund, dedicates portion of sales tax on lawn fertilizer, authorizes special license plates, and provides for donations.
Clarifies that fishing license is not required to fish at a private community lake.
Extends eligibility for certain veterans' benefits to members of reserve components of US Armed Forces and NJ organized militia who serve at least 180 continuous days.
Requires certain NJ Transit Corporation employees to undergo criminal history background checks and wear photo identification.
Terminates imposition of certain fees on transfers of real property.
Exempts senior citizens and blind or disabled persons from certain realty transfer fees.
Restores fiscal integrity and enhances funding to Transportation Trust Fund.
Prohibits certain sex offenders from working in ice cream trucks and amusement parks.
Eliminates use of vaccines containing mercury over three years.
Prohibits sale of any dog by kennel, pet shop or other retail establishment without name, address and phone number of person providing dog thereto; establishes $500 fine for each violation.
Directs DHSS to adopt regulations prohibiting overcrowding of animals in kennels, pet shops and other retail establishments; establishes penalties.
Prohibits smoking at State-owned beaches.
Authorizes court to require persons convicted of refusing breathalyzer for second or subsequent time to install ignition interlock.
Omits State Police detectives from Open Public Records Act.
Authorizes special parking insignias for passenger automobiles used to transport the developmentally disabled.
Provides credit under corporation business tax and gross income tax for marinas and boatyards that follow certain environmentally sound management practices.
Concerns subcontracting agreements entered into by public school districts.
Establishes NJ Animal Abuser Registry.
The "Healthy Puppies and Kittens Assurance Act."
Establishes bribery in official and political matters applies to person soliciting, accepting, or agreeing to accept benefit as consideration to act even though not yet in office or otherwise qualified to act.
Permits consolidation of all fire districts in a municipality; sets forth procedure for consolidation.
Provides gross income tax credit for certain tolls paid via E-ZPass.
Designates portion of State Highway Route 37 as "Denis Miranda Memorial Highway."
"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.
Establishes standard of review for certain juvenile waiver motions.
Establishes mandatory penalties for committing burglary and theft during a state of emergency.
Clarifies crime of unlawful access concerning certain password protected communications in electronic storage.
Directs BPU to study whether State's electric distribution system meets certain standards.
Prohibits public utility from filing rate increase petition under certain circumstances.
Requires installation of emergency power supply systems to certain common areas of new planned real estate developments; provides related tax incentives.
Clarifies crime of unlawful access concerning certain password protected communications in electronic storage.
Concerns valuation of property condemned for dune construction or beach replenishment.
Excludes certain public works contracts related to Hurricane Sandy recovery from prevailing wage requirements.
Requires dune construction by permittee, or grant of easement for dune construction or beach replenishment project, as condition of CAFRA permit for beachfront property.
Increases criminal penalties if leaving loaded firearm within easy access of minor results in injury or death.
Requires prescribers and pharmacists to check prescription monitoring program prior to prescribing and dispensing Schedule II drugs.
Limits upfront costs for oral anticancer medications for persons covered under certain health benefits plans.
Co-sponsored
Became law · 3
Establishes study of technology for the tracking of domestic violence offenders; designated as "Lisa's Law."***
Appropriates funds to DEP for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2013.
Appropriates $38.5 million from "2009 Farmland Preservation Fund" and "Garden State Farmland Preservation Trust Fund" to State Agriculture Development Committee for county planning incentive grants.
Passed the General Assembly · 5
Enacts the "Jessica Lunsford Act": imposes mandatory term of imprisonment; provides for negotiated reduction of mandatory term under certain circumstances.**
Authorizes certain municipalities and rural electric cooperatives to establish a municipal shared services energy authority.
Clarifies that first aid, ambulance or rescue squads, as entities, have immunity from civil damages in certain circumstances.
Authorizes special Support Our Veterans license plate with proceeds supporting New Jersey homeless veteran's centers.
Enacts the "Reader Privacy Act."
Out of committee · 13
Prohibits first responders from photographing persons being assisted or disclosing photographs of such persons without their consent.
Revises penalties for animal cruelty, increasing degree of certain offenses; designated as Patrick's Law.
Provides sales and use tax exemption for sales of services performed to certain prewritten computer software delivered electronically.*
Establishes the "New Jersey Adult Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Jurisdiction Act."
Authorizes New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust to expend certain sums to make loans for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2013.
Lieutenant Scott Jenkins' Law; creates certain new criminal offenses aimed at theft from carriers; amends theft statutes.*
Appropriates $55 million from "2009 Green Acres Fund" for local government open space acquisition and park development projects, and approves $2,400,800 from 1995 bond act for coastal blue acres projects.
Establishes criminal penalties for killing, injuring or interfering with a service animal or guide dog; designated as "Dusty's Law." *
Allows certain drug dealing offenses to be graded by "units," rather than weight, of controlled dangerous substances.
Appropriates funds to DEP for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2014.
Authorizes NJ Environmental Infrastructure Trust to expend certain sums to make loans for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2014.
Concerns assessment of penalties for certain fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits and requires recovered penalties deposited into unemployment compensation fund.
Provides standards for home elevation contractors.
In committee · 39
Prohibits nonrenewal of homeowners insurance policies based on proximity to water or risk of windstorm related claims.
Prohibits use of volunteer driving activities in underwriting for private passenger automobile insurance; revises charitable immunity statute as applied to volunteer drivers.
"Homestead School Property Tax Reimbursement Act"; provides State reimbursement for 50% of school property taxes paid by seniors, 65 years and older.
Establishes Autism Education Council.
Enhances penalty for leaving the scene of a boating accident.
Requires certain veterinarians to provide written notification to animal owner if boarded animal will not be subject to 24-hour supervision; "Betsy's Law."
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."
Prohibits the use of urea for melting, preventing the formation of, or removing ice.
Designates "I'm From New Jersey" as the State song.
Establishes a formula for the distribution of State aid to school districts.
Prohibits terminal leave compensation for local government employees.
The "Safe Playing Fields Act"; restricts use of lawn care pesticides at child care centers and certain schools, playgrounds, and recreational fields.
Ends transitional energy facilities assessment (TEFA), caps State use portion of State energy tax revenues and ensures balance of such State revenues are paid annually as municipal aid.
Prohibits payment to public employees at retirement for certain unused sick leave, provides for forfeiture of payment for unused sick leave for certain criminal convictions, and requires documentation for use of sick leave.
Exempts, for five years, certain new business activities in pinelands area from compliance with Pinelands Commission development approval process.
Increases income eligibility limit for homestead property tax reimbursement program.
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.
Designates portion of State Highway Route No. 35 as "Chosin Few Memorial Highway."
Permits exterior-based property reassessments within eight years of last municipal-wide revaluation.
Requires Director of Division of Taxation to include sales of properties in age-restricted developments by third parties in table of equalized valuations.
"Plastic and Paper Bag Reduction Act"; requires certain retailers to provide recyclable, compostable or reusable bags instead of plastic or paper carryout bags.
Requires newly-constructed grocery stores to have generators.
Requires electric distribution lines be located underground in areas affected by severe weather or natural disasters.
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.
Allows municipality to petition county for removal of abandoned vessel; provides that vessel shall not be deemed abandoned for period of not more than six months following declared state of emergency.
Provides certain immunities from spectator-based lawsuits arising from youth sports events.
Establishes task force to study the relationships among video games, mental health, and violence.
Permits payment of only one co-payment or deductible for follow-up care or treatment after surgery or illness under certain health benefits plans.
Exempts properties within flood zones from variance requirements to raise structure.
Prohibits sale, distribution, and use of urea as an ice melt.
Requires labeling of ingredients and restricts phosphorus in household cleansing products.
Requires consideration of increased property value due to dune construction in determining compensation provided for condemned beachfront property.
Requires public utility requesting rate increase to hold public hearings in every county.
Requires public release of photographs of arrestees under State's open public records law.
Clarifies that crime victim has a right to make a victim impact statement directly to the defendant at sentencing.
Requires BPU to conduct biennial rate cases for public utilities; increases penalties for public utilities failing to comply with BPU orders.
Concerns access to information maintained by Prescription Monitoring Program.
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.
Requires each school district to offer a summer payment plan for school district employees.