Bills in the 2020–2021 Session, General Assembly.
Craig J. Coughlin
Sponsored
Became law16
Increases gross income tax rate from 8.97 percent to 10.75 percent on income between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000, and provides up to $500 tax rebate to eligible taxpayers.
"New Jersey College Affordability Act"; appropriates $10 million. *
Reinstates prior property tax exemption for nonprofit hospitals with on-site for-profit medical providers; requires some of these hospitals to pay community service contributions; establishes Nonprofit Hospital Community Service Contribution Study Commiss
Allows conduct of State business and legislative sessions at locations other than Trenton during periods of emergency or other exigency; allows conduct of legislative business using electronic means.
Ensures insurance coverage for certain persons attending school graduation exercises in July and August of 2020.*
Concerns provision of energy to certain manufacturing facilities by providing exemptions to certain energy related taxes.
Appropriates $10 million in federal funds to Department of Agriculture to support food bank organizations.
Provides funding for experiential housing advocacy programs to provide legal services for low- and moderate-income tenants in need of housing assistance; appropriates $2 million. *
Provides for termination of public health emergency declared by Governor to address COVID-19 pandemic, except certain executive orders, directives, and powers will remain in effect temporarily.
Changes effective date of Garden State Health Plan; exempts certain charter and renaissance schools from certain healthcare plan requirements; requires certain negotiations over certain health care costs. *
Revises certain requirements for district board members and polling places for June 2021 primary election; provides reimbursement for National Guard assistance with 2020 primary and general elections; makes appropriation.
Directs DHS to develop mobile software for SNAP recipients; appropriates $2 million.**
Establishes State supplement for federal summer food service program meals.
Removes requirement for Legislature, DOE, free public libraries, and historical societies to purchase "Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey."
Revises and renames Office of Food Insecurity Advocate.
Amends certain requirements concerning insurance holding companies.
Vetoed2
Makes FY 2020 supplemental appropriations of $15 million for grants to food banks.
Concerns use of steel slag as aggregate.
Out of committee10
Requires SEHBP and eligible employers that do not participate in the SEHBP to provide certain plans for public education employees and certain public education retirees.
Allows certain State agencies to sell Internet advertisements on agencies' websites as pilot program.
Provides for termination of public health emergency declared by Governor to address COVID-19 pandemic.
Extends deadline for completion and filing of annual audit report of school district for 2020-2021 school year; establishes deadline for submission of Audit Summary for 2020-2021 school year.
Establishes Office of Food Insecurity Advocate.
Requires use of design-bid-build or design-build delivery system for certain local government construction projects.
Designates Department of Health State office building in Trenton as "Judith M. Persichilli Building."
Provides local public employee health care plans or programs are not unfunded mandates; gives Legislature's Presiding Officers right to intervene as parties or appear as amicus curiae without Council on Local Mandates approval.
Revises out-of-network arbitration process.
Permits certain administrative orders, directives and waivers issued for the COVID-19 public health emergency to be extended for 45 days.
In committee13
Provides for transfer and sale of inactive liquor licenses for use in qualifying smart growth municipalities.
Authorizes development and operation of computer system which would allow electronic access to outstanding arrest warrant information.
Permits municipalities to hold certain inactive liquor licenses reserved for smart growth developments for an additional five years.
Provides corporation business tax credit for certain investment in manufacturing equipment and manufacturing facility renovation, modernization, and expansion, or hiring and training of new employees for manufacturing purposes.
Allows consumption of food on limited brewery premises.
Allows State-owned, municipally-managed Blue Acres lands to be used for freshwater wetlands mitigation projects.
Excludes donations up to $15,000 when determining income eligibility for applicants to the Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund program.
Prohibits application of fiduciary standard to insurance producers; specifies qualifications of persons providing affidavit of merit in lawsuits against insurance producers.
Modifies procedures for student enrollment in charter school to require use of lottery selection process; requires charter school admission policy to seek enrollment of student demographics of charter school district of residence.
Concerns responsibility of contractors for wage claims against subcontractors.
Requires certain health care plans to be offered by SEHBP and local boards of education; requires SEHBP commission to establish employee contribution rates for certain plans; requires local boards of education provide certain information on health care be
Requires State to pay difference between federal allocation and total cost of reduced price breakfast or lunch; appropriates $4.5 million.
Creates white collar crime registry.
Filed2
Requires State to lease hotel facilities as isolation centers for COVID-19 emergency.
Changes date of 2020 primary election from June 2 to July 7.
Carried from the Senate
Became law5
Requires SEHBP and eligible employers that do not participate in the SEHBP to provide certain plans for public education employees and certain public education retirees.
Changes date of 2020 primary election from June 2 to July 7.
Extends deadline for completion and filing of annual audit report of school district for 2020-2021 school year; establishes deadline for submission of Audit Summary for 2020-2021 school year.
Establishes Office of Food Insecurity Advocate.
Designates Department of Health State office building in Trenton as "Judith M. Persichilli Building."
Vetoed1
Revises out-of-network arbitration process.
Co-sponsored
Became law · 15
"New Jersey Economic Recovery Act of 2020"; provides for administration of programs and policies related to jobs, property development, food deserts, community partnerships, small and early stage businesses, State procurement, wind energy, and film produc
Establishes "New Jersey Debt Defeasance and Prevention Fund," appropriates $3.7 billion.
Requires DCA to make information on homeless prevention programs and services available on its Internet website.
Directs DOE to develop outreach program to encourage young women and minorities to pursue post-secondary degrees and careers in STEM.
"Daniel's Law" prohibits disclosure of certain personal information of active, formely active, and retired judicial officers, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers, and their family members; establishes crime and civil action for disclosing such infor
Requires law enforcement agencies in this State to establish minority recruitment and selection programs; establishes reporting requirement.
Establishes three year Financial Empowerment Pilot Program.
Authorizes the issuance of "coronavirus relief bonds" by municipalities and counties.
Provides for technological upgrade of application process for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Regulates use of body cameras worn by law enforcement officers.
Concerns eligibility for extended unemployment benefits.
Renames Dismal Swamp and Dismal Swamp Preservation Commission as "Peter J. Barnes III Wildlife Preserve" and "Peter J. Barnes III Wildlife Preservation Commission."
Permits deferred retirement from JRS for member appointed as Administrative Director of the Courts by Chief Justice of Supreme Court.
Increases number of hospitals eligible for highest amount of charity care subsidy payment; appropriates $30 million. *
Creates Office of Information Privacy; requires, upon request, redaction and nondisclosure of home address of judicial officers, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and immediate family members thereof residing in same household; makes appropriation.
Vetoed · 1
Allows county or municipal governing body to enter into revenue sharing agreement for alcoholic beverage sales by concessionaire permit holder.
Passed the General Assembly · 12
Authorizes county colleges to establish and operate student dormitories.
Prohibits awarding of economic development subsidy to business if payment of principal and interest on previously awarded loan or loan guarantee is greater than 24 months overdue.
Requires each county to establish inmate reentry services committee.
Directs Secretary of Higher Education to study prevalence, cost, and quality of certain on-line courses compared to traditional classroom courses offered by institutions of higher education.
Establishes the "New Jersey Residential Foreclosure Transformation Act."
Allows gross income tax deduction for amounts paid for removal of lead, asbestos, sodium, chloride, and other contaminants from taxpayer's property.**
Permits extension of certain deadlines applicable to local government units under emergency circumstances.
Permits remote application for marriage and civil union license for patients with certain life-threatening symptoms during period of Executive Order 103 of 2020; eliminates waiting period.
Increases penalty for "bombing" online meeting or teleconference under certain circumstances.
Eliminates driver's license suspension for failure to pay parking tickets; requires registration suspension for more than five parking tickets.
Expands crime of bias intimidation; establishes additional penalties for crimes of bias intimidation and harassment; establishes bias intimidation motivation damages.*
Establishes Alleviating Learning Loss in New Jersey Grant Program in DOE to assist public schools in establishing or expanding certain educational programs to address learning loss in students.
Out of committee · 11
Allows termination of motor vehicle lease in event of death; prohibits imposition of fee for early termination.
Requires certain student identification cards to contain telephone number for suicide prevention hotline.
Requires depository institutions to provide paper account statements to elder adults.
Expands training for judges, law enforcement officers and assistant county prosecutors concerning handling of domestic violence cases. *
Authorizes DCA, DEP, DOT, and municipalities, to provide priority consideration to permit applications for green building projects.*
Suspends fines for certain first-time paperwork violations committed by small businesses.
"Responsible Dog Ownership Act."
Allows hospitals to construct housing and provide wrap-around services for individuals who are homeless or housing insecure.*
Requires law enforcement officers to wear body cameras.
Creates NJ Legislative Youth Council.
Establishes child care revitalization fund in Department of Community Affairs; appropriates $100,000,000.
In committee · 43
Requires election by certain public employees of certain health care benefit plans; prohibits payments by public employers for waiver of such plans.
Broadens eligibility for certain veterans' benefits by eliminating requirement of service during specified dates or in specified locations.
Increases personal needs allowance to at least $50 for low-income persons residing in certain facilities.
Provides tax credit under corporation business tax and gross income tax for certain costs incurred in purchase and installation of certain environmentally responsible business equipment.
Establishes reward program in DOE for districts with high academic performance and low per pupil expenditures.
Requires Division of Rate Counsel to evaluate NJT fare increases and determine whether increases are necessary and fair to NJT customers.
Establishes offense of criminal mischief committed on historical sites.
Permits application for PERS accidental disability benefit for injury sustained after January 2003 while employed at State psychiatric institution or correctional facility immediately prior to PERS membership.
"Transparency in Government Act"; provides for establishment of State public finance website.
Designates "I'm From New Jersey" as the State song.
Provides one-third of motor vehicle fine moneys generated through State Police issued tickets go to municipality where violation occurred.
Exempts disabled veterans from certain fees at State parks and forests.
Clarifies "knockout game" assault as third-degree aggravated assault; permits juvenile offender 14 years of age or older committing such assault to be tried as adult offender.
Requires DHS to give priority to temporary rental assistance over use of hotels or motels in emergency assistance to Work First New Jersey recipients.
Transfers probation employees from Judiciary to State Parole Board.
Includes e-mail addresses in list of confidential items to be redacted from public records under OPRA.
Requires county colleges to develop plan to achieve three-year graduation rate of at least 33 percent for full-time degree-program students by 2021-2022 academic year.
Requires health insurers to cover Lyme disease.
Exempts from disclosure as public record information provided by individual to government agency under certain circumstances.
Establishes task force to study issues related to the establishment of full-day kindergarten.
Establishes procedures for the approval of the closure of a public school.
Requires Legislature to adopt and distribute policy prohibiting sexual harassment; requires members, officers, and employees of Legislature to complete online training on policy once every two years.
Establishes central registry of residents with special needs for use during emergencies.
Requires DEP to submit annual financial report on status of certain fund balances.
"Food Desert Elimination Act"; provides incentives to supermarkets and grocery stores that locate in "food deserts."
"Garden State Manufacturing Jobs Act."
Provides $21 minimum annual energy assistance to qualified families.
Revises certain laws concerning domestic violence and firearms.
Requires DCA to establish procedures for inspection and abatement of mold hazards in residential buildings and school facilities, and certification programs for mold inspectors and mold hazard abatement workers.
Establishes Main Street Economic Growth Program to encourage business development in small, highly developed municipalities.
Requires each school district to offer a summer payment plan for school district employees.
Clarifies that crime victim has a right to make a victim impact statement directly to defendant at sentencing.
Establishes annual sales tax holiday for certain sales of personal computers and certain sales of school supplies and equipment during first full weekend of August.
Requires dealership to notify buyers of recalls on used motor vehicles for sale.
Requires public utility requesting rate increase to hold public hearings in every county.
Limits certain payments for unused sick leave earned after effective date by public officers or employees; limits vacation leave carry-forward and requires suspension and forfeiture of certain supplemental compensation.
"Consumer Access to Health Care Act"; eliminates requirement of joint protocol with physician for advanced practice nurses to prescribe medication.
Upgrades domestic violence-related assault under certain circumstances.
Exempts certain health information contained in 9-1-1 calls from definition of government record.
Requires Attorney General to establish Statewide gun buyback program.
Requires State parks, forests, and other natural and historic areas to remain open to public for seven days if emergency is declared due to failure to enact general appropriation law as prescribed by NJ Constitution.
Requires interior light of motor vehicle be turned on when stopped by law enforcement under certain circumstances.
Allows current and former judicial officers, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers and certain family or household members to register to vote without disclosing residential address; prohibits public disclosure of that information.