Bills in the 2004–2005 Session, General Assembly.
Christopher J. Connors
Sponsored
Out of committee3
Revises laws restricting operation of personal watercraft and permits local police enforcement.
Establishes civil action for damages against organizations that support terrorism.
Establishes "Internet Predator Investigation and Prosecution Fund" with $200 assessment on persons convicted of certain offenses.
In committee59
Authorizes special Distinguished Flying Cross license plates.
Provides for special Bronze Star license plates.
Provides a gross income tax deduction from the State gross income tax for donations of certain environmentally sensitive or undeveloped lands, or an interest therein, to the State of New Jersey.
Requires health insurers to cover Lyme disease.
Increases cost of living adjustment in pension allowances and survivor benefits payable to certain former public safety officers and their survivors.
Increases cost of living adjustment in pension allowances and survivor benefits payable to certain former public safety officers and their survivors.
Creates new penalty for convictions or juvenile adjudications of arson; establishes Arson Investigation Fund.
Establishes the Public School Educational Funding Commission.
Extends veterans' property tax exemption to tenant shareholders in cooperatives and mutual housing corporations.
Allows judgment for restitution of stolen public funds to be levied against convicted employee's pension contributions.
Excludes certain illegal aliens from workers' compensation and temporary disability benefits.
Eliminates the New Jersey inheritance tax and repeals chapters 33 through 37 of Title 54 of the Revised Statutes.
Imposes mandatory minimum terms of incarceration on juveniles who use guns to commit acts which, if committed by adults, would constitute serious crimes.
Allows certain volunteer firefighters, rescue and first aid squad members to claim $5,000 income tax deduction.
Exempts medical alarm equipment, services and telecommunications costs from the "Sales and Use Tax Act."
Directs State acquisition of Heritage Minerals tract in Ocean County for new State park.
Permits purchase of PFRS credit for certain pre-enrollment temporary service.
Creates the "School Tax Policy Funding Commission."
Increases income limits for Home Care Expansion Program; appropriates $8 million.
Concerns donations to certain charitable organizations.
Establishes Task Force on the Oversight of DYFS.
Requires DEP to assume responsibility for dredging of waterways providing boat access to lagoon communities; appropriates $6,000,000.
Regulates power vessels in certain environmentally sensitive areas.
Establishes special dredging account; directs $5,000,000 of sales tax collected annually be deposited therein; directs DEP to administer account and dredging program with certain requirements.
Appropriates $26,140,000 for dredging projects and dredged material disposal projects related to navigational waterways.
Requires certification that persons directly or indirectly receiving State monies or privileges are not unauthorized aliens.
Grants PFRS membership for certain Division of Parks and Forestry titles; allows current DEP employees in titles to transfer from PERS to PFRS.
Eliminates compulsory liability and no-fault automobile insurance; reinstates financial responsibility laws; applies doctrine of contributory negligence in motor vehicle accidents; permits file and use of rates.
Adds commissioner from the Board of Commissioners of Pilotage in the Division of Coastal Resources, DEP to the Domestic Security Preparedness Planning Group.
Clarifies that punitive damages may not be awarded against public entities or public employees acting within the scope of their employment in any action.
Repeals "Fire Service Resource Emergency Deployment Act."
Requires removal of sodium azide from airbags prior to scrapping of vehicles.
Requires any individual seeking elective public office to disclose when filing petition of nomination whether he or she has been convicted of a criminal offense.
Increases SPRS "special" retirement benefit from 65% to 70% of final compensation.
Extends supplemental workers' compensation benefits to workplace injuries and deaths occurring after December 31, 1979.
Increases penalties for driving while under the influence.
Establishes a New Jersey Coordinating Council on the Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Generating Facilities.
Clarifies that cruelty to animals includes the use of an animal to injure another animal or the use of any direct or indirect means to inflict the cruelty.
Requires hospitals to report information about patient infections to DHSS.
Provides for joint environmental commissions comprised of five or more participating municipalities.
Provides certain veteran benefits to veterans of the global war on terror conflicts and those of certain military engagements served during certain periods.
Establishes a joint legislative and executive branch State Revenue Forecasting Integrity Commission to provide a revenue forecast for annual State budget purposes.
Requires electric public utilities to notify interested parties upon petitioning BPU for approval to operate high power electric transmission line.
Establishes municipal authority to supervise, discipline and terminate employment of construction code officials.
Supplemental appropriation of $250,000 to DLPS to assist local police departments in paying for new N.C.I.C. terminals.
Authorizes county to control greenhead fly population; appropriates $250,000.
Establishes procedure for conducting or nullifying special election following tie vote for candidates for public office.
Supplemental appropriation of $150 million to DOT for repair or construction of bridges on Route 72 connecting Long Beach Island to the mainland.
Extends payment of homestead property tax reimbursement to non-eligible surviving spouse for portion of tax year during which deceased spouse lived.
Requires State to reimburse counties and municipalities for salary and fringe benefit costs of employee on official leave of absence for military service in war on terror; makes an appropriation.
Requires that certain schools, child care centers and playgrounds be notified of hearing concerning issuance or place-to-place transfer of liquor store license.
Revises regulation of the practice of notaries public.
Requires notaries public to be U.S. citizens.
Directs DEP to establish beach access program; authorizes the use of shore protection funds and other public moneys therefor.
Repeals State and local hotel and motel occupancy taxes and voids existing municipal implementing ordinances.
Requires additional fines for certain crimes against minors to fund Amber Alert system.
Requires assessment of bay scallop resource, and authorizes DEP to establish a bay scallop fishery.
Establishes State-Administered Retirement Systems Study Commission.
Creates offense of financial exploitation of the elderly.
Co-sponsored
Became law · 13
Clarifies municipal and county jurisdiction over streets and permits municipalities to designate stop or yield intersections on certain streets under municipal jurisdiction. *
Establishes certain hiring preference for children of firefighters and law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. *
Designates State Highway No. 70 bridge over Manasquan River as the "September 11 Memorial Bridge;" appropriates $2,500.
Proposes series of amendments to statutes governing SCI.
Upgrades criminal trespass under certain circumstances. *
Requires insurers and SHBP to cover mammograms for women under 40 under certain circumstances. *
Appropriates $8 million from "Garden State Farmland Preservation Trust Fund" for farmland preservation purposes in pinelands area.
Appropriates $25 million from "Garden State Farmland Preservation Trust Fund" for planning incentive grants to municipalities and counties for farmland preservation purposes.
Appropriates $52,432,378 from "Garden State Farmland Preservation Trust Fund" for farmland preservation purposes.
Approves $6,585,306 in grants for certain historic preservation projects in southern New Jersey.
Creates World War II Veterans' Memorial Fund.
The "Identity Theft Prevention Act" *
Concerns availability, deductibles, and certain treatment under high deductible health plans paid through federally qualified health savings accounts.
Passed the General Assembly · 3
Allows disabled veteran's surviving spouse to claim property tax exemption when veteran's disability declaration is granted after death.
The "Health Insurance Affordability and Accessibility Reform Act."
Concerns availability, deductibles, and certain treatment under high deductible health plans paid through federally qualified health savings accounts. *
Out of committee · 30
Establishes "Polling Place Accessibility Fund"; promotes polling place accessibility for elderly and individuals with disabilities.
Provides for establishment of county offices for the disabled; making an appropriation.
The "New Jersey Freedom to Fish Act."
Requires the Department of Law and Public Safety, in consultation with the Domestic Security Preparedness Task Force, to operate a website concerning domestic security preparedness and response efforts.
Clarifies certain provisions in the "Crime Victim's Bill of Rights."
Requires that chiropractic physicians, podiatric physicians, allopathic physicians, and osteopathic physicians be reimbursed at same rate as other health care providers under various health and accident plans. *
Establishes Hooked on Fishing-Not on Drugs Program in DEP and appropriates $200,000 therefor from Drug Enforcement and Demand Reduction Fund. *
Allows obtaining information from toll collection monitoring systems and photo-monitoring systems under certain circumstances. *
Requires local government notification of sex offender registration and prohibits sex offenders from living near schools, child care centers or playgrounds.
Clarifies procedures for closing active child protective services cases.
Establishes New Jersey Rx Program to reduce prescription drug prices.
Establishes "Alan M. Augustine Colorectal Cancer Research Fund"; appropriates $100,000. *
Requires health care facilities to report certain information about their health care staff to their respective professional boards or DHSS.
Provides for testing for all known types of hepatitis for certain criminal defendants. *
Requires inmates with sufficient means to pay their incarceration costs.
Makes escapees responsible for apprehension costs.
Removes time restrictions on sale of poppies.
Requires municipalities appointing certain Class Two special officers to reimburse their former municipal employers for training costs.
Changes membership of State Police Retirement System Board of Trustees.
Credits coverage under Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare towards employer's minimum participation rate under NJ Small Employer Health Benefits Program.
Promotes improved polling place accessibility for individuals with disabilities and the elderly.
Appropriates moneys from the "Dam, Lake, Stream, Flood Control, Water Resources, and Wastewater Treatment Project Bond Act of 2003" for loans for dams restoration and repair projects and to finance the costs of State dam restoration and repair projects.
Increases VCCB assessments.
Increases fees for attorneys representing crime victims.
Provides for establishment of liens on net proceeds of settlements, judgments or awards.
Appropriates $1 million in Federal funds for the Garden State Ethanol Project.
Provides that violation of domestic violence order issued in another jurisdiction would constitute contempt of a domestic violence order in New Jersey.
Establishes pilot program for satellite-based monitoring of certain sex offenders and authorizes certain sex offenders to submit to annual polygraph; appropriates $3 million. *
Appropriates $13,845,980 from "Garden State Green Acres Preservation Trust Fund" and various Green Acres bond funds for local government open space acquisition and park development projects in southern NJ.
Appropriates $65,822,075 from "Garden State Green Acres Preservation Trust Fund" and various Green Acres bond funds, and appropriates or reappropriates certain other moneys, for local government open space acquisition and park development projects in "ur
In committee · 68
Clarifies that crime victims' rights must be recognized by all courts in the State.
Appropriates $13,000,000 to DEP from 1996 Dredging and Containment Facility Fund for certain non-port region dredging projects.
Directs New Jersey Highway Authority to designate Garden State Parkway as memorial highway to ex-POWs.
Establishes procedures for court and DYFS to determine safety of minor child whose child's caretaker is incarcerated.
Doubles amount of certain retirement income that may be excluded from gross income under the gross income tax.
Clarifies provisions of "Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act" concerning municipal electric power systems and rural electric cooperatives.
Prohibits use of remote control technology in rail operations except when operated by certified locomotive engineer.
Requires certain advertising disclosures by certain funeral establishments.
Designates "I'm From New Jersey" as the State song.
Authorizes assessment of development impact fees by municipalities.
Establishes "Seniors Helping Seniors Who are Blind or Visually Impaired Demonstration Program" in DHS; appropriates $360,000.
Allows gross income tax filers to designate contributions to VetGroup, Inc. for services for veterans.
Authorizes special license plate for distinguished service medal recipients.
Requires State reimbursement to municipalities of cost of disabled veterans' total property tax exemption.
Requires permanent driver's license suspension for third drunk driving offense.
Provides immunity from civil liability for persons performing animal rescue and authorizes formation of emergency animal rescue response units.
Revises computation of accidental death benefit payable to beneficiaries of certain members of SPRS killed in line of duty.
Directs Commissioner of Transportation to use monies from Transportation Trust Fund for certain projects.
Authorizes free hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses and State park admission for persons with certain types of military service.
Authorizes Naval combat service license plate.
Increases senior citizen stabilization aid to $500 and makes certain regional districts eligible for senior citizen stabilization aid.
Excludes certain illegal aliens from workers' compensation and temporary disability benefits.
Promotes polling place accessibility for certain individuals; appropriates $150,000.
Establishes State security officer program to augment security at State's nuclear power plants; levies $1 surcharge on traffic fines for funding.
Allows municipalities to provide free or reduced fee beach badges to active military and NJ National Guard personnel.
Establishes New Jersey Health Benefits Provider Network Study Commission.
Permits conversion of fines for violation of certain municipal ordinances into tax liens.
Establishes the level of State school aid for the 2002-2003 school year; establishes the Save Our Schools Fund to finance increased State aid.
Requires State park and forest restroom facilities to include an exclusive family restroom.
Prohibits additional jughandles on roads or highways in the State.
Abolishes the Victims of Crime Compensation Board and creates in its stead an Office of Victims' Services in, but not of, the Department of Law and Public Safety.
Broadens eligibility for certain veterans' benefits by eliminating requirement of service during specified dates or in specified locations.
Prohibits sale of gasoline containing MTBE; directs DEP to seek waiver from EPA oxygen requirements for purpose of discontinuing use of MTBE; and establishes Transportation Energy Security Council to monitor good faith compliance effort.
Extends eligibility for veterans' property tax deduction to residents of continuing care retirement communities.
Provides for recoupling of the computation of the New Jersey estate tax in accord with the federal estate tax.
Broadens eligibility for certain veterans' benefits by eliminating requirement of service during specified dates or in specified locations.
Allows for a gross income tax deduction for any honorably discharged member of the US Armed Forces, reserve unit or national guard.
Increases minimum PFRS special retirement allowance from 65% to 70% of final compensation.
Limits materials which may be used in storm drains, sewer systems, and water retention and detention systems to noncombustible materials.
Prohibits contributions by certain entities doing business with State; limits amount of contributions by principals and officers of such entities.
Limits contributions by certain public contractors; limits contributions by county and municipal political party committees.
Provides immunity from liability for certain recreational activities and from injuries caused by acts of God.
Increases SPRS cost of living adjustment from 60% to 100% of Consumer Price Index.
Allows a corporation business taxpayer that dissolves and completely liquidates during the 2002-2003 suspension of net operating loss deductions to use that deduction.
Authorizes municipalities to require conformity with traffic performance objectives as a condition of subdivision or site plan approval.
Authorizes adoption of timed-growth ordinances by municipalities.
Clarifies that responsibility for investment of assets under management of Division of Investment vests in State Investment Council.
Establishes the level of State school aid for the 2004-2005 school year.
Supplemental appropriation of $2,800,000 to Judiciary to expand the drug court program Statewide.
Provides additional State school aid to certain school districts with significant enrollment growth.
Increases penalties for kidnapping of children under the age of 16 and clarifies requirements for sentencing for first degree crime where victim suffers harm.
Increases minimum period of imprisonment from 45 to 90 days for injuring someone while driving with revoked license.
Makes annual compensation paid to surviving spouses of certain blind or disabled veterans payable from date of veteran's death.
Provides that impairing another person's means of communication may constitute an act of domestic violence.
Exempts from realty transfer fees, sales of homes of certain New Jersey members of the military.
Provides for regional economic impact report and review by affected municipalities for certain proposed large scale retail developments.
Repeals law expediting certain State permits.
Exempts manufacturers of marine equipment from air toxics surcharge.
Empowers federal air marshals to make arrests for certain violations of New Jersey law.
Provides for voluntary contributions by taxpayers on gross income tax returns for New Jersey National Guard members and their families in need of assistance.
Requires that public officers or public employees convicted of crimes involving their office or employment be sentenced to mandatory prison terms and forfeit pension benefits.
Requires Attorney General to establish global positioning system to track high risk sex offenders.
"Jessica Lunsford Act;" concerns sentencing of sex offenders and persons who harbor them; requires electronic monitoring for certain sex offenders and creates child protection zones.
Provides for mandatory terms of imprisonment for certain sexual assaults upon a minor; amends murder statute.
Exempts certain non-profit historic educational programs about steam locomotive railroads from regulation as amusement parks or rides therein.
Requires addition of bittering agent to certain engine coolants and antifreeze to render it unpalatable.
"Dog Trainers' Licensing Act."
Requires prosecutors to determine risk of re-offense under Megan's Law prior to offender's release from incarceration.