Bills in the 2004–2005 Session, General Assembly.
Christopher Bateman
Sponsored
Became law1
Provides liability protection for natural resource damages, natural resource restoration, and offsite contamination to certain persons; makes certain changes concerning the statute of limitations for certain causes of action. **
Passed the General Assembly2
Expands scope of implied consent for BAC testing to include certain underage drivers who have consumed alcohol.
Requires certain notices when public agencies take possession of abandoned vehicle.
Out of committee4
Requires submission of Juvenile Justice Commission master plan and county youth services plans every three years.
Directs DEP to acquire certain obsolete vessels to use as artificial reefs; appropriates up to $250,000. *
Authorizes transfer of State property and removes use restrictions.
Revises membership of Executive Commission on Ethical Standards; renames commission; makes various other changes concerning ethics. *
In committee40
Adds new causes of action for divorce based on irreconcilable differences.
Establishes Community Dispute Resolution Commission to facilitate community association dispute resolution.
Establishes certification of property managers of common interest communities.
Establishes collateral requirements for certain deposits in and sets standards for certain investments by the State of New Jersey Cash Management Fund.
The "New Jersey Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act."
Authorizes counties, municipalities, municipal utilities authorities and sewerage authorities to impose intensity of use fee concerning sewer and water connectors.
Establishes municipal court jurisdiction over certain juvenile delinquency cases.
Appropriates $2,000,000 for New Jersey Fire Engine and Equipment Museum.
Authorizes expedited conveyance of certain derivative State property interests.
Provides alternatives concerning patterns of repeated unauthorized absences from school by a child between the ages of six and 16 years.
Authorizes UEZA to designate an additional zone.
Limits homeowners' association right to certain statutory lien; establishes alternative dispute resolution procedures; appropriates $99,000.
Provides certain enforcement powers to DCA concerning homeowners' associations; requires registration.
Authorizes DCA to establish bidding and conflict of interest guidelines for homeowners' associations.
Alters transition period for control of homeowners' association board; clarifies when developer has ceased actively selling under "The Planned Real Estate Development Full Disclosure Act."
Amends condominium laws to require certain standards in bylaws.
Establishes standards of fairness, due process and accountability for homeowners' associations concerning meetings, access to records and audits.
Exempts State-chartered credit unions from sales and use tax.
Supplemental appropriation of $150,000 to DHSS for a grant to Tourette Syndrome Association of New Jersey, Inc.
Enables authorized persons to obtain criminal background checks on juveniles to determine suitability for work with children, the elderly and the developmentally disabled.
Grants civil service preference to graduates of police training course.
Requires ten years legal experience to be eligible to be appointed county prosecutor.
Provides gross income tax credit for certain property tax due and payable on destroyed or damaged residence.
Permits municipalities and counties to indemnify volunteers who negligently operate municipal motor vehicles.
Expands implied consent statute to include blood testing; permits use of reasonable force to obtain blood sample in certain cases.
Provides standards for expert witnesses in medical malpractice actions against physicians.
Permits municipalities to apply excess development fees collected to certain infrastructure improvement costs.
Authorizes a county college board of trustees to grant voting rights to the graduating class representative on the board and requires the board chairman to cast deciding vote in the event of a tie under certain circumstances.
Requires Medicaid program to increase reimbursement for ambulance services provided to Medicaid recipients who are also Medicare eligible to Medicare rate.
Authorizes State Treasurer to sell certain surplus real property to the Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey.
Appropriates $120,000 for North Branch Flood Mitigation Project.
Decreases certain motor vehicle fines.
Revises membership of the New Jersey Automobile Insurance Risk Exchange board.
Limits annual license fees for radon businesses to $1,000.
Adds murder to the list of predicate crimes in the felony murder statute.
Bases certain UI surcharges on total wages paid and allows all employers option of treating surcharge for Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund as payroll deduction.
Permits criminal history record check for unpaid volunteers in schools and requires applicant to be reimbursed for costs of check; permits the reimbursement of paid school personnel for such costs.
Permits victim to petition the court to require defendant to be present during certain phases of criminal proceeding.
"Common Interest Community and Homeowners' Association Act."
Requires "permanent injury" under limitation on lawsuit threshold to seriously impact life of injured person to pierce threshold.
Carried from the Senate
Became law3
Requires submission of Juvenile Justice Commission master plan and county youth services plans every three years.
Authorizes transfer of State property and removes use restrictions.
Revises membership of Executive Commission on Ethical Standards; renames commission; makes various other changes concerning ethics. *
Co-sponsored
Became law · 11
Prohibits surrender charges for individual deferred annuities under certain circumstances.
Requires ownership label or notice on ATMs.
Designates State Highway No. 70 bridge over Manasquan River as the "September 11 Memorial Bridge;" appropriates $2,500.
Appropriates $300,000 to DHS for grant to Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. *
Appropriates $39.8 million from "Garden State Farmland Preservation Trust Fund" for farmland preservation purposes.
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.
Appropriates $18,000,000 to provide grants for certain historic preservation projects; approves $4,979,092 thereof for certain historic preservation projects in northern NJ.
Approves $6,435,602 in grants for certain historic preservation projects in central New Jersey.
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 · 10
Establishes criminal penalties for operating or participating in pyramid promotional schemes.
Requires lenders to provide debtors with amount necessary to cure debt and attach copy of 14 day notice to application for final judgment in certain foreclosure actions.
Provides for the registration of daily money managers.
Requires examinations of joint insurance funds and certain reporting by those funds.
Establishes defibrillator grant program in DCA.
Prohibits operating vehicle in unsafe manner likely to impede traffic or endanger person or property.
Decreases certain motor vehicle fines and lengthens time to provide proof of insurance.
Requires buildout analysis as part of master plan reexamination report.
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 · 37
Establishes Election Advisory Commission.
Establishes "Polling Place Accessibility Fund"; promotes polling place accessibility for elderly and individuals with disabilities.
Requires insurers that provide outpatient prescription drug benefits and State Health Benefits Program to cover costs of prescription female contraceptives. *
Establishes limits on resident's hours in hospitals.
Shortens time period after which interest is charged for late payment of workers' compensation benefits.
Provides for establishment of county offices for the disabled; making an appropriation.
Limits point assessment for unsafe driving.
Increases to 103% loan to value amount permitted under mortgage guaranty insurance.
Provides credit under gross income tax and corporation business tax for certain costs of rehabilitating historic properties.
Requires school districts to provide transportation to public and nonpublic school pupils living along hazardous routes. *
Clarifies procedures for closing active child protective services cases.
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.
Requires services under State contracts to be performed in the United States. *
Creates study commission on the death penalty.
Makes various revisions to the "New Jersey Property-Liability Insurance Guaranty Association Act." *
Modifies the Charitable Immunity Act.
Establishes the "Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Compact."
Provides limits for late charge and returned check fee payments for certain loans.
Concerns groups eligible for, standard policy provisions of and other matters related to group life insurance.
Permits adopted person and certain others access to adopted person's original birth certificate and other related information; appropriates $1,000,000. *
Revises statutes governing New Jersey State Firemen's Association.
Requires State to provide matching funds for certain federal grants to benefit wildlife and wildlife habitat, and appropriates $381,715 therefor for current year.
Credits coverage under Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare towards employer's minimum participation rate under NJ Small Employer Health Benefits Program.
Regulates life insurance viatical settlement practices; repeals existing law regulating viatical settlements.
Increases certain investment limits for domestic insurers.
Establishes procedures for placement of individuals in Division of Developmental Disabilities Moderate Security Unit. *
Creates the "New Jersey Security and Financial Empowerment Act" to assist victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. *
The "Indexed Standard Nonforfeiture Law for Individual Deferred Annuities."
Strengthens enforcement powers of Department of Banking and Insurance with respect to certain regulated financial institutions.
The "New Jersey Homeowners Equity Protection Act." *
Appropriates $46.225 million from "Garden State Farmland Preservation Trust Fund" for farmland preservation purposes.
Appropriates $16,575,000 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 central 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
Appropriates $15 million from "Garden State Farmland Preservation Trust Fund" for farmland preservation purposes in Highlands Region.
Appropriates $5.015 million from "Garden State Farmland Preservation Trust Fund" for grants to certain nonprofit organizations for farmland preservation purposes.
Appropriates $31,415,464 from "Garden State Farmland Preservation Trust Fund" for planning incentive grants to counties and municipalities for farmland preservation purposes.
In committee · 109
Prohibits certain contributions by certain entities and individuals doing business with counties or municipalities; limits amount of contribution by principals and officers of such entities.
Permits eviction for good cause of tenants who are creating nuisance; requires court to notify landlord when restraining order has been issued barring tenant from residential rental property.
Requires coverage for certain nonprescription formulas under certain health benefits plans, including SHBP.
Establishes procedures for court and DYFS to determine safety of minor child whose child's caretaker is incarcerated.
"Property Tax Reduction Work Act"; permits local units to recruit residents to perform services in return for property tax vouchers.
"The 10-20-Life Law."
Prohibits basing fees for certification of radon testers upon number of measurement devices used.
Allows certain self-employed business owners to deduct their own pension plan contributions from gross income under the gross income tax.
Provides tax credits for certain participants in federal Environmental Performance Track Program.
Eliminates the alternative minimum assessment under the corporation business tax.
Establishes procedures for approval of certain applications for development affecting neighboring municipalities.
Doubles amount of certain retirement income that may be excluded from gross income under the gross income tax.
Requires award of grants to remediate discharges from home heating oil tanks for applications filed prior to July 1, 2007.
Requires that notice of hearing on certain zoning changes be by certified mail only.
Specifies criteria to determine degree of likelihood of development of lands proposed for acquisition for recreation and conservation purposes by local government units.
Creates defibrillator grant program in DHSS for municipalities; appropriates $1.7 million.
State Government Municipal Reimbursement Act.
Grants county planning board power to review site plans for land development affecting county roads.
Designates "I'm From New Jersey" as the State song.
Establishes "Volunteer Emergency Services Highway Reimbursement Fund."
Changes compensation trigger for reenrollment of PERS retiree from $15,000 in aggregate to $15,000 per public employer.
Eliminates requirement that school bus drivers be fingerprinted for license renewal.
Directs DEP to conduct feasibility study of assessing air pollution sources in and around certain airports and military bases.
Revises provisions of the "Coastal Area Facility Review Act."
Permits municipality, local board of health or regional health commission to prohibit indoor smoking in public premises to protect public health.
Revises lifeguard pension benefits.
Protects certain compliant municipalities from builder's remedy under "Fair Housing Act" pending readoption of methodologies, criteria and guidelines.
Establishes special license plates supporting literacy programs.
Authorizes special Distinguished Flying Cross 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.
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.
Changes date of primary elections in year 2004 to first Tuesday in March.
Provides for the election of school board members at November general election.
Broadens eligibility for certain veterans' benefits by eliminating requirement of service during specified dates or in specified locations.
Creates low interest loan program for elevating single family homes in special flood hazard areas.
Authorizes the New Jersey Commerce and Economic Growth Commission to establish New Jersey Corporate Overseas Network Program.
"Family Home Occupation Act;" classifies certain home-occupations as accessory uses needing no use variances in residential zone; authorizes municipalities to limit or exclude certain warehousing, manufacturing or retailing activities.
Expands mission of NJ organized militia in DMVA and increases size and rank of leadership.
Requires DHSS to prepare booklet on MMR vaccine and availability of blood test to determine immunity prior to administration of second dose.
The "Public Surface Water Supply Protection Act."
The "Steep Slope Protection Act."
Establishes State's and local government's right of first refusal regarding conveyances of certain large tracts of land.
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.
Exempts certain investment clubs from certain partnership fee and payment requirements.
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.
Provides State in lieu aid to municipalities for certain tax-exempt group homes.
Allows an adopted person 18 years of age or older access to his original birth certificate and other related information.
Requires the Commission on Higher Education to develop an accelerated bachelor of science in nursing degree program for foreign medical school graduates.
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.
Establishes guidelines for operating authorized emergency vehicles in emergency situations.
Requires surcharge for passenger restraint violation; establishes Child Safety Seat Distribution Program Fund.
Requires buildout analysis as part of master plan reexamination report.
Requires instruction on the Founding Fathers of the United States as part of the Core Curriculum Content Standards for Social Studies.
"New Jersey Medical Care Availability and Patient Protection Act of 2004."
Establishes "Matthew's Law Limiting the Use of Restraints."
Appropriates $2,431,028 to AOC to implement a program to identify and divert certain chronic juvenile offenders from court system to alternative dispositions.
Supplemental appropriation of $1 million to the Department of State for model youth programs.
Provides State tax credit allotments for wages paid to youths employed through the Youth Employment and After School Incentive Pilot Program.
Makes supplemental appropriation of $4.4 million to DLPS for purchase and distribution of thermal imaging cameras for local police services.
Concerns basic skills training.
Allows a corporation business taxpayer that dissolves and completely liquidates during the 2002-2003 suspension of net operating loss deductions to use that deduction.
Moves school, fire district and certain municipal elections to date of nonpartisan municipal elections.
Expands duties of State Auditor to include performance audits at request of legislator; establishes Performance Audit Committee, consisting of eight public members, to help conduct performance audits.
Extends certain benefits to members of U.S. Reserves and State organized militia who serve at least 180 continuous days.
Establishes the offense of incest.
Establishes the County School District Feasibility Study Commission.
Requires consultation with and approval by county board of taxation prior to reassessment of property by Director of Division of Taxation.
Prohibits campaign contributions by certain individuals, businesses or other organizations performing public contracts.
Prohibits certain relatives of legislators from being employed or assigned in certain positions.
Prohibits elected officials from holding more than one elective office.
Requires all elected officials and candidates and certain other public officials to file financial disclosure statement.
Requires legislators with simultaneous PERS-covered elected office or employment to choose one position for receipt of PERS credit.
Directs ELEC to collect fees from certain firms that employ legislative agents; increases certain penalties imposed by ELEC and Executive Commission on Ethical Standards; dedicates funds to those commissions.
Clarifies that certain ethical standards apply to Governor and Governor's staff.
Establishes new standard and procedure for forfeiture of elective public office for accepting illegal contributions; removes illegal contribution threshold for such forfeiture.
Permits children to obtain digital photo identification cards.
Supplemental appropriation of $2,800,000 to Judiciary to expand the drug court program Statewide.
Requires Medicaid program to increase reimbursement for ambulance services provided to Medicaid recipients who are also Medicare eligible to Medicare rate.
Eliminates the public vote on a school district budget which is within cap.
Concerns affordable housing in the Highlands Region.
Provides that no more than four of the seven public members appointed to the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council may be of the same political party.
Exempts construction, expansion or renovation of buildings or other structures for police departments, fire departments, and volunteer first aid, emergency, ambulance or rescue squads from "Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act."
Exempts Picatinny Arsenal conversion plan from the provisions of the "Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act."
Revises calculation of budget caps and increases allowable surplus for public school districts.
Extends senior citizen and handicapped citizen reduced fare program for travel at all peak and offpeak hours.
Allows a corporation business taxpayer recognizing income, gain or loss pursuant to a plan of complete liquidation to deduct its net operating loss carryovers notwithstanding the limitations on such deductions during the 2002-2005 tax years.
Provides for "grandfathering" of certain persons as licensed professional counselors.
Prohibits Turnpike Authority from discontinuing peak-period discounts for E-Z Pass users.
Broadens eligibility for certain veterans' benefits by eliminating requirement of service during specified dates or in specified locations.
Repeals law expediting certain State permits.
Extends veteran's tax deduction to certain persons undergoing training for deployment in Operation "Iraqi Freedom."
Provides for mandatory forfeiture of retirement benefits of elected official convicted of crime involving office held.
Revises public school district budget cap adjustment for special education and establishes adjustments for utility costs, health benefits costs, legal fees, and membership dues for New Jersey School Boards Association.
Provides reimbursement of group life insurance premiums to members of National Guard, appropriates $1,000,000.
Provides for voluntary contributions by taxpayers on gross income tax returns for New Jersey National Guard members and their families in need of assistance.
Establishes a pothole repair and research program in the Department of Transportation and provides funding from new motor vehicle tire fee revenue.
"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.
Prohibits investment of certain public funds in companies doing business in or with Zimbabwe.
Establishes State-Administered Retirement Systems Study Commission.
Creates offense of financial exploitation of the elderly.
Appropriates $15 million from "Garden State Farmland Preservation Trust Fund" for farmland preservation purposes in Highlands Region.
Requires assignment of same inspector or team of inspectors who found a construction code violation to reinspection thereof.
Permits court to merge offenses of drunk driving and refusal to submit to breath test.
Requires imposition of 250 hours of community service for public servant convicted of certain crimes.
Prevents use of condemnation to acquire residential property under redevelopment laws.
Eliminates use of vaccines containing mercury over three years.
Requires certain health care professionals to provide information and screening for postpartum depression.