Bills in the 2014–2015 Session, Senate.
Ronald L. Rice
Sponsored
Became law5
Requires Commissioner of Health to review impact of disabilities on persons in minority and underrepresented communities.
Authorizes fine for failure to maintain certain vacant properties; requires out--of-state creditors to designate in-State representative.
Concerns the recording of mortgages.
Concerns street light outage reporting.*
Expands Police Training Commission membership to include representative from National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.*
Vetoed5
Establishes "New Jersey Out-of-School Time Advisory Commission" to review before-school, after-school, and summer programs.*
Establishes procedures for the approval of the closure of a public school.
Makes FY 2016 supplemental Grants-in-Aid appropriation of $10 million to DCA for Lead Hazard Control Assistance Fund.**
Exempts sales to homeowner assistance and recovery programs from realty transfer fees.
Requires chairs of certain ward political party committees to have same rights and responsibilities as chairs of municipal political party committees; specifies certain cities not required to have municipal chairs.
Passed the Senate6
Requires board of education to provide an individual textbook for each student enrolled in a class.
Permits municipality to hire private company to provide construction officials, subcode officials, and technical assistants.
Creates Foreclosure Prevention and Neighborhood Stabilization Revolving Trust Fund; places temporary surcharge on mortgage foreclosure complaints.
Concerns expedited process for foreclosing vacant and abandoned residential properties in uncontested actions.*
Requires Legal Services of New Jersey to submit annual report to Legislature on its staffing, caseload, and resources.
Establishes program allowing certain applicants to perform community service in lieu of paying motor vehicle surcharges.
Out of committee15
Authorizes municipalities to impose penalties on creditors that fail to timely remedy code violations of certain properties in foreclosure.*
Codifies the Judiciary's Foreclosure Mediation Program; dedicates monies from foreclosure filing fees and fines.
Provides for electronic scanning of certain certificates for initiating court proceedings for involuntary commitment.
Modifies laws regarding compensation and leaves of absence for certain public employees who served in the military; requires public employers to follow certain policies and procedures for leaves of absence.*
Prohibits State Board of Education from limiting number of certain two-year college credits that may be applied towards meeting teacher certification requirements.
Imposes tax on certain State lottery winnings to finance grant program for not-for-profit entities operating after school programs in certain districts.
Requires school buildings to be equipped with emergency light and panic alarm linked to local law enforcement.
Permits Newark to use rental car tax proceeds over three-year period to help reduce its "cash deficit for preceding year" appropriation and operational deficit.
Makes FY 2015 supplemental appropriation to DHS for $5 million for substance abuse prevention, and requires substance abuse prevention programs to be evidence-based.
Establishes New Jersey Council on Responsible Fatherhood and Responsible Fatherhood Fund.
Prohibits sale, purchase, and possession of certain merchandise designed to conceal license plate to evade law enforcement.
Permits municipality to enact ordinance allowing voluntary registration of private outdoor video surveillance cameras.
Provides for notification of next-of-kin in event of death of senior citizen in senior housing facility.
"Healthy Small Food Retailer Act"; provides funding to small food retailers to sell fresh and nutritious food.
Increases tax credit cap by $165 million for certain qualified residential projects under Economic Redevelopment and Growth Grant program and restricts increase to certain projects.*
In committee75
Authorizes certain municipalities to impose a tax on the storage of empty shipping containers to fund redevelopment plan activities.
Reestablishes and revises public contract set-aside program.
Establishes the "Private Investment in Public Education Fund."
Specifies certain requirements for approval of a charter school application.
Requires binding arbitration to determine contested cases involving dismissal or reduction in compensation of tenured public school employees.
Establishes a three-year moratorium on the establishment of new charter schools.
Establishes DCA oversight of Passaic Valley Sewerage Comissioners.
Establishes pilot program in DOE to ameliorate disparities among school districts with respect to educational technology.
Establishes division in Department of Treasury to oversee and enforce equal employment opportunity requirements with regard to public works contracts.
Provides that a school district may be placed under full or partial State intervention pursuant to the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum (NJQSAC) for no longer than five years.
Strengthens criminal sanctions for intentionally damaging a rental premises to establish a warranty of habitability violation.
Requires installation of standby emergency power generators in senior and disabled housing; creates BPU assistance program for generator purchase and installation costs in existing senior and disabled housing.
Establishes certain equal employment opportunity requirements in connection with expenditure of federal funds received for Hurricane Sandy relief and for any future emergencies.
Expands role of temporary guardian to include arranging placement of alleged incapacitated person in appropriate, less restrictive environment.
Prohibits plea bargaining and eliminates sentence reduction in weapons cases involving minors.
Requires electric public utilities to provide electric circuit maps to municipalities every five years.
Provides a gross income tax deduction for certain water supply and sewerage charges.
Allows a gross income tax credit to certain taxpayers for capital improvements made to principal residence.
Exempts sale of energy and utility service to manufacturing facilities from payment of sales and use tax.
Permits creation of local hire programs for public work contracts of political subdivisions.
Authorizes party to a final divorce judgment or judgment for the dissolution of a civil union to request name change without notifying opposing party.
Requires Commissioner of Community Affairs to establish the "Senior Citizen Home Repair and Modification Program"; appropriates $10 million.
Revises certain procedures for real property tax appeals.
Prohibits certain individuals from membership on county boards of elections.
Requires civil service desk audit of provisional employees after layoff action by local employer.
Increases pension benefits for certain retirees in certain municipal retirement systems.
Establishes Division of Minority and Women Business Development and State Chief Disparity Officer to monitor efforts to promote participation by minority-owned and women-owned businesses in State contracting.
Expands ability of the court to order payment of attorney fees and costs by parties who file frivolous lawsuits.
Establishes minimum and maximum sentences and penalties for election officers and employees convicted of fraud.
Allows gross income tax deduction for first $200,000 earned by certain new physicians and dentists in first seven taxable years of practice in NJ.
Authorizes issuance of "municipal solid waste disposal only" license to certain applicants.
Requires Commissioner of Transportation to publish notice of certain transportation-related infrastructure projects and activities on Internet website, and directs State Comptroller to monitor publication of those notifications.
Requires applicants for liquor licenses and license transfers to notify residents within 200 feet of licensed premises.
Establishes a 500 foot drug free zone around child care centers.
Establishes identification cards for persons without permanent residence.
Requires correctional facilities to submit voting rights information packets to inmates.
Prohibits certain sales of alcoholic beverages within 1,000 feet of schools or religious institutions.
Establishes judicial presumption in favor of10 percent bail option in lieu of a bail bond issued by licensed surety for repeat criminal offenders.
Requires minimum level of police staffing based on municipal population and violent crime rate.
Requires State Comptroller to perform compliance audit to verify municipal implementation of corrective action plan following performance audit.
Protects certain politically active employees from retaliatory action by employers.
Makes residential mortgage fraud a separate crime.
Provides foreclosure forbearance for certain residential borrowers and exempts certain lenders that offer sustainable mortgage modifications.
The "New Homebuyers' Bill of Rights Act."
Enhances protections afforded purchasers in planned real estate developments.
Strengthens State construction code.
Permits sealing of certain criminal records.
Provides mandatory minimum terms and fines for persons who travel to another municipality and sell or purchase controlled dangerous substances there.
Establishes Statewide database of beds in shelters for the homeless.
Permits rehiring of certain law enforcement officers who were terminated for reasons of the economy.
Allows certain military service members convicted of certain crimes to vote while serving sentence, or on parole or probation.
Revises motor fuel tax to rate based on 7% of retail price of unleaded regular gasoline and provides gross income tax deduction for certain taxes paid on motor fuel.
Limits amount of appeal bond in civil actions to $50 million.
Requires racial and ethnic impact statement for certain bills and regulations affecting sentencing.
Restricts certain confinement of juveniles in State and county juvenile correctional facilities.
Requires local government units to certify compliance with certain federal hiring requirements when filing annual budgets.
Prohibits public and private employers from automatically disqualifying ex-offenders from employment.
Prohibits public and private employers from discriminating against ex-convicts.
Provides that deed restrictions on affordable housing units are not extinguished by foreclosure proceedings.
Permits municipalities to establish weapons free zones around schools and public facilities.
Permits immediate expungement of court records when person is acquitted or discharged without conviction, or when charges have been dismissed.
Places five-year limit on State control of any school district; requires local control to be returned in any area of district effectiveness under State intervention for which district meets 80 percent or more of standards.
Establishes process for consideration of offers from short sale buyers during residential mortgage foreclosures.
Enhances procedures for enforcement of visitation and parenting time when parents' access to child has been denied.
Requires various measures to address effects of low levels of lead exposure.
Provides expedited procedure for foreclosing residential properties in uncontested actions.
Concerns eviction of residential tenants.
Creates a Land Use Court.
Transit Ridership Innovation and Participation Act; provides income tax credits for employer-provided public transportation benefits.
"Transparency, Responsibility, and Accountability for New Surcharges and Increases in Ticketing (T.R.A.N.S.I.T.) Act"; increases number of public hearings NJT is required to hold prior and subsequent to fare increase or change or abandonment of service.
Requires NJT to limit fare increases under its discount program for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and college students; designated as "Fare Affordability and Ridership Empowerment (FARE) Act."
Prohibits certain school districts under State intervention from leasing building if purchase price would be less than total costs of lease.
Establishes database with certain information about individuals elected to public office in this State.
Requires that information about legal rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords in rental dwelling units be kept up to date in both English and Spanish.
Establishes Clean Energy Technology Center and Alternative and Clean Energy Investment Trust Fund for purposes of creating clean energy-related employment opportunities; allocates revenues from societal benefits charge to support its activities.
Carried from the General Assembly
Became law3
Prohibits sale, purchase, and possession of certain merchandise designed to conceal license plate to evade law enforcement.*
Permits Newark to use rental car tax proceeds over three-year period to help reduce its "cash deficit for preceding year" appropriation and operational deficit.
Permits municipality to enact ordinance allowing voluntary registration of private outdoor video surveillance cameras.*
Vetoed3
Establishes New Jersey Council on Responsible Fatherhood and Responsible Fatherhood Fund.
Prohibits State Board of Education from limiting number of certain two-year college credits that may be applied towards meeting teacher certification requirements.
Increases tax credit cap by $165 million for certain qualified residential projects under Economic Redevelopment and Growth Grant program and restricts increase to certain projects.**
Co-sponsored
Became law · 4
Provides for withholding of State payments to vendors for delinquent unemployment and disability taxes and charging administrative fees to the vendors.*
Authorizes State-chartered banks, savings banks, savings and loans, and credit unions to conduct certain savings account promotions.
Establishes requirements for training programs for homemaker-home health aides in care of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.*
Clarifies that Alzheimer's disease and related disorders may be listed as secondary cause of death on death certificate when appropriate.
Vetoed · 7
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.*
Establishes "Police Officer, Firefighter, Public School Teacher, Corrections Officer, and Sanitation Worker Home-buyer Assistance Act."; appropriates $5 million.*
Establishes time periods for adverse possession of certain property.
Directs Governor to withdraw from compact establishing Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor; dissolves compact and commission; transfers commission's NJ operations to State Police.
Requires law enforcement agencies in this State to establish minority recruitment and selection programs; establishes reporting requirement.
Establishes New Jersey Caregiver Task Force to evaluate and provide recommendations on caregiver support services.
Requires that school district's request for permission to use unrecognized position title include list of abolished positions and positions in which there have been layoffs and detailed job descriptions for them.
Passed the Senate · 4
Concerns earned sick leave.
Renames Mountainview Youth Correctional Facility as "William H. Fauver Youth Correctional Facility."
Requires health care practitioners to inform patients of addiction potential of controlled dangerous substances prior to issuing prescription.
Requires hospital patient's medical record to include notation if patient has Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.
Out of committee · 18
Requires BPU to issue written decision concerning utility rate increase approvals to public via its website.
Revises definition of "landlord" to include rooming and boarding house owners and operators with regard to ordinances holding landlords to certain standards of responsibility.
Allows municipalities to designate redevelopment entities and certain non-profits to act as land bank entities.*
Repeals "Statewide Non-Residential Development Fee Act."
Increases State hotel and motel occupancy fee revenues required to be annually appropriated to fund certain arts and cultural, historical, and tourism-related programs and activities.
Includes reverse rate evasion as form of insurance fraud and provides for civil and criminal penalties.
Eliminates duplication and redundancy in registration of certain apartments.
Requires DHS to use and update NJ Elder Index and related data to the extent possible.*
Prohibits existing child care subsidy recipient from being treated as a new applicant for subsidy after moving to a new county of residence.
Requires each school district with middle school or high school to establish food services advisory committee to consider menu options that reflect students' cultural, traditional, and dietary preferences.
Prohibits religious entities from engaging in certain practices involving cemeteries, funeral homes and mortuaries, memorials, mausoleums and burial vaults.
Requires police departments of certain educational institutions to adopt Attorney General Guidelines on internal affairs policies and procedures.
Requires clinical laboratory that provides services for accountable care organization to establish clinical laboratory testing advisory board.
Permits municipal, county, and regional police and fire forces to establish five-year residency requirement for police officers and firefighters; allows exceptions to requirement under certain circumstances.*
Adds two public members to NJT board.
Permits tenant to be removed from leased housing due to criminal activity under certain circumstances.
Establishes "Small Business Bonding Readiness Assistance Program" in EDA to assist certain small businesses meet State or federal contract surety bond requirements; transfers $250,000 annually from enterprise zone assistance fund to program.
Requires DCPP to implement policies and procedures to ensure caseworker safety; "Leah's Law." *
In committee · 30
Broadens eligibility for certain veterans' benefits by eliminating requirement of service during specified dates or in specified locations.
Establishes special license plates for honorably discharged veterans.
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.
Revises requirements related to public hearings on proposed public utility rate increases.
Requires notice of development applications be given to residential tenants on that property.
Broadens municipal arson investigators' powers.
Allows application for PERS accidental disability benefit for injury sustained while employed at State psychiatric institution or correctional facility immediately prior to PERS membership.
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."
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 gross income tax credit for cost of certain postage for sending goods to members of United States Armed Forces and National Guard who are serving their country away from home.
Establishes minimum registered professional nurse staffing standards for hospitals and ambulatory surgery facilities and certain DHS facilities.
Supplemental appropriation of $50 million from General Fund to DHS for substance abuse treatment and prevention.
Appropriates $1,000,000 for outreach and enrollment activities in Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare programs.
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.
Requires charter schools to annually submit to Commissioner of Education salary and benefit information for certain employees.
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.
Revises exemption from "unemployment compensation law" for operators of certain motor vehicles.
Requires release of bid list prior to bid date under "Local Public Contracts Law."
Requires law enforcement officers to wear body cameras.
Eliminates penalties for asset transfers up to $500 per month during look-back period for determining eligibility for Medicaid long-term care services.
Regulates passenger transportation companies that use an online application program to connect drivers to passengers.
Establishes red light camera program in DOT; requires one-half of red light camera ticket revenue be used to improve highway traffic safety.
Requires health insurance carriers to reimburse network providers of diagnostic radiologic services at the same rate.
Requires Attorney General to appoint special prosecutor when criminal complaint is filed against law enforcement officer.
Requires money transmitters to provide training materials to delegates concerning financial abuse and exploitation of elder adults.
Provides for Attorney General to handle investigation and prosecution of crime involving death caused by law enforcement officer while in performance of officer's duties; requires officer indictment by State grand jury.
Permits young adult who is claimed as a dependent on a relative's tax return to receive Work First New Jersey General Public Assistance benefits.
Allows installment payments for senior and disabled property taxpayers to repay overpayments of homestead credits and homestead property tax reimbursements.
Establishes Medicaid program to provide housing-related services to individuals experiencing chromic homelessness.
Filed · 1
Establishes "The Democracy Act" to modify various voter registration and voting procedures.