Bills in the 2014–2015 Session, General Assembly.
Sheila Y. Oliver
Sponsored
Passed the General Assembly1
Requires oversight reporting on Hurricane Sandy recovery funds.
In committee9
Authorizes local public contract set-aside program for employers who hire former prisoners.
Ends the estate tax and raises the gross income tax rate on taxable income exceeding $350,000.
Requires school districts to provide instruction on interacting with law enforcement as part of Core Curriculum Content Standards in Social Studies.
Requires Attorney General to appoint special prosecutor when criminal complaint is filed against law enforcement officer.
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.
Establishes the "New Jersey Schedules That Work Act."
Applies local public contract bid threshold amounts to local pay to play and prevailing wage laws.
Prohibits sale of certain toy guns and imitation firearms.
Establishes "New Jersey Task Force on Abuse of Persons who are Elderly or Disabled."
Co-sponsored
Became law · 13
Provides for voluntary contributions by taxpayers on gross income tax returns for development of Northern New Jersey Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
Requires hiring preference for veterans seeking position with State Police.
Prohibits school district from denying student school breakfast or school lunch because payment is in arrears without prior notice to parent.
Requires certain police vehicles to be equipped with cameras.
Prohibits administration of standardized assessments in kindergarten through second grade.
Requires New Jersey School Report Card to include indicators of student career readiness.
Requires preparation programs for teachers and school counselors to include programming to improve student career readiness.*
Establishes four-year County Vocational School District Partnership Grant Program in DOE.
Allows school districts and requires public colleges to enter into dual enrollment agreements to provide college-level instruction to high school students through courses offered on college or high school campuses.*
Provides that if a career and technical education program of a school district is taught in an industry setting, off-site location will be exempt from certain State regulations.*
Prohibits sale of powdered alcohol.
Requires DOC to make reports containing information concerning treatment and reentry initiative participation; requires AOC to establish program that collects recidivism data and make reports concerning adults sentenced to period of probation.*
Requires warning sign to be posted at pontoon boat rental businesses; designated as "Christopher's Law."
Vetoed · 9
Allows municipalities to designate redevelopment entities and certain non-profits to act as land bank entities.*
Requires an annual State debt affordability analysis be included in the State Debt Report.
Enacts the "Reader Privacy Act."
Reduces maximum capacity of ammunition magazines to 10 rounds; exempts firearms with .22 caliber tubular magazines from 10 round limitation. *
Establishes State Transportation Infrastructure Bank and Energy Bank within New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust.
"The New Jersey Social Innovation Act"; establishes social innovation loan pilot program and study commission within EDA.
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.**
Makes FY 2016 supplemental appropriations of $6,500,000 and adds language provision.
Requires DCPP to implement policies and procedures to ensure caseworker safety; "Leah's Law." *
Passed the General Assembly · 14
Requires Adjutant General of DMVA to issue State flag to resident enrolling in federal service academy.
Concerns reviews of State's economic development incentives.
Clarifies that certain types of sewage and sewage sludge do not constitute hazardous substances under "Spill Compensation and Control Act."
Requires corporations qualifying for certain State development subsidy grants to repay entire grant amount if corporation fails to uphold grant terms.*
The "Real Estate Installment Contract Act."
Requires school districts and charter schools to annually provide to parents or guardians of enrolled students information on certain tests to be administered during the school year.
Creates Education Reform Review Task Force; delays implementation of certain assessments and certain changes to teacher evaluation system.
Enhances opportunities for qualified residential projects under the Economic Redevelopment and Growth Grant Program.
Prohibits purchase of certain items by scrap metal businesses.
Provides two elected members of pension commission of closed Hudson County Employers' Pension Fund may be active or retired county employees.
Prohibits award of State contracts and development subsidies to inverted domestic corporations.*
Allows parent or guardian to exclude student from administration of certain assessments.
Requires public school students with concussion to be evaluated by licensed health care professionals before return to school; requires school districts to provide restrictions or limitations to student as needed.*
Permits persons convicted of driving with suspended license to be sentenced to labor assistance program.
Out of committee · 14
Eliminates awarding of attorneys' fees, filing fees and costs of suit for certain technical violations of consumer fraud act.*
Establishes process for consideration of offers from short sale buyers during residential mortgage foreclosures.
Requires incarcerated individual be counted for redistricting purposes at previous address if State resident and not counted if incarcerated and not State resident.
Creates cause of action for failure to maintain certain vacant properties; requires out-of-state creditors to designate in-State representative.
Requires labeling of foods containing genetically engineered material.*
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 procedures for the approval of the closure of a public school.
Establishes "College Affordability Study Commission" to examine issues and develop recommendations to increase the affordability of higher education in New Jersey.
Concerns earned sick leave.
Designates U.S. Route 22 bridge, Easton-Phillipsburg Toll Bridge, as "Sergeant William John Cahir Memorial Bridge."
Concerns establishment of wage standards by political subdivisions.
Expands category of lists from which a single juror source list is compiled to include recipients of cash assistance or food stamps.
"Out-of-network Consumer Protection, Transparency, Cost Containment and Accountability Act." *
Requires teachers of health and physical education in grades kindergarten through six in public schools to possess appropriate endorsement to instructional certificate.
In committee · 60
Enacts the "Marriage Equality and Religious Exemption Act."
Provides for private cause of action for bad faith in settlement of certain insurance claims.
Prohibits certain sales of alcoholic beverages within 1,000 feet of schools or religious institutions.
Requires mandatory registration of family day care providers.
Establishes a grant program for school districts to establish substance abuse prevention programs for eighth grade students.
Clarifies that crime victim has a right to make a victim impact statement directly to the defendant at sentencing.
Provides voter registration assistance to persons completing parole, probation, and criminal sentences.
Allows adoptees access to nonidentifying family medical history information.
Designates "I'm From New Jersey" as the State song.
Increases personal needs allowance to $55 for low income persons residing in certain facilities.
Establishes State pension fund preference for certain in-State infrastructure investment.
Doubles amount of certain retirement income that may be excluded from gross income under gross income tax, eliminates income cap on exclusion.
Increases membership of PFRS board of trustees from 11 to 13 members.
The "Smart Container Act."
Requires mortgage lenders to maintain vacant, age-restricted dwelling units during foreclosure.
Permits payment of only one co-payment or deductible for follow-up care or treatment after surgery or illness under certain health benefits plans.
Adds two employees to the boards of trustees of the State colleges and the county colleges.
Establishes reward program in DOE for districts with high academic performance and low per pupil expenditures.
Requires electric utility bills to separately list the amount of State sales tax, societal benefits charge and transitional energy facility unit rate assessment surcharge.
The "Green Acres, Water Supply and Floodplain Protection, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2014," authorizes bonds for $200 million; appropriates $5,000.
Permits municipalities to establish weapons free zones around schools and public facilities.
Requires DHS to establish training, educational assessment, and remedial instruction programs, and minimum educational standards for staff at State psychiatric hospitals.
Requires members of governing boards of public institutions of higher education to complete a training program developed by the Commission on Higher Education.
Regulates advertising of manufacturer’s rebates by retail mercantile establishments.
Establishes "New Jersey Works Dual Enrollment Option Program."
Recognizes same-sex marriages entered into outside the State.
Exempts mugshots of arrestees who have not been convicted of the underlying offense from State's open public records law.
Requires availability of early voting for certain elections; makes appropriation.
Creates the crime of victimization of a senior citizen or a person with a disability.
Permits juveniles to be admitted to drug court program under certain circumstances.
"Dietitian/Nutritionist Licensing Act."
Establishes additional county recording fees to support "New Jersey Affordable Housing Trust Fund."
Lowers age of compulsory school attendance to age five and requires that all school districts establish kindergarten programs.
Establishes the New Jersey Task Force on Child Support Reform.
Requires that if a school district satisfies 80% or more of the required NJ Quality Single Accountability Continuum standards in an area of district effectiveness under State intervention, the State must return that area to local control.
Requires NJT to remove snow from certain stops, stations, and stands for motorbus regular route service and to make name and contact information of entities responsible for snow removal publicly available.
Provides county vocational school districts with the authority to name themselves in a manner that more accurately reflects their mission.
Establishes Partners for Growth Council in DOLWD.
Revises exemption from "unemployment compensation law" for operators of certain motor vehicles.
Requires EDA and Dept. of State to encourage businesses considering relocation to locate within chronically high unemployment region.
Requires individuals to upload employment resume on Internet website upon filing claim for unemployment insurance benefits.
Modifies education requirement for licensure by the NJ State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling.
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.
Establishes "Career and Technical Education Scholar Awards" to annually recognize outstanding career and technical education students.
Revises procedure for transferring motor vehicles under certain circumstances.
Permits municipalities to adopt ordinances to require certain owners to pay for continuous police patrol of residential rental multiple dwellings located in high-crime areas.
The "Full Marriage Recognition for Civil Union Couples Act"; recognizes certain civil unions as marriages dating back to inception of such civil unions.
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.
Authorizes DOT to enter into public-private partnerships concerning transportation projects.
Directs the Department of Corrections to advise new inmates of child support obligations and modification procedures.
Requires notification to certain buyers of health club services of automatic renewal clauses in health club contracts.
Clarifies that law enforcement officer who knowingly chokes another person engages in use of deadly force.
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.
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.
Requires Division of Purchase and Property to provide additional notification of contracting opportunities to vendors or potential vendors providing or interested in providing home health care services to State agencies.
Requires safeguards for anonymity and confidentiality with respect to communications presented through phone lines, electronic communication systems, or websites dedicated to accepting anonymous tips for use by law enforcement in criminal investigations.
Imposes $0.25 surcharge on alcoholic beverages to be dedicated to Alcohol Education, Rehabilitation and Enforcement Fund.
Raises age requirement of compulsory school attendance from 16 to 18 years old.
Permits appointment of certain lawful permanent residents to county and municipal forces and State Police.
Requires DHS to ensure distribution to senior citizens of notice from Division of Consumer Affairs concerning risks and prevention of fraud.