Bills in the 2008–2009 Session, General Assembly.
L. Harvey Smith
Sponsored
Became law2
Enacts "Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children."
Requires railroad company to negotiate in good faith with certain entities for sale of railroad right of way proposed for abandonment.
Out of committee2
Prohibits employment and licensing background checks to go back further than seven years under certain circumstances.
Expands membership of Police Training Commission to include representative from Northern New Jersey and South Jersey chapters of National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.
In committee16
Requires public schools to include instruction on the obligations and responsibilities of parenting as part of the Core Curriculum Content Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.
Requires aftercare treatment program as part of community supervision.
Allocates Amistad Commission in the DOE, designates Commissioner of Education as chair, authorizes commission to hire staff, decreases public members from eight to four, and provides commission with additional powers.
Revises the calculation of school district budget caps, eliminates the restrictions on the submission of separate proposal for additional spending, and requires a performance audit upon the submission of such proposals.
Requires notary commission applicants to take course and pass written examination.
Establishes regional substance abuse treatment facilities; appropriates $100 million.
Requires certain ambulatory care facilities to provide services to patients without regard to ability to pay or source of payment.
Establishes the Department of Higher Education.
Provides for licensing and regulation of private process serving businesses.
Requires at least 30% of snacks sold in State vending machines be appropriate for consumption by individuals with diabetes.
Increases various fees charged by the sheriff's office and dedicates additional revenue to transportation costs of the sheriff's office.
Prohibits businesses that outsource jobs overseas from receiving State contracts or grants; prohibits investment of State funds in such businesses.
Establishes an urban job training and resource center for certain women.
Expands eligibility under "Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit Act."
Requires Secretary of State to provide voter registration forms to newly naturalized citizens.
Prohibits manual operation of global positioning system device by operator of a motor vehicle while vehicle is in motion.
Co-sponsored
Became law · 15
Extends TDI to provide family leave benefits for workers caring for sick family members, newborn and newly adopted children.
Revises eligibility for expungement of criminal and juvenile delinquency records.
Requires schools to notify certain students of potential eligibility for NJ STARS Program.
Broadens small qualified business exception under UEZ sales tax rebate program. *
Provides period of extension for repayment of introductory rate mortgages on residential property under certain circumstances.
Establishes a "Silver Alert System." *
Revises cosmetology and hairstyling statutes. *
Adds non-voting member to NJT board.
Makes FY 2009 supplemental appropriations totaling $22,500,000 to provide food, energy and legal aid assistance to individuals and families under the "New Jersey Economic Assistance and Recovery Plan."
Establishes the "Main Street Business Assistance Program;" appropriates $50 million.
Eliminates cancellation of charges against employer UI accounts for benefits exceeding 50% of total base year, base week wages.
Appropriates $12,500,000 from Long Term Obligation and Capital Expenditure Fund and $51,471,000 in federal funds for housing related purposes.
Increases income eligibility limit for homestead property tax reimbursement program.
The "Green Acres, Water Supply and Floodplain Protection, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2009," authorizes bonds for $400 million; appropriates $5,000. **
Codifies recommendations of Governor's Advisory Committee on Police Standards.
Passed the General Assembly · 14
Concerns overpayments to public utilities.
Expands eligibility for veterans' civil service preference; creates additional preference benefits.
Provides for equal opportunity for businesses to apply for certain energy-related incentives and funding.
Requires and permits preference in awarding certain contracts. *
Concerns access to physical therapy services, and insurance claims handling following access to those services.
Requires causes of driver inattention to be noted in traffic accidents. *
"New Jersey Fair Debt Collection Practices Act."
Establishes "New Jersey Colon Cancer Research Fund;" provides for voluntary contributions by taxpayers on gross income tax returns. *
Authorizes alternate route trained police officers to be hired as parole of sheriff's officers. **
Permits payments in subsidized adoption until child becomes 21 years of age under certain circumstances.
Permits bid for public works contract to be withdrawn due to error in certain circumstances; permits contracting unit to require financial statement from bidders.
Establishes procedures to prevent and eradicate bedbug infestations in certain residential property.
Requires vehicle registration to contain issue date.
Increases income eligibility limit for homestead property tax reimbursement program.
Out of committee · 21
Requires 45 days' notice to affected municipalities of discontinuance of certain bus and train service.
Raises age requirement of compulsory school attendance from 16 to 18 years old. *
Establishes criteria municipalities and counties are to consider when establishing speed limits. *
Requires wheelchair securement devices and wheelchair occupant securement devices on certain vehicles and training in their use for certain employees.
Requires New Jersey Transit Access Link drivers to undergo criminal history background checks and wear photo identification.
Requires DHSS to report certain patient safety indicators on a hospital by hospital basis and prohibits hospitals from charging for certain medical errors. *
Prohibits boards of education from charging students a fee to participate in extracurricular activities.
"Grace's Law;" requires health insurers, State Health Benefits Program and NJ FamilyCare to provide coverage for hearing aids for covered persons 15 and younger.
Establishes involuntary commitment to outpatient treatment for person in need of involuntary commitment to treatment. *
Enacts the "Jessica Lunsford Act;" increases sentences for sex offenders and persons who harbor them.
Expands consumer protections under New Jersey's motor vehicle "lemon law."
Establishes Re-entry Coordinating Council in the Office of the Attorney General. *
Increases funding of Senior Citizen and Disabled Resident Transportation Program.
Appropriates $54,917,725 from various Green Acres funds for local government open space acquisition and park development projects.
Requires certain cities of the second class to establish a Second Chance Council to develop a plan to increase jobs for released criminals and high school dropouts.
The "New Jersey Homeownership Preservation Act."
Requires DHS to assess $25 annual fee for collection of certain child support payments and authorizes DHS to increase child support pass through.
Validates certain local parking, speed limit and traffic direction regulations.
Requires nursing homes to use pressure redistribution mattresses for all residents.
Provides for improved structure and fiscal management of higher education in New Jersey. *
"Mortgage Stabilization and Relief Act;" creates Mortgage Stabilization Program and Housing Assistance and Recovery Program; imposes additional requirements on lender foreclosing mortgage; appropriates $40 million from "Long Term Obligation and Capital E
In committee · 53
Requires development and distribution of curriculum guidelines on Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Permits members of State Police to receive travel and subsistence reimbursement exceeding $500 limit from certain sources other than State for out of State travel for educational purposes.
Authorizes special license plates for members of the United States Coast Guard.
Permits adopted person and certain others access to adopted person's original birth certificate and other related information; appropriates $90,000.
Permits certain sheriffs to enforce truck weight limits.
Requires property owners with drinking water wells located within one mile of underground storage tanks or dry cleaning establishments to test for contaminants at least once every three years.
Establishes New Jersey K-20 International Education Resource Center at Rutgers, The State University.
Provides support for full-day kindergarten through the T&E budget.
Provides for establishment and funding of "New Jersey Bridge Safety Program"; appropriates $500,000.
Provides counseling and prenatal care information to pregnant women who test positive for HIV.
Prohibits job discrimination for reasons unrelated to job performance.
Establishes a cause of action for intentional failure of employer to follow or correct known health or safety violations or standards.
Requires 10 percent premium discount for good drivers who are with same insurer five or more years.
Requires certain sex offenders to be photographed every 90 days; requires employment information to be published on sex offender Internet registry.
Requires bicycle helmets, reflectors and lights for certain individuals.
Requires retail food establishments to provide certain nutritional information for food or beverage items sold to its customers.
Prohibits insurers offering managed care plans from denying participation in network to health care providers willing to meet terms of contract.
Permits historic motor vehicles to be used for pleasure driving one day per week.
Establishes criminal penalties for failure to pay the minimum wage.
Enacts the "Jessica Lunsford Child Protection Zone Act."
Requires under "Fair Housing Act" that certain percentage of affordable housing be reserved for very low income households.
Requires radio frequency identifying devices in handguns sold by licensed retail dealers.
Establishes "Prisoners' Reentry Bill of Rights."
"Kyleigh's Law"; revises laws concerning provisional driver's licenses.
Appropriates $1,000,000 to Department of State to continue the New Jersey Knowledge Initiative Statewide database program.
The "Toxic-free Children's Products Act."
Revises law concerning disposition of assets of a county society for the prevention of cruelty to animals that has dissolved or has had its charter revoked, canceled, or suspended.
Requires hearing loss sensitivity training for public school pupils and teaching staff members.
Requires handgun ammunition to be encoded with serial number.
Establishes division in Department of Treasury to oversee and enforce equal employment opportunity requirements with regard to public works contracts.
Requires health insurers, SHBP, Medicaid, and NJ FamilyCare to provide coverage for anesthesiology services in connection with outpatient colorectal cancer screening.
Requires nursing homes and ambulatory surgical facilities to implement infection prevention programs.
Commences payment in lieu of taxes for tax exempt real property owned by Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Authorizes SDA school districts to construct school facilities projects and receive State debt service aid.
"Urban Enterprise Zone Jobs Scholarship Act"; establishes pilot program in Department of the Treasury to provide tax credits for contributions to entities which provide tuition scholarships to children in certain urban enterprise zone municipalities.
"Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Reform Act."
Provides that amendments to municipal budget may be provided in writing at public hearing rather than being read in full.
Exempts veterans from $15 fee for open and competitive civil service examinations and from local residency requirements.
Permits advertising on exterior of school buses.
Requires registration and oversight of home education programs.
Prohibits hospital from charging patient or third party payer for costs associated with certain hospital-acquired conditions.
Requires insurers to cover treatment for sickle cell anemia; requires DHSS to prepare and distribute informational booklet about sickle cell anemia; appropriates $95,000.
Lowers maximum interest rate that municipalities can charge on first $1500 of unpaid municipal taxes, assessments, liens or other charges.
Creates tax exemption for public parks and recreational facilities owned, maintained, or operated by joint municipal recreation commission.
Allows a gross income tax deduction for certain higher education tuition and fee expenses.
Requires insurers to provide coverage for medications and dose-intensive chemotherapy/bone marrow transplants and umbilical cord blood transplants for treatment of sickle cell anemia.
Requires outer envelope for mailing of voted absentee ballot by voter to include postage prepaid.
Establishes "Smart Housing Incentives Act."
Increases penalties for violations of special learner's permits, examination permits, and probationary driver's licenses; changes "provisional" license to "probationary" license.
Permits counties, municipalities, and school districts to issue bonds to pay a portion of PERS and PFRS liability and other purposes under certain conditions for up to three budget years.
Disqualifies member of board of education for conviction of certain crimes and requires member to undergo criminal history background investigation.
Prohibits certain sales of alcoholic beverages within 1,000 feet of schools or religious institutions.
Requires mandatory registration of family day care providers.