Bills in the 2002–2003 Session, General Assembly.
Willis Edwards III
Sponsored
Became law1
"Brain Injury Research Act."
Out of committee2
Provides $3,000 income tax deduction for certain families providing home care for an elderly relative.
"New Jersey Health Care Consumer Information Act." *
In committee11
Supplemental appropriation of $10 million to the Department of State for the Educational Opportunity Fund Program.
Strengthens the "Law Against Discrimination" in cases involving discrimination in employment.
Prohibits HMO's from imposing certain restrictions regarding provision of health care services to enrollees.
Establishes three-year demonstration "Senior Citizen Housing and Health Screening Center Program" in DHSS; appropriates $50,000.
Provides mandatory minimum term of parole ineligibility for carjackings committed with a firearm.
Provides for the detection and treatment of sickle cell anemia in newborn children; appropriates $375,000.
Appropriates $150,000 to Montclair Twp. for Nishuane Brook flood control.
Provides for 80% matching grants, and in certain cases up to 95% matching grants, from Garden State Preservation Trust for local government projects to acquire or develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes in urban aid municipalities.
Authorizes expansion of existing UEZs to include contiguous economically distressed areas.
Establishes Commission on Juvenile Involvement in Gangs; appropriates $95,000.
Permits immediate expungement of court records where the person is acquitted or discharged or where the charges have been dismissed.
Carried from the Senate
Became law1
"New Jersey Health Care Consumer Information Act." *
Co-sponsored
Became law · 20
Prohibits discrimination by landlords against tenants based on source of income or age of children under "Law Against Discrimination."
Prohibits unsolicited telemarketing sales calls to certain customers.
Establishes "Amber's Plan" to broadcast public alerts concerning abducted children.
Requires certain public utilities to notify appropriate law enforcement official of service shutoffs to multifamily housing unit customers under certain circumstances. *
Requires hepatitis B vaccinations for high school students and new full-time students at institutions of higher education.**
Concerns public works contracts and project labor agreements with labor organizations. *
Appropriates $27,242,400 in federal funds for bioterrorism preparedness.
Revises Clean Communities Program and makes available recycling grants to counties and municipalities. *
Increases public members on New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education.
Requires criminal history record background checks for health care professionals as condition of initial licensure.
Requires DOE to coordinate sharing of textbooks between school districts.
Allows qualified UEZ municipalilites to include UEZ funding assistance in order to be eligible for "Main Street New Jersey" program.
Creates "Statewide Tuition Waiver Program" for certain students under care and custody of DYFS.
Makes various changes to tenant security deposit laws.
Designates State office building in Asbury Park as "Thomas S. Smith, Sr. State Office Building."
Establishes procedures for court and DYFS to determine safety of minor child whose child's caretaker is incarcerated. **
Upgrades penalties for theft of identity and the selling, manufacturing, possessing, or exhibiting of false government documents; allows for civil action for victims of identity theft. *
Extends eligibility for State veterans' benefits to veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Establishes a minimum per diem base pay of $100 for members of National Guard called to State active duty.
Establishes Office of the Child Advocate. **
Vetoed · 1
Creates study commission on the death penalty. **
Passed the General Assembly · 20
Requires HMOs to report number of children screened for lead poisoning under Medicaid program.
Permits municipality to create drug free zone around publicly assisted housing.
Provides that information about location of a shelter for victims of domestic violence shall not be a public record.
Requires defendants convicted of crime of "leader of firearms trafficking network" to serve 85% of sentence prior to parole eligibility.
Establishes the "New Jersey Civil Rights Act."
Requires quarterly studies of State Police motor vehicle stops to be filed with Governor and Legislature and be made available to public. *
Creates crime of victimization of senior citizen and person with disability. *
Modifies application of certain homeowners insurance deductibles in certain urban areas.
Requires Division of Taxation to display Senior Gold prescription program information on tax return instructions.
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.
Establishes the New Jersey-Africa Commission.
Requires DHS to give priority to temporary rental assistance over use of hotels or motels in emergency assistance to Work First New Jersey recipients.
Clarifies that school bus for purpose of upgraded penalties in "school zone" criminal drug laws includes any bus owned and operated by board of education or by private contractor.
Requires retail mercantile establishments to notify customers when sell-by date of pre-packaged meat is extended.*
Prohibits sale or lease of unsafe or recalled children's products and their use by licensed child care facilities. *
Clarifies procedures for closing active child protective services cases.
Includes certain business practices of cable television companies as violations of "New Jersey Antitrust Act."
Extends military leave benefits for members of the Reserve and National Guard called to federal active duty for extended periods of time.
Prohibits public colleges from charging tuition and fees to students who are spouses and children of those killed, missing in action or disabled in Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom or in Operation Iraqi Freedom. *
Requires staff members of residential child care facilities to undergo criminal history record background and child abuse record information checks.
Out of committee · 24
Requires payment of prevailing wages in construction related to New Jersey Commerce and Economic Growth Commission and EDA assistance. *
Establishes free smoke detector program in DCA.
Prohibits smoking by minors in facilities receiving State funds.
Criminalizes deprivation of civil rights, including racial profiling, by public officials. *
Prohibits tobacco and alcohol advertising within 500 feet of schools. *
Permits local government units to issue refunding bonds to retire unfunded accrued liability resulting from early retirement benefits.
Concerns workers' compensation for occupational disease claims and workers' compensation benefits rates for surviving dependents.
Establishes lead-safe housing grant and loan program and registry plan; makes appropriations. *
Revises Clean Communities Program and makes available recycling grants to counties and municipalities.
Allows certain beneficiaries of certain deceased retirees to receive retirement allowance.
Designated as the Senior Property Tax Freeze Protection Act; extends annual deadline for filing application for homestead property tax reimbursement to June 1. *
Establishes low interest mortgage program in HMFA for volunteer fire and rescue squad members.
Provides early childhood program aid to certain school districts contiguous to Abbott districts.
Provides increased demonstrably effective program aid to school districts contiguous to Abbott districts.
Authorizes an adjustment to school district budget cap in the amount of any increase in special education expenditures for the budget year.
Requires under "Fair Housing Act" that certain percentage of affordable housing be reserved for very low income households.
Makes various changes to the automobile insurance laws; consolidates administrative functions relative to automobile insurance; provides for insurance fraud reforms. *
Establishes "Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing."
Requires building permit for work done pursuant to a home repair financing contract under certain circumstances.
Establishes medical assistance on-line application pilot project in DHS.
Authorizes court to refrain from imposing driver's license suspension on defendant convicted of CDS offense if compelling circumstances exist. *
Provides for voluntary contributions by taxpayers on gross income tax returns to Community Food Pantry Fund.
Changes certain documentation required for certification as minority or woman's business for certain State programs.
"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. *
In committee · 31
Requires DHS and DHSS to provide information about federal and State benefits to persons providing kinship care.
Limits rent increases for certain senior citizens.
Makes a supplemental appropriation of $500,000 from the General Fund to the Department of the Treasury for a publicity program for the senior and disabled citizens property tax freeze reimbursement program.
Establishes the "Senior Citizen and Person with a Disability Protection Act;" imposes mandatory terms of imprisonment.
Permits municipality to enact ordinance to curb gang related loitering and criminal activity.
Establishes school property tax freeze program for resident homeowners age 65 or older and disabled homeowners.
Establishes "New Jersey Anti-Hunger Initiative"; appropriates $500,000.
Designates "I'm From New Jersey" as the State song.
Increases annual income limitation to receive senior and disabled citizens' property tax deduction to $15,000.
Excludes veterans' entitlements from income for determination of PAAD eligibility.
Requires licensure of hospital in Union County to provide adult cardiac surgery services.
Suspends during certain State fiscal years the statutory dedications of State realty transfer fee revenues and temporarily cancels the direction to suspend that State revenue source.
Extends deadline for filing application for homestead property tax reimbursement to April 15, 2002.
Prohibits searches of motor vehicles by police officers without probable cause.
Revises criteria for eligibility to receive senior and disabled homestead property tax reimbursement.
Allows person to deduct alimony payments to determine eligibility for PAAD and Senior Gold prescription programs.
Requires racial and gender balance in appointments to certain State entities.
Authorizes Commissioner of Education to award grants to certain school districts which are implementing a desegregation plan.
Exempts from the New Jersey transfer inheritance tax transfers from decedents who died as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001.
Regulates operation of motorized scooters and motorized skateboards.
Amends the "Fair Housing Act" to change details of regional contribution agreements.
Increases motor vehicle property damages reporting threshold to over $1,000.
Permits parent-teacher associations to conduct fundraising activities within 100 feet of polling place on day of election, under certain circumstances.
Requires licenses in business of firearms repair to obtain ballistics identifiers before returning a rifle or handgun to its owner.
Establishes toll-free hotline to report motorists who litter in New Jersey.
Designates five State songs.
Establishes Medication Management, Outreach and Support Programs in DHS; appropriates $8 million.
Revises laws limiting access to sterile syringes and hypodermic needles to prevent spread of blood-borne diseases.
Provides for issuance of New Jersey Homeland Security Medals; appropriates $5,000.
Expands provisions of law requiring child-protection window guards in multiple dwellings.
Requires affidavit acknowledging that it is unlawful for auto body repair facility to inflate repair estimate to meet insurance deductible amount.
Filed · 1
Allows UEZ municipalities to include certain marketing, advertising and special event activities and other managerial and professional services as projects eligible for UEZ funding assistance.