A 1760 New Jersey General Assembly · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Directs DOLWD to identify, and post on website, employment opportunities with minimal barriers to entry for persons returning to workforce after imprisonment.

This bill requires New Jersey's Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) to identify and publicly post on its website employment opportunities with minimal entry barriers for people returning to work after incarceration. It directly affects formerly incarcerated individuals who face employment challenges like employer stigma and lack of educational opportunities. The key mechanism is DOLWD's ongoing duty to list jobs that have low barriers to entry and high demand. The bill aims to improve reintegration into the workforce by making accessible job listings available to this population, without specifying how employers will be engaged or how success will be measured.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action May 7, 2026

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What changed between versions

Introduced → Reprint · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was reprinted after being reported out of the Assembly Labor Committee with amendments. The most significant change is a new subsection (2b) that requires all state, county, municipal, or locally operated prisoner reentry programs - as well as any reentry entity receiving state funds - to report quarterly to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development on employment partnerships, opportunities, and other employment-related data. This expands the bill from a simple job-posting requirement into a broader data-collection and accountability framework for reentry programs.

Scope change

The bill now applies not only to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development but also to all prisoner reentry programs and entities operated by any level of government or receiving state funds, imposing quarterly reporting obligations on them.

REQUIREMENT

New subsection 2b requires each prisoner reentry program, organization, or entity operated by the state, county, municipality, or other local unit - or which receives state funds - to report quarterly to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development on employment partnerships, opportunities, and other employment-related data as determined by the Commissioner.

SCOPE

The bill's scope expanded from a single obligation (the department posting job opportunities for formerly incarcerated persons) to also include mandatory reporting obligations on reentry programs and entities receiving state funds, creating a feedback loop between reentry services and the labor department.

TECHNICAL

Three additional co-sponsors were added: Assemblywomen Brennan, Morales, and Haider.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

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Key actions

Committee

Jan 13, 2026

Introduced

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Labor Committee

lower

2 primary · 5 co-sponsors