This bill creates a new criminal offense called "fertility fraud" for health care practitioners who perform assisted reproduction treatments (like IVF or artificial insemination) without a patient's written consent, using either the practitioner's own reproductive material or another person's material. If convicted, the practitioner faces a third-degree crime penalty (up to five years in prison, a $15,000 fine, or both) and must have their medical license permanently revoked. The law also extends the statute of limitations to 20 years from the treatment date (or 10 years from when the victim discovers the fraud). It directly affects fertility clinics and health care providers in New Jersey who conduct reproductive treatments.
This bill allows New Jersey county colleges to disqualify bidders who have had prior negative experience with public institutions of higher education. County college boards of trustees may disqualify a bidder who would otherwise be the lowest responsible bidder or most advantageous bidder if they find the bidder failed to perform, defaulted on a contract, or was suspended from state contracting. The law requires colleges to provide written notice of potential disqualification, offer a hearing if requested, and consider mitigating factors before disqualifying a bidder for up to five years. This provision aims to help colleges avoid working with vendors who have previously provided unsatisfactory service.
This bill authorizes New Jersey Transit (NJT) to use camera systems on buses to issue citations for parking violations that block bus lanes, bus stops, or bicycle lanes. Motor vehicle owners face fines starting at $45 for the first offense, increasing to a maximum of $135 for repeat violations within 12 months, with fines covering administrative costs and funding paratransit services. The system requires clear warning signs on buses, secure image storage with strict retention policies, and a 60-day warning period before enforcement begins, while allowing 30 days to contest citations for specific exemptions like emergency vehicles or school buses.
This bill removes the statute of limitations for prosecuting kidnapping and human trafficking crimes in New Jersey, meaning prosecutors can file charges at any time regardless of when the offense occurred. For civil cases, it extends the deadline for victims to sue perpetrators from 5 to 10 years, with options to file within 10 years of turning 18 (if a minor at the time), within two years of discovering the injury, or after a trafficking pattern ends. The bill also pauses the clock during periods of victim disability (e.g., mental illness or intellectual disability) and blocks defendants from using the statute as a defense if they caused delays through threats or fraud. These changes aim to provide victims more time to pursue justice in both criminal and civil courts.
This bill requires Access Link paratransit vehicle operators in New Jersey to announce every scheduled stop, either verbally or via a recording system. It directly affects passengers using Access Link (a paratransit service for people with disabilities under the ADA) and the drivers or operators of those vehicles. Currently, only fixed-route transit operators must announce stops, but Access Link paratransit services are not subject to this requirement. The bill would mandate stop announcements for all Access Link routes, improving accessibility for riders who cannot see route information.
This bill requires restaurants in New Jersey to clearly disclose any mandatory gratuity charge to customers through multiple prominent methods: on menus, at the restaurant entrance, on the customer's bill, and on the restaurant's website (if applicable). It directly affects restaurants that impose mandatory service charges, making failure to disclose a violation of the Consumer Fraud Act. Violations carry penalties of up to $10,000 for a first offense and $20,000 for repeat offenses, plus potential cease-and-desist orders, punitive damages, and triple damages for affected patrons. The law takes effect three months after enactment.
This bill (A5852) would require New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to regulate scrap metal facilities as recycling centers rather than treating them as exempt from recycling center regulations. Scrap metal facility owners and operators would need to register with the DEP within one year of the bill's effective date, pay a $700 registration fee, and renew annually. Facilities operating shredders would require individual recycling center permits and must implement specific safety measures including fire prevention systems, stormwater controls, and dust management. The DEP would have 18 months to establish a regulatory program for these facilities, including hiring additional staff and requesting necessary funding in its annual budget.
This bill prohibits electric and gas utilities from charging residential customers in multi-unit dwellings (like apartments) a meter-reading fee that exceeds the actual cost of their electricity or gas usage for the billing period. It specifically targets fees charged to customers who opted out of smart meter installation and require manual meter readings. Utilities must cap these fees at the precise cost of the customer's usage, preventing overcharging for manual reading services. The law applies immediately upon enactment and defines key terms like "meter-reading fee" and "smart meter" in the bill text.
This bill (A5905) requires courts and law enforcement to notify the State Parole Board when a parolee violates a domestic violence restraining order. It amends New Jersey law to ensure the Domestic Violence Central Registry includes whether a person is on parole supervision, and mandates that the Parole Board check this registry when considering parole for inmates subject to domestic violence restraining orders. The bill also requires the Parole Board to notify the registry when a parolee's status begins or ends. These changes aim to improve communication between the justice system and parole authorities regarding domestic violence cases.
This bill (A5907) prohibits New Jersey law enforcement agencies and users of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) from sharing ALPR data with out-of-state agencies for investigations targeting legal reproductive health services in New Jersey. It specifically bans sharing such data to pursue civil or criminal liability related to services like pregnancy care, contraception, or abortion that are lawful in New Jersey. The bill requires out-of-state agencies to provide written confirmation they won’t use the data for these investigations before sharing is permitted. Violations carry civil penalties of up to $1,000 for a first offense or $5,000 for repeat offenses.
This bill (A5755) requires New Jersey municipalities that operate public beaches with fee-based access to include specific financial details in their public access plans. It mandates that these municipalities provide: (1) an itemized budget of actual beach operation costs from the previous season, (2) the revenue generated from beach fees for that season, (3) a projected cost budget for the upcoming season, and (4) an explanation of how any excess revenue (revenue exceeding costs) will be spent. The requirement applies specifically to the "public access plan element" of municipal master plans under the Municipal Land Use Law (P.L.1975, c.291). This transparency measure directly affects beach-operating municipalities and aims to clarify how public beach finances are managed.
This New Jersey bill requires health insurance plans and Medicaid programs to cover prescription drugs for specific serious mental illnesses without prior authorization or step therapy protocols. It defines "serious mental illness" to include conditions like bipolar disorder, major depression, schizophrenia, and other disorders listed in the latest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The legislation applies to all health insurance carriers in New Jersey, mandating coverage for these medications without utilization management barriers that often delay treatment. This would directly affect individuals with these mental health conditions who currently face insurance hurdles to accessing necessary medications.
