New Jersey Bills

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jun 8, 2026

A 1492: Requires Secretary of Agriculture to establish Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse school districts for costs expended in sourcing and procuring local foods for students; appropriates $4,500,000.

This bill creates a $4.5 million grant program to reimburse New Jersey school districts for costs incurred when expanding their procurement of locally grown food for students. It directly affects eligible school districts participating in federal meal programs (like National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs), requiring them to submit plans for new or expanded local food sourcing beyond current baseline levels. The program reimburses documented costs for minimally processed local foods (like fruits, vegetables, or grains grown in New Jersey), excluding fluid dairy milk. School districts must implement new policies to increase local food access during school meals or summer programs to qualify for reimbursement.

Topics ✓ Education

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jun 8, 2026

A 3496: Requires State agencies to make good faith effort to increase awarding of contracts procured without advertisement to minority- and women-owned businesses.

New Jersey's Bill A 3496 requires state agencies to make a good faith effort to increase contracts (procured without advertisement) awarded to certified minority-owned and women-owned businesses by 30 percent within five years. This applies to agencies using delegated purchasing authority for contracts under specific dollar thresholds (e.g., $150,000-$250,000). The State Treasurer must develop guidelines for agencies and submit six-month progress reports to the Governor and Legislature, while agencies must report their actions to the Treasurer every 30 days. The bill directly affects state agencies managing procurement and certified minority/women-owned businesses seeking government contracts.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jun 8, 2026

A 2613: Requires Chief Diversity Officer in Department of Treasury and other State officers to conduct certain outreach events, training workshops, and educational programs for minority and women-owned businesses.

This bill requires New Jersey's Chief Diversity Officer (within the Treasury Department) to partner with the Business Action Center and Economic Development Authority to organize regular outreach events and training programs for certified minority and women-owned businesses. The programs will promote awareness of state contracting opportunities and provide practical training in areas like marketing, finance, technology, and project management. These activities must occur virtually or at community locations (including non-profits or faith-based sites) throughout the state.

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jun 8, 2026

A 1978: Requires Chief Diversity Officer in Department of Treasury to develop and implement programs to increase utilization of minority-owned and women-owned businesses in State.

This bill requires New Jersey's Chief Diversity Officer in the Treasury Department to create and run programs aimed at increasing contracts awarded to minority-owned and women-owned businesses. It expands the officer's existing duty of tracking current contracting data (like contract values and percentages going to these businesses) to actively develop new initiatives. The direct effect is on state procurement processes, aiming to help minority- and women-owned businesses secure more state contracts. The key change is shifting from passive monitoring to proactive program development, as specified in the amendment to P.L.2017, c.95.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

in committee · New Jersey · Senate Jun 8, 2026

S 3254: Prohibits expenditure of Green Acres funds for purchase, use, installation, or replacement of artificial turf fields.

This bill prohibits New Jersey's Green Acres program from using state funds to purchase, install, or replace artificial turf fields. It directly affects municipalities, school districts, and state agencies that rely on Green Acres funding for recreational facilities. The bill cites health and environmental concerns, including harmful chemicals, microplastics, and PFAS "forever chemicals" in artificial turf, as reasons to redirect funding toward natural grass fields maintained with organic practices. The policy change requires entities using Green Acres funds to prioritize safer, natural grass alternatives instead. The bill is currently pending in the Senate Environment and Energy Committee.

Topics ✓ Environment

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jun 8, 2026

A 2406: Requires DEP to regulate scrap metal facilities as recycling facilities.

This bill would require New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to regulate scrap metal processing facilities under the same rules that apply to recycling centers. It defines "scrap processing facility" as a commercial operation handling metal for resale and mandates that the DEP oversee these facilities as if they were recycling centers, despite the current definition excluding them from that category. This change would directly affect scrap metal businesses by subjecting them to identical environmental and operational standards as recycling centers. The bill amends existing law to extend the DEP's regulatory framework for recycling centers to cover scrap metal processing activities.

Topics ✓ Environment

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jun 8, 2026

A 4103: Requires construction permit for certain work involving asbestos on single-family home, duplex, or townhouse.

This bill (A4103) requires a construction permit for certain asbestos-related work on single-family homes, duplexes, or townhouses. It applies to activities like repairing, removing, or encapsulating asbestos-containing material (defined as materials with over 1% asbestos by weight) on the interior or exterior of these properties. The permit is required in addition to other existing permits, but work involving less than 1,000 square feet of asbestos material is exempt. The bill directs the Commissioner of Community Affairs to adopt rules to implement these requirements, effective three months after enactment.

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jun 8, 2026

A 4492: "Immigrant Tenant Protection Act"; provides certain protections to residential tenants and codifies certain warranty of habitability protections.

The "Immigrant Tenant Protection Act" (A4492) prohibits landlords in New Jersey from threatening to disclose or disclosing a tenant’s immigration or citizenship status to force them out of housing, or from using that status as a basis for eviction. It bans evictions solely or partially tied to immigration status and allows tenants to sue for up to $2,000 per violation, plus damages and legal fees. The bill also blocks courts from inquiring into a tenant’s immigration status during housing rights cases, except in limited circumstances like federal program compliance. It directly affects residential tenants (particularly immigrant communities) and landlords, while clarifying that landlords may still request standard financial or identity verification for legitimate rental purposes.

Topics ✓ Housing ✓ Immigration

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jun 8, 2026

A 4458: Requires establishment of Public Housing Hotline Pilot Program in Bureau of Housing Inspection to enable certain public housing occupants to lodge complaints concerning living conditions.*

This bill requires New Jersey's Bureau of Housing Inspection to create a 24/7 toll-free hotline and a statewide database for public housing residents to report health, safety, or living condition issues. The hotline must offer English and Spanish support, protect caller anonymity, and provide referrals. The database will track verified complaints by facility, complaint types, corrective actions taken, and response times, then publish this data online for public access. It directly affects residents in public housing covered under the federal Housing Act of 1937, aiming to improve transparency and accountability in addressing housing conditions.

Topics ✓ Housing

in committee · New Jersey · Senate Jun 8, 2026

S 631: Requires BPU to establish distributed energy storage incentive program.*

S 631 creates a pilot program offering financial incentives to New Jersey residents and businesses for installing energy storage systems, like batteries or solar-plus-storage setups. It provides two types of support: a one-time upfront payment to cover installation costs based on storage capacity (kWh), and recurring performance payments to compensate owners for grid benefits like stabilizing electricity supply. The program prioritizes low-income households and communities designated as "overburdened" by reserving at least one-third of upfront incentives for them. Eligible systems must be new (operational after the program starts) and either customer-owned (behind the meter) or utility-owned (in front of the meter). The Board of Public Utilities will design the program within 90 days of the bill’s effective date.

Topics ✓ Energy

in committee · New Jersey · Senate Jun 8, 2026

S 2357: Requires disclosure of third-party litigation funding agreements and establishes certain responsibilities for litigation funders.

New Jersey's S 2357 requires parties in civil or administrative lawsuits to disclose any third-party funding agreements upfront - when filing a complaint or when the agreement is made. It directly affects plaintiffs, their attorneys, and third-party funders who pay legal costs in exchange for a share of settlement money. The bill mandates that funders act in the client’s best interest (a fiduciary duty), caps their fees at 25% of settlement proceeds (with total fees for funders and attorneys limited to 50%), and bans funders from influencing case decisions or offering legal advice. Funders must also be jointly liable for court costs or sanctions related to the funded case.

in committee · New Jersey · Senate Jun 8, 2026

S 302: Establishes notice requirements for certain water utilities.

This bill requires water utilities in New Jersey that use smart meters to send residential customers monthly notifications about their water usage. Notifications must include the cost (in dollars) and volume (in gallons) of water used during the billing cycle, up to two days before the notice is sent. Customers can also opt to set spending thresholds for alerts or receive comparisons of their current usage to prior cycles. Utilities must provide initial sign-up instructions and obtain prior consent for text message notifications, and bills must display previous/current charges and differences. The law applies to all water public utilities, local authorities, and municipal utilities serving residential smart meter customers.

Bill results