This bill prohibits New Jersey local government agencies from hiring employees who are currently on paid leave from another local government agency in a different county or municipality. It directly affects local government employers and employees who might hold positions across multiple local governments. The law specifically bans full-time or part-time employment while an individual remains on paid leave from a comparable position elsewhere, aiming to prevent potential conflicts of interest under the Local Government Ethics Law.
# Summary of the Bill
This bill consolidates definitions used throughout Title 26 of the New Jersey Revised Statutes by moving them into a single definitions section (section 1 of P.L.1947, c.177, C.26:1A-1), while removing duplicate definitions that currently appear in individual sections of Title 26.
The bill adds the following definitions to C.26:1A-1:
- "adult"
- "Alzheimer's disease and related disorders"
- "birthing facility"
- "contagious disease"
- "covered person"
- "hospital"
- "infectious disease"
- "local health agency"
- "local registrar/registrar"
- "long-term care facility"
- "Medicaid"
- "Medicare"
- "person"
- "state"
- "State registrar"
- "substance use disorder"
- "vital records"
- "vital statistics"
The bill repeals R.S.26:1-1, which duplicates these definitions and is currently applicable to all of Title 26.
Additionally, the bill makes various technical updates to the laws being amended, including:
- Listing definitions alphabetically
- Replacing gendered language
- Updating citations to other laws and regulatory agencies
- Improving punctuation, subdivisions, and syntax
- Updating cross-citations outside Title 26
This bill is based on recommendations from the New Jersey Law Revision Commission's report titled "Final Report to Eliminate Duplicative Definitions Sections of the Health and Vital Statistics Statute in Title 26," issued April 21, 2022.
The bill would take effect immediately upon enactment.
This bill amends New Jersey's invasion of privacy law to clarify that consent to being photographed, filmed, or recorded in a sexual manner does not automatically cover consent for disclosing the image. It requires that any consent for sharing such images must be explicit, specific to the purpose given, and not implied by prior consent for taking the image. The law treats the act of capturing the image and the act of disclosing it as separate offenses, each needing distinct permission. This directly affects individuals whose intimate images are taken without consent and then shared without their explicit agreement for that sharing.
This bill expands New Jersey's Family Leave Act and Temporary Disability Benefits Law to provide protected bereavement leave for employees experiencing the death of a child, miscarriage, stillbirth, unsuccessful adoption, or failed fertility treatments. It allows up to 21 days of leave for circumstances where employees wouldn't otherwise qualify for leave or benefits, or up to 7 days for circumstances where they would qualify for other leave. The leave is available to employees who are biological parents, adoptive parents, or parents through a gestational carrier agreement, as well as to their spouses, domestic partners, or civil union partners. Employers with 30 or more employees must provide this leave under the amended laws, which applies to all eligible employees in New Jersey.
This bill prohibits retailers from selling over-the-counter diet pills (for weight loss) or muscle-building dietary supplements to anyone under 18 without a parent or guardian present. It specifically excludes basic protein powders, drinks, and protein-fortified foods unless they contain additional muscle-building ingredients. Retailers violating this law face civil fines up to $750 per violation, collected by local health agencies or courts. The law does not apply to products prescribed by licensed healthcare providers.
This bill creates a new criminal offense specifically targeting financial exploitation of elderly individuals in New Jersey. It directly affects vulnerable seniors who may be victimized by family members, caregivers, or financial professionals (like trustees or agents) who misuse their trust. The law defines key terms such as "deprive" and "fiduciary" to clarify what constitutes exploitation, including unauthorized use of an elderly person's assets or property. This amendment adds a specific criminal penalty for such acts to New Jersey’s existing statutes, strengthening legal protections for seniors against financial abuse.
SJR 94 is a commemorative resolution designating October 27th each year as "Tree of Life Remembrance Day" in New Jersey. It honors the victims of the October 27, 2018, mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where 11 people were killed and six injured. The resolution requires the Governor to issue an annual proclamation encouraging public officials and residents to observe the day with appropriate remembrance activities. This is a purely symbolic measure with no new legal requirements or funding, focusing solely on annual commemoration.
This bill requires New Jersey's Office of Public Defender to provide legal representation for indigent defendants (those unable to afford a lawyer) charged with criminal contempt for violating domestic violence protection orders under the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act. It mandates that the Public Defender appoint licensed social workers to assist attorneys and clients in these cases. The law excludes certain specific types of protection orders (from paragraphs 3, 4, 5, 8, and 9 of the domestic violence act) from this requirement. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment.
AR 167 establishes a 12-member Assembly Select Committee on Ballot Design in New Jersey. The committee, with six members appointed by the Speaker and six by the Minority Leader, will review studies, court decisions, and best practices related to primary and general election ballot design. Its sole purpose is to examine ballot design research to inform future election administration in the state. The committee will expire upon completion of its work and has no authority to change election laws or voting procedures.
This resolution urges the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SSUTA) to amend its definition of "grooming and hygiene products" to exclude oral healthcare items like toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mouthwash. Currently, these products are taxed at New Jersey's 6.625% sales tax rate under the SSUTA's existing definition. The resolution requests two specific changes: (1) removing oral care products from the "grooming" category, and (2) creating a new "oral healthcare products" category to allow states to exempt these items from sales tax. As a non-binding resolution, it seeks to enable future tax exemptions for these essential health products by modifying the multistate SSUTA agreement, not by directly changing New Jersey law.
This resolution commemorates the 45th anniversary of the U.S. Taiwan Relations Act (passed in 1979) and the 35th anniversary of New Jersey’s sister-state relationship with Taiwan. It symbolically recognizes the longstanding diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties between New Jersey and Taiwan, including $723 million in annual trade and over 200 Taiwanese companies operating in New Jersey. The resolution has no binding effect - it is purely ceremonial, expressing support through formal acknowledgment without creating new laws or policies. It does not alter U.S. or New Jersey government actions toward Taiwan.
This New Jersey Assembly Resolution (AR 131) urges the federal government to update the poverty threshold used to determine eligibility for public assistance programs. It argues the current federal poverty line - based on 1960s food costs and unchanged for decades - fails to account for modern expenses like housing, healthcare, and transportation, leaving millions who struggle to afford basics ineligible for aid. The resolution states that 53 million households face hardship but only 37.9 million are officially counted as poor under the current measure. It directly affects low-income households excluded from programs like Medicaid and food assistance due to the outdated calculation, especially amid rising costs since 2020. The resolution has no binding effect but requests federal action to expand access to public assistance.
