This bill allows New Jersey colleges to let final-year graduate students in mental health fields (like psychology or social work) graduate early or enter clinical residencies before the usual graduation date during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 academic years. To qualify, students must complete all coursework, and institutions must assign a staff mentor to guide them during their residency. It specifically covers licensed mental health professionals including psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, and therapists. The law aims to address pandemic-related mental health workforce shortages by accelerating student entry into practice.
New Jersey's A2625 requires non-state employers participating in the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) or School Employees' Health Benefits Program (SEHBP) to stay enrolled for a minimum of five consecutive years after initial enrollment. If an employer voluntarily leaves and later rejoins, each re-entry adds another five-year requirement, cumulatively extending the total enrollment period (e.g., 10 years after first re-entry). The bill also mandates annual public reporting of employer terminations, transparency about premium changes, and annual program performance reviews to maintain cost stability. These provisions directly affect private-sector employers participating in either health benefits program.
This bill requires New Jersey's Commissioner of Education (with input from the Division of Criminal Justice) to create a sexual assault prevention training program for high school athletic coaches and athletic directors. The training covers preventing sexual assault, recognizing signs of assault, and connecting victims to medical, legal, and counseling services. All coaches and athletic directors in public and nonpublic high school sports programs must complete this training every four years, with new hires required to complete it in their first year. The program must be updated regularly to reflect current best practices.
Bill A 2750 establishes New Jersey's Tuition Reimbursement Program for Special Education Teachers, directly affecting current or prospective special education teachers in New Jersey public schools. The program reimburses eligible tuition costs for approved master's programs or graduate coursework in special education (leading to NJ certification), up to 100% of expenses, in exchange for a four-year teaching commitment in a NJ public school after completing the program. To qualify, participants must be NJ residents, hold a valid teaching certificate, enroll in an approved program, and agree to teach special education for four years. Failure to complete the service term or meet performance standards (like maintaining certification or residency) requires full repayment of the reimbursement to the state.
This bill establishes an Ombudsman of Student Discipline within New Jersey's Office of the Secretary of Higher Education. The ombudsman will directly assist students facing disciplinary actions at public or private colleges and universities in the state, prioritizing urgent cases involving potential suspension, dismissal, or academic loss. Key mechanisms include reviewing student requests for help during disciplinary hearings, investigating claims of unfair process or overly harsh penalties, and submitting findings to students, disciplinary boards, and institution leaders. Institutions must then decide whether to adjust disciplinary procedures or penalties based on the ombudsman's report and publicly disclose whether they accept the findings. The position takes effect 90 days after enactment.
S 3551 would amend New Jersey's gross income tax law to allow employees of public schools and federal tax-exempt organizations (such as hospitals, churches, and social service groups) to exclude their retirement savings contributions from current taxable income. Currently, New Jersey permits this tax deferral for employees of private businesses but not for these specific retirement plans used by tax-exempt organizations. The bill extends the same tax treatment to these employees by aligning New Jersey's rules with federal tax code provisions for retirement savings. This change would take effect for taxable years beginning after the bill's enactment.
This bill requires New Jersey's Commissioner of Education to study learning loss among students with developmental disabilities during pandemic school closures. The study must compare current academic skills to pre-pandemic levels using data from student assessments, attendance records, compensatory services, and parent feedback on challenges faced. The Commissioner must submit findings and recommendations to the Governor and Legislature within 180 days of the bill's effective date. This directly affects students with developmental disabilities and the state's education planning processes.
This bill requires New Jersey public colleges to provide a replacement scholarship to student-athletes who lose their athletic scholarship due to an injury or illness directly related to intercollegiate athletics. If a student-athlete becomes medically ineligible for sports participation (as determined by the institution's medical staff), the school must offer a scholarship equal in value for the rest of their undergraduate degree program or up to five academic years - whichever is shorter. It specifically covers injuries deemed "incapacitating" under the bill's definition, ensuring financial support continues after athletic eligibility ends. The policy applies only to public institutions of higher education in New Jersey and takes effect immediately upon passage.
This bill allows noncitizen teachers who hold a special teaching certificate (issued to those with intent to become U.S. citizens) to qualify for tenure in New Jersey public schools. It removes the current requirement that teachers must be U.S. citizens to earn tenure, while keeping all other tenure requirements (like teaching experience and performance) unchanged. Teachers with existing certificates under this program can count prior teaching service toward tenure eligibility, and the bill repeals previous laws blocking this change. The policy directly affects noncitizen teachers employed in New Jersey public schools who meet standard tenure qualifications.
This New Jersey bill (A 373) requires school safety teams to include coaches and broadens the definition of "harassment, intimidation, or bullying" to explicitly include hazing behavior. It directly affects public schools, coaches of athletic programs, and advisors of extracurricular activities by mandating they complete annual anti-bullying training focused on protected characteristics like race, gender, and disability. Key provisions include adding coaches to school safety teams (which must meet twice yearly), expanding bullying definitions to cover hazing, and requiring districts to train staff on preventing bullying based on protected categories. The bill also mandates schools to incorporate anti-bullying policies into staff training and provide accessible policy information to relevant school personnel.
