This bill establishes a Social Media Research Center at a New Jersey four-year public university selected by the Higher Education Secretary. The center will conduct research on social media's effects on youth mental health, develop online safety resources for public schools, and provide recommendations to state agencies. It will also administer grants for social media research using a peer-reviewed process modeled after the NIH, and require annual reports on its work. The bill directly affects New Jersey public universities (as hosts), public schools (through educational resources), and state agencies (by requiring data sharing).
New Jersey Assembly Bill A4085 prohibits businesses from using consumers' personal data to set prices for goods or services. It specifically bans pricing strategies that vary prices based on biometric data, genetic information, or protected class data (like race, gender, or disability) through methods such as personalized algorithmic pricing or surveillance pricing. The law applies to all business entities selling merchandise or services within New Jersey and imposes fines up to $10,000 for first violations and $20,000 for repeat offenses, plus potential penalties like cease-and-desist orders. Businesses may still offer standard discounts, promotions, or loyalty programs, which are explicitly exempted from the ban.
This bill, known as the Advanced Grid Technologies Act, requires electric public utilities in New Jersey to obtain a certificate from the Board of Public Utilities before building supplemental transmission projects. It establishes a new oversight process for these projects, which are currently less regulated than other regional grid upgrades, and mandates that the state consider advanced technologies like high-performance conductors and smart grid software. The legislation also creates an expedited review timeline for projects that utilize these modern tools to improve grid efficiency and reliability. By bringing these specific construction plans under state supervision, the bill aims to ensure that utility investments align with consumer interests and public needs.
This bill provides an additional $358.8 million in funding for New Jersey state agencies and local governments for fiscal year 2026. The money is allocated to various departments, including support for domestic violence housing, prison consolidation savings, school infrastructure, and mosquito control. Specific provisions also authorize a supplemental appropriation for the Cannabis Regulatory Fund and allow nonprofit organizations to host the state's AI supercomputer. Overall, the legislation amends the existing FY2026 Appropriations Act to distribute these funds across education, health, public safety, and other state services.
This bill regulates how data brokers and collectors handle personal information in New Jersey by requiring them to limit data collection to what is necessary and obtain explicit consent before processing sensitive data or selling personal information. It mandates that companies implement strong security measures to protect data and provides consumers with an easy way to revoke their consent, which must be processed within 15 days. Additionally, the law requires organizations to conduct confidential data protection assessments for activities that pose a heightened risk of harm, such as targeted advertising or selling personal data, and prohibits processing personal data of children between the ages of 13 and 17 for advertising or profiling without consent.
This bill, titled the "End Data Center Tax Credits Act," sets a combined nine-year spending cap of $11.5 billion for various state tax credit programs, including those for economic recovery, arts, and manufacturing. It specifically reduces the amount of credits available under the Next New Jersey Program and directs $200 million of those credits to a housing agency through competitive auctions. Additionally, the legislation authorizes the Board of Public Utilities to issue tax credits for energy storage projects and creates a temporary income tax credit for certain residential electricity customers.
This bill would prohibit social media platforms from promoting content related to eating disorders - such as diet products, extreme weight loss practices, or harmful eating behaviors - to users under 18. Platforms must conduct quarterly internal audits and annual independent audits to ensure their algorithms or features don’t contribute to eating disorders in children, and fix any issues within 30 days if identified. Small platforms with less than $100 million in annual revenue are exempt from the audit requirements. The bill does not hold platforms liable for user-generated content unless the platform paid to promote it (e.g., via advertisements).
This New Jersey bill (A 3929) prohibits businesses from using facial recognition or biometric surveillance systems on customers at their physical locations, except when providing clear notice (like a visible sign) and using the system for a lawful purpose. Businesses must explain decisions to deny access or remove customers based on biometric data, and cannot sell or profit from collected biometric information. Violations carry fines up to $20,000 per offense, with a 30-day window to correct first violations without penalty. The law directly affects businesses operating physical premises and their customers in New Jersey.
This bill creates a new criminal offense for creating, sharing, or possessing digital content depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of children - including computer-generated or manipulated images that appear to show minors. It specifically targets items where a child (under 18) is identifiable by face, likeness, or distinguishing features, or where a person is manipulated to look like a minor ("purported child"). The law prohibits distributing such content via the internet or file-sharing programs, and makes possessing it with intent to share a crime. It directly affects individuals who produce, distribute, or share these materials online, regardless of whether the child is real or digitally altered.
This New Jersey bill establishes the "Privacy Protection Act" to limit how government agencies and healthcare facilities collect and share certain personal information. It prohibits them from requesting details like immigration status, citizenship, social security numbers, or tax IDs unless necessary for specific public services, benefits, or healthcare delivery (with healthcare exceptions for patient safety). The bill requires written consent in the person's preferred language for sharing any collected data, detailing exactly what will be shared, why, and confirming consent is voluntary without retaliation. It also bans selling or sharing vehicle license plate data except under court orders, subpoenas, or with explicit written consent, and mandates government entities to update privacy policies within one year.
