This bill designates accounting as a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subject to increase its visibility in educational programs. It requires the New Jersey Department of Education to create outreach initiatives that encourage young women and minorities to pursue careers in these fields. The legislation also mandates that institutions of higher education develop strategies to recruit and retain underrepresented students in accounting and other STEM programs. By explicitly including accounting in STEM definitions, the bill aims to broaden career opportunities and address historical underrepresentation in the workforce.
This bill repeals the Privacy Protection Act, which currently restricts state and local government agencies and health care facilities from collecting specific personal data. The law being removed prohibits these entities from asking for information such as immigration status, citizenship, place of birth, Social Security numbers, or taxpayer IDs unless it is strictly necessary for administering public services or benefits. Additionally, the repealed statute banned the sale or sharing of automated license plate recognition data and required organizations to create compliance policies while allowing private lawsuits against violators. By eliminating these restrictions, the bill allows government entities and health care facilities to collect and share the specified personal information without the previous legal barriers.
This bill creates a new loan program through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to help small businesses with fewer than 50 employees fund projects that make them more resilient to climate-related hazards like flooding and extreme heat. Eligible businesses can apply for low-interest loans with flexible repayment terms to improve infrastructure such as water systems, electrical grids, and broadband, or to upgrade facilities against environmental risks. To qualify, a business must be registered in New Jersey, plan to stay in the state, and submit an application detailing how the loan funds will be used. The program prioritizes businesses located in municipalities that have already assessed climate risks in their land-use plans, and recipients must provide annual financial reports until the loan is fully repaid.
This New Jersey bill creates a pilot program to test mobile voting in municipal elections, allowing voters to cast ballots electronically via a secure system. The program requires the Secretary of State to hire a vendor to build a platform that uses strong security measures like encryption and biometric verification while ensuring accessibility for people with disabilities. Participating municipalities must notify eligible voters about the option and have backup plans in place if the technology fails. The pilot will run for eight years, with officials required to submit detailed reports on its effectiveness to the Secretary of State, the Governor, and the Legislature.
This New Jersey bill mandates that all public school districts create and maintain policies governing the responsible use of artificial intelligence within their schools. To assist in this effort, the state Department of Education must develop a model policy that districts can reference, which will be updated as needed based on consultations with technology and education experts. Each district's policy must address equity issues, such as access for students with disabilities or limited technology, and include a process for community members to submit questions or concerns. Furthermore, these policies must be reviewed annually and posted prominently on each district's website to ensure transparency and ongoing oversight.
This bill prohibits large online retailers, airlines, ticket brokers, and ride-sharing companies in New Jersey from using a consumer's personal data to set individualized prices. Specifically, it bans pricing strategies that rely on algorithms analyzing personal information or surveillance technologies like cameras and sensors to determine what a specific customer pays. The law allows businesses to continue offering standard discounts, loyalty rewards, and surge pricing based on supply and demand, but it makes it illegal to charge different prices to different people based on their private data or protected characteristics. Violations of these rules are treated as consumer fraud offenses, subjecting companies to fines, cease-and-desist orders, and potential treble damages for injured consumers.
This bill creates a two-year pilot program to improve flood monitoring and rainfall sensing across New Jersey, primarily benefiting municipalities in flood-prone areas. The Department of Environmental Protection will partner with the Davidson Laboratory at Stevens Institute of Technology to install sensors in 30 selected locations and analyze flood risks in the northern, central, and southern regions. The legislation appropriates $2 million to fund the project, with at least $1.5 million allocated for research and administrative support. At the end of the pilot, officials must submit a report to the Governor and Legislature detailing the program's results and recommending whether to make it permanent.
This bill directs funds from the state's 9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account to be distributed equally among all New Jersey counties. The money is intended to support the operation, maintenance, and upgrades of local 9-1-1 emergency response systems. Under the proposed changes, counties would receive these funds directly rather than having the money used for broader state-level emergency services or telecommunications projects. The legislation takes effect immediately upon passage.
This New Jersey bill requires social media platforms with at least five million global users to work with nonprofit organizations to remove nonconsensual intimate images and videos, commonly known as revenge porn. The law mandates that these platforms create specific procedures to help nonprofits monitor, flag, and request the deletion of such content, including material created using deceptive artificial intelligence. By making this cooperation mandatory rather than voluntary, the bill aims to provide victims with more effective tools to delete harmful content from online services.
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.
