S 1473 requires New Jersey's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to create a Disabled Veterans Transportation Task Force. The task force will study transportation challenges faced by disabled veterans and develop recommendations to improve access and reimbursement options for travel. It must include at least three disabled veterans (with geographic representation across three regions), veterans' organization representatives, county officials, and state transportation leaders, and hold public hearings statewide. The task force must submit an interim report within six months and a final report within 12 months, both made publicly available online. This bill directly affects disabled veterans by focusing on their transportation needs through a structured, community-informed process.
This bill creates a program to reimburse county governments for providing transportation services to disabled veterans traveling to medical appointments at Veterans Affairs facilities in New Jersey or neighboring states. It removes a previous restriction requiring appointments to be specifically for service-connected conditions, expanding eligibility to all VA medical appointments. The bill appropriates $2 million from the state budget to fund this program through the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs. It directly affects disabled veterans (defined as those with a VA-certified service-connected disability) and county governments offering transportation services.
S 1946 allows New Jersey municipalities to create programs giving priority for affordable housing units to low- and moderate-income veterans who served in wartime or emergencies (up to 50% of affordable units in a project). It amends state housing law to let municipalities use tools like rezoning, tax abatements, or public land to build affordable housing while requiring units to remain affordable for at least six years. The bill specifically adds a veteran preference mechanism into housing selection processes but does not require municipalities to raise taxes or spend public funds for this purpose. This directly affects municipalities developing housing projects and low-to-moderate-income veterans seeking housing in New Jersey.
This bill provides New Jersey businesses with tax credits for hiring disabled veterans. Specifically, businesses receive a 15% credit (capped at $1,800 per veteran) on qualified wages paid to disabled veterans with a 30%+ VA disability rating who are hired after the bill's enactment and employed for at least 185 business days. The credit applies to wages paid between 2023 and 2026 for both corporation business tax and individual gross income tax. Businesses cannot claim this credit if the same wages are used for other state tax credits, and they must avoid displacing other employees solely to access the benefit.
This bill requires New Jersey's Economic Development Authority (EDA) to allocate at least 12% of all funds from its existing small business loan program to businesses owned or controlled by veterans, with priority given to veterans with service-connected disabilities. It directly affects eligible veteran-owned small businesses in New Jersey seeking loans under the program. Key mechanisms include mandating the EDA to track and report loan allocations to meet this 12% minimum, while prioritizing veterans certified as having service-connected disabilities by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or Defense. The requirement applies to all loan funds disbursed in any calendar year under the program, as amended from existing law (P.L.2011, c.201).
This bill (S 2428) adjusts the New Jersey veterans' income tax exemption amount to keep pace with inflation. It directly affects honorably discharged veterans who qualify under state law, increasing their current $6,000 exemption annually based on the Chained Consumer Price Index (C-CPI-U). The exemption will automatically rise each year if the C-CPI-U increases from the previous year's 12-month period ending August 31, but remain unchanged if inflation is flat. This change applies to tax years starting in 2023 and beyond.
S 2422 requires 7% of funds from New Jersey's Main Street Recovery Fund to be allocated specifically for grants to veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran small businesses. These grants can cover capital improvements or operating expenses for eligible businesses meeting standard program requirements like tax compliance and minimum wage standards. The bill amends existing law to mandate this dedicated funding stream, defining eligible businesses as those owned and controlled by veterans per federal standards (15 U.S.C. §632(q)). It does not change other eligibility rules but ensures a set portion of recovery funds directly supports veteran entrepreneurs.
This bill requires New Jersey's Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs (DMVA) to create a centralized website with resources for veterans seeking public employment, including civil service preference forms, job listings, and transition assistance. It also mandates that DMVA provide printed copies of these resources at Veteran Service Offices and outreach events. Additionally, the Division of Local Government Services must maintain a public list of local government job openings (outside standard civil service rules) that include veteran preference details. The law aims to streamline access to employment information for veterans transitioning to civilian careers across federal, state, county, and municipal government roles.
This bill (S 866) requires New Jersey's Economic Development Authority (EDA) to provide small business loans with preferential terms to veteran-owned businesses. Specifically, it mandates lower interest rates and more flexible repayment terms for businesses where over 50% of employees are veterans, and sets interest at 0% for businesses owned by veterans with service-connected disabilities. The EDA must also eliminate all fees (application, closing, etc.) for these veteran-owned businesses. The policy directly affects small businesses in New Jersey owned or controlled by veterans, aiming to improve access to capital through the state's existing small business loan program.
This bill creates a property tax exemption for New Jersey veterans with service-connected disabilities, calculated proportionally to their disability rating (e.g., 50% disability = 50% exemption). It directly affects veterans declared by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to have a service-connected disability of at least 30% (or deemed unemployable due to such disability), and their surviving spouses under specific conditions. The state will reimburse municipalities 102% of the tax revenue lost from these exemptions, with a $10,000 cap for partial exemptions (below 100% disability).
