This bill creates the "Bring Veterans to New Jersey Program" within New Jersey's Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs. It helps employers recruit veterans by reimbursing them up to $5,000 for relocation costs, provided veterans accept jobs with participating employers and stay employed for at least 12 months. The program is administered by a contracted nonprofit, which vets veterans and matches them to employer positions. Veterans who leave before 12 months must repay the employer (and subsequently the state), but exceptions exist for involuntary separations like layoffs or family emergencies.
This bill provides educational support professionals (non-teaching school staff) with up to four years of seniority credit for active military service they completed, including service before starting their school job. To qualify, a professional must be declared eligible for federal veterans' benefits by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The credit counts as if the professional were employed full-time during their military service, directly affecting their seniority calculations for school district benefits and job protections. The bill aligns seniority treatment for these staff with existing provisions for teaching staff.
This New Jersey bill provides tax credits for businesses and individuals who pay qualified wages to disabled veterans. It allows a 15% credit (capped at $1,800 per veteran annually) on wages paid to veterans with a 30%+ service-connected disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, for sustained employment (185+ business days) during 2017-2020. The credit applies against both corporation business tax and gross income tax, with unused portions carryable forward for up to seven years. Businesses cannot claim the credit if wages are already counted toward other state tax credits or if the veteran hire appears to replace existing workers solely for the credit.
This bill (A 873) amends New Jersey's existing small business loan program to require the Economic Development Authority (EDA) to ensure at least 12% of all loan funds distributed annually go to veteran-owned or veteran-controlled small businesses. It prioritizes businesses owned by veterans declared to have service-connected disabilities by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or Defense. The EDA must administer the program to meet this allocation goal while maintaining existing eligibility rules for all small businesses. This directly affects veteran entrepreneurs seeking loans and the EDA's oversight of the program.
This bill establishes a 11-member task force within New Jersey's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to study challenges faced by returning members of the U.S. Armed Forces and New Jersey National Guard who deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. The task force, including agency commissioners and public members with expertise in military transition, mental health, and veteran support, will hold public hearings and review current programs. It must identify issues affecting veterans' physical, mental, and social well-being, develop recommendations for state action, and issue a final report with legislative proposals within six months. The task force expires 30 days after submitting its report.
This bill creates the New Jersey Veterans' Organization Building Grant Program, which provides funding to veterans' organizations for building-related expenses. It directly affects qualified veterans' groups by covering costs like construction, renovation, repairs, and upgrades to their facilities. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) will administer the program using existing statutory authority, distributing grants to support physical infrastructure needs. The program is designed to help veterans' organizations maintain or improve their operational spaces without requiring new legislative authorization for each project.
AJR 63 is a joint resolution urging the U.S. Department of Defense and New Jersey Civil Service Commission to coordinate so deployed military service members can take civil service examinations during their deployment. It directly affects New Jersey military members who are deployed, enabling them to participate in exams while serving, which would maintain their eligibility for civil service jobs upon return. The resolution does not change existing rules but requests collaboration to allow exams during deployment, helping veterans secure public-sector employment faster by keeping them on hiring eligibility lists.
This bill changes how veterans prove their status when applying for New Jersey state civil service jobs. It allows applicants to submit a personal statement claiming veteran status instead of a formal determination from the state's Veterans Affairs office before being placed on an eligibility list. However, applicants must still provide the official determination of veteran status before being hired. The change affects all veterans eligible under New Jersey law, including those who served in major conflicts from World War I onward.
This bill requires New Jersey's professional licensing boards to issue licenses to veterans who hold a valid, good-standing license in another state, regardless of when they earned it during or after military service. To qualify, veterans must provide proof of honorable discharge, evidence their out-of-state license is current, and meet all other standard requirements like exams. The law mandates boards to evaluate equivalent training/experience without requiring the same number of hours as local applicants. It directly helps veterans licensed in other states who face barriers to working in New Jersey due to differing licensing standards.
This bill requires New Jersey school boards to give hiring preference to veterans for teaching positions when veterans are equally qualified as other candidates in all measurable criteria. It directly affects veterans seeking teaching jobs in public school districts across New Jersey, ensuring they receive priority consideration under this standard. The preference does not apply in school districts using New Jersey's Civil Service system (Title 11A), which follows separate hiring rules for classified positions. The law takes effect immediately upon passage.
