Governor Murphy is currently considering these bills of municipal interest, the result of the Legislature’s final voting session until the fall. The League has taken a neutral stance on the following items.
A-2311 establishes a commission to study beneficial relationships between institutions of higher education and municipalities. The 17-member commission would include a mayor of a municipality with an independent college or university, a representative of the League, and the Division of Local Government Services Director. The League initially opposed the bill but, based on amendments, took a neutral position. (FM)
S-3091 requires a local contracting unit, whenever technically feasible, to use or require the use of unit concrete products that utilize carbon footprint-reducing technology. Department of Environmental Protection will be required to develop and publish guidelines to implement this requirement. The bill exempts this requirement when the head of a local contracting unit determines, in their sole discretion, that the purchase and use of unit concrete products that utilize carbon footprint reducing technology would increase the cost of the contract. The League initially opposed the bill; however, since the amendments addressed many of NJLM’s concerns, we took a neutral position. (LB)
A-4869 requires bidders for prevailing wage projects to certify prior to the award of contract that prevailing wages will be paid. If the bidder does not provide such certification the contract is awarded to the next lowest responsible and responsive bidder. This provides the Commissioner of Labor with rulemaking authority. (LB)
S-1010 permits municipalities to bond for new alternative fuel automotive vehicles including, but not limited to, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, natural gas vehicles, and propane vehicles. (LB)
A-5343 requires each public community water system (PCWS) in the state to develop a service line inventory of lead service lines and suspected lead service lines and adopt a plan that provides for the replacement of all lead service lines in the system’s service area within 10 years after the bill’s effective date. The bill also authorizes an investor-owned PCWS to recoup the costs of lead service line replacements by increasing the rates it charges to its customers. (FM)
A-681 expands scope of law prohibiting age discrimination by deleting the provision that permits governmental employers to require retirement when an employee attains a particular age if the employer can show that retirement age bears a manifest relationship to the employment. (FM)
A-4250 authorizes electronic signatures and revises the law concerning the qualifications and duties of notaries public and other notarial officers. The bill sets out a definitions section; a course of study requirement; an examination requirement; a continuing education requirement; a requirement that notaries maintain journals; and requirements for remote electronic notarizations. (PAP)
S-3691 provides financial relief to certain landlords and tenants in response to COVID-19 pandemic. The bill protects low-income, moderate income, and middle-income households from residential evictions based upon nonpayment or habitual late payment of rent that accrued during the period beginning on March 1, 2020, until the end of July 2021. (PAP)
S-818 permits certain proposed county ordinances to be sent to each municipal clerk in the county by regular mail or by electronic mail. (PAP)
A-3062 establishes a 3-year financial empowerment pilot program in Camden, Newark, and Paterson. The pilot program, in consultation with the participating municipality, would be required to contract with a non-profit provider to establish a financial empowerment center in each of the participating municipalities in a location that is easily accessible to the residents of that municipality. The financial empowerment centers are to facilitate appropriate forums, programs, or initiatives designed to educate the public regarding financial literacy and empowerment and provide personal financial coaching to economically vulnerable individuals. (PAP)
A-4367 provides that the Administrative Offices of the Court (AOC) administer a program for municipal courts allowing defendants to engage in online plea negotiations, entry of guilty pleas, and payment of fine or penalty. The municipal prosecutor would be permitted to mail or email the defendant or defendant’s attorney to engage in discussions and negotiations with defendants concerning plea bargains for certain traffic offenses. In addition, the bill provides that in cases where the defendant is charged with a traffic offense pursuant to Title 39 of the Revised Statutes, except for certain enumerated offenses or as otherwise provided by Court Rule, the municipal prosecutor may use mail or email to engage in discussions and negotiations with the defendant or the defendant’s attorney concerning a plea by the defendant to a lesser or other offense. The municipal prosecutor can also use mail or email to relay the prosecutors’ final determination as to whether they will recommend that the court accept any such plea. (AL)
A-5864 allows law enforcement officers to review body worn camera recordings prior to creating initial reports in certain circumstances. A law enforcement officer cannot review their body worn camera recordings involving a verbally expressed or formally registered complaint about the encounter from the subject of the body worn camera ; the use of any police force; discharge of a firearm by law enforcement; death of a person while in police custody; or an internal affairs complaint relating to the use of force, bias, or dishonesty. (AL)
S-828 as amended requires that a public utility regulated by the Board of Public Utilities, a local unit, and a local utility, are to notify each other within 180 days of the start of a public utility infrastructure project and a local infrastructure project that a public utility, local unit, or local utility plans to undertake. Within 60 days of the receipt of the required notice, the public utility, local unit, and local utility are to examine any underground utility facility concerned to the extent feasible and notify each other whether it needs repair or replacement and if any of these entities intend to undertake an infrastructure project within the scope of the other’s infrastructure project. Rulemaking authority is granted to Board of Public Utilities in consultation with Department of Community Affairs. (AL)
S-2727 establishes the “Multigenerational Family Housing Continuity Commission” for the purpose of conducting research, obtaining public input, and adopting recommendations on how to advance the goal of enhancing multigenerational family housing continuity most effectively. This can be defined broadly as the degree to which senior citizens are able to reside at the homes of their extended families. Additionally, in each periodic update to a municipal housing plan element, municipalities would be required to provide analysis of the extent to which municipal ordinances and other local factors advance or detract from the goal of preserving multigenerational family continuity, as expressed in the recommendations of the commission. (AL)
S-3049 creates a pilot program to establish regional municipal courts by consolidating certain municipal courts. The pilot program would be established in no fewer than two qualified counties that have populations less than 300,000, population density of less than 500 people per square mile, and no fewer than five municipalities in each county. The pilot program will only take place in municipalities and counties that apply to the Administrative Office of the Courts to participate. A regional municipal court would have jurisdiction over all matters falling within the jurisdiction of the municipal courts that are part of the pilot program. The Governor would nominate and appoint the regional court municipal judges with the advice and consent of the Senate. All fees, fines, charges, and costs collected by the regional municipal court would be the same as currently provided by law for municipal courts. The regional municipal court will retain these monies on a pro rata basis equal to the costs incurred. (AL)
S-1147 requires every contract of sale of real property to include, as a condition of the sale, inspection by a lead evaluation contractor for lead-based paint hazards. If no lead hazards exist, then the property is certified as lead-safe on a form prescribed by the Department of Community Affairs. In addition, municipalities would be required to inspect every single-family, two-family, and multiple rental dwelling for lead-based paint hazards when there is a tenant turnover. Municipalities are authorized to charge a fee for the inspection at a rate proportional to the current “Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Law” fee schedule. Municipalities must also impose an additional fee of $20 per unit inspected by a certified lead evaluation contractor or permanent local agency for deposit into the “Lead Hazard Control Assistance Fund.” Initially the League opposed the legislation, but as amended took a neutral position. (AL)
A-2617 requires employers with at least 50 persons to provide hiring preference to employees who have reached maximum medical improvement following work-related injury. While the employer is required to provide the hiring preference if the employee can perform the essential duties of an existing unfilled position, they are not required to create a new position. (AL)
S-647 requires water purveyors to update their cybersecurity programs to meet new requirements, including updating cybersecurity programs, within 180 days after enactment of the bill into law. In addition, the bill would require water purveyors to report certain cybersecurity incidents (e.g., data breaches and computer hacking) promptly to the NJ Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell. (FM)
S-956 extends the complete exemption from property taxes for totally disabled veterans and their surviving spouses to residents of cooperative or mutual housing corporations that are their legal residence in New Jersey. Division of Taxation has been provided rulemaking authority. (LB)
S-1239 authorizes municipalities to impose connection fees on properties being connected to a municipal electric distribution system. (LB)
Contacts:
- Lori Buckelew, Assistant Executive Director, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x112.
- Frank Marshall, Esq., Associate General Counsel, FMarshall@njlm.org or 609-695-3481 x 137.