December 7, 2018

I. State Issues
II. Federal Issue
III. League Conference

I. State Issues

a. Update on Marijuana Legalization

Last week the Senate Budget and Appropriations and the Assembly Appropriations Committee voted out legislation to legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana. The amended bills now stand at “2^nd reading” and could be scheduled for a final floor vote as soon as December 17. The Governor, Senate President Sweeney, and Assembly Speaker Coughlin all publicly support legalization. However, there remains distance between the Legislative Leaders and the Governor’s office on specifics of the bill. While a December 17 vote remains possible, it is also very possible, if not likely, that further amendments will be made and a vote could be pushed into 2019.

In addition, the committees advanced separate bills to expand the medical use of marijuana and implement an expungement process for minor marijuana possession.

For more on those bills, please see our letter from Tuesday, November 27.

Last week the League also held a free informational webinar to provide a broad overview of the bill. If you were unable to make the webinar, a PDF copy of that presentation is available on the League website.

Contact: Michael F. Cerra, Assistant Executive Director, mcerra@njslom.org, 609-695-3481 x120.

b. $15 Minimum Wage Legislation Introduced

On Monday the Assembly Labor Committee will consider A-15, which will over time raise the hourly minimum wage to $15.00. We call your attention to Allen v. Fauver, 327 N.J. Super. 14 (App. Div. 1999), an appellate division case which held that the State is not an employer subject to the wage and hour law. By extension, as subdivisions of the State, local governments are not subject to the State wage and hour law. Local governments, however, are covered by the federal minimum wage law.

The League is closely monitoring the issue. We expect legislation to advance to the Governor in early 2019.

Contact: Michael F. Cerra, Assistant Executive Director, mcerra@njslom.org, 609-695-3481 x120.

c. Department of Agriculture Makes Substantial Changes to Proposed
Beekeeping Rules

Earlier this week the State Department of Agriculture issued a Notice of Proposed Substantial Change concerning proposed beekeeping and apiary standards that were first published this time last year. The proposed changes, among others, include increase hive density and changes to certain setback requirements for hives. For more information on the proposed changes please see the League’s recent blog post.

Contact: Frank Marshall, Esq., League Staff Attorney, FMarshall@njslom.org, 609-695-3481 x137.

d. New Jersey Opioid Litigation – Municipal & County Survey Deadline
Extend to December 19

The Division of Local Government Services has issued Local Finance Notice 2018-25 requesting municipalities and counties assistance in the New Jersey Opioid Litigation. As part of a comprehensive response to the opioid epidemic, the Attorney General and the Division of Consumer Affairs have filed civil lawsuits seeking to hold opioid manufacturers liable for their contributions to a crisis afflicting local units across New Jersey. The State has sued, on behalf of all New Jersey residents, seeking relief sufficient to fund solutions to the opioid epidemic across New Jersey. To assist the State in its efforts to obtain relief on behalf of all New Jerseyans, the Office of the New Jersey Attorney General invites municipalities and counties to fill out a survey no later than December 19, 2018.

For more information or any question contact the Office of the Attorney General at response@njoag.org.

Contact: Lori Buckelew, Senior Legislative Analyst, lbuckelew@njslom.org, 609-695-3481, x112.

II. Federal Issue

a. GSA Survey Seeks Local Government Input to Assist With Identifying
Broadband Assets

As part of the MOBILE NOW Act, passed earlier this year, the Federal General Service Administration (GSA) has been tasked with providing a report and recommendations to Congress on how to best encourage voluntary state and local government participation in gathering data on possible locations for broadband infrastructure. This data will then be shared with telecommunications companies in order to help facilitate the expansion of broadband deployment.

The goal of the GSA report is to identify what incentives would be most appealing for state and local governments to voluntarily submit data on what assets they own that could be used to host broadband infrastructure, and how that information might be incorporated into a database. To help with the report the GSA has requested feedback from state and local governments through an online survey, geared to identifying what benefits and challenges there are with such data gathering and submission. Some information the survey seeks to gather is what kinds of data do state and local governments maintain about their own property and what concerns they have about sharing that data with others.

You can complete the voluntary survey at the GSA website or contact Jennie Campbell, Office of Government-wide Policy at 202-694-8131 or jennie.campbell@gsa.gov. If you chose to complete the survey, all submissions must be sent no later than December 14.

Contact: Frank Marshall, Esq., League Staff Attorney, FMarshall@njslom.org, 609-695-3481 x137.

III. League Conference Follow Up

a. Do Not Forget to Claim Your CEU’s from the 2018 NJLM Annual
Conference!

Attention Municipal Officials! Do Not Forget to Claim Your CEU’s from the 2018 NJLM Annual Conference! Please go to our website to claim your credits.

b. The Conference App is Still Available!

Misplaced your printed Session or Exhibitor Program Guide? The app can still be downloaded in your app store to reference session details or view contact information for participating consultants and exhibitors. The app will be available for download through the end of this calendar year and remains available for accessing on your device as long as it is installed.

c. Exhibits at the Annual Conference

Don’t forget to follow up with the exhibitors you met during the Annual Conference! They’re available to answer your questions and provide solutions to your town’s issues. The full listing with contact information is available in the Exhibitor’s Program, on the interactive floor plan and the conference app.