NJASA Legislative Update

June 5, 2024

The following legislative activity took place on May 13, 2024:


A-2029 Speight/Conaway, Jr./Reynolds-Jackson

Directs DOE and DOH to develop guidelines for school districts and institutions of higher education concerning student vaping awareness campaigns.

Reported out of Assembly Committee, 2nd Reading

 

A-4161 Freiman/ Drulis/Lampitt/Katz/Zwicker

Establishes Stabilized School Budget Aid Grant Program to restore certain portions of State school aid reductions; permits certain school districts to exceed tax levy growth limitation in 2024-2025 school year; appropriates $44.7 million.

S-3081; Approved P.L.2024, c.13.

 

A-4059 Lampitt/Stanley/Katz/Beach

Requires Commissioner of Education to permit certain school districts losing State school aid to submit budgets after enactment of FY 2025 appropriations act.

Substituted for S-3002; Passed Senate; Approved P.L.2024, c.12.

 

S-1441 Singleton/Corrado

Establishes School Plastics Upcycling Grant Program in DEP to provide proportional awards to eligible schools based on pro rata share of plastics collected, by each school, for upcycling purposes.

Reported from Senate Committee with Amendments, 2nd Reading

 

S-2082 Gopal

Establishes New Jersey Educator Evaluation Review Task Force; clarifies collection of student growth data.

Approved P.L.2024, c.14.

 

S-2181 Ruiz/Turner

Eliminates requirement for State residency of public school employees for period of three years.

Passed by the Senate; Received in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee

 

S-2531 Ruiz/McKnight

Provides police officers may be present at senior residential center or school being used as polling place under certain circumstances; requires school to establish election day security plan.

Passed by the Senate; Received in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee

 

S-3072 Zwicker/Gopal

Provides additional State school aid to certain school districts; appropriates $105,886,559.

Withdrawn from Consideration


S-3219 Testa, Jr./Steinhardt

Establishes Elementary Student Literacy Task Force.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee

 

S-3222 Greenstein/Mukherji

Requires instruction on cybersecurity in grades nine through 12; requires Office of Secretary of Higher Education to develop cybersecurity model curricula; establishes loan redemption programs for individuals in certain cybersecurity occupations.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee

 

S-3236 Lagana

Makes supplemental appropriation of $1 million from Property Tax Relief Fund to DOE to support Pantoliano-DePass school based mentoring pilot program in certain Bergen County school districts.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee

 

S-3238 Steinhardt

Requires Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery-Armed Forces Qualifying Test to be offered as alternative assessment for high school graduation proficiency test requirement.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee

 

S-3240 Mukherji/Stack

Permits 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in elections for local school board.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee



The following legislative activity took place on May 16, 2024:


A-1400 Haider/Calabrese/Venezia

Requires water supplier to notify affected municipalities, school districts, charter schools, and nonpublic schools of violations of drinking water quality standards.

Reported and Referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee

 

A-4368 Collazos-Gill

Ensures no school district receives State school aid reduction greater than five percent.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

 

A-4373 Carter/Donlon, M.D./Park

Encourages public school teachers to hold current certification in emergency first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and use of automated external defibrillator.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

 

A-4381 Peterpaul

Permits boards of education to lease certain school property to federally qualified health centers without bidding.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

 

A-4384 Moen

"Securing Access to Funding for Educating Drivers (SAFE) Act"; establishes NJ Behind-The-Wheel Driver Education Scholarship Program; appropriates $1 million.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee



A-4386 Venezia/Speight/Wimberly

Requires public schools that offer student psychological services to offer remote sessions.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

 

A-4389 Inganamort/Peterson

Requires local government notification of sex offender registration and prohibits sex offenders from living near schools, child care centers or playgrounds.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee


A-4403 Flynn/Scharfenberger

Establishes Career and Technical Education Dual Enrollment Grant Program; appropriates $5 million.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

 

A-4404 Flynn/Scharfenberger

Establishes State school aid reduction cap.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee


A-4405 Flynn/Scharfenberger

Requires New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association to require criminal history records check for person to serve as official at athletic events sanctioned by association.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

 

A-4414 Flynn/Scharfenberger

Requires Division of Developmental Disabilities to reopen programs providing functional services to persons with developmental disabilities in same manner as schools.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee

 

A-4416 Flynn/Scharfenberger

Requires school buses that transport students with special needs to be equipped with certain safety features.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee

 

ACR115 Murphy/McCoy/Coughlin

Urges United States Congress to pass "Universal School Meals Program Act of 2023."

Reported out of Assembly Committee, 2nd Reading

 

S-3241 Gopal

Requires health insurance carriers to provide coverage for enrollment of student in recovery high school alternative education program.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Commerce Committee

 

S-3245 Mukherji/Gopal

Requires certain boards of education to select minimum number of financial institutions or pension management organizations to provide tax sheltered annuity plans.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee

 

S-3263 Diegnan, Jr.

Authorizes use of competitive contracting and extended terms for lease and purchase contracts for electric school buses; permits New Jersey School Boards Association to serve as government aggregator to obtain electric school buses.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee

 

S-3266 Polistina

Establishes pilot program to study feasibility of regionalization of certain school districts; appropriates $150,000.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee

 

S-3270 O’ Scanlon, Jr.

Permits public high school student-athletes to opt out of physical education during their athletic seasons.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee

 

S-3271 Amato, Jr./Corrado

Requires green building standards and impact studies for carbon, traffic, storm water, and schools for certain affordable housing development.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee

 

S-3279 Space

Requires school districts to allow students receiving equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school to participate in school-sponsored extracurricular activities in student's resident district.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee

 

The following legislative activity took place on May 20, 2024:


A-1669 Lampitt/Lopez/Bagolie

Removes obstacles to teacher certification for certain teachers; repeals law establishing alternative certificate of eligibility.

Substituted for S-1287; Passed by the Senate; Received in the Assembly, 2nd Reading on Concurrence

 

A-2180 Moen, Jr./Wimberly/Murphy/Beach/Polistina

Permits certain persons to operate Type S school buses.

Substituted for S-3000; Passed Both Houses


A-4437 Katz

Appropriates $54.6 million for additional round of funding through Stabilized School Budget Aid Grant Program to restore State school aid reductions in 2024-2025 school year.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

 

A-4441 Reynolds-Jackson/Verrelli

Extends eligibility for certain SDA grant funding to Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee


A-4442 Reynolds-Jackson/Verrelli

Lowers age requirement of compulsory school attendance from six to five years old.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

 

A-4444 Reynolds-Jackson/Wimberly

Eliminates use of standardized assessments as measure of student growth or progress in evaluations of teachers, principals, assistant principals, and vice-principals.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

 

S-787 Johnson/Turner

Provides supplemental transportation aid to certain districts participating in interdistrict public school choice program.

Passed by the Senate; Received in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

 

S-2181 Ruiz/Turner

Eliminates requirement for State residency of public school employees for period of three years.

Passed by the Senate; Received in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee

 

S-3096 Ruiz

Requires school districts to provide instruction on history of Latino and Hispanic Americans as part of implementation of New Jersey Student Learning Standards.

Transferred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee

 

S-3156 Gopal/McKnight

Permits boards of education to lease certain school property to federally qualified health centers without bidding.

Passed by the Senate; Received in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

 

S-3292 Space

"Parents' Bill of Rights Act"; requires public school and school district provide certain information to parents and guardians and obtain parental consent prior to taking certain actions.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee

 

S-3306 McKnight

Establishes two-generational school readiness and workforce development pilot program for certain low-income households.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee


The following legislative activity took place on June 3, 2024:


A-4449 Sauickie

Provides supplemental appropriation to ensure certain school districts receive additional amounts of special education categorical aid, security categorical aid, and transportation aid.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

 

A-4462 Stanley

Eliminates salary reference for retired members of PERS returning to employment in teaching staff positions.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee


S-3311 Corrado

Directs Commissioner of Education to develop sexual assault prevention training program for high school athletic directors and coaches of interscholastic sports programs.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee

 

S-3313 Corrado

Requires certain procedures, reports, and training for municipalities, counties, and school districts in response to cybersecurity incidents.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee

 

S-3320 Amato, Jr.

Permits school districts to receive loans from State to support operating budget under certain circumstances.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee


S-3321 Polistina

Establishes the "School District Shared Services Task Force."

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee

 

S-3324 Pennacchio/Henry

Requires boards of education to post on website information summarizing payroll, total accounts payable, and weekly accounts payable.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee


S-3330 Corrado

Requires New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association to adopt policy on use of instant replay in playoff tournament basketball games.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee

 

S-3374 Bucco

Permits certain students not enrolled in public schools to participate in interscholastic athletics.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee



S-3375 Bucco

Requires school districts to maintain supply of nasal rescue medication and oxygen for seizure emergencies; provides for training of designees to administer nasal rescue medication and oxygen when school nurse is not physical present.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee