Improving Farm-to-School Program, Employment Rights for Persons with Criminal Histories, Banning Unsolicited Text Messaging Ads, Halfway House Reform, Fire Safety in New Homes & Corporate Accountability Also on Tap
(TRENTON) – State budget legislation, the “Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act,” a 7-bill vocational education improvement package, keeping fracking waste out of New Jersey, enhancing the Farm-to-School program, employment rights for persons with criminal histories, ignition interlock devices for drunken drivers and prohibiting sending unsolicited advertising by text messaging top Thursday’s Assembly voting session.
Halfway house reform, fire safety in new homes, the New Jersey Residential Foreclosure Transformation Act and requiring corporations qualifying for state development subsidy grants to repay entire grant amount if they fail to uphold grant terms are also on tap.
The session is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and will be streamed live at:
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/media/live_audio.asp.
Highlights include:
· A3482 (Schaer) – Appropriates State funds and federal funds for the State budget for fiscal year 2014-2015.
· A3485 (Prieto/Greenwald) – Raises the gross income tax rate on taxable income exceeding $1,000,000 to 10.75 percent for a temporary three-year-period and restores the State earned income tax credit to 25 percent of the federal credit.
· A3487 (Cryan) – Requires State to pay its pension contributions quarterly on July 15, October 15, January 15 and April 15.
· A3310 (Wimberly/Cryan) – Credits increases in employee contributions required by P.L.2011, c.78 as additional contributions to TPAF, JRS, PERS, PFRS, and SPRS unavailable to reduce normal contributions of State and local employers for actuarial valuations beginning July 1, 2015.
· A2270 (Burzichelli) – “Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act”; permits qualified terminally ill patient to self-administer medication to end life in humane and dignified manner.
· A2108 (Gusciora/Vainieri Huttle/Caride) – Prohibits treatment, discharge, disposal, or storage of wastewater, wastewater solids, sludge, drill cuttings or other byproducts from natural gas exploration or production using hydraulic fracturing.
· A3334 (Prieto/Lagana) – Require New Jersey school report cards to include indicators of student career readiness; A3335 (Prieto/Diegnan) – Require preparation programs for teachers and school counselors to include coursework to support improved student career readiness; A3337 (Prieto/Jimenez) – Establishes four-year county vocational school district facilities partnership grant program; A3338 (Prieto/Diegnan) – Requires all school districts and public colleges to enter into dual enrollment agreements to provide college-level instruction to high school students through courses offered on the college or high school campus; A3339 (Prieto/Diegnan) – Provides that if a career and technical education program of a county vocational school district is taught in an industry setting, the off-site location will be exempt from certain state regulations; A3340 (Prieto/Jasey) – Provides additional state aid to county vocational school districts in which enrollment increases by more than 10 percent; and A3341 (Prieto/Diegnan) – Provides state aid for adult education programs.
· A2641 (Andrzejczak/Wilson) – Provides for voluntary contributions by taxpayers on gross income tax returns to support farm to school and school gardens programs; and A2642 (Andrzejczak/Riley) – Allows contributions to NJ “Farm to School” program; and A2644 (Andrzejczak/Wilson) – Directs Dept. of Agriculture to establish clearinghouse website for farmers to offer produce and dairy products for use by school breakfast and lunch programs;
· A2683 (Mainor/Sumter/Wilson) – Establishes “Task Force to Review Residential Community Release Programs” to review this State’s halfway houses and make recommendations concerning security and inmate services.
· A1999 (Watson Coleman/Green/Spencer/Wimberly/Sumter) – The Opportunity to Compete Act; establishes certain employment rights for persons with criminal histories.
· A1368 (Stender/Caputo/Lagana) – Revises penalties for certain drunk driving offenses, including mandating installation of ignition interlock device, and creates restricted use driver’s license.
· A1698 (Wisniewski/Green/Jasey) – Requires fire suppression systems in new single and two family homes.
· A617 (Moriarty/Benson) – Prohibits sending unsolicited advertising by text messaging, and requires companies offering text messaging services to allow customers to block all incoming and outgoing text messages.
· A1808 (Wilson/Oliver/Coughlin/Caride/Wimberly) – Requires corporations qualifying for State development subsidy grants to repay entire grant amount if corporation fails to uphold grant terms.
· A2268 (Wisniewski/Singleton) – Establishes State Transportation Infrastructure Bank and Energy Bank within New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust.
· A3375 (Mukherji/Oliver/Tucker/Andrzejczak) – Designates U.S. Route 22 bridge, Easton-Phillipsburg Toll Bridge, as “Sergeant William John Cahir Memorial Bridge.”
· A1510 (DeAngelo/Eustace/Lampitt/Wilson/Andrzejczak) – Requires hiring preference for veterans seeking position with State Police.
· A2162 (Vainieri Huttle/Eustace) – Exempts nursing mothers from jury duty.
· A2771 (Fuentes/Johnson/Burzichelli/Pintor Marin) – “The New Jersey Social Innovation Act”; establishes social innovation loan pilot program and study commission within EDA.
· A470 (Green/Singleton/Jasey/Wisniewski/Quijano/Jasey) – Establishes the “New Jersey Residential Foreclosure Transformation Act”; provides expedited process for foreclosing abandoned residential properties.
· A2597 (Singleton/Diegnan) – Provides that beginning with the 2014-2015 grade nine class, Advanced Placement computer science course may satisfy a part of either the mathematics or science credits required for high school graduation.
· AR110 (Singleton/Conaway/Greenwald/Lampitt) – Calls on Congress to exclude Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and Picatinny Arsenal when considering future defense budget cuts.
· ACR159 (Wimberly/Mainor) – Creates a joint committee of the Legislature to be known as the Joint Committee on Economic Justice and Equal Employment Opportunity.
· AR137 (Giblin/Tucker) – Urges Commissioner of Education and State District Superintendent of Newark School District to take immediate steps to resolve longstanding contract dispute with unions representing non-instructional staff of district.