Allowing Youth Soccer on Pinelands Land, Requiring Administration Post Complete Property Tax Information on Website, Combating Heroin Epidemic in New Jersey & Child Safety Measures Also on Tap
Testimony on Aging Water & Wastewater Infrastructure & Return to N.J. of Disabled Individuals Placed in Out-of-State Facilities Also Set
(TRENTON) – A sweeping vocational education improvement package, criminal justice reform legislation, requiring authorities use American-made goods, various veterans assistance bills and helping the troubled but vital beekeeping industry top Thursday’s Assembly hearings.
Allowing youth soccer on Pinelands land, forcing the Christie administration to post the complete property tax information on its website, combating the heroin epidemic in New Jersey & child safety measures are also on tap.
The hearings are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. and will be streamed live at:
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/media/live_audio.asp.
Highlights include:
· 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. 10 a.m. Education.
· A1910 (Burzichelli/Watson Coleman/Wimberly/Spencer/McKeon) – Implements constitutional amendment providing for pretrial detention of certain criminal defendants; establishes non-monetary bail alternatives for release; authorizes Judiciary to revise fees for certain legal programs and services. 10 a.m. Judiciary.
· A3059 (Egan/Diegnan) – Requires use of goods made in the United States for State contracts; requires businesses that receive public contracts or development assistance to disclose job exportation information; A3221 (Lagana/Mosquera/Eustace) – Requires Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to use certain products manufactured in U.S.; A3279 (Mosquera) – Requires Delaware River Port Authority to use certain products manufactured in U.S; A3280 (Mosquera) – Requires Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission to use certain products manufactured in U.S; and A3281 (Mosquera) – Requires Delaware River and Bay Authority to use certain products manufactured in U.S. 10 a.m. Labor.
· A1294 (Andrzejczak/Caride) – Extends Right to Farm Act protections to commercial beekeepers, with some restrictions; A1295 (Andrzejczak/Caride) – Establishes exclusive State regulatory authority over apiary activities and allows for delegation of monitoring and enforcement authority to municipalities; A1296 (Caride) – Establishes penalty for destruction of man-made native bee hive; A2180 (Andrzejczak/Wilson) – Designates Common Eastern Bumble Bee as New Jersey State Native Pollinator, and AR71 (Quijano/Mazzeo) – Urges State residents to support NJ beekeepers by purchasing honey made in NJ. 2 p.m. Agriculture.
· The Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee will meet at 2 p.m. to hear testimony regarding the state’s aging drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.
· A1305 (Wilson/Riley) – Requires any State entity planting vegetation to use only vegetation native to area being planted, and when purchasing vegetation, to purchase, to the maximum extent possible, only from NJ businesses. 2 p.m. Agriculture.
· A3257 (Andrzejczak/Mazzeo/Burzichelli) – Expands type of use qualifying as low intensity recreational use on lands in Pinelands agricultural production areas. 2 p.m. Agriculture.
· A3223 (Singleton/Lampitt/Quijano/Pintor Marin) – Requires Division of Local Government Services to include certain property tax information on division’s web page. 2 p.m. State and Local Government.
· A1899 (Burzichelli/DeAngelo/Diegnan) – Creates New Jersey Cold War medal. 10 a.m. Military and Veterans’ Affairs.
· A2299 (Andrzejczak) – Requires municipalities to exempt 100% disabled veterans from construction permit surcharge fees for improvements to promote living unit accessibility; appropriates $20,000 for municipal reimbursements. 10 a.m. Military and Veterans’ Affairs.
· A2313 (DeAngelo/Quijano) – Enables the collection of voluntary contributions for New Jersey Veterans of Foreign Wars Posts through gross income tax returns. 10 a.m. Military and Veterans’ Affairs.
· A2622 (Andrzejczak/Riley/Mazzeo/Singleton/DeAngelo/Benson) – “New Jersey Tuition Equality for America’s Military (NJTEAM) Act;” provides in-State tuition at New Jersey public institutions of higher education to military veterans. 10 a.m. Military and Veterans’ Affairs.
· A783 (Andrzejczak) – Increases penalties for certain heroin offenses by revising threshold amounts for first, second, and third degree crimes of manufacturing, distributing, and dispensing heroin. 10 a.m. Judiciary.
· A2831 (Caride) – Reduces thresholds for certain heroin offenses. 10 a.m. Judiciary.
· A410 (Johnson) – Establishes DOT roadside memorial program for fallen police officers, EMS workers, and firefighters. 2 p.m. Homeland Security.
· A1355 (Stender/Lampitt) – Requires hospitals and birthing facilities to provide new parents information about crib safety. 10 a.m. Women and Children.
· A1672 (Johnson/Mainor/Wimberly/Garcia) – Requires youth sports team organizations to implement written head injury policies. 10 a.m. Women and Children.
· A3161 (Lampitt) – Implements current car seat safety recommendations. 10 a.m. Women and Children.
· A1041 (Schaer/Johnson/Vainieri Huttle) – Exempts Holocaust reparations payments from legal process, and from estate recovery under Medicaid program. 10 a.m. Women and Children.
· A2268 (Wisniewski/Singleton) – Establishes State Transportation Infrastructure Bank and Energy Bank within New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust. 10 a.m. Transportation.
· A2301 (Andrzejczak) – Designates Stone Harbor Boulevard Interchange of Garden State Parkway as “Christopher Meyer Memorial Interchange.” 10 a.m. Transportation.
· A3346 (Diegnan/Pinkin) – Allows reemployment by school district of TPAF retiree as coach of athletic activity when compensation is under $10,000. 10 a.m. Education.
· The Assembly Human Services Committee will meet at 1 p.m. to receive testimony concerning the return to New Jersey of individuals with developmental disabilities who had been placed in out-of-State residential facilities by the Division of Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Human Services.
· A1110 (Vainieri Huttle) – Imposes moratorium on DHS transitions and transfers of residents of State developmental centers until certain conditions are met. 1 p.m. Human Services.
· A3152 (Prieto) – Provides that school districts must ensure that students with disabilities have opportunities to participate in athletic activities equal to those of other students. 10 a.m. Women and Children.
· A1907 – (Burzichelli/Singleton/Lampitt/Wimberly) – Reinstates moratorium on imposition of statewide non-residential development fees until January 2015. 2 p.m. Budget.