The New Jersey School Boards Association is monitoring all bills relevant to boards of education and will continue to post timely Legislative Updates in School Board Notes to highlight recent legislative action. For recordings of committee meetings and the most up-to-date information regarding specific legislation, please visit the New Jersey Legislature’s website.
Assembly Higher Education Committee
The Assembly Higher Education Committee met on Thursday, Sept. 17 and approved the following bills relevant to boards of education:
Revised FAFSA Graduation Requirement A-2470/S-3245 would make permanent the requirement that students complete a state or federal financial aid application as a prerequisite for receiving a high school diploma, unless a waiver is submitted. P.L.2023, c.295 previously created a three-year pilot program requiring the grade 11 classes in 2023-2024, 2024-2025, and 2025-2026 to complete the application and required the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) to issue a report detailing the requirement.
The NJSBA testified in opposition to the bill, encouraging the Legislature to wait for the release of the HESAA report due by Jan. 2027 before making the graduation requirement permanent. The bill was passed by the Senate in June.
Scholarships for Public Service A-2534 would establish the “Jersey Strong Public Service Scholarship Program” to provide scholarships to eligible students who are employed in a public service sector experiencing critical workforce shortages. The bill requires the commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development to establish a list of eligible public service sectors experiencing critical workforce shortages, which may include employment in public schools.
The NJSBA supports the bill.
Assembly Appropriations Committee
The Assembly Appropriations Committee met on Thursday, Sept. 17 and approved the following bills relevant to boards of education:
Outreach for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals A-5439 would amend the FY2027 appropriations act to require 2.5 percent of the appropriation for the Working Class Families State Supplement to be utilized for informational and outreach activities to increase awareness of the program. The Working Class Families State Supplement supports expanded eligibility for the free and reduced-price school breakfast and lunch program for working class and middle-income families with household income between 186 percent and 224 percent of the federal poverty level. The FY2027 appropriations act appropriated $15 million to the Department of Agriculture for this purpose; this bill would require the department to use $375,000 of that appropriation for informational and outreach purposes.
The NJSBA supports the bill.
Review of APSSD Audits A-1646 would provide a timeline within which the Commissioner of Education must issue any adverse finding, adjustment, or penalty regarding an audit submitted by an approved private school for students with disabilities (APSSD). For audits submitted for any school year ending after the effective date of the bill, the action of the commissioner must be within seven years of the date of the submission of that audit. For audits submitted for any school year ending prior to the effective date of the bill, the action of the commissioner must be within seven years of the date of the submission of that audit or three years following the effective date of the bill, whichever is the later date.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill, which was approved by the Assembly Education Committee in May.
Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee
The Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee met on Thursday, Sept. 17 and approved the following bill relevant to boards of education:
Sharing of Health Care Claims Experience Data A-5046 would require carriers and third-party administrators that provide health care benefits to employees of local government units, including boards of education, to provide complete claims experience data to local unit employers that make a written request for their claims experience information, including loss reports and large claims data. The bill would also establish identical health care claims experience data sharing requirements for third-party medical claims reviewers that contract with the State Health Benefits Program and School Employees Health Benefits Program for local unit employers that participate in those programs. Finally, the bill would establish prescription drug claims experience data sharing requirements for pharmacy benefits managers that provide prescription drug benefits to employees of a local unit.
The NJSBA supports the bill.
To view the full text of any of the bills summarized above, please visit the New Jersey Legislature’s website.
