While Gov. Sherrill’s March 10 budget address garnered a significant amount of attention in and around the State House, several committees have also met recently to consider legislation prior to the Legislature’s annual spring “budget break.” Education-related bills that were considered are listed below.
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 the most up-to-date information regarding specific legislation, please visit the New Jersey Legislature’s website.
Assembly Health Committee
The Assembly Health Committee met on Monday, March 9 and approved the following bill relevant to boards of education:
Vaping Awareness A-2195 would direct the Department of Health, in consultation with the Department of Education and the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, to develop guidelines for school districts and institutions of higher education to facilitate the implementation of on-campus anti-vaping awareness campaigns targeting student populations. The purpose of the guidelines is to assist school districts, colleges, and universities in equipping students with research-backed information on the dangers of vaping to combat the increased use of e-cigarettes.
The NJSBA supports the bill.
Assembly Labor Committee
The Assembly Labor Committee met on Monday, March 16 and approved the following bill relevant to boards of education:
Job Posting Requirements A-1161 would require an employer or third-party job posting company to remove a job posting when a position has been filled, with certain limited exceptions, and include, within any posting for a publicly advertised job, information concerning whether the posting is for an existing vacancy. As amended, a posting for an anticipated vacancy would only be allowed if the employer has, in the preceding 18 months, listed the same position at least three times or hired at least four employees for similar roles. An employer would also be required to provide a timeframe in a posting as to when the position is anticipated to be filled. If the employer interviews an applicant for an existing job vacancy, the employer would be required, within the timeframe provided in the job advertisement, to provide the applicant with an affirmative response as to whether the position has been filled, or if the position has not been filled, whether the employer is still considering the applicant for the position.
The bill would also require third-party job posting companies to remove positions that have been filled – and employers to “make reasonable efforts” to notify third-party companies that the position has been filled – and provides the Department of Labor and Workforce Development with the authority to audit employers and third-party job posting companies for ongoing violations. Any employer or third-party job posting company who violates the provisions of the bill will be subject to civil penalties of between $300 and $600 for as long as a posting remains in violation.
In committee testimony, the NJSBA expressed concerns about the applicability of the bill to schools in addition to private employers, seeking amendments to exempt school districts from the bill’s requirements. The Association referenced the current teacher shortage, the unlikelihood of ghost postings for education-related job listings, and the additional expense and administrative burdens that the bill would create. The NJSBA also submitted written testimony.
Senate Environment and Energy Committee
The Senate Environment and Energy Committee met on Monday, March 16 and approved the following bill relevant to boards of education:
Solar Energy Grant Program S-1815 would establish a solar energy grant program within the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to provide grants for school districts, jointure commissions, educational services commissions, career and technical schools, and community colleges in New Jersey. The grant awarded by the bill would cover up to 50 percent of the eligible costs of the solar energy project, to be determined by the BPU in consultation with the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, the Department of Community Affairs, and the Department of Education.
The NJSBA supports the bill.
Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee
The Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee met on Monday, March 16 and approved the following bill relevant to boards of education:
Banning Artificial Dyes in School Food A-2050 would, as amended, add four substances (brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red dye 3) to the general prohibition on adulterated commercial food and ban an additional six substances (red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 1, blue 2, and green 3) from school food. The prohibition on food dyes in school foods would be effective Aug. 1, 2028, and the provisions of the bill regarding commercial food would take effect one year after enactment.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill.
Assembly State and Local Government Committee
The Assembly State and Local Government Committee met on Monday, March 16 and approved the following bill relevant to boards of education:
Payments for Non-Resident Students in Renaissance Schools A-4678 concerns the provision of payments for non-resident students who enroll at a renaissance school project. Under the bill, the school district in which a renaissance school project is located would be required to pay the per pupil amount for each student that resides in the district, but for all students enrolled in the renaissance school project that do not reside in the district in which the renaissance school project is located, the bill would require the student’s school district of residence to pay the per pupil amount to the nonprofit entity.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill. Its counterpart in the Senate, S-3614, was approved by the Senate Education Committee earlier this month.
To view the full text of any of the bills summarized above, please visit the New Jersey Legislature’s website.
