Both houses of the NJ state Legislature met for voting sessions this week. Among the bevy of legislation that advanced were a number of education related issues. The following is a list of what moved and where the bills now stand.
Provides for accidental death benefit if death of TPAF member is caused by COVID-19
S-3284 was advanced by the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee on Thursday, June 3rd. This important bill provides for an accidental death benefit when a member of the Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund dies as a result of COVID -19. Following the tragic passing of two NJPSA members due to COVID-19 in the early stages of the pandemic, NJPSA’s Government Relations Department sought legislation to assist surviving families following their tragic loss. The bill provides for accidental death benefits, similar to those provided to police and fire employees, if the death of the board of education employee was caused by COVID-19. The bill was amended to include school employees who are members of PERS and community college employees. The bill now proceeds to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee for consideration. Read NJPSA’ s Statement in support of this crucial legislation.
Senate Voting Session June 3, 2021
S-2160 (Sweeney / Oroho / Singer) – Creates special education unit within the Office of Administrative Law; requires annual report. Passed by the Senate (38-0), now pending before the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
S-2507 (Gopal / Greenstein) – Permits school district to use funds from capital reserve account and current expense emergency reserve account for certain expenses during state of emergency. Passed by the Senate (37-0), now pending in the Assembly Education Committee.
S-2827 (Ruiz / Cunningham) – Requires teachers to biennially complete two hours of professional development related to cultural competence. Passed by the Senate (24-10), now pending in the Assembly Education Committee.
S-2829 (Ruiz / Singleton) – Establishes “Male Teachers of Color Mentorship Pilot Program;” appropriates $50,000. Passed by the Senate (38-0), now pending in the Assembly Education Committee.
S-2830 (Ruiz / Singleton) – Requires educator preparation program to report passing rates of students who complete certain tests and to disseminate information on test fee waiver programs, and permits collection of student fee for certain testing costs. Passed by the Senate (37-1), now pending in the Assembly Education Committee.
S-2833 (Ruiz / Turner) – Establishes Teacher Residency Program. Passed by the Senate (36-2), now pending in the Assembly Education Committee.
S-3253 (Singleton / Ruiz) – Establishes alternate route to expedite certification of teachers at early college high school programs. Passed by the Senate (37-0), now pending in the Assembly Education Committee.
S-3469 (Turner / Ruiz) – Mandates training on remote teaching for all candidates for teaching certification. (Passed by the Senate 37-1), now pending before the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SR-91 (Weinberg / Pou) – Urges Congress to address in future federal higher education stimulus legislation inequities in incorporation of part-time and online learning students in formula calculation. Resolution Passed by the Senate (Voice), now pending a vote by the General Assembly.
A-1625 / S-2854 (Lampitt / Jasey / Carter / Pou / Weinberg) – Directs DOE to develop outreach program to encourage young women and minorities to pursue post-secondary degrees and careers in STEM. Passed by the Senate (38-0), Passed by the General Assembly (70-0), Passed Both Houses and Sent to the Governor for his consideration.
A-2455 / S-2204 (Benson / Vainieri Huttle / DeAngelo / Greenstein / Oroho) – Establishes pilot program in DOE to support FIRST Robotics Programs in school districts. Passed by the Senate (38-0), Passed by the General Assembly (70-0), Passed Both Houses and Sent to the Governor for his consideration.
AJR-204 / SJR-105 (Jasey / Benson / Reynolds-Jackson / Cunningham / Kean) – Designates April of each year as “Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) Month” in New Jersey. Passed by the Senate (38-0), Passed by the General Assembly (72-0), Passed Both Houses.
The Senate also voted to concur with Assembly Amendments to the following bills:
S-550 (Codey / Pennacchio / Lampitt) – Requires certain student identification cards to contain telephone number for suicide prevention hotline. Passed by the Senate (36-0), Passed by the General Assembly (70-0), Passed Both Houses and Sent to the Governor for his consideration.
S-3434 (Addiego / Sweeney / Vainieri Huttle) – Requires boards of education to provide special education and related services to certain students exceeding age of eligibility for special education and related services. Passed by the Senate (37-0), Passed by the General Assembly (74-0), Passed Both Houses and Sent to the Governor for his consideration.
Assembly Voting Session June 3rd, 2021
A-2300 (Sumter) – Requires apportionment of membership on certain regional district boards of education to be based on amount of district costs apportioned to each constituent municipality. Passed by the General Assembly (50-21), now pending before the Senate Education Committee.
A-1625 (Lampitt / Jasey / Carter) – Directs DOE to develop outreach program to encourage young women and minorities to pursue post-secondary degrees and careers in STEM. Passed by the Senate (38-0), Passed by the General Assembly (70-0), Passed Both Houses and Sent to the Governor for his consideration.
A-5365 (Caputo / Sumter / Mukherji) – Permits parent or guardian to request grade retention for student during 2021-2022 school year. Passed by the General Assembly (72-0-0), pending in the Senate Education Committee.
Plan to End NJ COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
Also noteworthy, on Thursday the Legislature passed a bill (A-5820/S-3866) that would end New Jersey’s 15-month-old public health emergency over COVID-19 while still allowing the Governor to retain some powers that enable his administration to continue to be able to respond to the pandemic. After an intense debate and over loud public protests that could be heard inside the chamber, the proposal was approved largely along party lines, passing 21-16 in the Senate and 44-28 in the Assembly. Masks will continue to be mandated in schools (in accordance with guidelines with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The Governor signed the bill on Friday.
June is always a busy month for the NJ state Legislature. Your NJPSA Government Relations Team will keep you updated with all of the latest developments. In the meantime, if you ever have a question or would like more information about a bill, please do not hesitate to contact Debbie Bradley, Director of Government Relations dbradley@njpsa.org or Jennie Lamon, Assistant Director of Government Relations jlamon@njpsa.org.