Assembly to Vote Thursday on COVID-19 Recovery Bill Package

Legislation Based Upon Recommendations by the Economic Advisory Council Created by Speaker Coughlin

(TRENTON) – Based upon recommendations made by the Economic Advisory Council established by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin earlier this year, the full Assembly is scheduled to vote Thursday on a ten-bill package of legislation designed to ensure New Jersey can responsibly recover from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The private sector panel consisted of experts in the fields of government, health care, education, higher education, business, commerce, tourism, social services and more. The advisory panel was chaired by George R. Zoffinger who has led six different companies in his professional career and is currently President and Chief Executive Officer at Constellation Capital Corp.

“Thank you to Chairman Zoffinger and every member of the New Jersey Economic Advisory Council for their tireless work in crafting a final report that has resulted in the first series of legislation the Assembly will consider in Thursday’s voting session,” said Speaker Coughlin (D-Middlesex). “These bills and legislation to follow based upon the Council’s final report are designed to aid New Jersey’s nine million residents as we work to fully recover from the economic and public health crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“I was honored that Speaker Coughlin selected me as chairman of the Economic Advisory Council,” said Zoffinger. “The members of the Council are New Jersey’s best and brightest. I am pleased with the thoughtful suggestions we have provided for a reopening plan that is safe, sensible and sound. I look forward to passage of future bills that come about as a result of the Council’s work.”

The bills scheduled for a vote Thursday are:

• A-4803/A-4811 which would establish a process to evaluate, provide feedback on, and approve personal protective equipment (PPE) for use during public health emergencies and create PPE stockpiles for the State;
• A-4804 which would create a process to enable minors to obtain working papers during a state of emergency without requiring the minor to be physically present before the issuing officer;
• A-4805 which would requires certain insurers to provide a summary concerning business interruption insurance coverage;
• A-4806 which would permit municipalities to authorize property tax reward programs and validate actions of municipalities that have created them;
• A-4807 which would waive shared responsibility tax payments for individuals without minimum essential health benefits coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic;
• A-4808 which would establish an office in the Board of Public Utilities to assist in the provision and expansion of broadband Internet service in the state to address inequities in accessing broadband service;
• A-4809 which would revise, clarify, correct and simplify various aspects of the Corporation Business Tax;
• A-4810 which would establish the Government Efficiency and Regulatory Review Commission;
• A-4853 which would reduce or delay increases in employer unemployment taxes related to benefits paid during the COVID-19 pandemic state of emergency; and
• AR-193 which urges the federal government to raise the state and local tax (SALT) deduction to $25,000.

The full Assembly voting session board list can be viewed here: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2020/Bills/AR/193_I1.HTM