| Tracking Legislation and Other Items Important to the Business Community: |
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| Joint Committee on Economic Justice and Equal Employment Opportunity – ACR-105 (Wimberly/D-35)/SCR-25 (Rice/D-28): Assembly committee passed. Reconstitutes the Joint Committee on Economic Justice and Equal Employment Opportunity, which was first established in 2014. The resolution provides the joint committee with authorization to conduct a study of issues concerning economic justice and equal employment opportunity in New Jersey. The committee will report the results of its studies to the Legislature on a routine basis. The State Chamber recently provided recommendations to the Joint Committee on economic development and transportation. Contact: Michael Egenton |
| Assembly Labor Committee ACR-105/SCR-25 Vote: Egan, Joseph V. (C) – Yes; Auth, Robert – Yes; Houghtaling, Eric – Yes; Johnson, Gordon M. – Yes; Moriarty, Paul D. – Yes; Murphy, Carol A. – Yes; Space, Parker – Yes; Sumter, Shavonda E. – Yes; Wirths, Harold J. – Yes |
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Assembly Appropriations Committee
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| Urban Enterprise Zones Extension – A-3549 (Pintor Marin/D-29; Mukherji/D-33; Gusciora/D-15): Assembly committee passed. Extends the duration of each designated urban enterprise zone (UEZ) by 10 years beyond the date that each zone is set to expire. The bill authorizes qualifying businesses within urban enterprise zones to continue charging and collecting the state sales and use tax at 50 percent of its normal rate. This bill also describes the permissible use of funds collected from the sales tax, and amends the current law to restrict the use of funds to economic development and job creation purposes. Contact: Michael Egenton |
| Assembly Appropriations Committee A-3549 Vote: Burzichelli, John J. (C) – Yes; Schaer, Gary S. (V) – Yes; Conaway, Herb, Jr. – Yes; DeAngelo, Wayne P. – Yes; Lagana, Joseph A. – Yes; Mosquera, Gabriela M. – Yes; Peters, Ryan E. – Not Voting; Pintor Marin, Eliana – Yes; Rooney, Kevin J. – No; Thomson, Edward H. – Abstain; Wirths, Harold J. – No |
| Urban Enterprise Zone Program Report – A-3551 (Pintor Marin/D-29; Mukherji/D-33; Gusciora/D-15): Assembly committee passed. Requires the New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) Authority to undertake a review and analysis of the UEZ program and report the authority’s findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature. The report should include an assessment of the adequacy of past funding for UEZs, whether changes are needed to address future funding for UEZs, and whether an alternative, location-based program to assist fiscally distressed municipalities is appropriate. Contact: Michael Egenton |
| Assembly Appropriations Committee A-3551 Vote: Burzichelli, John J. (C) – Yes; Schaer, Gary S. (V) – Yes; Conaway, Herb, Jr. – Yes; DeAngelo, Wayne P. – Yes; Lagana, Joseph A. – Yes; Mosquera, Gabriela M. – Yes; Peters, Ryan E. – Not Voting; Pintor Marin, Eliana – Yes; Rooney, Kevin J. – Abstain; Thomson, Edward H. – Yes; Wirths, Harold J. – Abstain |
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Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee
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| Career and Technical Education Bond Act – S-2293 (Sweeney/D-3; Oroho/R-24; Gordon/D-38): Senate committee passed. Authorizes issuance of $500 million in general obligation bonds to finance county vocational school district and county college capital projects for increasing career and technical education program capacity. Contact: Michael Egenton |
| Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee S-2293 Vote: Sarlo, Paul A. (C) – Yes; Addiego, Dawn Marie – Yes; Bucco, Anthony R. – Yes; Cunningham, Sandra B. – Yes; Diegnan, Patrick J., Jr. – Yes; Gopal, Vin- Yes; O’Scanlon, Declan J., Jr. – Yes; Oroho, Steven V. – Yes; Pou, Nellie – Yes; Ruiz, M. Teresa – Yes; Sweeney, Stephen M. – Yes; Thompson, Samuel D. – Yes; Weinberg, Loretta – Yes; |
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Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee
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| Stormwater Management – A-2898 (McKeon/D-27): Assembly committee held discussion only. This bill would authorize the Ocean County Planning Board, in conjunction with each municipality within the Barnegat Bay watershed, to develop a stormwater and nonpoint source pollution management plan for the watershed. This bill levies an assessment on businesses in addition to the permit fee already imposed. Contact: Michael Egenton |
| Stormwater Fee – A-2916 (McKeon/D-27): Assembly committee held discussion only. This bill authorizes municipalities and municipal utility authorities in Ocean County to establish a stormwater utility for the purpose of creating a stormwater management system to manage the stormwater runoff of the municipality. The State Chamber opposes this bill because it enacts a duplicative tax on businesses. Contact: Michael Egenton |
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Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and Assembly Appropriations Committee
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| Diane B. Allen Equal Pay Act – S-104 (Weinberg/D-37; Sweeney/D-3; Cunningham/D-31) and A-1 (Lampitt/D-6; Downey/D-11; Vainieri Huttle/D-37: Senate committee amended and passed. Assembly committee passed. Amends the Law Against Discrimination (LAD) to make it an unlawful employment practice for an employer to discriminate against an employee because the employee is a member of a class protected against discrimination by the LAD. The legislation also provides the award of treble damages for violations of the bill. The State Chamber had advocated for the federal standard established under the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 which limited recovery of back pay to two years. The State Chamber and other business groups worked with the sponsors to amend the legislation, limiting the period of time that an aggrieved person may obtain back pay to six years. Additional amendments alter certain reporting requirements and remove the requirement to report upon certain specified significant changes in employee status. The State Chamber is seeking a further amendment that would limit treble damages to knowing and willful violations. Contact: Michael Egenton |
| Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee S-104 Vote: Sarlo, Paul A. (C) – Yes; Addiego, Dawn Marie – Yes; Bucco, Anthony R. – Yes; Cunningham, Sandra B. – Yes; Diegnan, Patrick J., Jr. – Yes; Gopal, Vin- Yes; O’Scanlon, Declan J., Jr. – Yes; Oroho, Steven V. – Yes; Pou, Nellie – Yes; Ruiz, M. Teresa – Yes; Sweeney, Stephen M. – Yes; Thompson, Samuel D. – Yes; Weinberg, Loretta – Yes |
| Assembly Appropriations Committee A-1 Vote: Burzichelli, John J. (C) – Yes; Schaer, Gary S. (V) – Yes; Conaway, Herb, Jr. – Yes; DeAngelo, Wayne P. – Yes; Lagana, Joseph A. – Yes; Mosquera, Gabriela M. – Yes; Peters, Ryan E. – Not Voting; Pintor Marin, Eliana – Yes; Rooney, Kevin J. – Yes; Thomson, Edward H. – Yes; Wirths, Harold J. – Yes |
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Assembly Labor Committee and Assembly Appropriations Committee
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| Mandated Paid Sick Leave – A-1827 (Lampitt/D-6; Mukherji/D-33; Green/D-22; Wimberly/D-35; Sumter/D-35; Moriarty/D-4): Assembly Labor Committee amended and passed. Referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee, which also passed. Requires all employers to provide earned sick leave to each worker it employs in New Jersey. Employees will receive one hour of earned sick leave for every 30 hours worked. The State Chamber and other business groups worked with the sponsors to amend the legislation, prohibiting counties and municipalities from setting new requirements regarding earned sick leave and preempts existing local requirements after the effective date of the bill. Additional changes include changing the required hours of annual paid sick leave from 72 to 40 hours and permitting employers to prohibit employees from using earned sick leave on certain dates. Contact: Michael Egenton |
| Assembly Labor Committee A-1827 Vote: Egan, Joseph V. (C) – Yes; Auth, Robert – No; Houghtaling, Eric – Yes; Johnson, Gordon M. – Yes; Moriarty, Paul D. – Yes; Murphy, Carol A. – Yes; Space, Parker – Not Voting; Sumter, Shavonda E. – Yes; Wirths, Harold J. – No |
| Assembly Appropriations Committee A-1827 Vote: Burzichelli, John J. (C) – Yes; Schaer, Gary S. (V) – Yes; Conaway, Herb, Jr. – Yes; DeAngelo, Wayne P. – Yes; Lagana, Joseph A. – Yes; Mosquera, Gabriela M. – Yes; Peters, Ryan E. – Not Voting; Pintor Marin, Eliana – Yes; Rooney, Kevin J. – No; Thomson, Edward H. – No; Wirths, Harold J. – No |
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Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee
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| Garden State Film and Digital Media Jobs Act – S-122 (Weinberg/D-37; Sarlo/D-36): Senate committee passed. Provides corporation business tax and gross income tax credit for certain expenses incurred for production of certain films and digital media content; designated as Garden State Film and Digital Media Jobs Act. Contact: Michael Egenton |
| Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee S-122 Vote: Sarlo, Paul A. (C) – Yes; Addiego, Dawn Marie – Yes; Bucco, Anthony R. – No; Cunningham, Sandra B. – Yes; Diegnan, Patrick J., Jr. – Yes; Gopal, Vin- Yes; O’Scanlon, Declan J., Jr. – Yes; Oroho, Steven V. – Yes; Pou, Nellie – Yes; Ruiz, M. Teresa – Yes; Sweeney, Stephen M. – Yes; Thompson, Samuel D. – Abstain; Weinberg, Loretta – Yes |
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Senate Transportation Committee
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| Mandates Transportation Fringe Benefits – S-1567 (Weinberg/D-37): Senate committee passed. Employers with at least 20 employees who are not part of a collective bargaining agreement would be required to offer a pre-tax transportation fringe benefit, which allows employees to set aside wages on a pre-tax basis for purposes to cover eligible transportation expenses services such as transit passes. Employers who violate this requirement would be subject to a fine of $100 to $250 for the first offense. The State Chamber acknowledges the benefits of increasing public transportation use and carpooling, but mandating small businesses to offer these benefits could burden their already limited resources with further administrative requirements. Contact: Michael Egenton |
| Senate Transportation Committee S-1567 Vote: Gordon, Robert M. (C) – Yes; Gopal, Vin (V) – Yes; Gill, Nia H. – Yes; Holzapfel, James W. – No; Sacco, Nicholas J. – Yes; Singer, Robert W. – Abstain |
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