Senate Approves Cruz-Perez and Cunningham Bill to Diversify the Construction Industry

TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Nilsa Cruz-Perez and Senator Sandra Bolden Cunningham that would allocate funds for training of minorities and women in the construction industry has cleared the Senate today.

“The construction industry needs to start becoming more diverse to reflect the diverse population in New Jersey,” said Senator Cruz-Perez (D-Camden/Gloucester). “Women and minorities deserve the same opportunity to work in the industry.”

“Our cities are currently going through a bit of a construction boom.  We need to do more to have workers hired from cities where projects are located, which will promote job growth and skills training,” said Senator Cunningham (D-Hudson).  “This will be helpful for those who live in the cities, as they could become employed to become a part of the construction projects that are changing their skylines.”

The second bill, S-347, would reconcile two laws that have similar purposes revolving around the training of women and minorities in the construction industry for projects costing $1 million or more.  The projects would have to be funded wholly or in part by the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009”.

The bill was released from the Senate with a vote of 35-0, and next heads to the Assembly for further consideration.