Earlier this week, before the end of the 221st Legislative Term, Governor Murphy took action on various pieces of legislation. Below is a summary of the bills signed with municipal interest.
A560/S-1990: Requires transportation network company drivers to complete anti-human trafficking training course.
Requires transportation network company (TNC) drivers and applicants to complete an anti-human trafficking training course, which is to be approved by the Attorney General. A TNC is required to provide the anti-human trafficking course prior to the approval of an applicant and to current TNC drivers within 90 days of the bill’s effective date. The anti-human trafficking training course may be provided via web-based video or digital format and is required to include an overview of human trafficking, guidance on the role TNC drivers play in reporting and responding to human trafficking; and (3) information on how to report suspected human trafficking.
This act will take effect on the 60th day following enactment, except that the Attorney General shall take such administrative action as may be necessary in advance of that date to ensure the timely implementation of this act.
A-583/S-4104:? Permits deputy county clerks and municipal clerks to perform marriages and civil unions.
This bill expands the list of public officials that may perform marriages or civil union ceremonies to include deputy county clerks.
The League approves this bill. It has been passed by both Houses and signed by the Governor on January 12. This law will take effect immediately.
A-1400/S-984: Requires the water supplier to notify affected municipalities, school districts, charter schools, nonpublic schools, and institutions of higher education of violations of drinking water quality standards.
P.L.1977, c.224 (C.58:12A-1 et seq.) was supplemented to require the owner or operator of a public water system to immediately notify, by telephone and electronic mail, the governing body of a municipality and the chief administrator of every school district, charter school, and nonpublic school located within the municipality whenever the public water system violates any drinking water quality standard for drinking water supplied by the public water system within the municipality.?Governor Murphy conditionally vetoed the measure for technical corrections and the Legislature concurred with his suggestions.
The law takes effect immediately.
A-2090/s-2426: Requires solid waste management district to develop strategy to reduce food waste; requires DEP to adopt certain rules and regulations regarding composting facilities.
L.1970, c.39 (C.13:1E-1 et seq.) is supplemented to require the state to implement a strategy by 2035 for reducing food waste by 50% of the waste generated in 2022.
As used in this section, “food waste” means any food-derived organic waste that is disposed of in a landfill, including, but not limited to, edible food, food scraps generated by a consumer after the generator issues or sells food to the consumer,?food processing waste, food processing residue generated from processing and packaging operations, overripe or spoiled produce, trimmings from food, food product over-runs, soiled and unrecyclable paper, and used cooking fats, oil, and grease.
This law takes effect immediately.
A-2316/S-3968:? Increases traffic threshold for local installation of certain speed humps on certain local streets without DOT approval.
P.L.2025, c231 authorizes each municipality and county in the State to construct, without the approval of the Commissioner of Transportation, a speed hump with a flat top of at least 10 feet, such as a speed table, on: (1) one-way and two-lane residential streets traversed by fewer than 4,000
vehicles per day; and (2) streets traversed by fewer than 4,000 vehicles per day when a road construction project or repair of the street is undertaken and located within 500 feet of a school or property used for school purposes.
The provisions of the bill only apply to those streets under the local government’s jurisdiction with a posted speed of 30 miles per hour or less and takes effect immediately.
A2784/S-2548: Permits a School District with a November annual school election to submit to voters separate proposals for additional spending for budget?year and subsequent budget year on the ballot. If the separate proposals are approved, the school district cannot add to its adjusted tax levy for subsequent budget year any amount authorized by N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-39.
P.L. 2025, c. 234 took effect on January 12, 2026 and applies to the first full school year following the date of enactment.
A-3036/S756:? “Swift Access For Emergency Response Actions Preservation Program (SAFER APP)”; authorizes Attorney General to order turn-by-turn navigation systems to reroute vehicular traffic under certain conditions.
Under the bill, whenever the Attorney General determines that the guidance provided to motorists by a turn-by-turn navigation system or systems has resulted in or contributed to an ongoing emergency traffic condition with regard to the flow of vehicular traffic in this State, the Attorney General may order the operator of that system, when providing instructions to a driver, to detour, reroute, or divert vehicular traffic so as to alleviate or eliminate the ongoing emergency traffic condition. The Attorney General will provide a copy of the notice to the municipality and to the commissioner.
A municipality may adopt a resolution, accompanied by supporting documentation and analysis, requesting the Attorney General to investigate whether the guidance provided to motorists by a turn-by-turn navigation system or systems has resulted in or contributed to an ongoing emergency traffic condition with regard to the flow of vehicular traffic within the municipality. Governor Murphy Conditionally vetoed this bill with the following recommendations for reconsideration: (1) amend the bill to give the Attorney General the discretion, in consultation with the Commissioner, to engage with the operator of a navigation system to devise an alternative solution to alleviate or eliminate the ongoing emergency traffic condition, rather than simply ordering them to modify their instructions to drivers; (2) amend the reporting requirement to require the Attorney General to also make a recommendation regarding retention or repeal of the legislation, based on the experience garnered over the two-year period; and (3) amend the bill to ensure there is adequate time to develop an appropriately deliberated rule proposal and to give the public sufficient opportunity to weigh in, in accordance with the time frames established under the Administrative Procedure Act.
Both the Assembly and the Senate concurred with the Governor’s recommendations. Section 8 of this act is to take effect immediately and the remainder of the act will take effect 90 days after enactment.
A-4006/S-4281: Permits partnerships and joint ventures to bid on certain public works and prevailing wage contracts if each party to partnership or joint venture is independently registered.
P.L.1999, c.238 (C.34:11-56.51) is amended to permit partnerships and joint ventures to bid on public works and prevailing wage contracts.
Prior to enactment, contractors were unable to bid on any contract for public work, limited to heavy, highway, utility, marine, transit, environmental remediation, and related infrastructure projects,?for which payment of the prevailing wage is required, unless the contractor is registered.?This bill allows partnerships and joint ventures to also bid on these contracts if each party in the partnership or joint venture is independently registered.
The new law takes effect immediately.
A-4651/S-3508:? Establishes penalties for certain conduct related to public brawl and disorderly conduct.
This bill provides that parents and legal guardians having legal custody of minors may be subject to a fine or guilty of a petty disorderly or disorderly persons offense for certain conduct related to willful or wanton disregard in the exercise of supervision and control of a minor such that the minor was adjudicated delinquent for engaging in improper behavior, would be subject to a fine of $1,000 or a first offense of inciting a public brawl would be guilty of a petty disorderly persons offense; or a second or subsequent offense of inciting a public brawl would be guilty of a disorderly persons offense.
Under the bill, a disorderly persons offense is punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of up to $1,000 or both. A petty disorderly persons offense is punishable by imprisonment of up to 30 days, a fine of up to $500, or both.
This bill was passed by both Houses and signed by the Governor on January 12.
A-4653/S-3506: Requires AG to establish training program for crowd management and provide resources to municipal police department or force for large gatherings and flash mobs.
This bill requires the Attorney General, in consultation with the Superintendent of State Police, the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, and the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, to establish a training program for any local or municipal police department or force located within a municipality that, within the preceding 12 months, hosted two or more large-scale social gatherings or had a flash mob or pop-up party occur.
In addition, the bill requires the Attorney General to make several resources available to any local or municipal police department or force that has participated in the training program including access to social media monitoring tools, mobile command units, and additional personnel support from the New Jersey State Police as needed.
The Attorney General is also required to establish a process for requesting immediate support during a flash mob or pop-up party.
It was passed by both Houses and signed by the Governor on January 12. It is set to take effect immediately.
A-4813/S-4000: Imposes conditions on drivers approaching certain stationary vehicles and revises public awareness campaign.
Requires motor vehicle drivers to move over for a stationary vehicle owned or leased by a public utility displaying a flashing light or a stationary vehicle owned or leased by an employee of a public utility or a member of the employee’s family that is displaying a flashing amber light. In the event the motor vehicle driver is unable to move over, the driver is required to reduce the speed of the motor vehicle to a reasonable and proper speed for existing road and traffic conditions, as the driver passes the vehicle and be prepared to stop.
The Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety in the Department of Law and Public Safety is required to prepare a public awareness campaign to inform the general public concerning the importance of reducing speed and changing lanes when approaching certain vehicles, the risks associated with failure to do so, and any penalties and fines that are imposed by failure to reduce speed or change lanes.
The law takes effect immediately.
A-4973:? “The Manufactured Home Park Protection Act” expands opportunity to purchase for resident homeowners in certain manufactured home parks; modifies certain requirements for disposition of private residential leasehold communities.
This law gives homeowners in a mobile or manufactured home park the opportunity to preserve their communities by providing the resident homeowners the opportunity to purchase their mobile or manufactured home park, or private residential leasehold communities, if the landowner anticipates selling or changing the use of the land. The Governor conditionally vetoed this legislation for technical changes and the Legislature concurred with those changes.
The new law takes effect immediately.
A-5146?/S-3892: Removes exception to civil service working test period for political subdivision employees.
Under current law, for most civil service employees, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) provides for a working test period of four months, which may be extended to six months at the discretion of the CSC, except that the working test period for political subdivision employees is three months. This bill removes the exception for political subdivision employees. The working test period for political subdivision employees will be four months and may be extended to six months at the discretion of the CSC.
The law takes effect immediately.
A-5265/S-3710:? Authorizes enforcement of landscape irrigation law by local enforcing agency and increases penalties.
Proposed to enhance enforcement of the “Landscape Irrigation Contractor Certification Act of 1991,” P.L.1991, c.27 (C.45:5AA-1 et seq.), by empowering local enforcing agencies to institute civil actions for injunctive or other appropriate relief, and assess civil administrative penalties, upon those who appear to have violated the act or the rules adopted pursuant thereto. Local enforcement agencies (construction code) now have the authority to inspect, fine, and shut down a work site if it is determined that a contractor has violated a provision of the act, including the provision that requires a contractor to be licensed in order to perform irrigation work.
Fines have increased to $5,000, $10,000, and $15,000 per offense. Thirty percent of the revenue derived from the civil penalties and civil administrative penalties are to be deposited into the State General Fund, and 70%of the revenue are to be retained by the municipality or pilot county in which the violation occurred.
The law takes effect immediately.
A-5537/S-4346: Permits fire departments to use certain Class B firefighting foam for one year after prohibition takes effect.
Beginning January 1, 2027, the use of any class B firefighting foam containing intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by fire departments in the State will be prohibited. This extension would provide a one-year extension on the prohibition on the use of class B firefighting foam under current law for fire departments.
The bill would also appropriate $500,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Environmental Protection to provide additional funding for the grant program established pursuant to P.L.2023, c.243 to reimburse eligible municipalities for the costs of the replacement of class B firefighting foam containing intentionally added PFAS with firefighting foam that complies with the provisions of P.L.2023, c.243.
This bill was passed by both Houses and signed by the Governor on January 12.
A-5538/S-4344:? Prohibits municipal utilities authority from charging fire district and fire department water service charges for fire protection systems in certain circumstances.
Prohibits a municipal utilities authority from imposing water service charges for fire protection systems upon a fire district if the authority also imposes water service charges upon customers of the authority who are taxpayers of the fire district. Ends the practice where a municipal utilities authority which causes a ratepayer of the authority who is also a taxpayer of the fire district to be charged twice for the same fire protection water supply, once through the payment of rates to the authority and again through the payment of taxes to the fire district.
The law takes effect immediately.
A-5593/S-4157 Requires DCA to enable certain construction subcode applicants to electronically submit certain materials for permit application review; limits requirements for physical seal on documents at worksite.
This bill requires the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to accept electronic submissions from a licensed plumbing, electrical, or heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration contractor corresponding to the contractor’s discipline. Such submissions include, but are not limited to, subcode application forms or documents supporting the applications, such as shop drawings or documents displaying the calculations necessary for compliance with the electrical, fire protection, or energy subcode. The bill prohibits DCA from requiring the physical seal or signature of these contractors to be affixed to the subcode application form as well as requiring physical copies of plans at the worksite of a licensed plumbing, electrical, or heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration contractor to have an affixed physical seal.
This bill is to take effect on the first day of the fourth month following enactment, except that the Commissioner of Community Affairs is permitted to take anticipatory actions necessary to comply with the provisions of the bill.
This bill was passed by both Houses and signed by the Governor on January 12.
SJR-70/AJR-122 - Designates last weekend in October as "Honor Your Hometown Weekend."
The joint resolution designates the last weekend in October every year as “Honor Your Hometown Weekend” in New Jersey to recognize and appreciate the towns, cities, communities, and neighborhoods that have shaped the bonds between people, with the State, and with the nation.
The resolution requests the Governor to annually issue a proclamation and to call upon public officials and all citizens of the State to observe “Honor Your Hometown Weekend” with appropriate programs and activities. The resolution also requests the Governor to call upon Congress and the President of the United States to designate a national weekend of celebration to honor America’s hometowns.
The resolution takes effect immediately.
S-1042/A-1421: This bill supplements Title 13 and Title 56 to prohibit the intentional addition of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in in a select few categories of consumer products: cosmetics, carpet and fabric treatments, and food packaging, two years after the bill's effective date. At that time, manufacturers of cookware products would be required to include labels notifying customers if a product contained intentionally added PFAS.
The remainder of the act takes effect immediately.
S-3053/A-3765?- Requires contract between certain governmental units and online parking payment service providers stipulate service provider not charge user during certain times.
P.L.2025, c241 amends R.S.40:52-1 and the "Local Public Contracts Law," to allow a municipality or parking authority to contract with an online parking payment service provider provided that the contract stipulate that the service provider is not to charge a parking fee to a user during a time period when parking is prohibited or is free at a parking project.
The bill defines an “online parking payment service” to mean a public-facing Internet website, Internet web application, or computer or mobile application that allows a user to submit payment for parking a motor vehicle at a publicly available parking project.
This law takes effect immediately and applies to all contracts and agreements entered into, renewed, modified, or amended on or after the effective date.
S-3772/A-5198: Concerns valuation of board and lodging with respect to workers' compensation.
R.S.34:15-37 is amended to revise the workers’ compensation law to modernize its treatment of board and lodging provided by an employer when calculating the rate of benefits. Currently, board and lodging furnished by an employer are regarded as part of wages and valued at $25 per week, unless a different amount is fixed at the time of hiring. The bill provides, instead, that, unless a different amount is fixed at the time of hiring, the value of employer furnished board and lodging be its market value, except that if the claimant continues to receive board or lodging during the period of total temporary disability, the value of the board or lodging will not be included in the calculation of the workers’ compensation rate for purposes of temporary total disability. The act takes effect immediately.
S-4509/A-6295?- Creates regulatory scheme, in line with federal law, on sale of certain hemp-derived cannabinoid products; repeals law concerning intoxicating hemp.
This bill makes various updates to P.L.2024, c.73 (Intoxicating Hemp Act) related to intoxicating hemp products sold in New Jersey. Several provisions in this bill address issues raised in the October 2024 holding by the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in Loki Brands, LLC et al. v. Matthew Platkin et al., which held that provisions of P.L.2024, c.73, which regulates the production and sale of intoxicating hemp products, violate the Dormant Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution and are federally preempted. The court held that the enactment is thus unenforceable due to the variable treatment of out-of-state hemp 24 producers and sellers versus in-State hemp producers and sellers.
The act takes effect on January 13, 2026, except that Section 11 expires upon the effective date of section 781 of Pub.L. 119-37, November 13, 2026; and Section 13 takes effect on April 13, 2026. The Division of Taxation may take such anticipatory action as necessary to effectuate the provisions?of this law.