On Monday, in a vote along party lines, the Assembly passed A-4, which seeks to overhaul the State’s affordable housing policy. The bill included amendments made last week in the Assembly Appropriations Committee that significantly addressed many of the concerns the League identified regarding the process, legal protections, and compliance tools. The League supports these amendments, which represent good faith and responsive engagement and leaves us optimistic that remaining matters for the successful implementation of this bill and the envisioned path forward will be resolved.
We appreciate the consideration and active engagement in advancing these critical amendments to A-4. While the Assembly Appropriations Committee amendments address many significant issues that have been raised by our local officials, it’s important to reiterate that the League membership is comprised of diverse local governments across the state, many with concerns pertaining to the methodology and environmental and infrastructure impacts. The League will remain fully engaged with legislative sponsors and the Administration to address concerns or further issues and are hopeful that the path forward results in a truly fair and workable statewide housing policy.
The Senate counterpart, S-50, was reported favorably out of the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee on January 25 and second-referenced to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee (SBA). The bill is subject to further amendments if, and when, it progresses in the Senate. The SBA is next scheduled to meet on February 22, and the full Senate is scheduled for a voting session on March 21. These dates are subject to change. Committee agendas and session bill lists have yet to be published and it is not certain that S-50 will be considered at either the Committee hearing or by the full Senate.
Contacts: Mike Cerra, Executive Director, mcerra@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x120. Frank Marshall, Esq., Associate General Counsel, fmarshall@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x137.