November 2024 Legislative Update

I’m pleased to share that Bill A2946 passed the Assembly with bipartisan support. This bill provides consumers with the mechanism to recover funds sent in error and helps to safeguard person-to-person transactions. This will protect individuals who mistakenly send payment to the wrong party, providing better security to people using common applications for payment transactions.

Last month, I introduced a series of bills designed to support public education, household water assistance, preschool and early intervention, and healthcare for those with disabilities. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the legislature to bring these bills to committee and will work to ultimately have them signed into New Jersey law.

To prevent healthcare disruptions for adults with disabilities over age 26, I have introduced Bill A4934. This bill ensures continuous health benefits, even if a parent’s employment changes, addressing previous gaps in coverage. No one – especially those with disabilities – should face an interruption in healthcare.

Water is a right and a necessity – no one should live in fear of their water being shut off. Bill A4933 would establish the New Jersey Household Water Assistance Program to provide support for households facing financial hardship, helping them with water service and bill payments.

I have introduced Bill A4851 proposing state funding for preschool snacks through the state’s food nutrition program, ensuring all children have access to the nutrition they need. This will reduce the administrative burden on districts with preschool expansion funds by streamlining access to nutrition programs.

Our schools must be fully equipped to meet the needs of all students requiring special services. That’s why I introduced Bill A4932, which requires early intervention service providers to report the number of children receiving services to their districts of residence. Providing early support can greatly improve future outcomes, making it essential to ensure timely and effective child find services during the transition to preschool.

Serving on our school boards of education is critical community-centered work. To ensure that our school boards are best meeting the needs of the community, I have introduced Bill A4931, requiring board of education members to maintain principal residence in their school district for a certain number of days each year, and Bill A4930, requiring school boards to adopt policies on members’ board meeting attendance.

To ensure financial transparency and protect against external undue influences from foreign adversaries, Bill A4952 would require public institutions of higher education to disclose all financial donors. Similar to New Jersey’s existing requirements on N.J.S.A. 52:32-57 et seq., which mandate the disclosure of investment activities in Iran, Russia, and Belarus, this bill seeks to enhance accountability bo requiring public colleges and universities to provide full disclosure of donor information. Such transparency is essential for maintaining public trust and preventing conflicts of interest or foreign influence.

I am proud to join Senator John McKeon and Assemblywoman Alixon Collazos-Gill in a Joint Resolution permanently designating March as “Amyloidosis Awareness Month” in New Jersey. Amyloidosis is a rare and serious disease and early and accurate diagnosis is critical. We hope this resolution will help raise awareness for diagnosis, treatment, and support.