On June 16, the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly both held voting sessions, during which the CCSNJ weighed in on several pieces of legislation.

Two high priority bills were on the agenda in the Assembly:

• A-3683/A-2152 (Freiman/ Greenwald/ Chaparro/ Dancer), which would stop the pending Unemployment Insurance (UI) tax increases on businesses and provide tax credits to small businesses/hospitality sector businesses to offset future UI tax increases passed unanimously. The CCSNJ strongly supported this legislation that now awaits consideration by the Senate.
• A-4222 (Freiman/Egan), which would expand working hours for teenagers, passed by a vote of 74-4. The CCSNJ was proud to support this bill that will help New Jersey’s tourism industry and shore businesses struggling with labor shortages. This bill also awaits consideration by the Senate.

The CCSNJ supported the following additional bills that passed the Assembly:

• A-992 (Reynolds-Jackson/Stanley/Sumter) - Authorizes the State Chief Diversity Officer to conduct a disparity study concerning the utilization of minority-owned and women-owned businesses in the State procurement process.
• A- 1962 (Mukherji/Lopez) - Directs the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell, the Office of Information Technology, and the New Jersey Big Data Alliance to develop an advanced cyberinfrastructure strategic plan.
• A-4066 (Verrelli/Moen/Speight) - Appropriates funds to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for environmental infrastructure projects in FY2023.
• A-4067 (Sampson/Conaway/Carter) - Authorizes the NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend certain sums to make loans for environmental infrastructure projects in FY2023.
• A-4214 (Jaffer/Moen/Wimberly) - Authorizes the NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend certain sums to make loans for transportation infrastructure projects in FY2023.
• S-525/A-280 (Ruiz/Singleton/Umba) - Enhances, and allocates funds for, pre-apprenticeship programs.
• A-2233 (Greenwald/Calabrese/Giblin) - Eliminates the one percent tax on purchasers of Class 4A commercial property transferred for consideration in excess of $1 million.
• A-4224 (Mosquera/Freiman/Jasey) - Provides project grants under the "Securing Our Children's Future Fund" for career and technical education at county colleges; appropriates $19,993,837.
• A-4225 (Jaffer/Conaway/Calabrese) - Provides project grants under the "Securing Our Children's Future Fund" for career and technical education at county vocational school districts; appropriates $36,960,028.

However, despite CCSNJ opposition, the Assembly passed, A-184 (Rooney), which requires public utilities requesting rate increases to hold public hearings in every county.

To read the full CCSNJ Assembly desk letter, click here.

Additionally, the New Jersey Senate unanimously passed another high priority bill, S-659 (Oroho/Greenstein), entitled the "Manufacturing in Higher Education Act". Seeing South Jersey is home to the most manufacturing companies in the state, and given the strong relationships the CCSNJ has with all South Jersey-based universities and county colleges, the CCSNJ strongly supported this bill, which will promote manufacturing career pathways to students. The bill now awaits consideration by the Assembly Higher Education Committee.

Other CCSNJ supported bills that passed the Senate are as follows:

• S- 142 (Diegnan) - Modernizes business filing statutes to include entity conversion and domestication.
• S-772 (Pou/Pennacchio) - Directs the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to establish a New Jersey Minority, Women, and Underserved Farmer Registry.
• S-2357 (Madden/Lagana) - Concerns timely payment of UI benefits.
• S-2590 (Turner) - Makes a supplemental appropriation of $1.5 million to provide tuition assistance for students enrolled at Thomas Edison State University.
• S-2734 (Codey/Stanfield) - Appropriates funds to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for environmental infrastructure projects in FY2023.
• S-2735 (Codey/Greenstein) - Authorizes the NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend certain sums to make loans for environmental infrastructure projects in FY2023.
• S-2770 (Zwicker) - Authorizes the NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend certain sums to make loans for transportation infrastructure projects in FY2023.
• A-2677/S-1805 (McClellan/Reynolds-Jackson/Sumter/Singleton/Testa) - Requires the New Jersey Historical Commission to establish a Black Heritage Trail; permits the New Jersey Black Cultural and Heritage Initiative Foundation to use funds for markers on certain trail sites.

To read the full CCSNJ Senate desk letter, click here.