From rules governing pets at restaurants to bills concerning mortgage relief and the removal of Confederate statues, New Jersey lawmakers votedon a long list of proposals on Thursday.
The bills have to be passed by the Senate and Assembly, both of whichconvened in Trenton, and signed by Gov. Phil Murphy before becoming law. There's also a slew of bills that would reform policing and criminal justice practices. Here's a separate look at what happened with those measures.
Here are the notable bills they considered:
Race
If Murphy signs S-19, New Jersey will have a new official state holiday: Juneteenth, or the day enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free on June 19, 1865, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation and two months after the Civil War ended. The third Friday in June would be a paid holiday for state government workers, adding to New Jersey’s 13 public holidays. The Assembly passed the measure 62-0, with 12 lawmakers abstaining, to send the bill to Murphy's desk.
Both chambers passeda measure (S-855/A-3594) to change the title of county-level public leaders from freeholders to county commissioners. No state other than New Jersey uses the term “freeholder,” which is rooted in an old English term to describe someone who owns land free of debt. At the time, few women and Black people owned property, giving white men the political power.
“This is not a matter of political correctness; it is a corrective action to replace an outdated designation that is rooted in institutional prejudice,” Murphy, Sweeney and Coughlin said in a joint statement supporting the change. The Senate passed the bill 31-6, and the Assembly 61-12.
The Assembly passed a resolution (AR-178)urging the U.S. Congress to pass a bill to remove statues of Confederate leaders from the U.S. Capitol.The vote was54-1 with 17 abstentions.Assemblyman Brian Bergen, R-Morris,was the sole no vote.
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to remove statues, such as the bust of Confederate Secretary of War John Cabell Breckinridge.
“Those who committed treason against the United States, and led the nation into its most painful and bloody war to preserve the institution of slavery, are not patriots and should not be afforded the honor of having their images on display in the United States Capitol,” the New Jersey resolution reads. The state Senate did not vote on the resolution.
COVID-19
Housing relief
Renters who are financially hurt by the pandemic could not be evicted, penalized or fined for not paying rent during a public health emergency or 60 days after, if they qualify for relief under A-4034.
And for homeowners andcertain residential landlords who qualify, creditors would be required to let them delay mortgage payments through the 60-day grace period.
The catch-up payments would be added on to the end of a mortgage, not tacked on all at once when the public emergency is over, and landlords would have to agree to an affordable rental repayment plan with tenants.
The Assembly passed the bill with a 46-22 vote Thursday, and the Senate passed an earlier version in April with a 38-0 vote. The bill would retroactively apply to missed mortgage and rent payments starting March 9.
“I applauded the governor back in March when he announced a freeze on evictions and foreclosures and a mortgage forbearance,” said Joe Mangino, board president of the New Jersey Organizing Project. “I reached out to my bank and realized the fine print — banks were being asked to defer the forbearance payment to the end of the loan. This was voluntary and there was no mandate ... my mortgage company is expecting a lump-sum payment to bring my mortgage current. We need to give homeowners and renters a fighting chance to survive.”
Financial options for towns, counties
Just as the coronavirus pulled the state budget into turmoil to the tune of nearly $10 billion, local governments have seen a drop in revenues, and some have warned that employee layoffs are necessary to balance the books. One bill, S-2475, would give local governments the authority to borrow money by issuing bonds if other revenue streams — like federal and state cash aid — have dried up. Bonds would be repaid by property tax revenues, according to a summary of the bill. The last-resort borrowing must be done within two years of the end of the public health emergency, which is still in effect. The Senate passed the legislation with a vote of 25-15. The Assembly passed a similar version of this bill in May.
Protecting personal information
State officials are making contact tracing — the practice of informing people they may have come into contact with someone exposed to the virus — a central part of the reopening plan, and lawmakers want to make sure information gathered during the process remains protected. Assembly bill A-4170 would require public health entities or third parties to limit use of personal data to contact tracing only, and delete the information or any parts of it that can identify an individual within 90 days. A violation, if the bill becomes law, could warrant a $10,000 penalty. The Assembly passed the bill 55-18. The Senate has not voted on it.
Short-term rental refunds
Short-term and vacation rental services like Airbnb would be required to provide refunds or credits to people who had planned to visit New Jersey during the coronavirus pandemic but who canceled their trips. Senate bill S-2412 would require that refunds be offered for trips between March, when the virus first hit New Jersey, and the end ofSeptember, ifthey were booked by July 1. The Senate passed the bill 32-5. The Assembly has not voted on the bill.
Voting districts and census delays
Both the Senate and Assembly passed resolutions (SCR-123/ACR-188) that would put a question on the November ballotasking voters whether delayed 2020 census results should also delay the state's redistricting process. The census's population counts are used to redraw lines for the districts that state Senators and Assembly members are elected to represent. The Assembly passed the resolution with a vote of 51-26 andthe Senate voted 25-15, both clearing the required three-fifths threshold.
Census officials have cited the coronavirus and said results won't be delivered to states on time. If the results arrive after Feb. 15, 2021, and New Jersey voters approve this change, redistricting would be delayed and new maps would not be used until 2023.
Critics of the change say delaying redistricting would cut out the voices of minority communities whose population has grown since the last census, in 2010.
"Indeed, the interests of Black and brown communities in New Jersey — who confront some of the worst racial disparities in the country and who are now facing the worst of this pandemic — must be prioritized," Henal Patel, director of the democracy and justice program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, said during testimony against the bill this month. Patel spoke on behalf of a group of advocates, activists and academics called the United Black Agenda.
Republicans have also blasted the plan that Senate Democrats, including sponsor Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, have said is necessary to ensure that new election districts are accurate.
"This is being done in the middle of a pandemic," Senate Republican Leader Thomas Kean Jr.,of Union County, said in a statement. "Stakeholders and communities of interest who will be impacted the most will have little opportunity to engage in a debate over such an important constitutional change."
Health insurance fees
Both chambers passed a bill (S-2676/A-4389) to impose an annual 2.5% state tax on net premiums of most health insurers, which is expected to raise $900 million starting in 2021. The tax would flow to a “health insurance affordability fund,” which would subsidize premiums for those who buy their own health insurance and the state’s reinsurance pool that helps companies pay large claims.
The bill would also require a report examining how the policy affects racial disparities in health insurance coverage, and recommendations on how to increase affordable health care options and reduce the uninsured rate.
Murphy, an advocate for the bill, said the tax will replace a federal levy that sunsets at the end of this year. Business and insurance representatives opposed to the bill argue that employers would see their premiums increase, as insurers pass on the cost of the tax. As small businesses struggle with the economic recession brought on by the pandemic, the timing is not ideal, they argue.
The Assembly passed the bill 43-0, and the Senate 22-16.
NJ education:More in New Jersey contemplating all-remote education as first day of school approaches
'Can Igetout of here before I die?':Virus slows, but did NJ do enough to keep inmates safe?
Dogs dine outside, too!
Pet dogs would be allowed in outdoor dining areas under a bill the Senate passed 39-0. S-766 addresses a gray area between health regulations and state law and says yes, you can take your dog to dine with you outside. (It also puts into law measures to prevent contamination of food and utensils should animals go inside.) Libby the French bulldog, rejoice!
Ashley Balcerzak is a reporter in the New Jersey Statehouse.For unlimited access to her work coveringNew Jersey’s legislature and political power structure,please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email:balcerzaka@northjersey.comTwitter:@abalcerzak
