With the 2022-2023 Legislative term ending on January 9, Governor Murphy must take action by noon on January 16. Below are some of the bills that may impact your municipality:
A-5567/S-3807 Extends the period of usefulness of fire engines for bonding purposes from 10 to 20 years; eliminates the exclusion of passenger cars and station wagons.
Summary: The legislation would expand the useful life of all fire engines, apparatus, and equipment when purchased new from 10 years to 20 years under the Local Bond Law. In addition, the law establishes a useful life for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) below 15,000 pounds for 5 years and GVWR in excess of 15,000 pounds to 10 years.
League Position: Supports this commonsense measure.
Contact: Lori Buckelew, Deputy Executive Director & Director of Government Affairs, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x112.
A-1100/S-995: Requires entities to remove abandoned lines and mark information on certain lines.
Summary: The legislation would require abandoned lines, including copper telephone lines, and any associated equipment attached to a pole, building, or other structure, to be removed or corrected after being discovered by the utility or service provider or after being notified by a municipality, utility, or individual.
Entities that fail to timely remove abandoned lines are subject to penalties not to exceed $500 per day for each infraction.
League Position: The League supports this bill as the right-of-way is a limited public asset that must be carefully managed and preserved. Abandoned lines not only take up useful space within the ROW but they are unsightly and dangerous, negatively impacting residents’ lives.
Contact: Frank Marshall, Esq., Associate General Counsel, fmarshall@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x137.
A-3142/S-1564 Authorizes grants to purchase and rehabilitate abandoned homes for homeless veterans.
Summary: The current pilot program, established by the "New Jersey Housing Assistance for Veterans Act," authorizes grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to rehabilitate existing primary residences of disabled or low-income veterans. This legislation would amend the Act to expand the pilot program to include the purchase and rehabilitation of abandoned homes for homeless veterans.
League Position: The League supports the efforts of the sponsors to provide additional funding to assist the veterans who need it most.
Contact: Frank Marshall, Esq., Associate General Counsel, fmarshall@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x137.
A-4183/S-4264 Concerns local unit filing requirement for certain shared services agreements.
Summary: This law requires local units entering into shared service agreements to file the agreements and estimates of the anticipated cost savings with the Division of Local Government Services (DLGS).
League Position: Oppose because it is duplicative. N.J.A.C. 5:30-3.8(d)(20) requires each municipal user-friendly budget to include a listing of each shared service provided or received, what entity or entities are providing or receiving the service, the beginning and end date of the agreement as applicable, and the amount either received or paid for the service. An item on compliance with this law is also in the DLGS Best Practices Inventory Questions under the Core Competencies category and Transparency topic.
Contact: Paul Penna, Senior Legislative Analyst, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.
A-4791/S-3184 Establishes "Resiliency and Environmental System Investment Charge Program."
Summary: This legislation would create a program that would allow water and wastewater utilities to recover, outside of their rates, the cost of investment in certain non-revenue producing utility system components that enhance water and wastewater system resiliency, environmental compliance, safety, and public health.
While investment in these components is necessary and wise, utilities would be allowed to recover these costs outside of strict oversight from the Board of Public Utilities and Rate Counsel.
League Position: The League opposes this legislation as it will, undoubtedly lead to increased water and wastewater bills for municipalities serviced by water or wastewater utilities.
Contact: Frank Marshall, Esq., Associate General Counsel, fmarshall@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x137.
A-5326/S-4250 Establishes Community Crisis Response Advisory Council and community crisis response teams pilot program; designates "Seabrooks-Washington Community-Led Crisis Response Act;" appropriates $12 million.
Summary: Establishes a Community Crisis Response Teams to offer on-site, community-based interventions during behavioral health crises as pilot program. The pilot program available to municipalities would be led by the Attorney General and established in Camden, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, and Passaic counties.
League Position: Supports this permissive bill to provide municipalities with additional tools.
A-5565/S-3971 Provides that 10-year term does not apply to lease of certain municipal properties unless they are waterfront properties or related to waterfront concessions.
Summary: Under current law, the governing body of every municipality bordering on the Atlantic Ocean is authorized to lease, rent, or hire, the whole or any part of any public parks, recreation grounds, or places of public resort, owned by it and not presently needed by the municipality for municipal purposes, or any building or portion thereof for any period not to exceed 10 years.
This legislation amends that law to provide that the 10-year term limitation on leases only applies to municipal properties that are waterfront properties and provides that properties that are neither waterfront properties nor related to waterfront activities or concessions are authorized to have a 25-year term limitation on leases.
League Position: The League supports this legislation as it makes vacant property owned by shore towns more attractive to investors who prefer a lease term greater than 10 years to recoup costs when substantial renovation efforts are needed.
Contact: Frank Marshall, Esq., Associate General Counsel, fmarshall@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x137.
A-5909/S-4267 Revises workers' compensation coverage for certain injuries to certain volunteer and professional public safety and law enforcement personnel.
Summary: This bill revises the law governing workers’ compensation coverage for certain injuries to volunteer and professional public safety and law enforcement personnel. This bill expands the individuals that are covered by the presumption to include any paramedics employed by the State, a county, a municipality, or a private sector counterpart who is engaged in public emergency medical and rescue services.
League Position: Oppose. The fiscal impact that the legislation will have on municipalities which currently face the highest workers' compensation costs in the nation is not known. Without an available fiscal note to evaluate the cost to municipalities, we are unable to determine if the cost to municipalities will be negligible. While the goal of this legislation is laudable and we are grateful for the service of public safety professionals and volunteers, it is simply unaffordable to municipal governments at this time.
S-3837/A-5438 Clarifies process for administrative appropriations to UEZs
Summary: This bill would clarify the process for appropriating revenue under the State Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) Program for use within the UEZs. The bill is designed to overcome administrative issues identified during attempts to implement provisions of a recent amendment (P.L.2021, c.197) to the “New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zones Act”.
League Position: Support, because it brings more resources to municipalities with Urban Enterprise Zones.
S-4040/A-5881 Concerns jurisdiction and operations of regional municipal courts
Summary: This bill clarifies the jurisdiction of regional municipal courts established under the pilot program set forth in P.L.2021, c.191 (N.J.S.A.2B:12-34, et seq.). Regional municipal courts will no longer be required to hear State Police or county police cases originating from outside the participating municipalities.
League Position: Support. This new law is permissive and permits municipalities to decide whether they want to hear additional cases.
Contact: Paul Penna, Senior Legislative Analyst, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.
S-4265/A-5912 Makes various revisions to alcoholic beverage manufacturing and retailing license laws.
Summary: The bill revises the alcoholic beverage laws to amend some restrictions on craft breweries, creates a farm-brewery license, creates a special license for certain shopping malls, and permits the transfer of inactive licenses between contiguous municipalities.
League Position: Supports the steps to reform New Jersey’s antiquated liquor license laws but is concerned that bill’s language will not allow inactive licenses to fill the void that currently exists with available liquor licenses in some towns. As written, the bill will only permit the transfer of inactive licenses to contiguous municipalities, not municipalities that may need additional licenses.