S-2094(
O’Toole)/A-3008 (O’Scanlon, DiCicco) S-2094 passed the Senate 21-19 and the Assembly 41-36-1 and is on the Governor’s desk. The bill establishes an artificial limit on the State’s employer contributions to an employee’s Alternate Benefit Program (ABP) retirement account by establishing an arbitrary maximum salary on which Employer contributions will be based on. Specifically, the bill limits the eight percent matching State contribution by providing that there will be no contributions based on any portion of salary in excess of the statutory maximum salary of State cabinet officers ($141,000). NJEA opposed the bills.
S-3000(Bucco,
O’Toole)/A-3000 (Malone, O’Scanlon) S-3000 passed the Senate 21-19 and the Assembly 41-37 and is on the Governor’s desk. The bill would implements a compromise on Governor Christie’s $28.3 billion budget recommendation for State FY 2011. The legislation restores approximately $180 million to various programs but severely underfunds aid to public schools by underfunding the School Funding Formula by about $820 million and continues the almost two decade long policy of not making contributions to the State pension systems. NJEA opposed the bills.
A-1019 (Spencer, Caputo) has passed the Assembly 74-2-1 and has been referenced to the Senate Education Committee. The bill, supported by NJEA with our amendments, calls for all school district volunteers to receive a criminal background check. This background check will be in accordance with the same standards and procedures used to conduct such checks on paid school district employees.
S-1940 (Van Drew, Ruiz) legislation initiated by NJEA, has passed the full Senate (36-2) and is ready for consideration in the Assembly Education Committee. This bill requires that the monetary equivalent of any wage or benefit concession agreed to by a collective bargaining unit be used by a school district to offset any reduction in force initiated for economic reasons. This bill would allow for a discussion currently prohibited under 18A:28-9.
S-2071 (Ruiz) would limit the amount of time a vacant position could be filled by individuals holding a CE/CEAS or a standard certificate who were serving as substitutes. NJEA supported this bill, which passed in the Senate 40-0. The bill now moves to the Assembly, where it has been referred to the Assembly Education Committee.
A-355 (Jasey, Voss, Moriarty)/S-1073 (Turner, Kean) On June 28, 2010, this legislation passed the Assembly by a vote of 78-0-0 and the Senate by a vote of 39-0. This bill would make permanent the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program. The bill would retain many elements of the original pilot, such as the program’s voluntary nature and certain enrollment restrictions. The bill would also remove the limitation of one choice district per county. As amended, the bill would allow enrollment restrictions up to a maximum of 10% per grade level or 15% per school. NJEA took a neutral position on the bill. The bill now awaits action by the Governor, who may sign it, veto it, or conditionally veto it.
S-29 (Sweeney)/A-3065 (McKeon, Barnes, Burzicelli). This bill reduces the tax levy cap for school districts, counties, municipalities, fire districts, and solid waste collection districts from the currently permitted 4% annual increase to a 2.9% permitted annual increase. The bill also establishes the tax levy cap as the permanent mechanism for the calculation of the maximum allowable increase in property taxes that may occur between budget years. Both houses of the legislature voted along party lines (Democrats supporting, Republicans opposing) to pass the bill which is now on the Governor’s desk. NJEA opposes this legislation.