Preparedness for Responding to Sudden Cardiac Arrest: SR-75 (Whelan, Ciesla). This resolution, which urges boards of education to improve staff and student preparedness for responding to incidents of sudden cardiac arrest, passed in the Senate by voice vote. The resolution is now filed with the Secretary of the State. Copies will be transmitted to the State Board of Education to disseminate to each local school district in the State of New Jersey. An identical resolution was approved by the Assembly in June. NJEA supported this resolution.
Confidentiality Standards for Public Assistance Programs: A-1068 (Gusciora, Coughlin. DeAngelo)/S-2562 (Greenstein, Turner) The Senate concurred with the Assembly’s technical amendments and sent the bill to the Governor (37-0). The bill, initiated by NJEA, would conform to Federal law by requiring confidentiality standards for public employees who may require employee assistance programs. The legislation would only allow for exceptions should the employee sign a waiver statement or under certain conditions stipulated by the employee assistance program advisor.
All Public Employees Must Live in New Jersey: A-2478 (Moriarty, Riley, Burzichelli, Fuentes, Wilson)/S-1730 (Norcross, O’Toole, Sacco), The New Jersey First Act. The Senate concurred with the Governor’s conditional veto (29-6) and sent the bill back to the Assembly for consideration. The conditional veto would allow for the legislation to be enacted four months after the date of signing.
Under the bill, all newly hired public employees would be required to live in New Jersey or move to the state within a year of taking a position. The measure would cover all state, county and municipal employees as well as anyone working for political subdivisions of the state. Employees of public authorities, boards, agencies and commissions would also be subject to the measure. Additionally, the bill would cover all employees working within the educational system. A three-member committee, with one person each appointed by the Governor, Senate President and Assembly Speaker, would review individual applications for exemption in cases involving extreme hardship or other unique circumstances. NJEA had opposed the bill but worked tirelessly with the sponsors to get amendments protecting all current employees under all the circumstances that we could contemplate.
Requiring Greater Penalties for Passing School Buses: S-2244 (Sweeney, Allen) passed the Senate (37-0). The legislation, supported by NJEA, increases penalties for drivers who pass school buses transporting disabled persons when the flashing lights are on. The bill awaits action in the Assembly.
Dating Violence Bill:
A-2920AcaAaAa (Wolfe, Voss, Holzapfel, Bucco, Angelini) passed the Senate 37-0 and has been sent to the Governor. This bill requires the DOE to establish a task force to develop a policy to prevent and address dating violence. The task force will make recommendations to the state on how to incorporate age appropriate dating violence education into the health education curriculum. The bill is part of a national movement spurned by the death of a college woman by her boyfriend. NJEA supported this bill.