Legislative Update: Public Notice Bill Heads to the Governor’s Desk; Other Bills Advance

Both houses of the Legislature met Thursday, Dec. 19, to hold their final voting sessions of 2024. A detailed explanation of activity follows below:

On the Governor’s Desk

Temporary Relief for Posting Public Notices S-3957/A-5151 provides that a newspaper eligible to be used by a public body in 2024 for the purpose of complying with the Open Public Meeting Act or other public notice or legal advertisement requirement, including for providing adequate notice of a meeting, and designated as an official newspaper, is deemed eligible for the same purposes from Jan. 1, 2025, to March 1, 2025, regardless of physical or digital format for the newspaper’s publication. Additionally, the amended bill would prohibit newspaper publishers from charging more for digital postings than the prices already set in statute for print publications.

The New Jersey School Boards Association testified in support of the bill during committee deliberations earlier in the week. At the December 2024 meeting of the NJSBA Delegate Assembly, the Association adopted new policy language in support of permitting boards of education to “publish all public meeting notices and requisite reference materials through electronic media in lieu of publication in physical newspapers.” In its testimony, the NJSBA expressed its appreciation that the Legislature worked quickly to resolve this urgent issue, but also stressed the importance of creating a longer-term solution that would allow boards of education to continue complying with the Open Public Meetings Act as the newspaper media landscape continues to evolve.

The bill was passed by both the Senate and the Assembly on Thursday, Dec. 19, and now heads to the governor for signature.

Rescheduling Primary Election Day A-5152/S-3965 would reschedule the June 3, 2025, primary to June 10, 2025 (the following Tuesday), to accommodate a period of religious observance. The bill would require the secretary of state to inform all county clerks, county boards of election, superintendents of elections, municipal clerks and members of the public of the rescheduled primary election day no later than seven days following the effective date of the bill.

The New Jersey School Boards Association is monitoring the bill due to its relevancy to school buildings serving as polling locations. The bill was passed by both the Senate and the Assembly on Thursday, Dec. 19, and now heads to the governor for signature.

Recognizing Paraprofessionals AJR-101/SJR-76 designates the second Friday of December of each year as “Paraprofessional and School-Related Personnel in Our Schools Day” in New Jersey to recognize the contributions of paraprofessionals and school-related personnel.

The NJSBA supports the resolution, which was passed by the Assembly on Thursday, Dec. 19. The Senate passed the resolution in October, and it now heads to the governor for signature.

Passed by the Senate Only

Sunscreen Policies S-1548 would require school districts to adopt policies concerning student use of sunscreen and sun-protective clothing at school and school-sponsored functions. The policy would not require a student to provide documentation from a physician or other licensed health care professional. As amended, the policy may require written permission from a student’s parent or guardian but may not require school personnel to assist a student in applying sunscreen.

The NJSBA supports the amended bill. Its counterpart in the Assembly, A-1028, was approved by the Assembly Education Committee in October and is awaiting a floor vote.

Passed by the Assembly Only

School Board Election Petitions A-5117 would increase the number of signatures required for candidates to be eligible to be placed on primary, general, nonpartisan municipal and school election ballots. With respect to boards of education, the bill would require candidates for a school election to collect 25 signatures on their direct nominating petitions – an increase from 10. The bill also makes updates to nominating petition requirements for other elected offices.

This bill was introduced following testimony received by the Assembly Select Committee on Ballot Design, which was tasked with reviewing the design of primary and general election ballots in New Jersey. The intention of the bill is to bring New Jersey more in line with its neighboring states regarding nominating petition signatures; ensure that ballots are manageable from the perspective of voters; and make updates to the current signature requirements for nominating petitions that have been in place since 1937. The bill would make changes to nominating petitions for candidates running for election to statewide office, countywide office, congressional office, the state Legislature, municipality offices, and boards of education.

The NJSBA is monitoring the bill. Its counterpart in the Senate, S-3994, was approved by the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee on Dec. 19 and is awaiting a floor vote.

Extending Pause on SGOs A-5077 would extend the statutory pause on the collection of student growth objective data initiated pursuant to P.L.2024, c.14, and would add a pause on the collection of administrator goals data. That 2024 law established the New Jersey Educator Evaluation Review Task Force and ceased the collection of new data for SGO purposes during the current school year. The purpose of the bill is to extend the pause on the collection of SGO data and administrator goals data until the completion of possible revisions to the evaluation process pursuant to recommendations from the task force’s final report issued this past September. Under the amended bill, the collection of SGO data and administrator goals data would be paused until the next expiration and subsequent readoption of current educator evaluation regulations (N.J.A.C.6A:10).

The NJSBA supports the bill, which has not yet been introduced in the Senate.

Mental Health Referrals A-1657 would permit a student assistance coordinator, school counselor, school psychologist or other mental health professional working in a school district to refer, or help facilitate the referral of, a student to an individual or practice licensed to provide professional counseling (including a psychiatrist, certified social worker, licensed clinical social worker, licensed social worker, licensed marriage and family therapist, certified psychoanalyst or licensed psychologist) for mental health assessments and services. A student assistance coordinator, school counselor, school psychologist or other mental health professional working in a school district would not be able to refer a student to an individual or practice with whom the district employee, or the employee’s immediate family, or the employee in combination with his or her family, has a significant beneficial interest.

In the case of a student who is not legally permitted to consent to the assessments and services, the student’s parent or guardian would be notified of the referral or the facilitation of the referral, and the parent or guardian would be required to consent prior to the provision of any assessment or service by the individual or practice.

The bill provides that neither the school district nor the individual making or facilitating the referral would be required to bear the cost of assessments and services provided to the student by a licensed individual or practice. The bill would not limit a school district’s authority to provide mental health assessments and services to students.

The NJSBA supports the bill.

To view the full text of any of the bills summarized above, please visit the New Jersey Legislature’s website.