Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee
COAH Regulations  – Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Joseph Doria provided Committee members with an update on departmental activities. Top priorities in the department include the Council on Affordable Housing’s (COAH) revised “third round” rules and the newly formed Housing Policy Task Force which is reviewing various aspects of affordable as well as low moderate and workforce priced housing in New Jersey. Last month, a state appeals court gave the Corzine administration until June 2 to complete a set of regulations to guide cities and towns in building or rehabilitating affordable houses and apartments. The proposed COAH regulations add affordable housing obligations to municipalities for projected job growth and requires an affordable unit for every five market-rate houses constructed. The comment period on the regulations, which will include a round of public hearings, ends March 22. Contact: Jim Leonard

Click here to view the proposed regulations. 

ENVIRONMENT

Senate Environment Committee
DEP Briefing – Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa Jackson discussed her Department’s priorities for the new legislative session. She highlighted six key areas: climate change, the water supply master plan, the site remediation program, operation and maintenance of the parks and forests, smart growth, and recycling. Chamber staff testified and outlined certain key principles for the Committee to keep in mind when passing legislation.  Senators were urged to recognize the impact of each legislative initiative on the overall business climate of the state and to utilize a “sound science” approach to justify their decisions.The State Chamber is working closely with DEP and members of the Senate Environment Committee on several pieces of draft legislation that will address the Site Remediation Program. Contact: Michael Egenton

Click here to view the Chamber’s Site Remediation Study. 

ENERGY

Senate Economic Growth Committee
Energy Exemptions – S-241/S-394/S-1098 (Adler/D-6; Bateman/R-16; Haines/R-8): Committee passed, referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. Establishes a property tax exemption for a renewable energy system that is part of a residential, commercial, industrial, or mixed use building and produces renewable energy onsite to provide all or a portion of the electrical, heating, cooling, or general energy needs of that building. Renewable energy is defined as electric energy produced from solar technologies, photovoltaic technologies, wind energy, fuel cells, geothermal technologies, wave or tidal action, methane gas from landfills, a resource recovery facility, a hydropower facility or a biomass facility, or energy produced from solar thermal or geothermal technologies. The State Chamber supports tax exemptions for innovative energy systems that will create incentives for businesses and residents to consider alternative sources of energy. Contact: Michael Egenton

HEALTH

Senate Commerce Committee  – Assembly Financial Institutions & Insurance Committee
Hearing Aid Mandate – S-467 (Buono/D-18) and A-1571 (Cohen/D-20; Roberts/D-5): Committee passed, referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and Assembly Appropriations Committee. Requires health insurers to cover the cost of hearing aids for individuals 15 years of age and younger. Continuing to mandate benefits severely restricts the ability of insurance companies to control costs, which in turn increases health insurance premiums for employers. Contact: Jim Leonard

Senate Health & Senior Services Committee
Mental Health Mandate – S-607 (Vitale/D-19; Buono/D-18): Committee passed, referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. Provides for expanded health insurance coverage for the treatment of additional mental and nervous disorders, alcoholism, and other substance-use disorders. The State Chamber opposes health benefits mandates since they ultimately increase premiums at a time when health insurance costs are escalating. In addition, this bill limits the ability of employers to provide affordable insurance to employees, resulting in more uninsured or inadequate coverage. Contact: Jim Leonard

Assembly Health & Senior Services Committee
Civil Penalty Mandate – A-1907 (Conaway/D-7; Chiappone/D-31): Committee passed and Assembly passed 58-13. Provides additional legal avenues for the enforcement of statutory requirements governing private health insurance carriers. Under this bill, a covered person, health care provider, or professional organization representing a health care provider may bring legal action against a carrier for a civil penalty as high as $50,000 for each day that the carrier is in violation of health benefits laws. The State Chamber believes this legislation will create additional frivolous legal claims and add to the overall cost of health insurance. Contact: Jim Leonard

Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee
Assessing Enacted Mandated Health Benefits – A-2255 (Roberts/D-5): Committee passed.  Requires the Mandated Health Benefits Advisory Commission to study the financial impact of all enacted mandated health benefits. The State Chamber opposes mandates that increase the cost of health insurance and limit the ability of employers to provide insurance and supports legislation like this that attempt to fully quantify the added costs and unintended consequences associated with mandates. Contact: Jim Leonard

LABOR

Senate Labor Committee
Labor Hearing – The Chamber was invited by the Committee to express the concerns of the business community and to outline potential areas where there are labor-related issues.  The Chamber testified that any new legislation must strike a balance between the needs of the employers and those they employ.  This balance is key in our economically competitive market. Specifically, the Chamber urged the Committee to take steps to strengthen the workers’ compensation system and address the nursing shortage.  The Chamber also requested that if the Committee decides to consider legislation that would increase the minimum wage, the Committee needs to take into account the number of state businesses which have part-time or seasonal workers and provide an exemption for them from any such increase. Contact: Jim Leonard

Click here to view Chamber testimony presented to the committee. 

Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee
Mandated Paid Leave – S-786 (Sweeney/D-3; Buono/D-18): Committee passed. Expands the Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) program to provide TDI benefits for workers caring for sick family members and newborn and newly adopted children. Mandating paid time off for businesses of all sizes will significantly impact productivity. A mandated one size fits all benefit package will eliminate the ability of an employer to craft a benefit package that works best for their employees. Contact: Jim Leonard

NOTE: Paid Leave legislation is scheduled for a hearing before the Assembly Labor Committee on Thursday, February 28, and could be voted on by the full Senate as early as Monday, March 3. State Chamber members are encouraged to continue to voice their opposition directly to their elected official or by using the Chamber’s alert system by clicking here. 

REGULATION

Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee
Regulatory Relief for Small Business – A-832 (Chivukula/D-17; Schaer/D-36; Fisher/D-3): Committee passed. Updates the New Jersey Regulatory Flexibility Act by requiring an agency to conduct a review of rules that are up for re-adoption, ensuring that they have minimal impact on small businesses. In addition, the bill revises the definition of small business from a business that employs fewer than 100 full-time employees to one which, along with its affiliates, employs fewer than 100 full-time employees or has gross annual sales of less than $6 million.  Contact: Michael Egenton

TRANSPORTATION

Senate Transportation Committee
Expeditious Removal of Disabled Vehicles – S-998 (Madden/D-4): Committee passed. This bill, based on a recommendation contained in the Congestion Buster’s Task Force Report, requires the operators of certain disabled vehicles to remove them from the roadway in a safe, but expeditious manner in order to avoid unnecessary traffic congestion and delay. The bill further clarifies that moving a vehicle under these circumstances does not constitute leaving the scene of an accident.  Contact: Michael Egenton

Trenton Watch is a publication of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. Thumbs up and down indicates the chamber’s support or opposition to issues. Questions? Call the State Chamber Government Relations Department at (609) 989-7888. Comments are always welcome.