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  LEGISLATIVE FORUM

RECENTLY ENACTED LAWS SPONSORED BY SENATOR GILL

S494 - The Bloodborne Disease Harm Reduction Act

  • This bill allows a municipality to establish a needle exchange program by ordinance.
  • Application for authorization of a needle exchange program must be made to the state Department of Health.
  • A program must comply with regulations issued by the state Department of Health.
  • A program is required to make referrals to drug treatment and health related services.
  • Signed into law on December 19, 2006

S29 - Requires a voter-verified paper record for electronic voting machines

  • The voter-verified paper record becomes the official ballot.
  • The state will pays for the expense of retrofitting machines for compliance.
  • Signed into law on July 2005.

S836 - Women's Micro-Business Assistance Act

  • Establishes a permanent program to assist women entrepreneurs.
  • Provides financial, training, and technical assistance.
  • Signed into law on December 2004.

S1848 - Establishes the Crime of Human Trafficking

  • This crime concerns using a person for the purposes of engaging in unlawful sexual activity or providing unlawful labor or services which represent a modern form of slavery where primarily women and children are trafficked across international borders and into this State
  • This law is tailored specifically to prohibit human trafficking and the range of schemes and plans used to lure the victims of human trafficking and maintain them in their imprisoned environments.
  • With penalties up to twenty years in prison, this is one of the toughest laws in the nation.
  • This law also authorizes victim compensation and services.
  • Signed into law on April 2005.

S2145 - Darfur Divestment

  • Prohibits the investment of state pension funds in companies that do business in Sudan.
  • New Jersey is one of the first states in the nation to enact this type of legislation.
  • Signed into law on July 2005.

S2283 - Extension Of Health Insurance To Dependants Up To Age 30

  • Young adults can now receive health benefits until age 30 through a parent's health plan.
  • This bill will capture more than 100,000 uninsured individuals in New Jersey. Signed into law on January 12, 2006
  • Click here to read more

Please click here for a complete list of enacted laws sponsored by Senator Gill

PENDING LEGISLATION SPONSORED BY SENATOR GILL

S2594 - The New Jersey Trademark Anti-Counterfeiting Act

  • Revises and expands the New Jersey Trademark Anti-Counterfeiting Act.
  • Makes several changes designed to broaden the scope of the offense and make it easier to prosecute counterfeiting cases.
  • Provides for enhanced penalties and fines for persons convicted of counterfeiting based on the retail value of the items involved.
  • All items bearing a counterfeit mark and all items used in connection with counterfeiting would be subject to forfeiture
  • The bill strengthens the rights of trademark owners by requiring their written consent for the disposal of counterfeit goods at the conclusion of all criminal and civil forfeiture proceedings.
  • Click for more information.

S501 - Eminent Domain Reform: Prevents the use of condemnation to acquire residential property under redevelopment laws

  • This bill is narrowly tailored prevent the taking of private homes and other residential units, by condemnation, to accomplish economic development objectives, such as the construction of non-public office buildings, mega-stores, and shopping centers.
  • Under this bill, the power of eminent domain cannot be used to condemn non-blighted legally occupied residential property.
  • This bill also tightens the process of condemnation by making it more transparent.
  • Potentially impacted residents must be notified by certified mail and receive an opportunity to be heard.
  • This bill eliminates any concerns an indiscernible public purpose for condemnation because this bill mandates that it must be clear, precise, and articulable.
  • This bill does not stop redevelopment. Cities can still redevelop blighted areas through existing redevelopment laws. Private developers can still use the traditional route to buy out property owners for their private projects.

S503 - The Health Insurance Affordability and Accessibility Reform Act

  • This bill represents a major restructuring of the health insurance marketplace in this State in order to stabilize costs of, and enrollment in, individual and small employer health benefits plan.
  • This bill also transfers additional regulatory oversight to the Commissioner of the Department of Banking and Insurance

S507 - Requires mandatory audit of election results obtained from electronic voting machines

  • This bill establishes a procedure for the mandatory audit of election results each year in randomly selected voting districts in the State.
  • The audit would be conducted by an audit team appointed by the Attorney General, which must include at least one member who has verifiable expertise in the field of statistics.
  • The audit team will conduct random hand counts of the voter-verified paper records in at least two percent of the election districts where elections are held for federal or State offices.
  • Hand counts will also be made of the results of at least one voting machine in one election district in each county where elections occur each year.
  • The Attorney General will determine and then announce publicly the districts in the State in which audits will be conducted within 24 hours after the final vote count for an election.

S1291 - Regulates Pharmacy Management Benefit Companies

  • Under this bill, pharmacy benefits management companies (PBM’s) must be certified by the Department of Banking and Insurance.
  • This bill requires a PBM to disclose to a purchaser any revenues, rebates or discounts related to the purchaser's contract that a PBM receives from a pharmaceutical manufacturer, labeler or other entity (This provision is in response to the situation in which certain PBM's are obtaining discounts from pharamaceutical manufacturers but not passing those discounts on to the purchaser)
  • To protect patient safety, this bill requires a PBM to make certain disclosures to health care practitioners, covered persons, and purchasers if that PBM seeks authorization to substitute a drug prescribed by a health care practitioner to a covered person. It also defines the circumstances in which a prescribed drug may be substituted for another.

S1714 - Prohibits use of education and occupation as rating factors in automobile insurance underwriting

  • Under this bill, no underwriting rule shall operate in such a manner as to assign a risk to a rating plan on the basis of an insured’s: (1) educational level; or (2) employment, trade, business, occupation or profession.
  • An insurer which knowingly fails to transact automobile insurance consistently with its underwriting rules shall be subject to a fine of not less than $1,000 for each violation.
  • Click here to read more

Please click here for a complete list of bills sponsored by Senator Gill

For a complete update on legislative matters pending on the NJ Senate floor, please feel free to visit the NJ Legislators website located at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us.