A 4544 New Jersey General Assembly · 2024-2025 Regular Session

Expands eligibility requirements of State's child care assistance program to include full-time graduate and post-graduate students.

This bill expands New Jersey's child care assistance program to include full-time graduate and post-graduate students who meet income, asset, and residency requirements and are enrolled full-time in good academic standing at a public or private college or university. Currently, the program covers only full-time undergraduate students pursuing associate's or bachelor's degrees. The state must update its eligibility rules and seek federal funding through the Child Care and Development Block Grant to cover the costs of this expansion. This change directly affects graduate and post-graduate students who are parents and rely on the program for child care support.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jun 2024
Committee Review
Mar 2025
General Assembly Passage
Jun 2025
Senate Passage
Jun 2025
Signed into Law
Oct 2025
Introduced Jun 13, 2024 Signed Oct 1, 2025
Floor votes · Senate Jun 2, 2025 · General Assembly Oct 28, 2024

How they voted

380
Passed · 2 other
Total votes 40
Jun 2, 2025
D Democratic25
23 Yea 2
92% Yea
R Republican15
15 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
13
Key actions
7
Committee
6
Oct 1, 2025
Signed into law
Approved P.L.2025, c.148.
executive
Jun 30, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed Assembly (Passed Both Houses) (79-0-0)
lower
Jun 2, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (38-0)
upper
Mar 17, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported out of Senate Committee, 2nd Reading
upper
Mar 17, 2025
Committee
Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee
upper
Dec 9, 2024
Upper · Passed
Reported out of Senate Committee with Amendments, 2nd Reading
upper
Dec 5, 2024
Committee
Received in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee
upper
Oct 28, 2024
Lower · Passed
Passed Assembly (75-0-0)
lower
Oct 24, 2024
Lower · Passed
Reported out of Assembly Committee, 2nd Reading
lower
Sep 23, 2024
Committee
Reported and Referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee
lower
Jun 13, 2024
Introduced
Introduced in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee
lower
5 primary · 20 co-sponsors

Sponsors