A 3080 New Jersey General Assembly · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Requires State Office of Emergency Management to establish hyperlocal text alert system for flood and severe weather conditions.

This bill requires New Jersey's State Office of Emergency Management to create a voluntary text alert system for flood and severe weather. Residents who register their mobile devices will receive real-time alerts about local hazards like rising river levels, storm surge, and evacuation routes. The system integrates data from flood sensors, weather services, and local governments to deliver specific details including rainfall levels, flood locations (over 1 foot of water), and National Weather Service warnings. It mandates that alerts provide actionable safety information to guide community responses during emergencies. The program is designed to be cooperative, involving local law enforcement and media, with implementation starting immediately upon enactment.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Jun 1, 2026

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What changed between versions

Technical Review Of Prefiled Bill → Introduced · 3 edits · Jan 13, 2026

MINOR

The bill moved from Technical Review status to Introduced status, with a minor terminology correction (NOAA referred to as 'Agency' instead of 'Administration') and the addition of a legislative STATEMENT section summarizing the bill's purpose. The statement clarifies that the text alert system is opt-in, cooperative between state and local agencies and media, and specifies the types of flood and severe weather data included in alerts, including a one-foot water level threshold for incident reporting.

TECHNICAL

The bill's status changed from 'As reported by the Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee with technical review' to 'Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel,' reflecting its progression through the legislative process.

DEFINITION

Reference to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was changed to 'National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency.' Note: NOAA is officially the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, so this appears to be an error introduced in this version.

SCOPE

A legislative STATEMENT section was added summarizing the bill's key provisions: the opt-in nature of the text alert system, its cooperative structure between state and local law enforcement and media, the types of data included in alerts (rainfall, river levels, storm surge, drainage complaints, flood damage, NWS watches/warnings, FEMA IPAWS notifications), and a one-foot water level threshold for reporting flood incidents.

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

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Key actions

Committee

Jun 1, 2026

Committee

Reported and Referred to Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee

lower

Jan 13, 2026

Introduced

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

lower

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors