S 2786 New Jersey Senate · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Prohibits State agency from entering into certain State contracts that limit ability of State agency to install or run certain software.

This bill prohibits New Jersey state agencies from entering into software licensing contracts that restrict their ability to install or run the software on hardware of their choice. It directly affects state agencies (such as departments or commissions) that purchase or license software applications designed for standard desktop or server hardware. The key provision requires that contract terms not limit agencies' freedom to use their preferred hardware systems for approved software. This applies specifically to contracts funded with state money, ensuring agencies maintain control over their technology infrastructure without vendor-imposed hardware constraints.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
May 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
General Assembly Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action May 28, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Technical Review Of Prefiled Bill Introduced · 3 edits · Jan 13, 2026
MINOR
This is primarily an administrative transition from technical review status to introduced status for S 2786. A summary STATEMENT was added at the end describing the bill's purpose: requiring that state software licensing contracts cannot restrict a state agency from running licensed software on its own hardware. No changes to the operative provisions of the bill are visible in this diff.
TECHNICAL

Bill designation changed from 'S2786 TR' to 'S2786', reflecting transition from technical review to introduced status.

Status line changed from 'As reported by the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee with technical review' to 'Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.'

SCOPE

A summary STATEMENT was added explaining that the bill requires state software licensing contracts to not limit a state agency's ability to install or run the software on hardware of the agency's choosing, for applications designed to run on generally available desktop or server hardware.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
4
Key actions
1
Committee
1
May 28, 2026
Committee
Received in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
lower
May 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by the Senate (23-13)
upper
Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors