S 569 New Jersey Senate · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Establishes County-Based School Security Pilot Program in DOE; appropriates $15 million.

S 569 establishes a three-year County-Based School Security Pilot Program in Essex, Mercer, and Camden counties, directly affecting public school students and districts in those areas. The bill provides $15 million from the General Fund to fund two key components: county-based mental health services (including screenings, counseling, and crisis intervention) and enhanced school security infrastructure (such as active shooter training and bullet-resistant shields). The program requires collaboration between the Education Department and other state agencies, with annual reports to the Governor and Legislature evaluating the pilot's effectiveness. This initiative aims to address student mental health needs and physical security in participating school districts through concrete, funded provisions.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action May 11, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

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. The primary substantive addition is a new STATEMENT section at the end of the bill that summarizes its contents, including the $15 million General Fund appropriation, the three-year pilot duration, and the specific counties covered (Essex, Mercer, and Camden). No changes were made to the operative provisions of the bill itself.
TECHNICAL

A STATEMENT section was added summarizing the bill's key provisions: the County-Based School Security Pilot Program in Essex, Mercer, and Camden counties, mental health services for students, security infrastructure including ballistic shields and active shooter training, a three-year reporting requirement, and a $15 million General Fund appropriation.

The bill status changed from 'As reported by the Senate Education Committee with technical review' to 'Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel,' reflecting its procedural movement through the legislative process.

Co-sponsor information (Senator McKnight) was removed, consistent with the bill transitioning from a committee-reported version to an introduced version.

Floor votes

How they voted

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
3
Key actions
0
Committee
1
May 11, 2026
Committee
Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee
upper
Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee
upper
2 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors