Budget

This New Jersey bill prohibits the sale, manufacture, and distribution of apparel containing intentionally added PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) starting two years after it takes effect. It defines "apparel" broadly to include most clothing for regular wear - such as athletic wear, swimwear, school uniforms, and work uniforms - but excludes personal protective equipment, military clothing, and motorcycle safety gear. Violations would be treated as consumer fraud under state law, resulting in fines up to $20,000 per offense and potential additional penalties like cease-and-desist orders. The law directly affects retailers, manufacturers, and distributors of apparel within New Jersey that use PFAS in their products.

This bill establishes a Social Media Research Center at a New Jersey four-year public university selected by the Higher Education Secretary. The center will conduct research on social media's effects on youth mental health, develop online safety resources for public schools, and provide recommendations to state agencies. It will also administer grants for social media research using a peer-reviewed process modeled after the NIH, and require annual reports on its work. The bill directly affects New Jersey public universities (as hosts), public schools (through educational resources), and state agencies (by requiring data sharing).

New Jersey Assembly Bill 4015, the "New Jersey Kids Code Act," requires major online services (like social media and games) that minors are likely to use to set default privacy settings to the highest protection level for children. It prohibits these services from showing targeted ads to minors, using manipulative design tricks to change privacy settings, collecting certain personal data without clear consent, or promoting restricted products to children. The bill also mandates annual public reports detailing how these platforms protect minors’ privacy, their data practices, safety tools for parents, and how much time children spend on their services. This law directly affects large online platforms operating in New Jersey, not small websites or services not used by minors.

S 1493 updates New Jersey's occupational therapy licensure requirements by clarifying definitions and expanding recognized practice areas. It directly affects licensed occupational therapists, assistants, and the Occupational Therapy Advisory Council by adding LGBTQIA+ health, pelvic health, disaster management, and other modern practice areas to the scope of "occupational therapy services." The bill defines key terms like "continuing competence" (requiring documented professional development for license renewal) and "occupational performance" (covering daily life skills and health). These changes ensure licensure rules align with current practice standards without altering eligibility or fees.

This bill allocates approximately $77.4 million from dedicated tax revenues and Green Acres funds to the Department of Environmental Protection to support local government projects. The funding is divided between acquiring land for conservation and developing existing parks, with specific amounts designated for planning incentives, standard projects, and areas with high population density. Local municipalities and counties that meet certain population criteria are eligible to receive grants or loans to help them purchase or improve recreational spaces. Any remaining funds after the listed projects are funded may be used for additional approved initiatives with further committee approval.