This bill requires New Jersey's Department of Labor to establish a heat stress standard by June 2025, creating rules to protect workers from heat-related illness. It directly affects all employers in the state - including construction, agriculture, and indoor workplaces without climate control - by mandating written heat illness prevention plans. Key provisions include employer requirements for monitoring heat exposure, providing cool water (66-77°F or 35-65°F), paid rest breaks, shade or cooling areas, and emergency response protocols. The standard aims to address risks highlighted by rising temperatures and existing deaths from heat exposure, aligning with protections in other states like California and Oregon.
This bill requires employers to provide written information about an applicant's eligibility for specific family and medical leave benefits at the time of a job offer. It directly affects job applicants and employers in New Jersey, covering state and federal leave programs like the Family Leave Act and disability benefits. Employers must disclose whether an applicant will qualify for each benefit, explain any ineligibility reasons, and provide access to a state-maintained benefits webpage. Failure to comply results in a $500 civil penalty per violation. The law aims to increase transparency about leave rights before employment begins.
This bill allows municipalities, counties, school districts, and fire districts in New Jersey to use project labor agreements (pre-hire union agreements for construction projects) on public works projects costing less than $5 million - previously requiring a $5 million minimum. It directly affects local governments and construction contractors by expanding their ability to negotiate such agreements for smaller projects. Key provisions let these entities choose to include project labor agreements for projects below the $5 million threshold, while still requiring adherence to prevailing wage laws and labor standards. The change applies only to the specified local entities and does not alter the existing $5 million threshold for other public works projects. The bill was withdrawn after being incorporated into a previously approved law (P.L.2025, c.327).
This New Jersey bill requires most private and public employers to create written policies granting employees the right to ignore work communications during nonworking hours (defined as hours outside an employee's scheduled shift). Exceptions include emergencies (threatening safety or operations) or last-minute scheduling changes, which must be agreed upon in writing. Employers who repeatedly violate this right (three or more documented cases) face civil penalties of at least $100 per violation. The law excludes employees covered by collective bargaining agreements.
This bill allows New Jersey taxpayers who earn tips to deduct those tips from their gross income for state tax purposes. It directly affects service industry workers (like servers, bartenders, or hairdressers) who receive tips reported to their employers. To claim the deduction, workers must report tip income through the same documentation required by federal tax law (e.g., employer tip statements). The Division of Taxation will create rules to implement this change, and it applies to tax years starting after the next January following enactment.
This bill establishes the Office of Labor Law Enforcement within New Jersey's Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The office will oversee, evaluate, and coordinate enforcement of state labor laws covering wages, benefits, worker classification, and recordkeeping. Key provisions require the Attorney General to assign deputy attorneys general to support enforcement when requested, mandate an annual public report detailing enforcement activities and costs, and direct all fines collected from labor law violations to fund enforcement operations. The office directly affects state enforcement agencies and workers whose rights under wage, unemployment, disability, and workers' compensation laws are protected.
This bill establishes a state standard to protect New Jersey workers from heat-related illnesses and injuries by requiring employers to implement specific safety measures. It directly affects all employers and employees in New Jersey, including those in high-risk outdoor jobs (like construction and agriculture) and indoor settings without climate control. Key provisions mandate written prevention plans that include providing cool water (under 59°F), paid rest breaks in shaded or cooled areas, monitoring heat exposure, and activating a heat alert system during forecasted heat waves - requiring adjustments like shifting work schedules or increasing rest breaks. Employers must develop these plans within 30 days of the law's effective date, with the Department of Labor setting the heat stress standard by June 1, 2025.
This bill amends New Jersey's earned sick leave law to explicitly allow employees to use accrued sick leave for immigration-related proceedings. It directly affects workers facing immigration court hearings, consultations with legal counsel, or other immigration-related legal matters. The key provision adds "time needed by the employee in connection with an immigration-related proceeding" as a permitted use under the existing sick leave statute. This change aligns with the state's existing framework for sick leave, which already covers medical care, family care, and domestic violence situations. The bill does not alter sick leave accrual rates or documentation requirements for this new purpose.
This bill would require most private employers in New Jersey to provide two hours of paid leave annually to employees for voting in general elections. Employees must give two business days' notice, and employers must display written notices about this right 10 days before elections. It excludes construction workers under union contracts, per diem healthcare employees, and public employees already receiving paid voting leave or holidays. Employers must pay for this leave at the employee’s regular rate (minimum wage if lower), with violations treated as wage law violations under New Jersey’s wage and hour law.
This bill amends New Jersey's earned sick leave law to provide a compliance option for employers covered by collective bargaining agreements. Specifically, it allows such employers to meet the law's requirements by offering employees 40 or more hours of any paid time off (including vacation, personal, or sick days) per benefit year, rather than requiring separate sick leave accrual. This provision applies retroactively to the effective date of the original 2018 earned sick leave law (P.L.2018, c.10). It directly affects unionized workplaces by simplifying compliance through existing paid time off policies. The change does not alter the 40-hour annual limit or eligibility rules for employees.
