Labor & Employment (Workforce Development)

This bill creates a ten-year exemption from new state and local rules and regulations for specific manufacturing facilities in New Jersey. Under the law, agencies cannot apply new or amended regulations to these facilities unless federal law requires it, though facilities can choose to waive this protection on a case-by-case basis. The Department of Labor and Workforce Development is tasked with establishing the criteria for eligibility and the process for applying for this exemption. The measure directly affects existing and future manufacturing operations by shielding them from regulatory changes for a decade.

This bill exempts small businesses from a requirement to participate in registered apprenticeship programs when registering to bid on public works contracts in New Jersey. It defines "small business" as an employer with 10 or fewer workers on every working day during most of the calendar workweeks in the current and previous year. The exemption applies specifically to the apprenticeship participation requirement listed in Section 5(a)(6) of the Public Works Contractor Registration Act (P.L.1999, c.238). This change directly affects small construction and contracting firms seeking public projects, removing a regulatory burden related to workforce training programs.

ACR 73 is a New Jersey legislative resolution declaring that proposed Department of Labor rules modifying the ABC test for independent contractor classification are inconsistent with the Legislature's intent. The resolution states the Department's proposed rules - such as redefining digital app usage as control evidence or devaluing standard business practices like liability insurance - undermine the original ABC test's purpose. This procedural resolution, filed under constitutional review authority, gives the Department 30 days to amend or withdraw the rules before the Legislature could seek to invalidate them. It directly affects the Department of Labor's rulemaking process and the classification of workers under New Jersey's unemployment compensation law.

This bill redirects 1% of the Workforce Development Partnership Fund to provide permanent, dedicated annual funding for the New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research. It replaces the previous $1 million annual allocation from cigarette tax receipts (which had been diverted to other budget needs in recent years). The Commission, established in 1983, uses this funding to support cancer research projects and advance cancer prevention, treatment, and palliation efforts across New Jersey. The bill ensures consistent funding for the Commission without affecting other existing sources like "Conquer Cancer" license plate revenue.

This bill establishes public-private partnerships to create AI job training programs in New Jersey. It directly affects displaced workers (those losing jobs due to AI) and current workers seeking AI-related skills, aiming to strengthen the state's workforce competitiveness. Key mechanisms include allowing private companies to manage training programs full-time (handling finances and operations) while exempting them from standard procurement rules and prevailing wage requirements. The Department of Labor will review proposals and require an annual progress report from an advisory council, with training deliverable remotely or in-person.

SCR 62 is a concurrent resolution (not a bill) declaring the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development's proposed rules for applying the ABC test inconsistent with legislative intent. The resolution targets specific proposed rule changes (e.g., N.J.A.C. 12:11-1.3(c)(2)(i)(3), 12:11-1.5(h)) that would make it harder for workers, particularly in the gig economy (like ride-share drivers), to qualify as independent contractors by redefining standard business practices (e.g., using apps or insurance) as indicators of employer control. It asserts these rules contradict the original ABC test’s purpose - establishing clear, consistent standards for worker classification under unemployment compensation law (R.S.43:21-19) - by creating an unintended presumption of employee status. The Legislature has formally instructed the Department to withdraw or revise the rules within 30 days.