This New Jersey bill requires electric utilities to install smart meters (devices that track real-time electricity usage) upon customer request (with the customer paying the installation cost) and in all new building construction. Utilities must submit installation plans to the Board of Public Utilities within 90 days, include provisions for customers to share their usage data with third parties (like energy providers), and offer time-of-use pricing options within 24 months. It directly affects residential and commercial customers who request smart meters and new building developers. The policy mandates specific data access and billing changes but does not require utilities to cover installation costs for existing customers.
This bill grants executors or administrators of an estate legal authority to manage the online accounts (including social media, email, and microblogging services) of a deceased person. It directly affects estate executors, families, and digital service providers by clarifying that these officials can access, delete, or administer such accounts without requiring additional court orders in all cases. The key provision explicitly permits these actions where otherwise legally authorized, aligning with similar laws in Oklahoma and other jurisdictions. The bill does not create new requirements but clarifies existing authority under probate procedures.
This bill requires New Jersey's Attorney General to study how law enforcement agencies use artificial intelligence (AI) to generate police reports and issue a report to the Governor and Legislature within six months. The report must assess available AI technology, summarize current statewide usage by police departments, and recommend a statewide policy for AI use in reports. The policy must include a requirement for officers to review all AI-generated report content for accuracy and completeness before issuing it. The bill does not mandate AI use but sets a framework for evaluating its safety and effectiveness in law enforcement documentation.
This bill expands New Jersey's wiretap authorization law to allow law enforcement to seek court orders for wiretaps when investigating four specific crimes: luring or enticing a child, identity theft, stalking, and cyber-harassment (specifically the third/fourth degree offenses under N.J.S.2C:33-4.1). It directly affects law enforcement agencies (like the Attorney General's office and county prosecutors) who can now request these wiretap orders for these offenses, as they were previously excluded from the list of authorized crimes. The key mechanism is amending existing wiretap statute language to add these four offenses to the list of crimes where wiretap evidence may be sought. This change would not alter current wiretap procedures but broadens the scope of crimes eligible for such surveillance.
This bill prohibits all New Jersey state employees, agencies, and state contractors from downloading or using the TikTok app or visiting its website on any state-issued or state-leased electronic device (including phones, computers, and tablets). It directly affects state workers and contractors who use government-provided technology, with exceptions for law enforcement using TikTok during investigations under guidelines set by the Attorney General. The bill aims to address security concerns raised by the FBI regarding TikTok's data collection practices and potential access by Chinese entities under Chinese law. The prohibition takes immediate effect upon enactment.
This bill requires New Jersey Transit (NJT) to review all buses and trains it owns or operates - including those run by contracted service providers - to identify "kill switches" or other remote access features that could allow unauthorized remote disabling, control, or degradation of vehicles. If such features pose cybersecurity or operational risks and aren’t essential for safety or compliance, NJT must remove, permanently disable, or otherwise mitigate them. The review must include consultation with the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. This directly affects NJT and its contracted transit operators by mandating the removal of non-essential remote access capabilities.
S 3413, the "New Jersey Kids Code Act," requires online services likely accessed by minors to implement age-appropriate design standards. It directly affects major platforms with significant child users (like social media and gaming services), mandating default privacy settings that protect minors and prohibiting the use of their data for harmful purposes. Key provisions include designing products with children’s developmental needs in mind, preventing exposure to harmful content, and ensuring data practices don’t negatively impact minors’ well-being. The law adopts New Jersey’s version of an "Age-Appropriate Design Code" to create safer online experiences for children.
This New Jersey bill, the "Social Networking Safety Act" (A 2532), prohibits transmitting sexually offensive communications (like sexual solicitations or obscene material) to children under 13 or teens aged 13-15 who are at least four years younger than the sender. It also bans abusive communications (threats, intimidation, or harassment) directed at anyone under 18 on social media. Violators face civil penalties: $1,000 plus fees to the platform operator per violation, and up to $5,000 plus fees or actual damages (including medical costs, counseling, or emotional harm) to the victim. Social media platforms must quickly suspend users who violate these rules upon receiving reports, or face liability unless they have a clear, accessible reporting system for such violations.
This bill expands New Jersey's definition of a "legal newspaper" to include online publications for official public notices. It allows state and local governments to legally publish required notices (like bids or ordinances) in qualified online newspapers, while retaining existing requirements: the publication must be in English, based in New Jersey, have at least 35% news content, and have been continuously published in a municipality for two years. The bill removes the previous requirement that newspapers must be registered as second-class mail with the U.S. Postal Service. This change directly affects municipalities, state agencies, and qualifying online news publishers by broadening acceptable platforms for official public notices.
This bill creates a new Office of Information Privacy within New Jersey's Department of Community Affairs to manage home address privacy for specific public officials. It exempts the home addresses of judicial officers, law enforcement officers, child protective investigators, prosecutors, and their immediate family members from standard public record redaction rules. The office will operate a secure portal allowing authorized representatives (like family members or legal guardians) to request or revoke address privacy, with clear processes for handling these requests and exceptions. This changes how home addresses appear in public records for these covered groups, balancing privacy needs with access for election officials, legal challenges, and other specified circumstances. The bill is currently in the introduction stage (2026-01-13).
