NJ State Legislative Round-Up 12/02/2023

Elimination of Basic Skills Test For Teachers, Parental Permission for Social Media, Restrictions on Merchant Fees for Credit Card Transactions, Change to Liquor License Laws on the Horizon and Pause on Renewable Energy

Since June of this year, BHCW has focused much of its attention on potential OPRA “reform” at the state level, but many other bills and laws that impact Berkeley Heights residents saw movement this week. Here is a round-up:

Basic Skills Test for Prospective Teachers Eliminated……sort of?

On November 28 Laura Water of NJ Education Report wrote:

Aspiring teachers can get an alternate certification without passing the Praxis 1 test, enabling them to teach in public school classrooms (including renaissance and charter schools). After four years of continuous employment they will be issued a standard New Jersey teaching certificate.

Previously, the only other way to avoid the Praxis test was scoring in the top third percentile on the GRE’s, SAT’s, or ACT tests.

The bill was written as part of a 12-bill package intended to address teacher shortages and diversify NJ’s largely-white teaching cadre. It was supported by the New Jersey Education Association, the New Jersey Public Charter School Association, and the NJ School Boards Association. 

Ms. Waters Followed up with an update:

Ironically, it is the bureaucracy of the system that will impede the bill from taking effect. While the bill itself says the elimination of Praxis 1 will “take effect immediately,” it only takes effect after the Department of Education takes action. Says one reader, “according to the state, [Murphy] might have signed the bill but there is NO DATE to grant these exemptions to possible candidates.”

In a letter to the editor, Professor Tabitha Dell’Angelo from the College Of New Jersey’s School of Education writes,

“The legislation, while a promising development, operates at a governance level, outlining broad strokes rather than actionable changes. Despite language such as, ‘This act shall take effect immediately,’ practical implementation lies with the state Department of Education. Colleges and universities that prepare teachers find themselves in a holding pattern, awaiting the department’s interpretation of the legislation and the issuance of policies that will guide programs.

Proposal Requiring Parental Permission for Minors to Access Social Media

From Patch:

The bill, introduced this week by Assemblyman Herb Conaway Jr. (D-NJ-7), is the latest effort by Garden State legislators to protect youth mental health and personal safety online. Conaway, who chairs the Assembly Health Committee, told Politico that social media “really has been horrific on the mental health and the physical health of our young people,” particularly teenagers and girls, in an interview last week.

Bill A5750 also would prohibit certain messaging between adults and minors on social media platforms, according to the legislative summary. The full text of the bill is not yet available online; Patch has reached out to Conaway’s office to learn more about what the bill entails.

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Dillon Reisman, an attorney for the ACLU of NJ, cautioned that this bill “ would violate everyone’s constitutional right to speak anonymously and safely engage online.”

“Not just young people, but individuals of all ages, rely on social media to participate in their communities, connect with their peers, and express themselves,” Reisman said. “Beyond that, social media is a vital resource that young people use to learn important information affecting their own health and wellbeing.”

New Law to Address Credit Card Transactions

From the National Federation of Businesses:

Under a new law signed by Governor Murphy, New Jersey businesses must be transparent with credit card transactions. The law prohibits a merchant from imposing a surcharge that is more than the cost the seller has to pay to process the credit card payment. The bills signed by the Governor are A4284/S3508.

 

Change to Liquor License Laws on the Horizon

The New Jersey Monitor reports

Gov. Phil Murphy conditionally vetoed a bipartisan bill Monday that would have lifted a series of food and event restrictions on breweries and other craft alcohol manufacturers, averting a procedural deadline that would have made the bill law without his signature.

The governor in a statement applauded legislators for seeking to loosen rules the manufacturers say have inhibited growth in their sector, but the governor said the state’s liquor license laws require broader changes and he wants some of those changes approved as part of the breweries bill before he’ll sign it.

“I believe that this legislation, standing alone, does not sufficiently enhance our antiquated liquor license laws,” Murphy said. “For the last year, I have called for a more modern approach to these Prohibition-era laws to reflect the current economy and to better support present and future business owners.

Environmental Groups Push Back on Bill that Would Allow Public Utilities to use RNG

Another article from the New Jersey Monitor:

“A state lawmaker who wants to allow utilities to mix hydrogen into their distribution systems to heat homes and businesses pulled his bill from a vote on Thursday after an outcry from environmentalists, who warned the strategy is untested, expensive, and unsafe.

But after the Assembly’s environment committee heard over two hours of testimony mostly against the bill, Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak (D-Middlesex) told the New Jersey Monitor that he was undiscouraged. Opposition to the bill “does not destroy it, in my mind,” he said.”

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