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Another chance for pending legislation

Bills stalled in previous session getting attention

By: Katie Sobko
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... As New Jersey's new Legislature convenes, several pieces of pending legislation are already garnering quite a bit of attention in Trenton.
..... The bills were considered during the last legislative session but, for one reason or another, did not see full floor votes or make their way out of committee. They address a range of concerns including the definition of antisemitism, climate change and even the legality of smoking in Atlantic City casinos. Most of these pending laws have sponsors in both houses of the Legislature..
..... Even the support of dozens of lawmakers doesn't guarantee that a bill will make it through the legislative process - in which proposed laws must pass through committees, after which the Assembly and state Senate must both pass them before they land on the governor's desk for final approval. Now, though, as the Legislature reconvenes for a new session, advocates are expected to continue the fight for causes they support.
..... Democrats have had control of both chambers of the Legislature and the governor's office for eight years and will continue their one-party rule as Governor-elect Mikle Sherrill, alls a Democrat, prepares to take office on January 20. [2026]
..... Twenty-five Democrats and 15 Republicans serve in the state Senate, and there are 57 Democrats and 23 Republicans in the General Assembly.
..... It remains to be seen whether Nick Scutari nor Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin - the people who ultimately control the docket for a voting session in their respective chambers - is a sponsor of any of the pending bills.
..... "Just because a bill didn't make it over the goal line doesn't mean that we won't start again," Coughlin said.
..... "I think we will see, if they're not already reintroduced, I'm certain that they be introduce again."
.... These are the bills expected to resurface in the new legislative session:

Antisemitism definition law

..... A bill that would cerate an official definitional of antisemitism in the state is likely to continue to gain support.
.... It has 59 sponsors in the Assembly and 17 in the Senate.
..... Last session, the legislation made it out of committee but did not receive a floor vote in ether chamber.
..... Coughlin said he doesn't think there's a person in the Assembly who is antisemitic, but that there is a process for ensuring that complicated topics are property addressed in legislation.
..... "There were hours of testimony about that," the speaker said.
..... "There were free speech concerns, and among sure that we got the language right and getting everybody on the same page sometimes takes longer."
..... The bill would endorse the International; Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's description of antisemitism which includes hatred and discrimination against Jews, Holocaust denial and certain criticisms of Israel such as saying tis existence is a "racist endeavor."
..... There was opposition as well, and during the committee process it was the subject of a marathon eight-hour meeting in the Assembly's state and Local Government Committee.

Gender affirming health care

..... A bill that would shield patients and doctors form criminal or civil liability for treatment related to gender dysphoria did not appear in a committee hearing.
..... "There are complicating issues and considerations that we have to be mindful of, what action Washington might take, so making sure we get that all right is really important," Coughlin said.
..... This legislation is at odds with the stance of the Trump administration. Among the first executive orders signed by President Donald Trump after he took office for a second term last year [2025] was one declaring that his administration would acknowledge only two genders.
..... New Jersey isn't the only place considering a shield law.
..... States like Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts and Rhode Island already have similar laws in place.

Climate Superfund Act

..... This bill would rewire certain companies to make payments to the state based on the quantity of greenhouse gas emission they were responsible for - or, as advocates put it, this would "make polluters pay" - but it ultimately fell short.
..... The legislation cleared committee on the last day of the session in the Senate but did not progress that far in the Assembly.
..... It was projected to bring in about $50 billion, which would be used for projects to combat or adapt to climate change.
..... It ahd 19 sponsors in the state Seante and 46 in the Assembly.
..... Matt Smith, state director for Food and Water Watch, warned that this "movement isn't going anywhere."
..... "If anything, we're growing so legislative leadership should read the tea leaves and understand New Jersey residents need this legislation," he said.
..... "They want this legislation. The time to do it is now."

Casino smoking

..... A bill to ban smoking on Atlantic City casino floors made it through one committee in the state Senate but was never heard in the lower chamber.
..... That vote was in January 2024, and since then the bill has faded into the background - but it is unlikely to go away for good.
..... It had 18 sponsors in the sate Senate and 45 in the Assembly. It's also been introduced in every legislative session since 2006 but has stalled out year after year. The proposed legislation was introduced in response to a 2006 state law that guaranteed smoke-free workplaces but made casino an exemption.
..... In Atlantic City casinos, smoking is permitted in only about 20% of public spaces. A temporary ban was implemented at the height of the pandemic, but smoking returned when Murphy lifted it. A report by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health said casino workers are exposed to "hazardous levels of toxic secondhand smoke at work" that "increased in the body as the shift went on," and it recommended "making all casino 100% smoke free to ensure indoor air within casinos is safe to breathe."
..... The report also said workers are at "great risk to the health hazards caused by secondhand smoke, including heart disease, lung cancer, and acute and chronic respiratory illnesses."

..... Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email" sobko@northjersey.com

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