By Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul

We’re pleased to report that the State Assembly passed many of our bills before starting their summer break.

In total, 15 of our bills advanced on June 30 and July 1, with the governor signing three into law and three others passing in both the Assembly and the Senate. Here’s a look at some of the bills that impact residents’ access to healthcare, the protection of children, and the environment.  

The governor signed our legislation into law to promote equity in the health insurance appeal process by permanently eliminating fees for appeals against health insurance carriers when they deny, reduce, or terminate benefits. The governor also signed into law our bill requiring resident and fellow physicians employed by Rutgers University, who are eligible for health insurance coverage under the State Health Benefit Plan, to be able to enroll and receive health insurance on their first day of work. It’s only fair that medical professionals working with sick people in a hospital environment have healthcare coverage, especially as we grapple with a shortage of physicians.

The Assembly also passed our bill requiring that providers of substance or alcohol use disorder treatment be assessed for conflicts of interest before receiving a license, certification or state funds. 

In addition, the Assembly passed our legislation requiring Medicaid coverage for fertility preservation services in cases of iatrogenic infertility caused by medically necessary treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Women, or pediatric patients facing cancer diagnoses and other medical conditions, should not have to go into their treatment also worrying whether what heals them will prevent them from having children. That’s an awful emotional burden to carry on top of treatment side effects and worrying whether it will cure them.

The Assembly also passed our bills establishing licensure requirements for source plasma donation centers, and permitting individuals to establish voluntary nonopioid directives stating that an opioid may not be administered or prescribed to them.

Protecting our children will always be a top priority for us, so it’s gratifying to report the Assembly unanimously passed our legislation creating a separate crime for items depicting sexual exploitation or abuse of children in computer-generated or manipulated sexually explicit images.

This bill amends the law by creating a separate and distinct crime for computer-generated exploitation material. This is intended to provide clarity in law enforcement. It expands the crime of child sexual abuse and exploitation material to include manipulated depictions that show an identifiable child engaging in a prohibited sexual act. 

Both the Senate and Assembly passed our environmental legislation to require the Board of Public Utilities to revise community solar program targets, and in a separate bill, to appropriate funds to the DEP for environmental infrastructure projects.

The bill revising community solar targets directs the BPU to open registration by October 1, 2025 for an additional 3,000 megawatts of community solar projects. The infrastructure bill appropriates funds for loans to local governments and privately-owned water companies to cover a portion of the costs of water infrastructure projects. A companion bill that the Assembly and Senate also have passed would authorize the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (NJIB) to execute loans using the funds appropriated to the DEP.

As we work to make New Jersey a safer, fairer, and more affordable place for all residents, we will continue to push for our legislation to improve access to healthcare, to protect children and the environment to become the law.

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