Cunningham Highlights Legislative Accomplishments

Trenton – Several pieces of legislation sponsored by Senator Sandra B. Cunningham were signed into law yesterday, the final day for the Governor to act on bills passed during lame duck.

“I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished this past session. These bills signed on Tuesday represent just a small subset of the hundreds of new laws enacted over the last two years,” said Senator Cunningham (D-Hudson). “From making healthcare and higher education more affordable to criminal justice reform and discrimination protections, we have passed truly life changing legislation. I look forward to continuing to move New Jersey forward in the 219^th Legislative Session.”

The following bill were signed into law yesterday:

1. 758 Cunningham/Cruz-Perez – Requires incarcerated individuals from the State to be counted at residential address for legislative redistricting purposes

1. 761 Cunningham/Ruiz – “Earn Your Way Out Act” requires DOC to develop inmate reentry plan and establish information database; establishes administrative parole release and provides compliance credits

1. 765 Cunningham/Kean/Ruiz – Prohibits Higher Education Student Assistance Authority from referring defaulted loans under New Jersey College Loans to Assist State Students (NJCLASS) Loan Program for certain actions if authority and borrower have entered into settlement agreement

1. 3467 Cunningham – Exempts from DOT permitting requirements certain signs not located in protected areas that have been approved by municipality

1. 4263 Cunningham/Sweeney/Brown – Allows certain persons to qualify for casino key employee license and casino employee registration

1. 4254 Cunningham/Weinberg – Expands the factors used by the DOH’s Early Warning System to identify a hospital in financial distress or at risk of being in financial distress

1. 4255 Cunningham/Weinberg – Authorizes DOH to notify elected officials of financial distress of certain hospitals

SJR. 159 Cunningham/Greenstein – Designates third full week in March as “Domestic Violence Services Awareness Week” to bring awareness of services available to domestic violence victims

1. 4341 Singleton/Cunningham – Establishes “New Jersey Eviction Crisis Task Force”

1. 3741/S. 4253 Weinberg/Cunningham/Vitale – Expands hospital reporting requirements

1. 700 Ruiz/Cunningham – “Higher Education Citizenship Equality Act”; defines domicile for dependent students for purpose of eligibility for State student grants and scholarships, and resident tuition rate

1. 721 Greenstein/Cunningham/Diegnan – Authorizes use of certain electric school buses

1. 2303 Sweeney/Ruiz/Cunningham – Requires establishment of Work and Learn Consortiums by certain educational institutions to establish certificate and degree programs identified in high labor-demand industries

1. 3878 Ruiz/Weinberg/Cunningham – Reaffirms and clarifies that Attorney General and Division on Civil Rights may initiate actions in Superior Court to enforce “Law Against Discrimination”