NJ Gov. Phil Murphy Signs 13 Bills Into Law, Vetoes 3 – Ridgewood, NJ Patch

NEW JERSEY – Gov. Phil Murphy signed 13 bills into law on Thursday, including a bill that will allow towns to impose an additional tax on parking.

The law will allow any town with a population exceeding 100,000 residents to impose a 3.5 percent tax on parking. Those cities and towns would include Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth, Edison and Woodbridge.

The “mass transit pedestrian access parking tax” would apply to non-residents and may be imposed in addition to parking taxes already authorized by those municipalities, but doesn’t apply to special events.

Assemblywoman Shanique Speight, D-Essex, said the bill would allow certain municipalities to impose parking taxes to fund projects to improve pedestrian access to mass transit.

“What this will help do in my community is help provide accessibility to mass transit,” Speight said last year. “We have the airport in our community, we have the theaters, we have big corporations.”

Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco, R-Morris, said last year that Democrats “continue to impose additional taxes on residents who are already being taxed to death.”

“All of these taxes make New Jersey more unaffordable,” said Bucco. “It is going to hurt commuters and tourists who visit the cities. We can’t keep going back to the well. It’s death by a thousand cuts.”

Murphy also signed A3979, also known as the “Dignity for Incarcerated Primary Caretaker Parents Act.” This Act will make it easier for incarcerated parents to keep in touch with their family members and specifically improve prison conditions for incarcerated pregnant women, lawmakers said.

The bill requires the commissioner of corrections and the chief executive officer or warden of each county correctional facility to adopt the following policies, many of which are already implemented as a matter of practice:

  • Place primary caretaker parent inmates in a facility as close to their children as possible;
  • Prohibit solitary confinement of pregnant inmates and preventing the use of restraints during labor;
  • Provide parenting classes and trauma informed care for inmates; and
  • Permit former inmates to serve as mentors to incarcerated parents and support them with re-entry efforts.

The bill was sponsored by Assemblymembers Yvonne Lopez, Valerie Vainieri Huttle, and Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, and Senators Linda Greenstein, Nilsa Cruz-Perez, and Teresa Ruiz.

“For too long, our criminal justice system has not fully taken into account the circumstances of imprisoned parents and imprisoned pregnant women,” said Murphy. “I am proud to sign this bill to ensure that incarcerated caretakers are given the support and services they need to build and maintain strong connections with their families, preparing them to return to their communities.”

Here is what Murphy also signed into law:

  • S446 (Addiego, Madden/DeAngelo, Houghtaling, Wirths) – Provides preferences for certain businesses applying for workforce development grants.
  • S1242 (Turner, Greenstein/Benson, DeAngelo, Pinkin) – Requires boil water notices be provided to municipal officials within one hour.
  • S1712 (Beach, Turner/Lampitt, Chaparro, Houghtaling) – Requires consumer notification of vehicle warranty for aftermarket and recycled parts.
  • S1874 (Ruiz, Greenstein/Giblin, Webber, Wimberly, Chiaravalloti) – Establishes special license plates to bring awareness to breast cancer.
  • S2055 (Cunningham, Ruiz/Sumter, Jasey, Jones) – Permits incarcerated persons to receive student financial aid.
  • S2106 (Bucco, Bucco/Dancer, Pinkin) – Requires Adjutant General of DMVA to issue State flag to resident enrolling in federal service academy.
  • S2656 (Pou, Cruz-Perez, Ruiz/Lopez, Mejia, Chaparro) – Establishes 35 member New Jersey Puerto Rico Commission in Department of State.
  • S2905 (Singleton/Mukherji, Armato, Mazzeo) – Prohibits certain possession, sale, trade, distribution, or offering for sale of shark fins.
  • S3594 (Singer, Singleton/Quijano) – Provides certain employment protections for National Guard members employed in New Jersey.
  • SJR36 (Weinberg/Mosquera, Lampitt, Webber) – Designates October of each year as “Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Month” in New Jersey.
  • SJR59 (Doherty, Madden/Mosquera, Moriarty, Dancer) – Designates May of each year as “Civil War Veterans Recognition Month,” in honor of the Grand Army of the Republic and the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
  • SJR83 (Van Drew/Armato, Mazzeo, DeAngelo) – Expresses support for United States Air Force to base F-35 fighter jets at 177th Fighter Wing in Atlantic City.
  • A5070 (Speight, Tucker, Pintor Marin/Ruiz, Rice, Cunningham) – Authorizes certain municipalities to impose parking taxes to fund projects to improve pedestrian access to mass transit.

Murphy conditionally vetoed the following bill:

  • S2389 (Singleton/Quijano, Downey, Houghtaling, Moriarty) – Requires New Jersey State Board of Pharmacy to establish prescription drug pricing disclosure website and certain pharmaceutical manufacturing companies to provide prescription drug price information. Copy of Statement on S2389

Murphy absolute vetoed the following bills:

  • S2167 (Pennacchio, Pou/Webber, McKeon, Pinkin, Giblin) – Dedicates $500,000 annually in revenues from vessel registration and renewal fees to NJ Greenwood Lake Fund. Copy of Statement on S2167
  • S3509 (Beach, Turner/Greenwald, Murphy, Vainieri Huttle) – Increases dedication of certain revenues to “New Jersey Wine Promotion Account.” Copy of Statement on S3509