Trenton – The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee will hold a remote public hearing to consider a series of bills to address the COVID-19 crisis on Thursday 07 May 2020 at 2:00 pm, Senator Paul Sarlo, the committee’s chairman announced today.
“This will be the first remote hearing ever held by a Senate committee,” said Senator Sarlo. “But this isn’t about making history, it’s about responding to the coronavirus crisis in ways that help the people of New Jersey. We want to do our work, but we need to do it safely. These bills will address a range of needs, including the public’s health and safety and the financial problems imposed on residents and government.”
Due to the public health emergency, the State House Annex remains closed to visitors and the public will not be allowed to attend the meeting in person. The Committee will take oral testimony on bills, by telephone and/or video, limited to three minutes.
Live audio-video of the hearing will be available on the New Jersey Legislature’s home page: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/
The following bills will be considered:
| S-1055Stack | Permits qualified municipalities to prohibit conversion of affordable residential rental units to certain forms of ownership housing. |
| S-2034Singleton | Establishes the “Mortgage Assistance Pilot Program.” |
| S-2330Pou/Cryan/Oroho/Vitale | “COVID-19 Financial Security for Consumers Act.” |
| S-2346Sarlo/Sweeney/Singleton/Bucco | Extends certain permits during COVID-19 emergency. |
| S-2350Sweeney/Pou/Oroho | Concerns benefits and leave provided to workers. |
| S-2371Gopal | Establishes NJ Hospitality Emergency Loan Program in EDA to provide no-interest loans to qualified small hospitality businesses; makes $5 million appropriation to EDA. |
| S-2383Sarlo/Ruiz | Requires Commissioner of Education to establish three-year “Bridge Year Pilot Program” for students graduating high school in 2021 and 2022 who were impacted by public health state of emergency caused by coronavirus disease 2019. |
| S-2384Greenstein | Requires health care facilities to report certain coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) data related to health care workers and certain first responders. |
| S-2387Sarlo/Cryan | Extends time period for filing and processing certain property tax appeals in 2020. |
| S-2388Addiego | Authorizes certain forms of testing for coronavirus disease 2019. |
| S-2392Sarlo | Allows extension of certain local government timeframes; allows local governments to accept certain payments; allows local governments to conduct certain meetings remotely; permits counties to waive certain interest; clarifies certain property tax notice requirements. |
| S-2394Greenstein/Stack | Requires hospital to permit individual to accompany woman during childbirth. |
| SCR-103Rice | Urges efforts at state and federal levels to protect minority communities from certain practices of debt settlement companies. |