January 10, 2022

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER) – Governor Murphy today signed the Motorbus and Passenger Rail Service Employee Violence Prevention Act (S4701) to create new tools for protecting transit workers throughout the state. In addition to upgrading the penalty for all assaults on a motorbus or autobus operator, an operator’s supervisor, or a rail passenger employee, the bill enables NJ TRANSIT and other carriers to suspend or prohibit from ridership individuals who commit assaults against employees and ensures NJ TRANSIT and private bus companies equip all buses and trains with communications systems to quickly contact law enforcement in an emergency.

“I cannot overstate the value of the hardworking people who ensure the safe, efficient operations of our mass transit system,” said Governor Murphy. “It is critical that we protect New Jersey’s frontline transportation workers who provide vital services to commuters across our state. These essential safeguards will promote better environments for passengers and employees.”  

Primary sponsors of S4701 include Senators Patrick J. Diegnan, Jr. and Robert Singer, and Assembly Members Daniel R. Benson, Yvonne Lopez, and Harold J. Wirths.   

“The COVID-19 pandemic has proven that deadly viruses can spread easily and quickly on mass transit because of the limited distance between passengers. However, as NJ public train and bus operators work to continue to give riders a safe experience, they, themselves find their health at risk with unruly passengers,” said Senator Diegnan. “Signing this legislation will take steps to ensure that NJ TRANSIT operators are physically protected from harm and exposure at the hands of unruly passengers.”

“There have been too many instances where bus and train operators have been assaulted by unruly passengers,” said Senator Robert Singer. “These violent attacks put the lives of the operator and every other passenger at risk. This new law will significantly increase the penalties for these dangerous assaults and help make our transportation systems safer.”

“Transportation workers are far too often subjected to vicious attacks by irate passengers for simply doing their jobs,” said Assemblyman Benson. “This new law will work towards preventing that violence while making it clear these attacks unacceptable. Our bus and rail employees must be protected as they fulfill their critical duties on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of commuters in our state.”

“The hard-working employees on our trains and buses are invaluable to New Jersey’s transportation system and deserve our respect,” said Assemblywoman Lopez. “It is unacceptable that so many of these employees fear for their safety due to the frequency of violent attacks, which have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We must put safeguards in place to enable a safer working environment going forward.”  

“Since the pandemic, mass transit employees have put their lives on the line while being asked to do more than ever before. We need to do a better job of protecting our front-line mass transit workers while sending a strong message to passengers that assaults will be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” said Assemblyman Hal Wirths. “Upgrading fines and implementing additional safety measures will go a long way toward ensuring a smoother ride for employees and law-abiding passengers alike.”

S4701 requires NJ TRANSIT and motorbus companies to coordinate with law enforcement and transit police to help protect bus operators and rail employees on potentially problematic routes. The bill also requires NJ TRANSIT and motorbus companies to establish an employee assistance program for bus operators and rail employees that have been assaulted and to provide periodic de-escalation to bus operators and rail employees and to make such training available to other transportation operators in the state in order to develop best practices.

“Governor Murphy’s commitment to transportation workers has been highly visible throughout his administration,” said Jerome Johnson, General President and Chairman of SMART-TD Local 60. “I am proud to support legislation that protects the safety and well-being of the hard-working men and women who make our state run.”

“The Amalgamated Transit Union commends Governor Murphy’s unwavering support for our transit workers who are frontline heroes, tasked with the essential job of keeping our state moving. Today’s signing of the Motorbus and Passenger Rail Service Employee Violence Prevention Act calls for increased penalties on those who attack transit workers, and will provide critical mental health assistance and support to victims of an attack,” said Ray Greaves, ATU International Vice President. “This is undoubtedly meaningful legislation that will better protect our members and those who ride mass transit. Our thanks and appreciation to Governor Murphy for today’s signing and to all those who worked so hard to make this happen.”

“At NJ TRANSIT, the safety of our employees is of paramount importance and we are pleased that Governor Murphy is signing this important bill into law,” said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “This legislation is critical to ensuring our frontline employees, many of whom I ride with on my daily commute, are protected while delivering the essential transit services our customers depend on every day.”

“In New Jersey, assaults on NJ Transit workers have increased and become more violent with passengers refusing to follow the federal mask mandate on public transit,” said ATU Chairman, Orlando Riley. Our members are the subject of that abuse, which not only endangers them, but the passengers they’re responsible for. We thank Governor Murphy for recognizing the importance of this legislation to protect our members and the leadership of Assemblyman Daniel Benson, Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez, and Assemblyman Harold Wirths in getting this bill to the finish line.”

January 10, 2022

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER) – Governor Phil Murphy today signed legislation (A-5727/S-3726) which requires school security drills to be age-appropriate and to prevent unnecessary traumatization of schoolchildren. Among other requirements, the legislation prohibits the use of fake blood, real or prop firearms, or the simulations of gun shots or explosions in school security drills. The legislation, which Governor Murphy announced his support for last April, will strike an appropriate balance between ensuring that students are informed and ready for threats that schools face in the present day, while being sensitive to the mental health needs of schoolchildren.

“Unfortunately, school security drills are a reality of the environment that our students are living in,” said Governor Murphy. “These necessary exercises are proven to save lives but may also traumatize young children if not conducted in an appropriate manner. This legislation will ensure that school security drills provide students with the information and preparedness that they need to stay safe in emergency situations, while also taking steps to prevent drills from having a harmful impact on the mental health of our schoolchildren.”

“This measure strikes a balance that will continue to ensure students and staff in our schools remain safe and prepared to respond to emergencies, while also aiming to prevent drills from causing undue confusion or alarm,” said Acting Department of Education Commissioner Dr. Angelica Allen McMillan. “We have always maintained the need for schools to provide a balanced, age-appropriate approach to school safety – a point that we have stressed in the numerous training programs and drill observations the Department has conducted, and continues to conduct.” 

“I applaud Governor Murphy and our legislators for their continued dedication to the security of communities, and most importantly, to our children in schools,” said Acting Director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness Laurie Doran. “As threats continue to evolve, so does the need for our tactics. This bill helps ensure our school security efforts embrace students and families in a way that cultivates a culture of preparedness through continual improvement. Working with our State and local partners, NJOHSP will continue to prioritize the safety and security of schools by providing training, assessments, outreach and other resources to ensure the collective resilience of our school communities.”

Primary sponsors of this legislation include Assemblymembers Pamela Lampitt, Louis Greenwald, and Ralph Caputo, and Senators Loretta Weinberg, and Shirley Turner.

“While it is important to prepare our students for worst-case scenarios, it is just as important to ensure that security drills do not expose them to unnecessary trauma,” said Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt. “Studies show that active shooter drills can cause increases in depression, stress, anxiety and physiological health problems. Our schools must be a place where students feel safe and ready to learn, but security drills that result in student trauma have the opposite effect.”

“Security drills do not have to mimic many students’ biggest fear in order to be effective,” said Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald. “We can make sure our students know what to do during real security events by providing them with proper resources and using less-intense security drills instead of relying on damaging scare tactics.” 

“Being a student is stressful enough without the looming threat of school shootings,” said Assemblyman Ralph Caputo. “Adding to that with deceptively realistic active-shooter drills and other intense lockdown drills is a disservice to New Jersey’s students. With this law, we can protect our students from unnecessary trauma.”

“When it comes to so-called ‘active-shooter’ drills in our schools, we need to make sure we are consistent in our messaging, so as to make sure students know the difference between a drill and a real-time event,” said Senator Loretta Weinberg. “Our students have enough stress in their lives without adding one more layer of trauma. While we need to prepare our students for the worst, we also need also to continue to address the gun issue directly – especially in regard to ease of accessing firearms and the mental health issues that so often play an underlying role in the nation’s rising epidemic of gun violence.”

“Training students and staff to respond in emergency situations will help save lives, but safety drills that are conducted without warning can add to the fear, stress, and anxiety that students and teachers have about gun situations and other crises in their schools,” said Senator Shirley K. Turner.  “Students and teachers can be prepared and feel safe without making safety drills into traumatic experiences.”

A-5727/S-3726 requires the following guidance and procedures for school districts conducting school security drills when students are present:

• Drills will include clear, developmentally and age-appropriate messaging to students and staff at the conclusion of the drill that the event is a drill and no current danger exists;
• Drills cannot include the use of fake blood, real or prop firearms, or the simulations of gun shots, explosions, or other sounds or visuals that may induce panic or a traumatic response from a student or school district employee;
• Drills must be accessible to students with disabilities and mental health conditions, and provides all necessary accommodations for these students;
• School districts shall provide written notification to the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in the district following completion of a school security drill, which notice shall be provided to the parent or guardian by no later than the end of the school day on which the school security drill is conducted;
• School districts may permit emergency personnel access to the buildings and grounds of its schools for school security drills that are scheduled outside of school hours and during such times as students are not present;
• District shall review and update their school security drill procedures using a process that coincides with the review of the school safety and security plan developed pursuant to N.J.A.C.6A:16-5.1 and collects input from emergency personnel, parents and guardians of students enrolled in the district, teachers and staff employed in the district, mental health professionals, and student government representatives from multiple grade levels;
• School districts will annually track data on such measures and information as are required by the Commissioner of Education, and shall report the data to the commissioner. 

“We have to keep our students safe, and that includes protecting their mental and emotional health,” said NJEA President Sean M. Spiller. “We applaud Gov. Murphy and the Legislature for taking this step to ensure that the safety drills intended to protect students from physical harm are also designed to protect them from unnecessary fear and trauma.”

“This is a historic day. Thanks to Gov. Murphy’s and the New Jersey Legislature’s leadership and foresight, New Jersey is now the first state in the nation to begin addressing the trauma inflicted on our children by active shooter drills,” said Brady Board Chair Kevin Quinn. “This is the result of hard work and advocacy from grassroots activists and expert counsel from clinical social worker and family therapist Nancy Kislin, who has studied and brought awareness to the harm that many active shooter drills cause to our children. Brady is grateful to Ms. Kislin for leading the way on this cause and to Gov. Murphy and the New Jersey Legislature for passing this bill that prioritizes the mental health and well-being of our children.” 

“We applaud Gov. Murphy for taking proactive steps to prioritize student mental health in preventing school shootings and violence in New Jersey,” said Mark Barden, CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund and father of Daniel, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. “We must do all we can to protect our children from the trauma of a school shooting, beginning with our safety drills.”

Active Shooter Drills have forced millions of young people to become experts in survival but these drills have shown to be traumatizing as well harmful to the mental health of both students and staff,” said Jai B. Patel, March For Our Lives Movement Organizer. “The work of the Murphy Administration and the gun violence prevention movement on A5727 reminds us that a student’s most important lesson should not be how to survive. This is a start to end the generational trauma caused by lockdown drills in New Jersey.” 

“Once again, Governor Murphy continues to put the safety of our children first by signing this critical legislation, ” said Amy Faucher, a volunteer with the New Jersey chapter of Moms Demand Action. “This bill provides necessary, modernized reforms to the way our schools practice active shooter drills, to ensure that they are trauma-informed and age-appropriate for students. We are grateful to Governor Murphy for his leadership and we look forward to supporting further legislative action to reduce gun violence in New Jersey in the 2022 session.”

January 10, 2022

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER) – Governor Murphy today signed into law S3416, which codifies marriage equality in New Jersey law by providing that all laws concerning marriage and civil union are to be read with gender neutral intent. Marriage equality currently exists in New Jersey based on state and federal Court decisions. This new law demonstrates the Governor and Legislature’s commitment to protecting marriage equality by codifying it into New Jersey law. 

“Despite the progress we have made as a country, there is still much work to be done to protect the LGBTQ+ community from intolerance and injustice. New Jersey is stronger and fairer when every member of our LGBTQ+ family is valued and given equal protection under the law,” said Governor Murphy. “I am honored to sign legislation that represents our New Jersey values and codifies marriage equality into state law.”

Primary sponsors of the bill include Senators Steve Sweeney, Loretta Weinberg, and Vin Gopal, and Assemblymembers Valerie Vainieri Huttle, Mila M. Jasey, Annette Quijano, Andrew Zwicker, and Joann Downey.  

“This is about acting to ensure equal treatment and civil rights for all New Jerseyans, including same-sex couples,” said Senate President Steve Sweeney. “Marriage equality respects the rights of loving couples who deserve to be treated equally. The courts have ruled that same-sex marriages are a fundamental right, but we want to put it into statute to protect against any backtracking by the U. S. Supreme Court.  It is the right thing to do.”

 “Devoted same-sex couples all across New Jersey are raising families as contributing members of their communities,” said Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg. “We fought to correct the injustice that denied these rights for too many loving couples for far too long. We don’t want to see those rights lost to an arch-conservative agenda of recent Supreme Court appointees.”

 “Basic equal rights should not be denied to any class of citizen, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation,” said Senator Vin Gopal. “The law must protect all civil rights and continue to honor the union between two people who love each other. We need to make these rights more secure by writing them into law.”

“In 2012, I was proud to be a prime sponsor of New Jersey’s Marriage Equality Act. Following Governor Christie’s veto, advocates continued the fight to the New Jersey Supreme Court, where they were finally successful in legalizing same-sex marriage,” said Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle. “I am proud to once again have led the charge to ensure that the rights of the LGBTQ community are safeguarded.”

“As Justice Kennedy so eloquently observed in Obergefell, ‘No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than they once were,” said Assemblywoman Mila Jasey. “Today, we recommit to guaranteeing that one of ‘civilization’s oldest institutions’ is forever enshrined in statute for all who desire to embark upon the commitment above all others.”

“Today we take action with this new law in order to preserve marriage equality in New Jersey,” said Assemblywoman Annette Quijano. “We remain committed to our friends in the Garden State’s LGBTQ community and do all we can to ensure same-sex couples have equal rights under the law which includes marriage.”

“In 2013, I was ecstatic and grateful that the Court ruled that New Jersey must recognize same-sex marriage,” said Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker. “Today, I am proud to stand in solidarity with everyone who fought the good fight for a right that couples should have always had: the right for someone to marry who they love. It is important for State law to forever enshrine the legality of marriage equality.”

“This new law is just one more step to show we continue to stand strong against discrimination and prejudice, and we seek to create a New Jersey that is inclusive and unified for all people,” said Assemblywoman Joann Downey.

This legislation brings New Jersey statutory law into conformance with the 2013 decision in Garden State Equality v. Dow as well as the 2015 United Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that same-sex marriage is a fundamental right and that all states are required to allow same-sex couples to marry. Enacting S3416 into law ensures that the right to same-sex marriage will continue to exist in New Jersey even if these state and federal court precedents were to be overturned.  

“How the world has changed since last time the legislature passed marriage equality in 2012. This time we have a Governor who is a champion of civil and human rights second to none,” said Steven Goldstein, founder of Garden State Equality. “I am also thrilled this new statue marks the final law steered to passage by our equality legend Senator Loretta Weinberg. What a fitting, crowning legacy.”

“Securing marriage equality in New Jersey for committed same-sex couples and their families has literally been a labor of love at Garden State Equality for nearly two decades,” said Thomas Prol, a founding and current Garden State Equality executive committee member and co-author of the legislation. “We are grateful to the Governor and the legislative leadership for helping us protect these vital rights from the national onslaught being leveled against the LGBTQ community every day. Our community can now sleep tight knowing that their relationships are cemented in New Jersey’s statutory law books.”

“Twelve years ago, the Senate failed to pass marriage equality and then Senate President Dick Codey predicted that one day they would all look back and say, ‘what were we thinking?’ As one of the first couples to be married when marriage equality was established, our gratitude goes to all who saw this as a civil rights issue then and continued the fight to bring us to this day, especially Senators Loretta Weinberg and Raymond Lesniak,” said Marsha Shapiro and Louise Walpin. “Special thanks to Governor Phil Murphy for keeping his promise to move New Jersey forward and codifying the right for all New Jerseyans to marry the one they love into law.”