3 New Laws That Could Impact Your Life In NJ

NEW JERSEY — Laws providing severance pay for laid-off workers, de-emphasizing college degrees in state employment, and preventing utility shutoffs for some low-income New Jerseyans are all in the books.

Here’s a look at recent laws and executive orders signed in Trenton, and what they might mean for you:

Severance For Laid-Off Workers

A bill signed into law three years ago to give laid-off New Jersey workers more severance pay has gone into effect, making large employers pay affected employees if they are planning a mass layoff.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed new legislation in March to make the law take effect; the coronavirus pandemic had delayed its implementation. The law went into effect April 10 and expands the state’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification – the WARN Act.

Now if a business with 100 or more employees is laying off 50 or more workers, the company must pay the laid off employees one week of severance for every year the worker was employed. Severance must be paid to both full- and part-time workers.

Workers must also be notified 90 days before the layoff, an increase from the previous 60 days. This bill also affects employers with more than one location in the state.

The law was originally signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in February 2020 but delayed due to the pandemic. He signed a measure fast-tracking it on Jan. 10, making the law effective April 10.

As the New Jersey Monitor notes, the bill was proposed after Toys ‘R’ Us declared bankruptcy in 2018 and closed 735 stores without paying severance to more than 31,000 workers, including more than 2,000 in New Jersey. This year, a number of other employers like Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Misfits Market have announced big layoffs in New Jersey.

Higher-Paying State Jobs For Those Without 4-Year Degrees

Hundreds of applicants are rejected or discouraged from applying for state jobs because they don’t have a four-year college degree, state officials said.

Gov. Murphy signed an executive order last week prioritizing work experience and skills over college degree requirements for some jobs in state offices, which can pay up to $120,000 a year. This “de-emphasis” on requiring higher education diplomas for state jobs will open up positions for those who have skills-based training, according to the state Civil Service Commission.

Curbing Utility Shutoffs For Low-Income New Jerseyans

Gov. Murphy signed a bill, passed by both houses of the Legislature, on April 5 that protects certain residents from having their water or sewer service shut off if they're behind on a payment.

Municipalities and utility providers who do not offer residents an opportunity to participate in the state’s Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) will be prohibited from pursuing customers who are late on their bills.

This program is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and administered by the state's Department of Community Affairs.

Water and sewer service providers must provide notice about the LIHWAP program “on every bill and written communication to a customer, and on their website, and provides disconnection protection for customers who have been approved by DCA to participate in the program.”

Providers are subject to penalties of $500 per day for discontinuing service to a customer in violation of the bill, and $100 for failure to advertise eligibility for the program. The bill’s requirements remain in place until September.