NJ Governor Murphy Signs Key Public Safety Measures Into Law

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has signed multiple key pieces of legislation into law … with wide-ranging implications statewide regarding public safety.

For example, the Atlantic City Professional Firefighters have regained their full civi service protections that were previously taken away.

This was hard fought and well earned. The history of this important victory is worth recapping:

The ACFD were able to return civil service protection, and, effective January 1, 2022, all city employees again have PERC and arbitration rights restored.

The $2 room surcharge was originally proposed by ACFD Local 198 and introduced by Vincent Prieto in the New Jersey General Assembly, where it stalled.

Since then, the ACFD joined collective bargaining forces with the FMBA President Ed Donnelly and President Pat Collingab of the New Jersey State PBA.

They successfully got the ball rolling again through the New Jersey legislation. It passed each chamber and now has been signed by Governor Murphy and put into law.

It should be noted that the new $ 2.00 per-room public safety room tax will be put right on top of the already existing:

• $ 3.00 occupancy fee
• $2.28 tourism fee
• 13.625% tax on the room.

Governor Murphy has signed the following bills into law as follows:

• A-6257/S-4311 (McKnight/Sweeney, Singleton) – This places a surcharge on casino hotel occupancies. The money will be used to fund public safety services. This is a game-changer for Atlantic City and other communities.
• A-6132/S-4235 (Schaer, Greenwald, Conaway/Singer, Gopal) – Now, volunteer paramedics are allowed to operate within mobile intensive care units.
• A-6093/S-4201 (Stanley, Benson, Timberlake/Greenstein, Gopal) – It is now mandatory for firefighters enrolled in SHBP to receive cancer screening examinations.
• A-6073/S-4140 (Verrelli/Vitale) – For a temporary period of tine, certain basic life support services requirements for crew members will be waived.
• ACS for A-5075wGR/S-4001 (Burzichelli, Dancer, Johnson/Sweeney, A.M. Bucco) – A new, independent organization will oversee Fire Museum and Fallen Firefighters Memorial. It used to come under the NJ DEP. It also provides a $200,000 supplemental appropriation.
• A-3804/S-1590 (Armato, Murphy, S. Kean/Beach, A.M. Bucco) – This is a distinction with a difference. This law designated 9-1-1 operators or dispatchers as 9-1-1 first responder dispatchers.
• A-259/S-2224 (DeAngelo, Mukherji, Benson/Gopal, Pennacchio) – This fixes a previous omission. This new law provides civil service preference to military service members … who did not serve in the actual theater of operation, but, received campaign or expedition medal.

The above new laws reflect major victories for Public Safety Officers and other personnel in New Jersey.