Extends limit for nonpublic school busing to 30 miles in Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Ocean, Salem, Sussex, and Warren Counties, and requires existing bus stops to be used.

A1242

ASSEMBLY, No. 1242

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman MICHAEL INGANAMORT

District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)

Assemblywoman DAWN FANTASIA

District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)

SYNOPSIS

���� Extends limit for nonpublic school busing to 30 miles
in Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Ocean,
Salem, Sussex, and Warren Counties, and requires existing bus stops to be used.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act

concerning nonpublic school busing and supplementing chapter 39 of Title 18A of
the New Jersey Statutes.

����
Be It Enacted

by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a.�� Notwithstanding the
provisions of N.J.S.18A:39-1 to the contrary, if a school district is located
in a county of the third class, a county of the sixth class, a county of the
second class with a population of less than 275,000 or a population density of less
than 600 or a county of the fifth class with a population of less than 600,000,
according to the 2000 federal decennial census, transportation shall be
provided to a pupil residing in the school district in going to and from a
remote school other than a public school, not operated for profit in whole or
in part, located within the State not more than 30 miles from the residence of
the pupil.� If the per pupil cost of the lowest bid received for the
transportation exceeds the amount calculated pursuant to section 2 of
P.L.1981, c.57 (C.18A:39-1a), the pupil shall receive an in-lieu-of
payment in an amount calculated pursuant to section 2 of
P.L.1981, c.57 (C.18A:39-1a).

���� The school district shall
require all nonpublic school pupils eligible for transportation pursuant to
this subsection to use the bus stops which serve the pupils whose residences
are not more than 20 miles from the nonpublic school.

���� b.��� Any costs incurred by a
school district in providing transportation or an in-lieu-of payment pursuant
to the provisions of subsection a. of this section shall be paid by the State.

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately and first apply to the 2020-2021 school year.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes as part
of the permanent law the requirement that transportation services or an
in-lieu-of payment be provided to a nonpublic school student if the student
lives remote from his nonpublic school of attendance and the nonpublic school
is located not more than 30 miles from the student's residence in: a county of
the second class with a population of less than 275,000 or a population density
of less than 600; a county of the third class; a county of the sixth class; or
a county of the fifth class with a population of less than 600,000.� This would
cover transportation in Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Ocean, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Salem, Sussex, and Warren Counties.� Nonpublic school pupils
eligible for transportation pursuant to this bill will be required by the
school district to use the bus stops which serve the pupils whose residences
are not more than 20 miles from the nonpublic school.

���� Under the bill, the State will
be responsible for any costs incurred by the district in providing
transportation or an in-lieu-of payment to these students up to the amount of
the statutorily established nonpublic transportation amount.

���� Under existing law, in order
to be eligible for transportation services or an aid-in-lieu-of payment, a
nonpublic school student must live remote from his school of attendance (2
miles in the case of an elementary school student and 2 1/2 miles in the case
of a high school student) and the nonpublic school may not be more than 20
miles from the student's residence.� However, over the past several school
years, through language included in the appropriations act, transportation
services have been provided to nonpublic school students who reside in six
rural counties if the nonpublic school is not more than 30 miles from the
student's residence.� The six counties that have been included in the
appropriations act are Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Salem, Sussex, and
Warren.