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A1626 • 2026

Prohibits institution of higher education from using cultural competency as criteria for consideration in making certain personnel determinations.

Prohibits institution of higher education from using cultural competency as criteria for consideration in making certain personnel determinations.

Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Kean, Sean T.
Last action
2026-01-13
Official status
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Prohibits institution of higher education from using cultural competency as criteria for consideration in making certain personnel determinations.

Prohibits institution of higher education from using cultural competency as criteria for consideration in making certain personnel determinations.

What This Bill Does

  • Prohibits institution of higher education from using cultural competency as criteria for consideration in making certain personnel determinations.
  • Topic: Higher Education Fiscal note: This bill has not been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-13 New Jersey Legislature

    Introduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee

Official Summary Text

Prohibits institution of higher education from using cultural competency as criteria for consideration in making certain personnel determinations.
Topic:
Higher Education
Fiscal note:
This bill has not been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A1626

ASSEMBLY, No. 1626

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman SEAN T. KEAN

District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)

SYNOPSIS

���� Prohibits institution of higher education from using
cultural competency as criteria for consideration in making certain personnel
determinations.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

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

��

An Act
concerning hiring practices at institutions of higher
education and supplementing 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 any
other provision of law to the contrary, an institution of higher education
shall not include among the criteria used to review a candidate for employment
or promotion the following criteria:

���� (1) the candidate�s cultural
competency skills; or

���� (2) the candidate�s knowledge
of any particular ethnic or religious group.��

���� b.� An institution of higher
education determined by the Secretary of Higher Education to not be in
compliance with the provisions of subsection a. of this section shall become
ineligible for any
State support for the operational
and capital costs of the institution.

���� c.� The provisions of this
section shall not apply to positions in which cultural competency skills or
knowledge of a particular ethnic or religious group is essential to the
position, as determined by the Secretary of Higher Education.�

�

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.�

STATEMENT

���� This bill prohibits an
institution of higher education from including among the criteria used to
review a candidate for employment or promotion the following criteria:

���� (1) the candidate�s cultural
competency skills; or

���� (2) the candidate�s knowledge
of any particular ethnic or religious group.��

���� The bill further provides
that, in the event an institution of higher education is determined by the
Secretary of Higher Education to not be in compliance with the bill�s provisions,
the institution becomes ineligible for any
State
support for its operational and capital costs.

���� The bill includes an exemption
to the bill�s provisions for� positions in which cultural competency skills or
knowledge of a particular ethnic or religious group is essential to the
position, as determined by the Secretary of Higher Education.��