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A2074
ASSEMBLY, No. 2074
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman LINDA S. CARTER
District 22 (Somerset and Union)
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes School Connectivity Grant Program to
expand access to online instruction for economically disadvantaged students;
makes appropriation.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act
establishing the School Connectivity Grant Program,
supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and making an
appropriation.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� a.� There is established
in the Department of Education the �School Connectivity Grant Program� to
provide funds to school districts, charter schools, and renaissance schools to
expand access to online instruction for economically disadvantaged students.�
The grant program shall award grants to school districts, charter schools, and
renaissance schools to defray the costs, either in whole or in part, associated
with purchasing a qualifying reserve of online instruction equipment, as set
forth in subsection c. of this section.
���� b.��� A school district,
charter school, or renaissance school may apply to the department for a grant.�
The grants shall be awarded in amounts determined by the Commissioner of
Education.� When awarding grants, the commissioner shall give preference to
applicants with the largest number of students who lack access to online
instruction.
���� c.���� To qualify for a grant,
a school district, charter school, or renaissance school shall agree to
purchase and maintain a reserve of one piece of online instruction equipment
for every 12 students who were enrolled in the school district, charter school,
or renaissance school during the previous school year.� For the purposes of
this section, one piece of online instruction equipment shall include:
���� (1)�� one connected device;
and
���� (2)�� one Wi-Fi hotspot, or
the provision of mobile broadband Internet access service.
���� d.��� Notwithstanding any
provision of P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), or any other law to the
contrary, the commissioner may adopt, immediately upon filing with the Office
of Administrative Law and no later than the 90th day after the effective date
of this act, such rules and regulations as the commissioner deems necessary to
implement the provisions of this act, which regulations shall be effective for
a period not to exceed 12 months.� The regulations shall, at a minimum, set
forth the requirements for application submissions, the criteria for
application selections, and the eligible uses of grant funds.� The regulations
shall thereafter be amended, adopted, or readopted by the commissioner in
accordance with the provisions of P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.).
���� e.���� As used in this
section:
���� �Connected device� means a
laptop computer, tablet computer, or similar device that is capable of
connecting to broadband Internet access service, either by receiving such
service directly or through the use of Wi-Fi.
���� �Mobile broadband Internet
access service� means a mass-market retail service by wire or radio that
provides the capability to transmit data to and receive data from all or
substantially all Internet endpoints, including any capabilities that are
incidental to and enable the operation of the communications service, but
excluding dial-up Internet access service.
���� �Online instruction equipment�
means the equipment necessary for one student to participate in online
instruction services at locations other than a school, and includes a connected
device, Wi-Fi hotspot, and mobile broadband Internet access service.
���� �Wi-Fi hotspot� means a device
that is capable of receiving mobile broadband Internet access service and
sharing such service with another device through the use of Wi-Fi.
���� 2.��� There is appropriated
$2,000,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Education for the �School
Connectivity Grant Program.�
���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
���� This bill establishes the
�School Connectivity Grant Program� within the Department of Education to
provide funds to certain public schools to expand access to online instruction for
economically disadvantaged students.�
���� Under the grant program, the
department would award grants to school districts, charter schools, and
renaissance schools to defray the costs of purchasing a qualifying stockpile of
online instruction equipment.� Specifically, any grant recipient would be
required to purchase and maintain a reserve of one piece of online instruction
equipment for every 12 students who were enrolled in the school district,
charter school, or renaissance school during the previous school year.� For the
purposes of this reserve, one piece of online instruction would include (1) one
connected device (e.g., a laptop or tablet computer); and (2) one Wi-Fi
hotspot, or the provision of mobile broadband Internet access service.
���� Any school district, charter
school, or renaissance school may apply to the department for a grant.� The grants
would be awarded in amounts determined by the Commissioner of Education.� When
awarding these grants, the commissioner would be required to give preference to
applicants with the largest number of students who lack access to online
instruction.
���� The bill authorizes the
commissioner to adopt emergency regulations within three months of the bill�s
effective date to effectuate the purposes of the grant program.� At a minimum,
these regulations would be required to set forth the requirements for
application submissions, the criteria for application selections, and the
eligible uses of financial assistance.
���� The bill also appropriated
$2,000,000 from the General Fund to the department to defray the costs of the
grant program.