Read the full stored bill text
A3080 TR
ASSEMBLY, No. 3080
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman CHRIS TULLY
District 38 (Bergen)
Assemblywoman� SHAMA A. HAIDER
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
���� Requires State Office of Emergency Management to
establish hyperlocal text alert system for flood and severe weather conditions.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As reported by the Assembly Science, Innovation and
Technology Committee with technical review.
��
An Act
concerning the establishment of a flood and severe
weather text alert system and supplementing Title 58 of the Revised Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� The Legislature finds
and declares that:
���� a.� public weather alerts can
be one of the most effective tools in ensuring emergency preparedness;
���� b.� the rapid dissemination of
information, including a description of local weather and flood hazards, hazard
severity, and evacuation protocols, to the citizens of the affected community
and region is critical in protecting the public;
���� c.� the most effective and
modernized method of immediately notifying the public of a weather or flood
hazard is through text messaging; and
���� d.� given the successes that
other states and regions have experienced using text messaging to quickly alert
the public of weather hazards, it is in the interest of the safety, health, and
general welfare of the people of the State that Legislative action be taken to
empower the State Office of Emergency Management to establish a text alert
program for New Jersey.
���� 2.��� As used in this act:
���� �Mobile electronic
communications device� means any mobile device capable of text messaging and
includes, but is not limited to, a cellular telephone, wireless tablet, watch,
or other device with Internet capability, or other wireless communication device.
���� �Severe weather conditions�
means a weather related flood, hurricane, nor'easter, tornado, high water,
wind-driven water, tidal wave, or other weather-related catastrophe which is of
sufficient severity and magnitude to substantially endanger the health, safety,
and property of the residents of this State.�
���� �Text messaging� means the
wireless transmission of text, images or a combination of text and images by
means of a cellular telephone, a paging or message service, a personal digital
assistant, or any other mobile electronic communications device.
���� 3.��� a.� The State Office of
Emergency Management shall develop and implement a Statewide hyperlocal flood
alert system which shall act as a mechanism for the rapid dissemination of
information regarding flood events and severe weather conditions to community
members.� The program shall be a cooperative effort between State and local law
enforcement agencies and the media, and shall be a voluntary service provided
to residents.� In implementing the program, the State Office of Emergency
Management shall consult with the Department of Environmental Protection to
determine each county�s degree of vulnerability to infrastructure damage as a
result of flood or severe weather conditions.
���� b.� The alert system shall:
���� (1)�� prioritize text
messaging as its primary method of communication; and
���� (2)�� provide that persons may
register any mobile electronic communications device with the State Office of
Emergency Management to receive the alerts.�
���� c.� The flood alert system
shall integrate real-time reports from counties, municipalities, and local
governments and shall include data from:
���� (1) flood sensors;
���� (2) river height monitoring
devices;
���� (3) localized emergency
warning systems;
���� (4) stormwater management
sensors;
���� (5) radar and satellite
images;
���� (6) the National Weather
Service;
���� (7) the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration;
���� (8) meteorological sensor
data;
���� (9) the Federal Emergency
Management System; and�
���� (10) any other data or data
source that the State Office of Emergency Management determines to be necessary
to ensure the safety of State residents during flood or severe weather
conditions.
���� 4.��� a.� Alerts broadcast to
State residents pursuant to the Statewide hyperlocal flood alert system
established pursuant to section 3 of P.L.��� , c.���� (C.������� ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill) shall include, at a minimum, the following
information:
���� (1) current rainfall and
precipitation levels;
���� (2) local river levels;
���� (3) total water level rise;
���� (4) storm surge;
���� (5) drainage complaints;
���� (6) reported flood damage;
���� (7) a description of the
location and severity of flood incidents in exceedance of one foot of total
water or sea level rise;
���� (8) forecasted threat details,
storm arrival and end times, peak impact timing, intensity, and storm hazards;
���� (9) National Weather Service
watches and warnings, including lightning strikes, hail reports, flood
warnings, tornado warnings, extreme thunderstorm warnings, tsunami warnings,
weather advisories, or security notices; and
���� (10) Federal Emergency
Management Agency Integrated Public Alert and Warning System notifications.
���� b. The alerts shall provide
sufficient information and environmental context to guide a safe community
response to a flood or severe weather incident, including, when necessary,
nearby evacuation routes and instructions.
���� 5.��� The Director of the
State Office of Emergency Management shall, in accordance with the
�Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1), adopt rules and
regulations to effectuate the purposes of this act.
���� 6.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.