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A4273
ASSEMBLY, No. 4273
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman� SHANIQUE SPEIGHT
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
���� Requires advance written notice before discontinuance
of State aid or services.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
concerning notice requirements for discontinuance of
State aid and services and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� As used in
P.L. , c. (C. )
(pending before the Legislature as this bill):
���� �Affected party� means any
person, organization, local government unit, or other entity that directly
receives any State aid or State service subject to a discontinuance.
���� �Discontinue� or
�discontinuance� means the elimination, suspension, reduction, or material
modification of any State aid or State service, but does not include routine
administrative changes that do not affect the substance or level of aid or
service provided.
���� �State aid� means any
financial assistance, including grants, subsidies, reimbursements, or other
monetary benefits provided by the State to an individual, organization, or
governmental entity on an ongoing basis. �State aid� shall not include the
provision of tax deductions, tax credits, or other forms of tax incentives.
���� �State agency� means any
principal department in the Executive Branch of State government, including all
divisions, agencies, authorities, commissions, and instrumentalities allocated
to or within such department, and including any independent State authority,
commission, instrumentality, or agency which is authorized by law to award
public contracts.
���� �State service� means any
program, benefit, or service provided by the State to individuals,
organizations, or governmental entities.
���� 2.��� a.� No State agency
shall discontinue any State aid or State service without providing written
notice to all affected parties at least 60 days before the effective date of
discontinuance, except as provided in subsections b. and c. of this section.
���� b.��� For any State aid or State
service that directly affects public health, safety, or welfare, including, but
not limited to, emergency services, healthcare programs, or essential social
services, a State agency shall provide written notice to all affected parties
at least 90 days before the effective date of the discontinuance.
���� c.���� (1) A State agency may
provide written notice to all affected parties less than 60 days before the
effective date of discontinuance only when:
���� (a)�� the discontinuance is
required by federal law, regulation, or court order;
���� (b)�� the discontinuance
occurs as a result of an emergency that poses an immediate threat to public
health, safety, or welfare;
���� (c)�� the discontinuance is
necessary due to the exhaustion of specifically appropriated funds, or the
appropriation of funds for the State aid or State service occurred less than 60
days before the provision of such State aid or State service; or
���� (d)�� the affected party has
materially violated the terms or conditions of the State aid or State service.
���� (2)�� When a State agency
provides notice pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection, the agency shall
provide such notice as soon as reasonably possible before the effective date of
discontinuance.
���� d.��� For the purpose of this
section, the effective date of discontinuance shall be determined as follows:
���� (1)�� for the elimination,
suspension, or reduction of any State aid or State service, the date on which
the State agency first issued a written determination, order, or notice of the
elimination, suspension, or reduction; and
���� (2)�� for the material
modification of any State aid or State service, other than an elimination or
reduction of such aid or service, the date�� on which the material modification
takes effect.
���� 3.��� a. The written notice
required under section 2 of P.L. ,
c. (C. )
(pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall include:
���� (1)�� a clear statement of the
State aid or State service that will be discontinued;
���� (2)�� the effective date of
the discontinuance;
���� (3)�� the specific reasons for
the discontinuance;
���� (4)�� information regarding
any available alternatives or transition assistance; and
���� (5)�� contact information for
obtaining additional information or filing an appeal, if available, concerning
the discontinuance.
���� b.��� The written notice shall
be provided by direct written communication to known affected parties and shall
be published on the State agency�s official website.
���� 4.��� Before the discontinuance
of any State aid or State service for which funds were appropriated by the
Legislature, the State agency shall provide written notice, in accordance with
the requirements of subsection a. of section 3 of P.L. ,
c. (C. )
(pending before the Legislature as this bill), to the presiding officer of each
House of the Legislature and to the chairs of the legislative committees with
jurisdiction over the State agency.
���� 5.��� This act shall take
effect on the first day of the fourth month next following the date of
enactment.
STATEMENT
���� This bill requires all State
agencies to provide advance written notice before discontinuing certain forms
of State aid or State services.
���� Under the bill, �State aid� is
defined to mean any financial assistance, including grants, subsidies,
reimbursements, or other monetary benefits provided by the State to an
individual, organization, or governmental entity that is provided on an ongoing
basis, and does not include tax deductions, tax credits, or other forms of tax
incentives.� The bill also defines �State service� to mean any program,
benefit, or service provided by the State to individuals, organizations, or
governmental entities.
���� Specifically, the bill
requires State agencies to provide advance written notice to all affected
parties at least 60 days before the discontinuance of any State aid or State
service.� However, the State agency would be required to provide the notice at
least 90 days before the discontinuance of any State aid or State service that
directly affects public health, safety, or welfare, including emergency
services, healthcare programs, or essential social services.� The bill provides
limited exceptions to these notice requirements when: the discontinuance is
required by federal law, regulation, or court order; the discontinuance is
required as a result of an emergency that poses an immediate threat to public
health, safety, or welfare; the discontinuance is necessary due to exhaustion
of appropriated funds, or the appropriation of funds for the State aid or State
service occurred less than 60 days before the provision of such State aid or
State service; or the affected party has materially violated the terms or conditions
of the State aid or State service.� In these cases, the State agency would be
required to provide notice as soon as reasonably possible before the
discontinuance.
���� The bill requires the notice
to be provided directly to all affected parties and published on the State
agency�s websites.� The notice would also be required to specify the State aid
or State service that will be discontinued, the effective date of the discontinuance,
the specific reasons for discontinuance, information about available
alternatives or transition assistance, and contact information for additional
details or appeals.
���� The bill also requires State
agencies to provide concurrent notice to legislative leadership and relevant
committee chairs when discontinuing any State aid or discontinuance for which
funds were appropriated by the Legislature.