Establishes grant program to support costs of presentations on risks of nicotine and vaping in public schools; appropriates $500,000.

A5133

ASSEMBLY, No. 5133

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 28, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman� ANTHONY ANGELOZZI

District 8 (Atlantic and Burlington)

Assemblywoman� CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes grant program to support costs of
presentations on risks of nicotine and vaping in public schools; appropriates
$500,000.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

concerning nicotine and vaping awareness in
public schools 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. The Commissioner of
Education shall establish a program to provide grants to public schools to
cover costs related to hiring qualified speakers to deliver educational
presentations at student assemblies concerning the health risks, addictive
properties, and dangers associated with the use of nicotine pouches and vaping
devices. Individuals hired to deliver educational presentations with grant
funds awarded pursuant to this section shall have demonstrated expertise in the
areas of adolescent health, nicotine addiction, or behavioral science.

���� b. A public school that wishes
to participate in the program shall submit an application to the commissioner
in a manner and form determined by the commissioner.

���� c. The commissioner shall
develop criteria for the evaluation of grant applications.� Based on these
criteria, and within the limit of appropriations and any other funds available
for the purposes of the program, the commissioner shall allocate to each
selected public school a grant in an amount as determined by the commissioner.

���� d. To the maximum extent
practicable, the commissioner shall select a cross-section of public schools
from the northern, central, and southern regions of the State and a
cross-section of public schools from urban, suburban, and rural areas.

���� 2. There is appropriated from
the General Fund to the Department of Education the sum of $500,000 to
effectuate the purposes of this act.

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

STATEMENT

���� This bill requires the
Commissioner of Education to establish a program to provide grants to public
schools to cover costs related to hiring qualified speakers to deliver
educational presentations at student assemblies concerning the health risks,
addictive properties, and dangers associated with the use of nicotine pouches
and vaping devices.

���� Under the bill, a public
school that wishes to participate in the program would submit an application to
the commissioner in a manner and form determined by the commissioner. The
commissioner would develop criteria for the evaluation of grant applications.�
Based on these criteria, and within the limit of available funds, the
commissioner would allocate to each selected public school a grant in an amount
as determined by the commissioner. To the maximum extent practicable, the
commissioner is required to select a cross-section of public schools from the
northern, central, and southern regions of the State and a cross-section of
public schools from urban, suburban, and rural areas.

���� Finally, the bill appropriates
$500,000 to the Department of Education for the purposes of the grant program.�
�