Read the full stored bill text
S3675
SENATE, No. 3675
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 24, 2026
Sponsored by:
Senator� ANTHONY M. BUCCO
District 25 (Morris and Passaic)
Senator� PARKER SPACE
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
���� �Road to Relief Act�; establishes EDA grant program
to support increased transportation expenses incurred by certain commuters,
employees, and businesses impacted by certain public highway projects,
including ongoing Interstate 80 project; appropriates $1 million.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
providing for grants to certain individuals and
businesses impacted by certain public highway projects, designated as the Road
to Relief Act, supplementing Title 34 of the Revised Statutes, and making an
appropriation.
����
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):
���� �Applicant� means a commuter,
full-time employee, or retail business establishment seeking a grant pursuant
to P.L. ,
c. (C. )
(pending before the Legislature as this bill).
���� �Authority� means the New
Jersey Economic Development Authority, established pursuant to section 4 of
P.L.1974, c.80 (C.34:1B-4).
���� �Commuter� means an individual
who is a resident of this State and who is required to commute to and from the
individual�s workplace, which workplace is located within this State.
���� �Full-time employee� means an
individual who is employed by a small business for at least 35 hours per week
at a wage no less than the State minimum wage.
���� �Impacted construction zone�
means any area immediately surrounding a public highway project, within which
area the occurrence of the public highway project impedes or blocks the normal
and reasonable flow of traffic or otherwise restricts access to business
establishments located within the area.
���� �Public highway project� means
any infrastructure project that involves the construction, improvement, or
maintenance of a State, county, or municipal highway, road, or street,
including, but not limited to, the repair or reconstruction of any highway, road,
or street that has suffered serious damage as a result of a natural disaster or
catastrophic failure from any external cause.
���� �Relief period� means the
period of time between the date on which a public highway project commences and
the date on which the project concludes.
���� �Retail business
establishment� means a small business that maintains a fixed permanent location
where goods are exhibited or services are offered on an appointment or walk-in
basis.
���� �Small business� means a
business that has no more than 50 full-time employees, is independently owned
and operated, has its principal place of business in the State of New Jersey,
and is not delinquent or deficient with respect to the payment of any State
tax.
���� �Transportation day� means a
calendar day during which a commuter, full-time employee, or retail business
establishment incurs transportation expenses.
���� �Transportation expenses�
means the costs incurred by: a commuter for transportation between the
commuter�s home and workplace; a full-time employee of a retail business
establishment for transportation between the commuter�s home and the retail
business establishment; and a retail business establishment for the
transportation of goods, or the provision of services, necessary for the
day-to-day operation of the retail business establishment.
���� 2.��� a. The authority shall
establish and administer a grant program to provide financial assistance to
reimburse the costs of increased transportation expenses incurred during a
relief period as a direct result of a public highway project by:
���� (1)�� a commuter whose commute
is located, in whole or in part, within an impacted construction zone, and
whose commute is affected by the public highway project;
���� (2)�� a full-time employee of
a retail business establishment that operates within an impacted construction
zone, and whose commute is affected by the public highway project; and
���� (3)�� a retail business
establishment that operates within an impacted construction zone.
���� b.��� An applicant seeking a
grant pursuant to this section shall submit an application to the authority in
such form and manner as the authority may require.� In addition to any other
information or documentation that the authority shall deem necessary, an application
for a grant pursuant to this section shall include:
���� (1)�� evidence that the
applicant is a commuter, full-time employee, or retail business establishment
that meets the criteria set forth in subsection a. of this section;
���� (2)�� documentation of the
transportation expenses regularly incurred by the applicant prior to the relief
period, which documentation shall demonstrate the transportation expenses
incurred during a period containing an equal number of transportation days to the
period for which a grant is sought pursuant to this section; and
���� (3)�� documentation of the
increased transportation expenses incurred by the applicant during the relief
period as a direct result of the public highway project, which documentation
shall include the number and dates of transportation days for which a grant is
sought pursuant to this section.
���� c.���� The authority shall
review and approve applications for the grant program on a rolling basis,
subject to the availability of funds for the program.� Upon the approval of an
application, the authority shall issue a grant to the approved applicant in an
amount equal to the difference between the increased transportation expenses
incurred by the applicant during the relief period as a direct result of the
public highway project, and the transportation expenses regularly incurred by
an applicant prior to the relief period, as demonstrated to the authority�s
satisfaction in an application submitted pursuant to subsection b. of this
section.� The amounts used in the calculation of a grant award pursuant to this
section shall represent the transportation expenses for an equal number of
transportation days prior to and during the relief period.
���� d.��� To assist the authority
in the review of applications under this section, upon the commencement or
completion of a public highway project, the Commissioner of Transportation
shall provide written notice to the authority attesting to the commencement or
completion of the project, as applicable.� Within 30 days following the
effective date of P.L. ,
c. (C. )
(pending before the Legislature as this bill), the commissioner shall provide
written notice to the director attesting to each ongoing public highway project
within the State.
���� 3.��� Notwithstanding the
provisions of the �Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1
et seq.) to the contrary, the authority may adopt, immediately, upon filing
with the Office of Administrative Law, such rules and regulations as the authority
deems necessary to implement the provisions of P.L. ,
c. (C. )
(pending before the Legislature as this bill), which regulations shall be
effective for a period not to exceed 180 days from the date of the filing.�
Thereafter, the authority shall amend, adopt, or readopt any regulations issued
pursuant to this subsection in accordance with the requirements of the
�Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.).
���� 4.��� There is appropriated $1,000,000
from the General Fund to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to
support the costs of administering the grant program established pursuant to P.L. ,
c. (C. )
(pending before the Legislature as this bill).
���� 5.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
���� This bill, which is designated
as the �Road to Relief Act,� requires the New Jersey Economic Development
Authority (EDA) to establish and administer a grant program to provide financial
assistance to reimburse certain commuters, full-time employees, and retail
business establishments for the cost of any increased transportation expenses
incurred due to a public highway project.
���� Under the bill, the grant
program is to reimburse the following persons for an increase in transportation
expenses incurred during a relief period:� (1) a commuter whose commute is
located, in whole or in part, within an impacted construction zone, and whose
commute is affected by the public highway project; (2) a full-time employee of
a retail business establishment operating within a construction zone, and whose
commute is affected by the public highway project; and (3) a retail business
establishment operating within an impacted construction zone.
���� The bill defines �relief
period� to mean the period of time between the date on which a public highway
project commences and the date on which the project concludes.� �Public highway
project� means any infrastructure project that involves the construction,
improvement, or maintenance of a State, county, or municipal highway, road, or
street, including, but not limited to, the repair or reconstruction of any
highway, road, or street that has suffered serious damage as a result of a
natural disaster or catastrophic failure from any external cause.� �Impacted
construction zone� means any area immediately surrounding a public highway
project, within which area the occurrence of the public highway project impedes
or blocks the normal and reasonable flow of traffic or otherwise restricts
access to business establishments located within the area.
���� In addition to any other
information or documentation that the EDA deems necessary, the bill requires an
application for a grant to include:� (1) evidence that an applicant is a
commuter, full-time employee, or retail business establishment that is
qualified under the grant program; (2) documentation of the transportation
expenses regularly incurred by the applicant prior to the relief period; and
(3) documentation of the increased transportation expenses incurred by the
applicant during the relief period as a direct result of the public highway
project.� An applicant�s documentation of transportation expenses prior to and
during the relief period, respectively, is required to demonstrate the
transportation expenses incurred by the applicant for an equal number of
calendar days.
���� The bill directs the EDA to
review and approve applications for the grant program on a rolling basis,
subject to the availability of funds for the program.� Upon the approval of an
application, the grant issued to an approved applicant is required to be in an
amount equal to the difference between: (1) the increased transportation
expenses incurred by the applicant during the relief period as a direct result
of the public highway project; and (2) the transportation expenses regularly
incurred by the applicant prior to the relief period.� These amounts are to
represent the transportation expenses for an equal number of days during which
an applicant incurred transportation expenses.
���� To assist the authority in the
review of applications under the program, the bill requires the Commissioner of
Transportation to notify the EDA of the commencement or completion of public
highway projects.� The Commissioner of Transportation is also required to
notify the EDA of each ongoing public highway project within the State within
30 days after the bill�s effective date.
���� The bill appropriates $1
million to the EDA to support the costs of administering the grant program.