Establishes New Jersey Student Emergency Aid Program in Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.

S4127

SENATE, No. 4127

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 11, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� ANDREW ZWICKER

District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes New Jersey Student Emergency Aid Program
in Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

concerning emergency student financial
assistance and supplementing chapter 71B of Title 18A of the New Jersey
Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a.� There is established
in the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority the �New Jersey Student
Emergency Aid Program.� The purpose of the program shall be to provide
emergency aid grants to undergraduate students enrolled in public institutions
of higher education who are experiencing unexpected financial crises and
require financial assistance for living expenses including, but not limited to,
groceries, clothing, housing, transportation, medical expenses, technology, and
childcare. The Higher Education Student Assistance Authority shall distribute
funds, within the limit of available appropriations and any other funds that
may be available for the purposes of the program, to each public institution of
higher education pursuant to a methodology to be established by the authority.
Each public institution of higher education shall administer the program and
distribute emergency aid grants to eligible students enrolled in the
institution.

���� b.� The Higher Education
Student Assistance Authority, in consultation with the Office of the Secretary
of Higher Education, public institutions of higher education, and the New
Jersey Council of County Colleges, shall establish guidelines for the program
that shall include, but not be limited to:

���� (1) eligibility criteria for
student applicants;

���� (2) permissible uses of
emergency aid grants;

���� (3) application and approval
procedures for use by public institutions of higher education to ensure the
timely distribution of grants;

���� (4) the maximum emergency aid
grant per student for each public institution of higher education;

���� (5) an annual or lifetime
limit for emergency aid grants on a per student basis; and

���� (6) reporting and
recordkeeping requirements for public institutions of higher education
distributing grants under the program.

���� c.� Each public institution of
higher education shall adopt policies and procedures consistent with the
guidelines issued by the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.

���� d.� The financial aid office
of each public institution of higher education shall manage student
applications for grants under the program, distribute grants under the program,
and advertise the availability of emergency aid grants.

���� e.� Emergency aid grants
distributed under the program shall not be considered financial aid or taxable
income for the purposes of determining a student�s eligibility for State
student financial assistance programs, to the extent permitted by law.

���� f. Emergency aid grants
distributed under the program shall not be used to pay outstanding tuition or
fees or for the repayment of student loans.

���� g.� The financial aid office
of each public institution of higher education shall provide each student
receiving an emergency aid grant with information about other relevant campus
resources, community resources, and government-administered supports including,
but not limited to, food pantries, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program, and clothing closets.

���� 2.��� a.� Each public
institution of higher education that administers emergency aid grants pursuant
to this act shall submit an annual report to the Higher Education Student
Assistance Authority, in a form and manner prescribed by the authority, that
includes:

���� (1)� the number of students
who received emergency aid grants during the preceding academic year;

���� (2)� the average and median
dollar amounts of emergency aid grants awarded during the preceding academic
year;

���� (3)� the types of emergencies
for which grants were awarded during the preceding academic year, in aggregate
and without identifying individual students; and

���� (4)� the percentage of
students who received emergency aid grants and who remained enrolled or
completed their academic program during or following the academic year in which
the aid was received.

���� b.� The Higher Education
Student Assistance Authority shall submit an annual report to the Governor, and
to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1) that
summarizes the information submitted by institutions pursuant to subsection a.
of this section.

���� 3.��� There is established in
the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority a nonlapsing, revolving fund
to be known as the �New Jersey Student Emergency Aid Program Fund.� The fund
shall be credited with moneys as may be appropriated by the Legislature and any
federal or private funds that may be available for the purposes of the fund.
Moneys in the fund shall be used for the purpose of providing emergency aid
grants pursuant to section 1 of this act. The Executive Director of the Higher
Education Student Assistance Authority shall determine the methodology for
distributing monies deposited in the fund to public institutions of higher
education.

���� 4.��� There is appropriated
from the General Fund to the �New Jersey Student Emergency Aid Program Fund�
the sum of $1,500,000.

���� 5.��� This act shall take
effect immediately and grants awarded under the program shall be available in
the first full academic year next following the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes the New
Jersey Student Emergency Aid Program in the Higher Education Student Assistance
Authority (the authority).

���� The purpose of the program is
to provide emergency aid grants to undergraduate students enrolled in public
institutions of higher education who are facing unexpected financial crises and
require financial assistance for living expenses. Under the bill, the authority
is required to distribute funds, within the limit of available funds, to each
public institution of higher education. Each public institution of higher
education will administer the program and distribute emergency aid grants to
eligible students enrolled in the institution.

���� The authority, in consultation
with the Secretary of Higher Education, public institutions of higher
education, and the New Jersey Council of County Colleges, is required under the
bill to establish guidelines for the program which would include: (1)
eligibility criteria for student applicants; (2) permissible uses of emergency
aid grants; (3) application and approval procedures for use by public
institutions of higher education to ensure the timely distribution of grants;
(4) the maximum emergency aid grant per student for each public institution of
higher education; (5) an annual or lifetime limit for emergency aid grants on a
per student basis; and (6) reporting and recordkeeping requirements for public
institutions of higher education distributing grants under the program.

�Each public institution of higher
education would adopt policies and procedures consistent with the guidelines.

���� The bill stipulates that the
financial aid office of each public institution of higher education will manage
student applications for emergency grants, distribute the grants to eligible
students, and advertise the availability of the grants.

���� Emergency aid grants
distributed under the program may not be considered financial aid or taxable
income for the purposes of determining a student�s eligibility for State-funded
student financial assistance programs, to the extent permitted by law. Emergency
aid grants distributed under the program may also not be used to pay
outstanding tuition or fees or in the repayment of student loans.

���� The bill requires each public
institution of higher education distributing grants under the program to submit
an annual report to the authority. The authority will subsequently submit a
report summarizing this information to the Governor and the Legislature.

���� Finally, the bill establishes
a nonlapsing, revolving fund to be known as the �New Jersey Student Emergency
Aid Program Fund.��