Bill Text: NJ S3533 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Requires public institutions of higher education to temporarily suspend collection of tuition and other payments from students impacted by shutdown of federal government.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2019-05-13 - Received in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee [S3533 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2018-S3533-Amended.html

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[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 3533

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

218th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED MARCH 4, 2019

 

 

Sponsored by:

Senator  SANDRA B. CUNNINGHAM

District 31 (Hudson)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Requires public institutions of higher education to temporarily suspend collection of tuition and other payments from students impacted by shutdown of federal government. 

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As amended by the Senate on March 14, 2019.

 

An Act concerning college students impacted by a federal government shutdown and supplementing chapter 3B 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.   In the event of a full or partial shutdown of the federal government that results in the disruption of payment to some of its employees, a public institution of higher education shall temporarily suspend the collection of payment for outstanding tuition, fees, or room and board of a student who is ¹[a full-time employee of an agency or department of the federal government that is impacted by the shutdown] an affected employee¹ or of a student who is the dependent of ¹[a full-time employee of such an agency or department of the federal government] an affected employee¹. 

     b.    The student shall self-identify to the institution of higher education in which the student is enrolled as an ¹[impacted federal] affected¹ employee, or as a dependent of ¹[such a federal] an affected¹ employee.  The student shall provide such documentation as the institution requires to prove the employment of the student, parent, or guardian by a federal agency ¹[or] ,¹ department ¹,or contractor¹ affected by the shutdown. 

     ¹c.   A public institution of higher education shall work collaboratively with an affected employee to develop a repayment plan to be used by the employee after the shutdown ends.  The institution shall ensure that the balance owed by the student to the institution does not accrue interest during the period of a shutdown.  The institution shall be prohibited from assessing any penalty or fine on the student for nonpayment during the period of the shutdown and in the 90 days following the end of the shutdown.  Any such penalty or fine assessed on a student prior to the enactment of P.L.   , c.    (C.     ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall be voided.      

     d.    As used in this section, "affected employee" means a federal employee who, during a federal government shutdown, has been required to work as a federal employee without pay or has been furloughed as a federal employee without pay.  "Affected employee" also means an employee of a contractor with the federal government whose pay was suspended during a federal government shutdown as a result of that shutdown.¹ 

 

     2.    This act shall take effect immediately ¹and shall be retroactive to December 22, 2018¹.