Gov. Murphy Signs 7 NJ Bills Into Law

NEW JERSEY – Gov. Murphy has signed seven New Jersey bills into law, one of which addresses mental health issues amid the COVID pandemic (see list below).

Murphy this week signed A3548 into law, which will require private insurers, the State Health Benefit Plan, and School Employees' Health Benefits Program to put into place policies and procedures to ensure coverage of expenses in mental health screening of a major depressive disorder for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18.

Murphy also signed the Healthy Terminals Act (S989) which creates new minimum wage and benefits requirements for certain Newark Liberty International Airport and Newark Liberty International Train Station workers. Read more: NJ Healthy Terminals Act Takes Off; Gov. Signs Health Care Bill

Under A3548, health benefits coverage will be provided to the same extent as for any other condition within the contract or policy.

“The effects and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic has put the mental health of our adolescents at risk, and it’s critical now more than ever to keep the well-being of our youth at the forefront of our post COVID-19 recovery,” said Murphy. “With today’s bill signing, we are prioritizing the mental health of our children and ensuring that they receive the support they need during this time and beyond.”

By signing this bill, Murphy said, he's taking steps to ensure that this coverage continues should the Affordable Care Act ever be repealed or found invalid.

“Major Depression Disorder affects eight percent of adolescents in the United States. Early intervention and diagnosis is key for proper treatment,” said Sen. Nellie Pou. “Due to financial hardships, mental health screenings may not be obtainable for every family that needs it. Ensuring that the proper mental health screenings and treatments are accessible to all people without risk of financial barriers is essential.”

Murphy also signed the following bills into law:

• S-3414/A-5378 (Sweeney, Greenstein/DeAngelo, Egan, Johnson) – Promotes workforce diversity in public works projects; revises “public works projects” definition to permit project labor agreements for more projects
• A-1145/S-1739 (Freiman, Egan, Karabinchak/Oroho, Beach) – Establishes "Electronic Permit Processing Review System"
• A-1285/SS for S-2874 (Greenwald, Chiaravalloti, Moen/Singleton, Cryan, Oroho) w/STATEMENT - Establishes procedures for awarding of design-build contracts. Copy of Statement
• A-3199/S-2315 (Murphy, Benson, Vainieri Huttle/Beach, Scutari) – Prohibits discrimination against living organ donors in relation to life, health, and long-term care insurance
• A-5057/S-3190 (Danielsen, Speight, Taliaferro/Smith, Bateman) – Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to finance aviation and marine infrastructure projects; makes various other changes to bank’s enabling act