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A 4913

Allows taxpayers to contribute to the tuition assistance program on personal income tax forms

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn and 3 co-sponsors

State incentive program rewards municipalities that amend master plans to permit denser housing, linking grants, transit funding and up to 10% higher school facility aid.

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Bill Summary · A 4913

Summary — A4913 (Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn et al.)

Status: Introduced Oct 17, 2024; reported by Assembly Housing (Feb 10, 2025) and Appropriations with amendments (May 15, 2025); passed Assembly May 22, 2025 (50-27-1); received in Senate May 29, 2025 (referred to Senate Community & Urban Affairs). Companion: S4364.

Purpose

A4913 creates a state incentive program to encourage municipalities to amend master plans and local development regulations to allow denser residential development. Municipalities that adopt the identified “housing strategies” can receive preferential treatment when competing for certain State financial assistance.

Key provisions

  • Planning board reexamination

    • A municipal governing body may direct its planning board to undertake a special reexamination of the master plan and development regulations focused on expanding residential development potential.
    • The planning board must prepare and adopt a written report of findings and send copies to the Division of Local Planning Services (DCA), the Office of Planning Advocacy, and the county planning board; adjacent municipal clerks and registered military facilities are notified that the report is available.
    • If changes are recommended, the planning board follows statutory amendment procedures (public notice, hearing). If a master plan is amended, the governing body may amend zoning to be substantially consistent with the master plan.
    • Municipal clerks must transmit adopted ordinance revisions to DCA within 45 business days.

  • Housing strategies to consider (examples)

    • Allow accessory dwelling units on single‑family lots
    • Permit two‑unit and three‑unit dwellings on lots restricted to single units
    • Reduce/eliminate minimum lot sizes and off‑street parking requirements
    • Allow manufactured housing/mobile homes on single‑family lots
    • Allow multi‑unit or mixed‑use development in commercial zones
    • Require multi‑unit housing on at least 10% of developable land or permit higher density near transit; reduce minimum unit sizes

  • State funding preferences and coordination

    • DCA must establish a preference in awarding competitively‑awarded State financial assistance to municipalities that have amended regulations to allow additional housing strategies and thereby increased permitted housing units.
    • DCA will research applicable grant programs, enter into memoranda of understanding with State agencies that award competitive municipal grants to implement the preference, and adopt implementing rules.
    • DCA will publish and quarterly update a list of qualifying municipalities, grouped into three tier categories by impact/extent of change; other State agencies are to use the list in awarding competitive assistance.

  • Transportation and school funding priorities

    • The Commissioner of Transportation is directed to include, among the criteria for Transportation Trust Fund municipal project allocations, a criterion to give discretionary priority consideration to municipalities implementing the bill’s provisions.
    • School facilities aid: school districts located in municipalities that implement the bill may receive an increase in their district aid percentage (DAP) for State share calculations of school facilities projects — up to 10%. Regional district increases are limited to 10% overall and are apportioned proportionally by constituent municipality enrollment. The Commissioners of Education and Community Affairs must develop a uniform methodology for calculating the DAP increase.

Scope, exclusions, and rulemaking

  • The preference applies to competitively‑awarded State financial assistance programs (state‑funded competitive grants) administered by DCA or other State agencies; the bill excludes programs that provide funds to help municipalities fulfill fair‑share housing obligations and excludes certain statewide discretionary aid categories (as amended, Transitional Aid/Consolidated Municipal Property Tax Relief and similar aid are not treated as “competitive assistance” for this purpose). DCA will promulgate rules to implement the program.

Who is affected

  • Municipal governments and planning boards (processes, zoning and master plan revisions)
  • Developers and property owners (expanded development options and densities)
  • State agencies that award competitive municipal grants (must adopt preferences/MOUs)
  • School districts in affected municipalities (potential DAP increase)
  • Municipal transportation project prioritization under the Transportation Trust Fund

Procedural/timeline notes

  • Planning board reexamination, public hearings, and ordinance adoption follow existing municipal planning law procedures.
  • Municipal ordinance submissions to DCA must occur within 45 business days after adoption.
  • DCA will quarterly update the list of qualifying municipalities and enter MOUs with agencies to operationalize preferences. Commissioners will develop the DAP methodology.

This bill ties land‑use reform at the municipal level to targeted State incentives to encourage more compact, higher‑density residential development.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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