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S 4339

Clarifies the time in which the public service commission must act upon certain petitions

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Leroy Comrie

Retroactively grants full accidental disability benefits to police officers who contracted COVID-19 at work between 6/5/2021 and 1/31/2022 and became permanently disabled.

REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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Bill Summary · S 4339

Summary of N.J. Senate Bill S 4339

Note on a potential discrepancy: The bill’s title refers to “clarifies the time in which the public service commission must act upon certain petitions,” but the introduced text provided addresses public safety workers and COVID-19-related disability benefits. The summary below focuses on the introduced version content about COVID-19 benefits, and notes the mismatch with the stated title.

Basic bill information

  • Bill number: S 4339
  • Title (as listed): Clarifies the time in which the public service commission must act upon certain petitions
  • Status: Referred to Energy and Telecommunications
  • Introduced: May 12, 2025
  • Primary sponsor: Leroy Comrie
  • Related bills: A 5589 (companion), and several prior-session counterparts (S 1874, S 5856, S 2882; A 7076 and its companion)

What the bill would do (introduced version content)

  • The bill would create a retrospective entitlement related to COVID-19 for a subset of public safety workers.
  • Specifically, it provides that a public safety worker who contracted COVID-19 between June 5, 2021 and January 31, 2022 may be entitled to full accidental disability benefits, under certain conditions.

Key provisions and requirements

  • Eligibility window: The worker must have contracted COVID-19 during June 5, 2021, through January 31, 2022.
  • Employment condition at time of infection: The infection must have occurred while the worker was performing duties at a place of employment other than the worker’s residence.
  • Occupation requirement: The worker must be a member of the police.
  • Disability result: The worker must be permanently and totally disabled as a direct result of contracting COVID-19.
  • Nature of benefits: The benefits are described as “full accidental disability benefits.”
  • Intent and scope: The act is framed as affirming certain rights of public safety workers under the specified circumstances and is not intended to reduce, limit, or curtail other workers’ rights to benefits provided by law.

Effective date and retroactivity

  • Effective date: Immediately upon enactment.
  • Retroactivity: Explicitly retroactive to June 5, 2021.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • The bill has been introduced and referred to committees in the Senate (Energy and Telecommunications) and to the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee (per listed actions).
  • The bill’s progression appears to be in committee review, with potential amendments or clarifications before a full chamber vote.

Who would be affected

  • Target beneficiaries: Police officers who contract COVID-19 in the specified period and who subsequently become permanently and totally disabled as a direct result, provided the infection occurred while working at a non-residence workplace.
  • Benefit impact: Eligible individuals would receive full accidental disability benefits under the terms of the bill.

Before you read the bill

  • The current available text centers on COVID-19-related disability benefits for a subset of public safety workers, not on PSC petition timelines. If the final enacted version aligns with the title, the bill may also address procedures regarding how the Public Service Commission must act on certain petitions. Readers should verify the enrolled version for final scope and wording.

Summary takeaway

If enacted in its introduced form, S 4339 would retroactively grant full accidental disability benefits to police officers who contracted COVID-19 in mid-2021 to early-2022, exclusively when the infection occurred at work (outside the officer’s residence) and results in permanent, total disability. The bill emphasizes protecting rights of affected workers and does not seek to reduce other workers’ benefits.

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

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