Creates the under-grounding of electrical power or telecommunications lines fund

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Doug Smith

Require employers to disclose at job offer whether applicants would be eligible for state/federal family and disability leave, with ineligibility reasons if any.

REFERRED TO WAYS AND MEANS

Summary — Assembly Bill A4621 (1R)

Note: The bill text and committee statement for A4621 address employer disclosure of employee leave eligibility. The bill title shown at the top of the provided materials ("Creates the under‑grounding of electrical power or telecommunications lines fund") appears to be incorrect or mislabeled. This summary describes the leave‑eligibility disclosure bill as contained in the bill text and committee statement.

Purpose / Intent

Require employers, at the time of making a job offer, to give written notice to applicants about whether they would be eligible — if hired — to access specified state and federal family and disability leave and benefits. The intent is to ensure applicants have clear, upfront information about leave entitlements and any ineligibility reasons.

Key provisions

Timing: Disclosure required at the time an employer makes an offer of employment to an applicant.

Format: Disclosure must be in writing; email, mailed paper, or in‑person paper distribution satisfy the requirement.

Covered laws (applicants’ eligibility must be disclosed):

New Jersey Family Leave Act (P.L.1989, c.261; C.34:11B‑1 et seq.)
Federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. §2601 et seq.)
Family temporary disability leave benefits (P.L.2008, c.17; C.43:21‑39.1 et al.)
New Jersey Security and Financial Empowerment Act (P.L.2013, c.82; C.34:11C‑1 et seq.)
Temporary Disability Benefits Law (P.L.1948, c.110; C.43:21‑25 et al.)

Ineligibility notice: If an applicant would not be eligible for any of these leaves/benefits as an employee, the employer must:

Notify the applicant of ineligibility for each specific leave/benefit for which the applicant would be ineligible; and
Provide the reason(s) for each stated ineligibility.

Resource link: Employers must provide information on how to access the Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s webpage about employee leave and benefits (per P.L.2015, c.248).

Penalty: Failure to provide required information subjects the employer to a civil penalty up to $500 per violation. Each failure to disclose to an applicant is a separate violation; penalties are collectible by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development via summary proceeding under the Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999.

Effective date: The first day of the second month following enactment.

Who is affected

Employers in New Jersey: required to add the disclosure to hiring/offers and maintain documentation of compliance.

Job applicants: will receive clearer, earlier information about leave and disability benefit eligibility and reasons for any ineligibility.

State labor agency: enforcement responsibility; potential minor administrative role maintaining guidance and the referenced webpage.

Procedural status and sponsors

Introduced: June 24, 2024 (Assembly)

9/19/2024: Reported favorably with committee amendments by Assembly Labor Committee; referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee

2/04/2025: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means Committee

Primary sponsor: Assemblyman Doug Smith

Related/companion bills: S3628 (companion), prior‑session A10326 and A5551

Potential impacts / considerations

Improves transparency for applicants about leave rights before acceptance of employment.

Creates a modest compliance burden for employers (updating offer materials, HR procedures).

Penalty is limited ($500 max per violation), but repeated failures could aggregate.

No fiscal estimate in the text; likely minor state enforcement costs and potential penalty revenue.