Bill
S 3170
NJ increases annual Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit cap from $15M to $65M, with carryforward, boosting funding for nonprofit projects and neighborhood revitalization.
Note on documents: The materials provided for "S 3170" contain several distinct and partly conflicting texts under the same bill number: (A) a New Jersey Senate Committee Substitute that amends the State Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit program; (B) a federal Senate bill titled the "Stuck On Hold Act" requiring callback/automated wait-time features for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) customer lines; and (C) an appropriation supplement allocating $30 million to New Jersey’s Neighborhood Revitalization program. The title you gave ("family court adjusted service time (FAST) act") does not appear in the supplied texts. Below are clear, separate summaries of the two substantive measures found in the packet and a short note on procedural posture.
Purpose
- Increase the annual cap on State tax credits available under the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit Program (P.L.2001, c.415) to expand funding capacity for approved neighborhood preservation and revitalization projects.
Key provisions
- Raises the total annual limit of tax credits that may be certified for qualified projects from $15,000,000 to $65,000,000.
- Establishes a carryforward/rollover mechanism: if certified credits in a fiscal year are less than the cumulative permitted total, the Commissioner of Community Affairs (DCA) will certify the unused balance and the next fiscal year’s permitted cumulative total will equal $65,000,000 plus that certified remaining amount.
- Retains existing program details: credits may be equal up to 100% of approved assistance provided to nonprofits, may be applied against various State business-related taxes (corporation business tax, gross income tax to the extent attributable to the business entity, insurance taxes, etc.), and individual business-year credit limits (e.g., cannot exceed $1,000,000 for any taxable year or the total tax otherwise payable).
- Effective date: immediately upon enactment.
Related appropriation (introduced language)
- A separate introduced provision would appropriate $30,000,000 from the State General Fund to the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) for the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit program (Grants-in-Aid line), to support projects in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.
Who is affected
- Nonprofit organizations that undertake approved neighborhood revitalization projects.
- Business entities that fund projects in exchange for State tax credits.
- The Department of Community Affairs (administration and certification).
- Municipalities and residents in participating low- and moderate-income neighborhoods (indirect beneficiaries).
Potential impact
- Substantially increases the State’s capacity to certify tax-credit-backed private funding for neighborhood revitalization projects.
- May accelerate project funding and deployment; immediate $30M appropriation (if enacted) would provide direct program funds.
- Fiscal implications: larger credit caps could increase the amount of tax credits claimed by businesses, affecting State tax receipts; the carryforward mechanism allows unused capacity to be added to future years.
Purpose
- Improve telephone customer service for veterans by requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement automated systems that inform callers of wait times and offer callbacks.
Key provisions
- Implementation timeline: VA Secretary must implement an automated system for each covered customer-service telephone line within one year of enactment.
- Required features:
- Inform callers of anticipated wait time, if any.
- Automatically offer a callback to callers whose anticipated wait time exceeds 10 minutes.
- Goal-setting: Secretary must issue guidance as needed to reduce average wait time for callers to not more than 10 minutes.
- Definition/exclusions for “covered line”:
- Includes customer service telephone lines of the VA.
- Excludes the toll-free veterans hotline provided under 38 U.S.C. §1720F(h) and emergency department phone lines of VA health care facilities.
- Sponsors/Referrals: Introduced by Senator John Kennedy (with Senator Mark Kelly cosponsoring); read and referred to the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on Nov 10, 2025.
Who is affected
- VA call centers and administration (implementation and operating costs).
- Veterans and their families who use VA customer service phone lines (improved service experience, fewer on-hold times).
- VA IT and vendor contractors for telephony/callback systems.
Potential impact
- Expected to reduce hold times and prevent callers from abandoning calls; may require procurement of new systems or upgrades and operations adjustments.
- VA must monitor and report internally to meet the 10-minute average wait target (guidance required).
If you want, I can:
- Produce a standalone fact sheet focused only on the New Jersey amendment and its fiscal effects; or
- Produce a focused brief on the federal VA callback bill (implementation considerations and likely costs).
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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