Bill
S 2346
Establishes a 3-year Code Red pilot using $5M to fund 10 counties’ coordinated cooling centers, outreach, and transportation for at-risk individuals during extreme heat and poor ai
Note on source materials
- The package you provided includes conflicting metadata (a header referencing a “Gas Tax Holiday Act of 2025” and other unrelated items). This summary covers the text and committee/fiscal documents shown in the package for Senate Bill No. 2346 (NJ) — a Code Red alert pilot program to shelter at‑risk individuals during extreme heat and air quality events — which is the subject of the attached bill text, committee statements, and fiscal notes.
Overview
- Purpose: Establish a three‑year “Code Red” pilot program administered by the State Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to coordinate county, municipal, nonprofit, and social‑service responses (cooling centers, outreach, transportation) to protect at‑risk individuals during extreme heat and poor air‑quality events.
- Appropriation: $5,000,000 from the General Fund to the State OEM to implement the pilot.
Key provisions
- Pilot structure: State OEM selects 10 counties to participate; each selected county receives a $500,000 grant to implement a three‑year Code Red plan.
- Selection priority: Priority to counties with the highest documented homeless populations per the most recent Annual Point‑in‑Time Count.
- County/municipal duties:
- County OEMs (in consultation with the DCA Office of Homeless Prevention) must coordinate with municipal emergency management coordinators in municipalities with at least 10 sheltered or unsheltered persons to develop consistent countywide Code Red plans.
- Plans must address communication/outreach, operation of emergency cooling centers, transportation, coordination with volunteer organizations, and other mitigation strategies.
- Counties/municipalities must identify a lead agency for the pilot and make Code Red plan information publicly available (websites or as directed by State OEM).
- Cooling centers: Municipalities, social service agencies, and nonprofits must report cooling center locations to the NJ Department of Environmental Protection for inclusion in Heat Hub NJ’s Chill Out NJ public resource.
- Trigger for Code Red: A participating county coordinator (or designee) must declare a Code Red alert when the National Weather Service issues a heat advisory for that county’s region or when the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaches 151 or higher. Prior to declaration, the coordinator is to monitor the municipality in the county with the highest documented homeless population and use its NWS forecast/advisory as an indicator.
- Coordination with NJ 211: County coordinators may coordinate with NJ 211 for identifying cooling centers and transportation options.
- Liability protection: “Good Samaritan” style immunity for State and local governments, employees, volunteer organizations, and their members acting in good faith during Code Red plan implementation.
Reporting and timeline
- Pilot length: Three years; the act takes effect immediately and expires three years after enactment.
- Reporting: State OEM must report to the Governor and Legislature on pilot outcomes, challenges, and recommend whether to make the program permanent. Report due on or before the first day of the 30th month after enactment.
Fiscal impact (Office of Legislative Services)
- One‑time State expenditure: $5,000,000 (to fund ten $500,000 county grants).
- One‑time local revenue increase: $5,000,000 (the grants).
- Three‑year local expenditure increase: estimated $5,000,000 (local implementation costs across participating counties).
- OLS notes Code Blue program as a model; local annual costs under that program were $1.9M (FY22), $1.7M (FY23), and $2.8M (FY24), suggesting potential ongoing local costs if program continues.
Who is affected
- Directly: State OEM; participating counties (10); county and municipal emergency management coordinators; municipal governments; social service agencies; nonprofits operating cooling centers; NJ DEP and DCA (coordination and reporting); NJ 211.
- Beneficiaries: At‑risk individuals (defined as persons living outdoors, in parks, on streets, or in poorly insulated settings) including people experiencing homelessness.
Legislative status (from supplied materials)
- Reported out of Senate Health and Senate Budget & Appropriations committees with amendments. Passed Senate 39–0 (June 30, 2025). Received in the Assembly and referred to Assembly Housing Committee (July 24, 2025). As of the documents, appropriated $5M and referred to Budget & Revenue.
Key considerations / implementation notes
- The pilot focuses resources on counties with larger documented homeless populations; counties must apply to participate.
- The bill preserves authority for local entities to operate cooling centers even when a Code Red alert is not declared.
- If extended beyond the pilot, additional recurring State or local funding may be required given historical Code Blue costs.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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