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A 6115

Exempts from sales and use tax zero-emission school buses

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Michael Benedetto

The bill promotes volunteerism to satisfy work and community engagement requirements for NJ FamilyCare and SNAP, via expanded volunteer tools and a mobile/app system.

REFERRED TO WAYS AND MEANS
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Bill Summary · A 6115

Legislative Summary: Assembly Bill A-6115 (Introduced Version)

Note: The bill’s listed title suggests a sales tax exemption for zero-emission school buses, but the introduced text focuses on promoting volunteerism to support NJ FamilyCare and SNAP eligibility under the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). This summary covers the introduced provisions as published.

Overview and Purpose

  • Purpose stated in the introduced text: To promote and support volunteerism as a mechanism for fulfilling certain eligibility requirements for NJ FamilyCare (Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Program) and SNAP, in response to OBBBA-driven changes requiring work or community engagement.
  • Context: OBBBA (federal law adopted July 4, 2025) expands work/community engagement requirements for Medicaid and SNAP. The bill seeks to mitigate potential eligibility losses by providing structured pathways for volunteer activity that satisfy these requirements.

What the Bill Would Do

  • Require the Department of Human Services (DHS), in collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Volunteerism, to modify and expand volunteer resources to help residents demonstrate compliance via volunteer hours.
  • Establish and promote tools to find bona fide volunteer opportunities and to register organizations offering compliant opportunities.
  • Create or modify a web-based tool for searching/applying to compliant volunteer opportunities.
  • Create or modify a web-based database for organizations to register and submit compliant volunteer opportunities.
  • Provide links and explanations of applicable requirements on DHS’s NJ FamilyCare and SNAP pages, as well as the Governor’s Office of Volunteerism page.
  • Develop or modify a mobile app allowing NJ FamilyCare and SNAP applicants/beneficiaries to submit required information and documentation proving volunteer/community service hours.
  • Implement annual audits of submitted volunteer opportunities and associated documentation to verify accuracy and prevent abuse.
  • Establish legal immunity for the State from liability for injuries to volunteers performing activities through the web-based tool or related efforts.
  • Define key terms (Medicaid, NJ FamilyCare, SNAP) for the act.

Implementation, Regulation, and Timeline

  • Regulations: The Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the Governor’s Office of Volunteerism, would adopt regulations immediately upon filing with the Office of Administrative Law. Regulations would be in effect for up to 18 months, with possible amendments/readoption thereafter.
  • Effective date: The act provides that it “shall take effect immediately.”

Who Is Affected

  • Primary: Department of Human Services and the Governor’s Office of Volunteerism.
  • Beneficiaries: NJ FamilyCare and SNAP applicants and recipients, who could use approved volunteer activities to satisfy work/community engagement requirements.
  • Partners: Nonprofit organizations, community groups, businesses, and government agencies that provide or register volunteer opportunities.

Legislative Status and Related Information

  • Status: REFERRED TO WAYS AND MEANS (with committee actions noted in legislative history)
  • Introduced: November 24, 2025
  • Sponsors: Michael Benedetto (primary)
  • Related Bills: A-8010 (prior session); S-5422 (companion)

Observations

  • The introduced text emphasizes administrative pathways to meet federal work/engagement requirements via volunteering, rather than any tax policy changes. No dollar amounts or fiscal appropriations are specified in the introduced content.
  • The discrepancy between the bill’s title and its substantive content is worth noting for readers tracking the bill’s progression and final form.

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

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