Imposes certain penalties related to violations of building and fire code standards within fourteen days and increases certain fine amounts for violations of housing standards

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Nathalia Fernández and 4 co-sponsors

Repurposes unspent FY2024 Perth Amboy Convery Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge funds for additional Perth Amboy pedestrian safety projects, via the FY2025 appropriation act; city benefits.

REFERRED TO GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS

Purpose

S-3819 repurposes an existing State capital appropriation originally made for the Convery Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge in the City of Perth Amboy. Because construction of the bridge was later determined to be unfeasible, the bill authorizes the unused FY2024 appropriation balance to be spent on other pedestrian safety infrastructure projects in the City of Perth Amboy.

Key provisions

Directs that the unexpended balance at the end of FY2024 from funds appropriated for the City of Perth Amboy Convery Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge be made available for pedestrian infrastructure projects in the City of Perth Amboy.

Committee amendment (reported Dec. 5, 2024) modifies the bill to:

Amend the FY2025 State appropriations act (rather than the FY2024 act) to effect the reallocation, and
Clarify that the unexpended FY2024 appropriation for the Convery Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge may be expended on additional pedestrian safety infrastructure projects in the City of Perth Amboy (tightening the geographic scope to the city).

Does not specify a dollar amount in the published committee statement; the original appropriation was enacted on June 30, 2023 and the bridge project was later deemed unfeasible.

Who is affected / impact

Primary beneficiary: City of Perth Amboy — the municipality will be able to use previously appropriated State funds (originally restricted to a pedestrian bridge) for alternative pedestrian safety and infrastructure projects within the city.

State agencies and local implementing departments (e.g., municipal public works, DOT or local grant administrators) will administer and expend the redirected funds for eligible pedestrian improvements.

No change to statewide policy beyond reallocating an existing appropriation.

Procedural / timeline notes

Introduced in the Senate: Oct. 24, 2024 (sponsored originally by Senator Joseph F. Vitale, D-19).

Reported by the Senate Transportation Committee with amendments: Dec. 5, 2024.

Amended and advanced through the Senate as S-3819A (amendments on third reading recorded Mar. 24, 2025).

Passed the Senate: June 4, 2025; delivered to the Assembly and referred to the Assembly Governmental Operations Committee on June 4, 2025.

S-3819 as amended is identical to Assembly Bill A-4948 (companion).

Additional notes

The bill is narrowly focused on repurposing an unspent, project-specific appropriation to preserve State investment in pedestrian safety in Perth Amboy after the originally funded bridge was found infeasible.

Because the text published in the committee statement does not list the appropriation amount, review of the underlying FY2023–FY2025 appropriations act would be required to identify the exact dollar value to be reallocated.

Bill