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A 5360

Relates to public school nurse staffing determinations

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Dana Levenberg

Establishes a Medical Baseline Program via public utilities to discount energy bills for medically needy households, with certified eligibility and board-set baselines.

REFERRED TO EDUCATION
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Bill Summary · A 5360

Summary of Assembly Bill A 5360 (2025)

Note on title vs. text: The bill’s title references public school nurse staffing determinations, but the introduced version provided here pertains to a medical baseline utility program and related rate discounts. This summary reflects the content of the introduced text and its provisions.

Overview

  • Bill Number: A 5360
  • Introduced: February 25, 2025
  • Status: Referred to the Education Committee (as of the provided trail)
  • Sponsor: Assemblymember Dana Levenberg (primary)
  • Purpose (as introduced): Establish a state-wide Medical Baseline Program administered by public utilities (electric and/or gas) to provide discounted service for residential customers with qualifying medical needs. The program aims to ensure energy access for individuals whose medical conditions require additional energy use, by certifying eligibility and applying a medical baseline discount to their utility bills.

Key Provisions

1) Definitions

  • Medical baseline: A quantity of electricity or gas required to meet the additional energy needs of a medically needy household beyond the average residential use.
  • Medical baseline customer: A residential customer eligible for the medical baseline program.
  • Medical baseline discount: The discounted rate for the medical baseline, not exceeding the lowest rate charged for residential electric or gas service by the serving utility.
  • Public utility: Electric or gas distributors operating in New Jersey.
  • Average residential customer, Life support equipment, and other related terms defined to support program scope.

2) Establishment and Eligibility

  • Each public utility must establish a Medical Baseline Program to provide energy for the medical baseline and a corresponding discount for eligible customers upon written certification.
  • Eligibility requires written certification from:
    • A physician (with plenary license in NJ or a bordering state),
    • A physician stationed at a military/naval installation in NJ licensed elsewhere,
    • A physician assistant licensed in NJ or a bordering state,
    • A nurse practitioner licensed in NJ or a bordering state,
    • Documented conditions include: dependency on life support equipment; paraplegia/quadriplegia; multiple sclerosis; scleroderma; life-threatening illness or immunocompromised status with evidence that additional energy is medically necessary; or other conditions the Board may approve.
  • The Board of Public Utilities may consult health authorities or medical experts to determine eligibility parameters.

3) Utility Responsibilities

  • Notify medical baseline customers ahead of planned outages, with updates on outage duration and restoration timelines, via the customer’s preferred contact method.
  • Publish information about the medical baseline program on the utility’s website and include notices in customer communications (bills, etc.).
  • Provide an application form for enrollment, requiring personal and account information, a medical eligibility certification, and any other information necessary for administration.

4) Board Authority and Review

  • The Board shall determine the medical baseline amount (methodologies may vary, such as by utility, region, or service type) and review it at least every three years.
  • Consider factors in setting/reviewing the baseline: affordability for average residential rates, varying energy needs, geographic/weather/time-of-year differences, and specific medical baseline needs, among other factors.

Timeline and Implementation

  • Effective date: Immediate upon enactment.
  • Ongoing oversight: Board must conduct triennial reviews and adjust as needed.
  • Administrative elements: Utilities must publish, inform, and accept applications; policy references to pending statutory sections indicate integration with broader energy-rate law.

Who Is Affected

  • Primary: Public utilities providing electric and/or gas distribution in New Jersey.
  • Beneficiaries: Residential customers who qualify under the listed medical conditions and obtain physician/NP/PA certification.
  • Other stakeholders: Health professionals providing eligibility certifications; Department of Health may be consulted.

Potential Impacts

  • Financial: Discounts applied to qualifying households’ utility bills could shift costs across ratepayers unless offset by other adjustments.
  • Access and Equity: Improves energy access for medically dependent households, potentially reducing risk of energy-related health deterioration.
  • Administrative: Requires development of certification processes, communications, and periodic reviews by the Board.

Procedural Notes

  • The bill is currently in Education committee; subject to further committee action, floor amendments, and eventual votes in both houses.
  • Placeholder statutory references (P.L. … and C. …) indicate sections to be added or amended by the bill.

For readers tracking energy assistance and health-related utility discounts, A 5360 outlines a structured framework for medical baseline pricing and administration, pending further legislative action.

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

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