SENATE, No. 799

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

219th LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2020 SESSION

 


 

Sponsored by:

Senator  SANDRA B. CUNNINGHAM

District 31 (Hudson)

 

Co-Sponsored by:

Senator Gopal

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Requires public institutions of higher education to temporarily suspend collection of tuition and other payments from students impacted by shutdown of federal government. 

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

  


An Act concerning college students impacted by a federal government shutdown and supplementing chapter 3B of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    a.   In the event of a full or partial shutdown of the federal government that results in the disruption of payment to some of its employees, a public institution of higher education shall temporarily suspend the collection of payment for outstanding tuition, fees, or room and board of a student who is an affected employee or of a student who is the dependent of an affected employee. 

     b.    The student shall self-identify to the institution of higher education in which the student is enrolled as an affected employee, or as a dependent of an affected employee.  The student shall provide such documentation as the institution requires to prove the employment of the student, parent, or guardian by a federal agency, department, or contractor affected by the shutdown. 

     c.     A public institution of higher education shall work collaboratively with an affected employee to develop a repayment plan to be used by the employee after the shutdown ends.  The institution shall ensure that the balance owed by the student to the institution does not accrue interest during the period of a shutdown.  The institution shall be prohibited from assessing any penalty or fine on the student for nonpayment during the period of the shutdown and in the 90 days following the end of the shutdown.  Any such penalty or fine assessed on a student prior to the enactment of P.L.   , c.    (C.     ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall be voided.      

     d.    As used in this section, “affected employee” means a federal employee who, during a federal government shutdown, has been required to work as a federal employee without pay or has been furloughed as a federal employee without pay.  “Affected employee” also means an employee of a contractor with the federal government whose pay was suspended during a federal government shutdown as a result of that shutdown.

 

     2.    This act shall take effect immediately and shall be retroactive to December 22, 2018.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

      This bill provides that in the event of a full or partial shutdown of the federal government that results in the disruption of payment to some of its employees, a public institution of higher education must temporarily suspend the collection of payment for outstanding tuition, fees, or room and board of a student who is an affected employee or of a student who is the dependent of an affected employee.  The student must self-identify to the institution of higher education at which the student is enrolled as an affected employee, or as a dependent of an affected employee.  The student must also provide such documentation as the institution requires to prove the employment of the student, parent, or guardian by a federal agency, department, or contractor affected by the shutdown.

      The public institution of higher education must work collaboratively with an affected employee to develop a repayment plan to be used after the shutdown ends.  The institution must ensure that the balance owed by the student does not accrue interest during the shutdown, and the institution is barred from assessing any penalty or fine for nonpayment during the shutdown and in the 90 days following the shutdown.  Any such penalty or fine assessed prior to the bill’s enactment must be voided.

      The bill defines “affected employee” as a federal employee who, during a federal government shutdown, has been required to work without pay or been furloughed without pay.  “Affected employee” also means an employee of a contractor with the federal government whose pay was suspended during a shutdown.

      The bill is retroactive to December 22, 2018.