STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 4133

with Senate Floor Amendments

(Proposed by Senator GOPAL)

ADOPTED: DECEMBER 20, 2021

      These floor amendments would:

      1)   modify the bill's prohibition on rules and regulations that mandate the use of electric space and water heating systems, to provide that the prohibition is effective only until the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) issues a report required by the bill;

      2)   require the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), in cooperation with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Board of Public Utilities (BPU), to hold at least six public hearings throughout the State, within 24 months after the bill's enactment, to solicit information on topics related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from residential and commercial buildings in the State, as enumerated in subsection a. of section 2 of the bill;

      3)   require the DCA, in consultation with the DEP and the BPU, to publish a report, within 30 months after the bill's enactment, that summarizes the information submitted at the public hearings held pursuant to the bill, and recommends legislative and regulatory actions; and

      4)   make clarifying changes to the bill's language.