This Week’s NJ Legislative Preview: Mental-Health Access, Public-Works Transparency, Farmland Use, and Worker Safety

A rundown of six of the most potentially impactful items scheduled for committee hearings this week.

Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access & Services Act (A3852)
Committee: Assembly Health, Nov. 24 @ 10:00 a.m.

A Schedule I controlled substance, psilocybin is emerging as another option as a response to treatment-resistant depression and PTSD. The bill is based on Oregon’s supervised-use model and would license service centers/providers, set up eligibility rules and state-level oversight protocols.

It expands available treatment options, sets up a legitimate mechanism for purchase that undermines underground/unregulated markets and puts NJ ahead of the curve nationally on this issue. However, as with any new system, new machinery to provide oversight along with the training to inform it is going to cost.

Registry for Out-of-State Public-Works Contractors (A1790)
Committee: Assembly Commerce, Economic Development & Agriculture, Nov. 24 @ 2:00 p.m.

Under this bill, out-of-state contractors who nab public contracts will need to register with the state.

This would improve transparency around public-works contracting and levels the playing field between in-state and out-of-state contractors. It also is a pathway for greater support in enforcing wages, labor rules and safety compliance. This may potentially reduce competition depending on how onerous the process is and in turn, limit the pool of options which may drive up costs.

Energy Projects on Preserved Farmland (A5901)
Committee: Assembly Commerce, Economic Development & Agriculture, Nov. 24 @ 2:00 p.m.

Allows for things like overhead lines, underground cables, and trenches -across preserved farmland. It does NOT allow facilities like solar arrays or wind turbines on the preserved land itself.

Attempts to solve grid-connectivity issues by cutting pathways through preserved lands instead of converting farms into energy production sites. While this protects the land from becoming a solar farm it still represents a shift in the state’s strict preservation standards.

Mandatory Insurance Coverage for Mammograms and Bilateral Ultrasounds (A2448)
Committee: Assembly Health, Nov. 24 @ 10:00 a.m.

Requires insurance companies to cover bilateral ultrasounds when ordered alongside a mammogram.

This removes financial barriers to cancer screening, increases access to early detection screening and aligns coverage with medical practice.

Long-Term Care Pharmaceutical Services Reform (A588 / S1965)
Committee: Assembly Health, Nov. 24 @ 10:00 a.m.

Adds teeth to pharmaceutical regulation in long-term-care facilities, addresses medication management from obtaining it to giving it and storing it.

This tackles well-documented problems with medication errors in nursing homes, protects our old timers while also making sure facilities across the state play by the same rules. The downside is that smaller facilities might have a hard time in meeting new standards and it will likely add a cost increase across the board given potential need for labor.

Fire-Safety Requirements for Farm-Labor Housing (A5095)
Committee: Assembly Commerce, Economic Development & Agriculture, Nov. 24 @ 2:00 p.m.

Makes sure that seasonal and migrant workers who live in short-term farm housing units don’t burn to death because of safety issues.

Legislative Calendar

Packet of Bills Discussed Above