ASSEMBLY TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND UTILITIES COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 516

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 3, 2024

      The Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 516.

      As amended and reported, this bill would require public water systems to provide certain notices concerning boil water notices.

      Current law requires a public water system to provide notice to the mayor and municipal clerk, or authorized designee, of each affected municipality that receives water from the public water system when a boil water notice is in effect or rescinded.  Under the bill, this requirement includes notice to the mayor, or other governing body, as applicable, and municipal clerk or authorized designee.  This bill also requires the public water system to notify affected customers, as well as the chief administrator of every school district, charter school, and nonpublic school located within each municipality served by the public water system, that a boil water notice is in effect.  The bill further requires that the public water system post notice of a boil water notice, as well as the rescission of a boil water notice, on any website and social media accounts that the public water system maintains for the public or its customers.

      The bill requires a public water system to provide notice that a boil water notice is in effect to affected customers and chief administrators of school districts, charter schools, and nonpublic schools as soon as possible, but no later than 24 hours after the public water system learns of the emergency or other condition that requires the issuance of the notice.

      In addition, beginning 60 days after the bill’s enactment, a public water system is required to include in the water bills for each customer a solicitation for the customer's preferred means of direct contact from the options made available to each customer by the owner or operator.  A public water system is required to acquire the capability to notify its customers by direct contact, which may include telephone, electronic mail, or text message.  A customer of record receiving a solicitation on behalf of two or more units within a multiple dwelling, condominium, or cooperative is required to provide a copy of the solicitation to every unit within the multiple dwelling, condominium, or cooperative for which the customer is the customer of record.

      This bill was prefiled for introduction in the 2024-2025 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

      (1)  require the boil water notices required pursuant to the bill and rescission of these notices to be provided to the mayor or other governing body of the affected municipality, as applicable, rather than only to the mayor;

      (2)  require the boil water notices issued pursuant to the bill and rescission of these notices to be provided to the chief administrator of every school district, charter school, and nonpublic school located within each municipality served by the public water system;

      (3)  clarify that the boil water notices provided to chief administrators of school districts, charter schools, and nonpublic schools are to be given as soon as possible, but no later than 24 hours after the public water system learns of the emergency or other condition requiring issuance of the notice;

      (4)  remove section 3 of the bill, which would have required public water systems to immediately notify the governing body and municipal clerk of a municipality and the chief administrator of every school district, charter school, and nonpublic school located within each municipality served by the public water system whenever the public water system violates any drinking water quality standard or exceeds an action level for drinking water; and

      (5)  make technical changes to the bill.