SENATE COMMUNITY AND URBAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 2280

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MAY 6, 2024

      The Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 2280.

      As amended and reported, this bill prohibits discriminatory practices in property appraisals and requires real estate appraisers to participate in anti-bias training.

      Under the bill, a real estate appraiser is to be prohibited from considering, as part of a real estate appraisal, the race, color, religion, sex, actual or perceived sexual orientation, actual or perceived gender identity, age, actual or perceived marital status, disability, familial status, or national origin of either the prospective owners or occupants of the real estate or real property, the present owners or occupants of the real estate or real property, or the present owners or occupants of the real estate or real properties in the vicinity of the property, or on any other basis prohibited by federal, State, or local law.

      Additionally, the bill requires a real estate appraiser to complete a fair housing and appraisal bias education course offered by the Appraisal Qualifications Board of the Appraisal Foundation in order to satisfy the appraiser’s continuing education requirements.

      As reported by the committee, Assembly Bill No. 2280 is identical to Senate Bill No. 1311, which was also amended and reported by the committee on this date.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to specify that the bill’s provisions apply to a real estate appraisal and that a real estate appraiser is not to consider certain characteristics of the owners or occupants of the real estate or real property or the owners or occupants of the real estate or real properties in the vicinity of the property being appraised.

      The committee also amended the bill to provide that section 1 of the bill is to be in addition to and is not to be construed to supersede any other federal or State law prohibiting such conduct.