LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE

ASSEMBLY, No. 3636

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

 

DATED: DECEMBER 19, 2025

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Synopsis:

Requires State agencies to make their websites accessible to people with disabilities and on mobile devices.

Type of Impact:

Annual State expenditure increase.

Agencies Affected:

Office of Information Technology in the Department of the Treasury; all State agencies.

 

 

Office of Legislative Services Estimate

Fiscal Impact

Annual

 

State Expenditure Increase

Indeterminate

 

 

·       The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) estimates that this bill will increase State expenditures related to the provision of information technology services to State agencies by the Office of Information Technology by an indeterminate amount annually.  Most of the cost increase will occur in the first two years following the effective date of this bill, which is the timeframe in which the Office of Information Technology will determine whether all agencies are in compliance with the bill’s provisions.

·       For illustrative purposes, the analysis section of this document estimates potential expenditures based on prevailing information about the cost to make a website compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), federal accessibility legislation, and mobile device accessibility.

 

BILL DESCRIPTION

 

      This bill requires State agencies to adhere to the most recent guidance regarding accessibility standards for web content and to make web content accessible via mobile devices.  Under the bill, the Office of Information Technology is responsible for certifying whether agency websites comply with these guidelines.

FISCAL ANALYSIS

 

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

 

        None received.

 

OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES

 

      The OLS estimates that this bill will increase State expenditures due to the provision of information technology services to State agencies by the Office of Information Technology by an indeterminate amount in the two years following its enactment and by a smaller indeterminate amount thereafter.  The OLS does not have the data to determine the amount of the initial and ongoing expenditure increases that will result from the bill’s requirement to make State agency websites accessible to people with disabilities and on mobile devices.

      Research suggests that the cost of auditing a website to determine ADA compliance can range from $500 to $10,000, while updating a website to achieve ADA compliance can cost anywhere from $3,000 to over $5,000.  Research also suggests that making a website accessible via mobile devices can cost between $5,000 and $25,000.

      The OLS does not know the exact cost of an audit, the total number of State agency websites, nor the number of websites that would require maintenance to comply with the most up-to-date accessibility guidelines for traditional web content access or mobile device access.

 

 

Section:

State Government

Analyst:

Anna Harris

Associate Fiscal Analyst

Approved:

Thomas Koenig

Legislative Budget and Finance Officer

 

 

This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.

 

This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).