ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 6149

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 18, 2025

      The Assembly Education Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 6149.

      As amended, this bill requires the Commissioner of Education to establish, supervise, and fund a three-year nonpublic school nursing services pilot program in the eligible county through the county consortium.  The bill requires the Department of Education to disburse directly to the county consortium an amount equal to the nonpublic nursing services aid that would otherwise be paid to a school district for nursing services provided to students enrolled at a nonpublic school that is part of the county consortium. 

      The bill requires the commissioner to notify nonpublic schools in the eligible county of the pilot program.  The notice would inform the nonpublic schools of the consortium’s responsibility under the pilot program to provide all of the nursing services to the pupils attending a nonpublic school which is part of the county consortium.

      The bill requires a nonpublic school to notify the commissioner, the governing body of the county consortium, and any school districts in which the nonpublic school is located, of the nonpublic school’s intention to participate in the consortium no later than June 1 of the preceding school year.

      Under the bill, in order to participate in the pilot program, the consortium is required to provide to the commissioner the necessary assurances that the consortium is capable of complying with the consortium's nursing responsibilities under the pilot program.

      The bill requires the commissioner to annually enter into a contract with an independent entity to audit the implementation of the pilot program.  The audit for the prior school year would be submitted to the commissioner no later than October 1 of each year and the commissioner is to transmit a copy of the audit to the Governor and to the Legislature.

      The bill also requires the commissioner to establish an oversight committee to oversee the operations of the county consortium in implementing the pilot program.  The oversight committee is required to consist of five members: three members appointed upon the recommendation of the Governor; one member appointed upon the recommendation of the President of the Senate; and one member appointed upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly.

      The bill provides that two years following the establishment of the pilot program, the commissioner is required to submit a report to the Governor, and to the Legislature. The report would contain information on the implementation of the pilot program and is to include the commissioner's recommendation on the advisability of continuing the program and expanding the program Statewide.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

· clarify that the definition of “county consortium” is also applicable to mentions of the “consortium”;

· provide that the amount payable to the consortium would be equal to the nonpublic nursing services aid that would otherwise be paid to a school district under statute or pursuant to the annual appropriations act;

· remove the requirement that the commissioner notify nonpublic schools in an eligible county of the requirement that the nonpublic school may not provide courtesy nursing services to a pupil attending a nonpublic school which is part of the county consortium;

· provide that the consortium, rather than the eligible county, would provide to the commissioner the necessary assurances that the consortium is capable of complying with the required nursing responsibilities; and

· make certain technical changes related to legal citations in the bill.