ASSEMBLY HEALTH COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 2195

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 9, 2026

      The Assembly Health Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 2195.

      As amended by the committee, this bill directs the Department of Health (DOH), in consultation with the Department of Education (DOE) and the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, to develop guidelines for school districts and institutions of higher education that will facilitate the implementation of on-campus anti-vaping awareness campaigns that target student populations.  The purpose of the guidelines is to assist school districts, colleges, and universities in equipping adolescents and young adults with research-backed information on the dangers of vaping in an effort to combat the increased use of e-cigarettes among adolescents and young adults.  The DOH, in consultation with the DOE and the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, is to review the guidelines annually and update the guidelines as necessary.

     The guidelines, at a minimum, are to include recommendations for:

     (1) implementing an in-school and on-campus multi-tiered anti-vaping campaign that focuses on theories that promote age-appropriate, positive behavioral change among adolescents and young adults;

     (2) disseminating research-backed materials on the dangers of vaping, as it relates to:  its effects on users’ lungs, effects on mental health, how vaping compares to cigarette smoking, dangers to pregnant women, and the impact of vaping on people in the workplace and small children;

     (3) using decision-making models and decision-making aids to help students make healthy decisions and overcome peer pressure that encourages vaping; and

     (4) incorporating marketing materials, such as pamphlets, to promote on-campus age-appropriate anti-vaping information to middle school students, high school students, and college age adults.

     Under this bill, the DOE and DOH are to post the guidelines on the respective website of each department.

     This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2026-2027 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amendments provide that the guidelines are to be developed and distributed by the Department of Health in consultation with the Department of Education and the Office of the Secretary of Education, and that the guidelines are only to be updated as necessary. 

      The committee amendments revise the synopsis and effective date.