SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 533

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 4, 2026

      The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 533.

      As amended, this bill requires any employer who has one or more employees or agents serving customers or other individuals in a place of public accommodation or other public facility, or otherwise has the ability to provide or deny access to the place or facility, to provide training to those employees regarding the right of an individual with a disability to have a guide or service dog in places of public accommodation or other public facilities under the relevant provisions of State and federal law.  If the employer also serves customers and individuals, the employer would be subject to the same training requirements as employees and agents.

      The bill provides that the Division on Civil Rights in the Department of Law and Public Safety would be required to set minimum standards for the training required by the bill and make the standards available on its website. Additionally, the division would be required to create and make available, at no cost, on its website a recorded training that an employer may utilize to satisfy the bill’s training requirements. Alternatively, an employer may satisfy this requirement by utilizing training or training materials that may be provided by the United States Department of Justice, the New Jersey State Bar Association, or any other entity that provides training which meets the minimum standards, or by implementing a training program at its own cost. The training is required to be provided to each employee and agent within 30 days of initial hire and at least every two years.

      The bill specifies that nothing in its provisions permits a person to file a complaint with the division or in Superior Court alleging any failure to comply. Under the bill, the Attorney General or the Director of the division may enforce violations and pursue any penalty or remedy available under the Law Against Discrimination. Finally, the bill provides that a person is subject to a penalty of $500 to $1,000 for interference with certain rights of persons with guide dogs or service dogs; interference with the function of guide dogs and service dogs; intentionally misrepresenting that a dog is a guide dog or service dog; and intentionally misrepresenting that the person is a guide or service dog trainer.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

      (1) provide that an employer who serves customers and individuals would be subject to the same training requirements as employees and agents;

      (2) require the Division on Civil Rights to set minimum training standards and make them available on its website;

      (3) require the division to create and make available on its website a recorded training session that employers may use to satisfy the training requirements set forth in the bill;

      (4) provide that as an alternative to the training session created by the division, an employer may utilize training or training materials provided by the United States Department of Justice, the New Jersey State Bar Association, or any other entity that provides training which meets the minimum standards set by the division;

      (5) require that employees and agents receive the training within 30 days of initial hire and every two years;

      (6) remove the requirements that the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development prepare a pamphlet concerning the rights of individuals with a disability to have a guide dog or service dog and that employers distribute the pamphlet and collect a signed form acknowledging its receipt from employees;

      (7) prohibit individuals from filing a complaint with the division or initiating an action in Superior Court alleging any failure to comply with the bill’s provisions;

      (8) establish that the Attorney General or the director may enforce violations and may pursue any penalty or remedy available under the Law Against Discrimination;

      (9) amend the definition of “guide dog” to specify that it applies to a dog that has been individually trained to the requirements of a person who is deaf or blind;

      (10) amend the definition of “guide or service dog trainer” to specify that it is a person who is actually involved in the training process of a guide or service dog;

      (11) amend the definition of “service dog” to specify that it includes a “guide dog”;

      (12) provide that a person is subject to a penalty of $500 to $1,000 for interference with certain rights of persons with guide dogs or service dogs; interference with the function of guide dogs and service dogs; intentionally misrepresenting that a dog is a guide dog or service dog; and intentionally misrepresenting that the person is a guide or service dog trainer;

      (13) extend the effective date from immediately to the first day of the sixth month following enactment; and

      (14) make technical and clarifying changes.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      Fiscal information for this bill is currently unavailable.