Bill Text: NJ S4260 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes pilot program in certain counties to provide funding for nonpublic school nursing services through county consortium of nonpublic schools.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-06-01 - Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee [S4260 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-S4260-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator JOSEPH A. LAGANA
District 38 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes pilot program in certain counties to provide funding for nonpublic school nursing services through county consortium of nonpublic schools.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing a countywide nonpublic school nursing services pilot program and supplementing chapter 40 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section:
"County consortium" or "consortium" means a nonprofit entity charged with delivering, through a contracted service provider or other means, school nursing services pursuant to P.L.1991, c.226 (C.18A:40-23 et seq.) to students enrolled in nonpublic schools that are located in an eligible county and which are participating in the pilot program established pursuant to this section.
"Eligible county" means a county of the first class with a population greater than 950,000 according to the latest federal decennial census.
b. There shall be established a three-year nonpublic school nursing services pilot program in the eligible county permitting the establishment or utilization of a county consortium for the purposes of this subsection. Notwithstanding any section of law to the contrary, under the pilot program, a board of education shall disburse to the county consortium an amount equal to the amount of State aid that is paid to a school district for nonpublic nursing services pursuant to section 9 of P.L.1991, c.226 (C.18A:40-31), or nonpublic nursing services aid that is otherwise paid to a school district pursuant to the annual appropriations act, for nursing services provided to students enrolled at a nonpublic school that has elected to receive nursing services from the county consortium.
c. The Commissioner of Education shall publish on the Department of Education's Internet website notification of the existence of the pilot program. The notification shall provide information to nonpublic schools related to the consortium's responsibility under the pilot program to provide all nursing services required pursuant to P.L.1991, c.226 (C.18A:40-23 et seq.) to the pupils attending a nonpublic school that participates in the pilot program.
d. A nonpublic school shall 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.
e. In order to participate in the pilot program, the consortium shall provide to the commissioner, at the commissioner's request, the necessary assurances that the consortium is capable of complying with the consortium's nursing services responsibilities under the pilot program.
f. The consortium shall annually enter into a contract with an independent entity to audit the implementation of the pilot program. The audit for the prior school year shall be submitted to the commissioner no later than October 1 of each year and the consortium shall transmit a copy of the audit to the Governor and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1).
g. Two years following the establishment of the pilot program, the commissioner shall submit to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), a recommendation on the advisability of continuing the program and expanding the program Statewide.
h. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as may be necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the establishment of a three-year nonpublic school nursing services pilot program in an eligible county permitting the establishment or utilization of a county consortium for the provision of nursing services to nonpublic schools that are part of the county consortium. Under the bill, an eligible county is defined as a county of the first class with a population greater than 950,000 according to the latest federal decennial census. The bill requires a board of education to disburse to the county consortium an amount equal to the nonpublic nursing services aid that is paid to the school district.
The bill requires the Commissioner of Education to publish on the Department of Education's website notification of the existence of the pilot program. The notification would provide information to nonpublic schools related to the consortium's responsibility under the pilot program to provide nursing services, which are otherwise required to be provided by boards of education under current law, to the pupils attending a nonpublic school that participates in the pilot program.
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, at the commissioner's request, the necessary assurances that the consortium is capable of complying with the consortium's nursing services responsibilities under the pilot program.
