New Jersey S 638: Establishes special license plates for honorably discharged veterans.

Bill Text

S638 

SENATE, No. 638 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Senator BOB SMITH

District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)

Senator GORDON M. JOHNSON

District 37 (Bergen)

Co-Sponsored by:

Senators Ruiz and Diegnan

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes NJ Wind Institute for Innovation and 
Training.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative 
Counsel.

��

An Act establishing the New Jersey Wind Institute for 
Innovation and Training and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

���� Be It 
Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of 
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� This act shall be known 
and may be cited as the �New Jersey Wind Institute Act.�

���� 2.� The Legislature finds and 
declares that:

���� a.� Offshore wind, as a source 
of clean, renewable energy, provides opportunities for New Jersey to reduce 
dependence on fossil fuels that contribute to climate change, while 
significantly expanding and securing the State�s economy for the short and long 
term; 

���� b.� Because New Jersey is 
located in the heart of the East Coast development area for offshore wind, it 
is geographically positioned to be a supply chain hub for the country�s 
offshore wind industry;

���� c.� The State has a goal of 
generating 7,500 megawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2035 as part of the 
State�s goal to transition to 100 percent clean energy by 2050, as stated in 
the 2019 Energy Master Plan;

���� d.� Because offshore wind is 
an emerging industry in New Jersey, the State has a unique opportunity to 
promote the development of the offshore wind industry in order to ensure its 
longevity, inclusivity, and synergy with other industries in the State, and to 
ensure that the offshore wind industry reflects the diversity of New Jersey�s 
population;�� 

���� e.� To further these goals, it 
is appropriate for the State to develop resources for education, research, 
innovation, and workforce training related to the development of the offshore 
wind industry in New Jersey and in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions; and

���� f.� A New Jersey Wind 
Institute for Innovation and Training, acting in collaboration with other State 
agencies, can play a key role in the development of the offshore wind industry 
by leading the State�s coordination, promotion, and implementation of offshore 
wind workforce development, education, research, and innovation, with a 
particular focus on driving diversity, equity, and inclusion in this new 
industry.

���� 3.� As used in this act:

���� �Board� means the board of the 
New Jersey Wind Institute for Innovation and Training established pursuant to 
section 5 of this act.

���� �Institute� means the New 
Jersey Wind Institute for Innovation and Training established pursuant to 
section 4 of this act.�� 

���� 4.� The New Jersey Wind 
Institute for Innovation and Training is created and established in the 
Executive Branch of the State Government. �For the purpose of complying with 
the provisions of Article V, Section IV, paragraph 1 of the New Jersey 
Constitution, the institute is allocated in, but not of, the Department of the 
Treasury. �Notwithstanding this allocation, the institute shall be independent 
of any supervision or control by the Department of the Treasury or any board or 
officer thereof.

���� 5.� a.� The institute shall be 
governed by a board consisting of nine members, as follows:

���� (1) the Governor, or the 
Governor�s designee, who shall serve ex officio;

���� (2) the President of the Board 
of Public Utilities, or the president�s designee, who shall serve ex officio;

���� (3) the Commissioner of 
Environmental Protection, or the commissioner�s, who shall serve ex officio; 

���� (4) the Secretary of Higher 
Education, or the secretary�s designee, who shall serve ex officio;

���� (5) the Commissioner of Labor 
and Workforce Development, or the commissioner�s designee, who shall serve ex 
officio;

���� (6) the Chief Executive 
Officer of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, or the chief 
executive officer�s designee, who shall serve ex officio; and 

���� (7) three public members to be 
appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate.� 

���� The chairperson of the board 
shall be appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, 
from among the public members.� 

���� b.� Each of the public members 
appointed to the board shall have relevant experience in one or more of the 
following areas:� workforce development; organized labor; education, research 
and innovation; clean energy or offshore wind development; environmental 
protection; or diversity and inclusion.� The public members shall be chosen to 
provide relevant experience in different areas.� In the selection of public 
members, a strong effort shall be made to solicit women and minorities as 
candidates for appointment to the board.

���� c.