New Jersey S 2496: Establishes license to allow wineries that produce more than 250,000 gallons per year to directly ship wine to consumers.

Bill Text

S2496 

SENATE, No. 2496 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Senator DECLAN J. O'SCANLON, JR.

District 13 (Monmouth)

SYNOPSIS

���� Permits counties to establish county-municipal courts 
with limited, countywide jurisdiction.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

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

�� 

An Act providing for county-municipal courts with 
limited, countywide jurisdiction, and amending various parts of the statutory 
law.

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

���� 1.��� N.J.S.2B:12-1 is amended 
to read as follows: 

���� 2B:12-1.���� Establishment of 
municipal courts. 

���� a.���� Every municipality 
shall establish a municipal court.� If a municipality fails to maintain a 
municipal court or does not enter into an agreement pursuant to subsection b. [or], c. or f. of 
this section, the Assignment Judge of the vicinage shall order violations 
occurring within its boundaries heard in any other municipal court in the 
county until such time as the municipality establishes and maintains a 
municipal court.� The 
municipality without a municipal court shall be responsible for all 
administrative costs specified in the order of the Assignment Judge pending the 
establishment of its municipal court.

���� b.��� Two or more 
municipalities, by ordinance, may enter into an agreement establishing a single 
joint municipal court and providing for its administration.� A copy of the 
agreement shall be filed with the Administrative Director of the Courts.� As 
used in [this 
act] N.J.S.2B:12-1 
et seq., "municipal court" includes a joint municipal court.

���� c.���� Two or more 
municipalities, by ordinance or resolution, may agree to provide jointly for 
courtrooms, chambers, equipment, supplies and employees for their municipal 
courts and agree to appoint judges and administrators without establishing a 
joint municipal court.� Where municipal courts share facilities in this manner, 
the identities of the individual courts shall continue to be expressed in the 
captions of orders and process.

���� d.��� An agreement pursuant to 
subsection b. [or], c. or 
f. of this section may be terminated as provided in the agreement.� If the 
agreement makes no provision for termination, it may be terminated by any party 
with reasonable notices and terms as determined by the Assignment Judge of the 
vicinage.

���� e.���� (1) Any county 
of the first class with a population of over 900,000 and a population density 
of less than 4,000 persons per square mile according to the 2010 federal 
decennial census may establish, by ordinance, a central municipal court, which 
shall be an inferior court of limited jurisdiction, to adjudicate cases filed 
by agents of the county health department, agents of the county office of 
consumer affairs, members of the county police department and

force, county park police system, 
or sheriff's office, or other cases within its jurisdiction referred by the 
vicinage Assignment Judge pursuant to the Rules of Court, and provide for its 
administration.� A copy of that ordinance shall be filed with the Administrative 
Director of the Courts.� As used in [this 
act] N.J.S.2B:12-1 
et seq., "municipal court" includes a central municipal court.

���� [f.] (2) 
Nothing in P.L.2015, c.103 shall require a county that has established and 
maintained a central municipal court in accordance with this subsection [e. of 
N.J.S.2B:12-1] 
prior to the date of the enactment of P.L.2015, c.103 to re-establish that 
court.

���� (3)�� On and after the 
effective date of P.L.��� , c.�� (pending before the Legislature as this bill), 
any county that has established and maintained a central municipal court in 
accordance with this subsection may, by ordinance, provide for that court to 
adjudicate all maters for which a county-municipal court has jurisdiction 
pursuant to subsection f. of this section, and re-designate the court as a 
central county-municipal court.� A copy of that ordinance shall be filed with 
the Administrative Director of the Courts.� As used in N.J.S.2B:12-1 et seq., 
�municipal court� and �county-municipal court� includes a central 
county-municipal court.

���� f.���� (1) Any county may 
establish, by ordinance, a county-municipal court, which shall be an inferior 
court of limited jurisdiction, adjudicating all matters for which a municipal 
court has jurisdiction pursuant to N.J.S.2B:12-17 et seq., as well as any 
criminal pretrial release and pretrial detention hearings for eligible 
defendants conducted pursuant to sections 1 through 7 of P.L.2014, c.31 
(C.2A:162-15 through 2A:162-21) as referred by the Assignment Judge for the 
vicinage pursuant to the Rules of Court, and provide for the court�s 
administration.� The ordinance shall indicate an initial date on which the 
court shall begin hearing matters.� A copy of the ordinance