New Jersey A 1042: Requires Director of Division of Taxation to annually report on Office of Taxpayer Advocate.

Bill Text

A1042 

ASSEMBLY, No. 1042 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman WAYNE P. DEANGELO

District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)

Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires owners or operators of public community 
water systems to perform certain tests for Legionella bacteria.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

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

�� 

An Act concerning the presence of Legionella bacteria 
in drinking water systems and supplementing Title 58 of the Revised Statutes.

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

���� 1.� a.� As used in this 
section:

���� "Commissioner" means 
the Commissioner of Environmental Protection.

���� "Department" means 
the Department of Environmental Protection.

���� "Public community water 
system" means the same as the term is defined in section 2 of P.L.2021, 
c.183 (C.58:12A-41).

���� "Service line" means 
the same as the term is defined in section 2 of P.L.2021, c.183 (C.58:12A-41).

���� "System side" means 
the same as the term is defined in section 2 of P.L.2021, c.183 (C.58:12A-41).

���� "Water system 
facility" means any large structure, container, or facility used for the 
intake, treatment, or distribution of drinking water, as determined by the 
department pursuant to subsection i. of this section, including, but not 
limited to, storage tanks, treatment plants, pumps, and water mains.

���� b.� Commencing two years after 
the effective date of this section, the owner or operator of a public community 
water system shall test, at least once every three months, water from the 
system side of selected service lines for the presence of Legionella 
bacteria.� The owner or operator shall divide the service area of the public 
community water system into quadrants of equal size, and shall test a random 
sample of not less than 0.1 percent of the service lines in each quadrant.� To 
the maximum extent practicable, the same service line shall not be tested more 
than once in the same calendar year for the purposes of complying with the 
provisions of this subsection.

���� c.� Commencing two years after 
the effective date of this section, the owner or operator of a public community 
water system shall have water from water system facilities tested each month 
for the presence of Legionella bacteria.� The tests shall be performed 
on a random sample of not less than one percent of the water system facilities 
operated by the public community water system.� The same water system facility 
shall not be tested more than once in the same calendar year, for the purposes 
of complying with the provisions of this subsection.

���� d.� To the maximum extent 
practicable, a public community water system shall consolidate the testing 
required pursuant to this section with other testing required pursuant to State 
or federal law.

���� e.� Water sampling and testing 
carried out pursuant to this section shall be performed using the best 
practices developed by the department pursuant to subsection i. of this 
section, and the water testing shall be performed by a laboratory accredited 
for this purpose by the department.

���� f.� The results of each water 
test performed pursuant to this section shall be transmitted to the department, 
in a form and manner determined by the department.

���� g.� If a test result is found 
to exceed the applicable standard for Legionella bacteria developed by 
the department pursuant to subsection i. of this section, the owner or operator 
of a public community water system shall:

���� (1)� immediately notify any 
customers of the public community water system that may be affected by the Legionella 
contamination; and

���� (2)� no later than 30 days 
after the test result is received by the owner or operator, undertake efforts 
to remove the excessive levels of Legionella bacteria and to protect the 
health of the customers of the public community water system.� The Legionella 
contamination shall be remediated no later than six months after the test 
result is received by the owner or operator.� After the remediation, the owner 
or operator shall have the water from the service line tested, and shall submit 
the test result to the department to verify that the remediation has been 
successful. 

���� h.� A violation of the 
provisions of this section shall be considered a violation of the "Safe 
Drinking Water Act," P.L.1977, c.224 (C:58:12A-1 et seq.) and the 
commissioner shall have recourse to any of the actions provided for in section 
10 of P.L.1977, c.224 (C.58:12A-10), in order to remedy the violation.� 
However, the presence of excessive Legionella bacteria levels shall not, 
in itself, constitute a violation of the provisions of this section.� 

���� i.� No later