New Jersey A 4484: Establishes "New Jersey Paid Prenatal Personal Leave Act."

Bill Text

A4484 

ASSEMBLY, No. 4484 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 24, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes Statewide Skills Academy Network, 
appropriates $1 million.� 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� As introduced.

�� 

An Act establishing the Statewide Skills Academy Network, 
supplementing chapter 64A of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and making 
an appropriation.� 

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

���� 1.� a.� The Secretary of 
Higher Education, in consultation with the New Jersey Community College 
Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development, shall establish the 
Statewide Skills Academy Network.� It shall be the purpose of the network to 
improve communication and collaboration among county colleges, vocational 
schools, and union training providers to better meet the skills needs of the 
State�s workforce.� The network shall comprise of regional skills academies 
approved pursuant to section 2 of this act. 

���� b.� The network shall:

���� (1)� support the ongoing 
exchange of best practices and resources in skills development among county 
colleges, vocational schools, and union training providers;�� 

���� (2)� identify opportunities 
for improving geographic equity in access to training opportunities throughout 
the State;

���� (3)� identify any gaps between 
the industry-recognized credentials required by employers and the availability 
of training programs needed for acquiring those credentials; and 

���� (4)� advise and assist the 
secretary in the development of an integrated, Statewide credentialing system 
that supports career mobility and labor market success. 

���� c.� The Office of the 
Secretary of Higher Education shall provide such stenographic, clerical, and 
other administrative assistants, and such professional staff as the network 
requires to carry out its work.� 

���� d. The network shall be 
entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the 
employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, 
commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available for its 
purposes.

���� 2.� a.� To be eligible for 
consideration to establish a regional skills academy, a county college, 
vocational school, or union training provider seeking to participate in the 
Statewide Skills Academy Network shall submit an application to the Secretary 
of Higher Education, in accordance with application procedures and requirements 
prescribed by the secretary.

���� b.� (1) �The secretary, in 
consultation with the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and 
Economic Development, shall establish criteria for the selection of skills 
academies and the awarding of grants available pursuant to this act.� 

���� (2) �The secretary shall 
select skills academies and award grants to skills academies based upon review 
of the applications and subject to the limit of funds appropriated or otherwise 
made available for this purpose.� 

���� (3) �Priority for grants 
awarded pursuant to this act shall be given to skills academies that will offer 
training opportunities in evening hours and on weekends.� 

���� c.� Grants provided pursuant 
to this act shall be used for the development and maintenance of accessible 
training sites, including, but not limited to, costs associated with 
facilities, curriculum development, equipment, staffing, and ongoing operating 
costs.� 

���� 3.� A regional skills academy 
approved pursuant to section 2 of this act shall:

� a.� support the Statewide 
Skills Academy Network in the fulfillment of its work; and

� b.� develop a training site 
that provides short-term, stackable credential programs in high-demand sectors that 
will improve employee readiness and job placement outcomes of participants.

���� 4. The Secretary of Higher 
Education shall annually apply for any federal, State, and private grant funds 
or other assistance which may be available to be used for the Statewide Skills 
Academy Network and regional skills academies established pursuant to this act.

���� 5. There is appropriated from 
the General Fund to the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education the sum of 
$1,000,000 to effectuate the purposes of this act.

���� 6.� This act shall take effect 
immediately.� 

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes the 
Statewide Skills Academy Network and appropriates $1 million to the Office of 
the Secretary of Higher Education for the bill�s purposes.� 

���� Under the bill, the Secretary 
of Higher Education, in consultation with the New Jersey Community College 
Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development, is directed to establish the 
Statewide Skills Academy Network.� The purpose of the network is to improve 
communication and collaboration among county colleges, vocational schools, and 
union training provide