New Jersey A 3542: Requires health benefits coverage of hearing aids for children 17 years of age and younger.

Bill Text

A3542 

ASSEMBLY, No. 3542 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman LOUIS D. GREENWALD

District 6 (Burlington and Camden)

Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires certain public contract bid advertisements 
to contain certified cost estimate ranges, specifies grounds for rejection of 
all bids, and requires 50% guaranty on bids; designated as the Fairness in 
Bidding Act.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

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

�� 

An Act concerning certain bid advertising requirements 
for State, State college, county college, school, and local public construction 
contracts and designated as the Fairness in Bidding Act, and amending and 
supplementing 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.18A:18A-21 is amended to read as 
follows:

���� 18A:18A-21. a. Except as provided in section 5 
of P.L.1985, c.490 (C.18A:18A-55), all advertisements for bids shall 
be published in an official newspaper sufficiently in advance of the date fixed 
for receiving the bids to promote competitive bidding, but in no event less 
than 10 days prior to such date.� For all contracts, the date fixed for 
receiving the bids shall not fall on a Monday, or any day directly following a 
State or federal holiday.� The advertisement for bids for 
construction projects projected to cost in excess of $500,000 shall include the 
board of education's or its purchasing agent's projected cost estimate ranges 
for the base bid contract and any specified alternate proposal, such estimate 
ranges having been attested to as reasonable by the individual or firm 
preparing the cost estimate ranges.� The highest amount of a cost estimate 
range shall not be greater than five percent more than the lowest amount.� The 
projected cost estimate ranges shall be attested no more than 30 days prior to 
the bid advertisement date.

���� For purposes of this subsection:

���� "Specified 
alternate proposal" means a requirement of the bid specification for 
bidders to submit prices for reduced, modified, or supplemental work in 
addition to the base proposal which may include, but not be limited to, a 
change in project scope or the use of alternative materials or methods of 
construction.

���� b.��� The advertisement shall designate the 
manner of submitting and of receiving the bids and the time and place at which 
the bids will be received.� If the published specifications provide for receipt 
of bids by mail or hand delivery, only one copy of the bid documents 
shall be required, and those bids which are mailed to the board of 
education shall be sealed and shall be opened only for examination at such time 
and place as all bids received are unsealed and announced.� At such time and 
place the purchasing agent of the board of education shall publicly receive the 
bids and thereupon immediately proceed to unseal them and publicly announce the 
contents, which announcement shall be made in the presence of any parties bidding 
or their agents who are then and there present.� A proper record of the prices 
and terms shall be made in the minutes of the board.� No bids shall be received 
after the time designated in the advertisement.

���� c.���� Notice of revisions or addenda to 
advertisements or bid documents shall be provided as follows:

���� (1) For all contracts except those for 
construction work, notice shall be published no later than seven days, 
Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays excepted, prior to the date for acceptance of 
bids, in an official newspaper of the board of education and be provided to any 
person who has submitted a bid or who has received a bid package, in one of the 
following ways:� (a) in writing by certified mail or (b) by certified facsimile 
transmission, meaning that the sender's facsimile machine produces a receipt showing 
date and time of transmission and that the transmission was successful or (c) 
by a delivery service that provides certification of delivery to the sender.

���� (2) For all contracts for construction work, 
notice shall be provided no later than seven days, Saturdays, Sundays, or 
holidays excepted, prior to the date for acceptance of bids, to any person who 
has submitted a bid or who has received a bid package in any of the following 
ways:� i) in writing by certified mail or ii) by certified facsimile 
transmission, meaning that the sender's facsimile machine produces a receipt 
showing date and time of transmission and that the transmission was successful 
or iii) by a delivery service that provides certification of delivery to the 
sender.

���� d.��� Failure of the board of education to 
advertise for the receipt of bids or to provide proper notification of 
revisions or addenda to advertisements or bid documents related to bids a