We expect the legislative action to heat up over the next month until the legislature gets immersed in budget negotiations. Bills of interest that might see movement include:
• S2760/A4384—Structural Integrity and Reserves. This is the primary focus of our legislative effort this session. Our resolve to mandate appropriate structural inspections has only increased since the fatal collapse of a residential balcony in Sea Isle City, NJ, and a parking garage in Manhattan. We believe that the legislature must act promptly to prevent further tragedy and loss of life. Currently, we are attempting to resolve some objections to the bill by other stakeholders without watering down the life-safety components.
• S2788—Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detectors. This bill would require buildings with a “monitored fire alarm system” to ensure that Carbon Dioxide sensors are integrated into the system, and that when a CO alarm is initiated, it not only annunciates locally, but also sends a signal to the fire department. We are concerned about the economic impact of this retrofit bill and are addressing our concerns with the legislature.
• A5493/S3789—Manager Licensing. The Sponsor of this bill, Assemblywoman Annette Quijano, will be pushing it forward in the coming months. While the introduced versions of the bill are unacceptable to us due to the delegation of the manager licensing program and qualifications to the Department of Community Affairs (“DCA”), we are prepared with alternative manager licensing program legislation that should be far more palatable to the industry. Parenthetically, we note that CAI National’s public policy position is opposed to mandatory manager licensing. However, we have received special dispensation to negotiate a more acceptable bill based on the imminent threat posed by this legislation.
• A5492/S3790—Board Member Training. Like with manager licensing, we understand that Assemblywoman
Quijano will now seek to move this bill. We oppose the introduced form because it delegates training to the DCA. However, we have proposed alternative language that would enable CAI to provide 3 hours of board member training to each newly elected director using an online module.
• S2389/A4682—Staffing Changes. This bill, among other things, would provide that when outsourcing staff, “insourcing” staff, or changing staffing companies, the incoming employer must offer to maintain the employment of the current onsite staff for a period of 90 days. CAI does not support this legislation and there is a significant coalition of business interests opposed to the bill.
Be on the lookout for member alerts in case we need your help to get some of these bills over the finish line (or keep them from the finish line, as the case may be)!
MATTHEW Z. EARLE, ESQ. KATES, NUSSMAN, ELLIS, FARHI & EARLE, LLP LEGISLATIVE ACTION COMMITTEE CHAIR
