As the Trump administration continues to wage attacks on our civil rights and liberties, New Jersey lawmakers must advance key racial and social justice bills.
To encourage action from lawmakers, the ACLU of New Jersey launched the 2025 People’s Agenda, a collective advocacy effort to pass key social justice bills during the New Jersey Legislature’s lame duck session.
The ACLU-NJ organized the collective, which includes over 30 New Jersey advocacy organizations, facilitated the collaboration and prioritization of bills, and planned several days of action in support of the People's Agenda, including a statewide in-district lobby day and a rally and lobby day at the State House.
In addition to supporting the People’s Agenda, the ACLU of New Jersey is calling on the Legislature to specifically prioritize passing seven affirmative bills during lame duck to expand and protect the rights of everyone in the state.
For immigrants’ rights: building a fair and welcoming future (ACLU-NJ SUPPORTS)
All New Jerseyans must be able to support their families and fully participate in their communities without fear. The Immigrant Trust Act will allow New Jerseyans to access protection and support from state and local agencies without fear of deportation. Increasing trust in public agencies allows all people, regardless of immigration status, to seek public services that are essential to the health, education, and well-being of their families and the broader community.
As the federal government continues to rapidly expand immigration enforcement and detention and with new threats looming over immigrant communities, passing S3672/A4987 is more urgent than ever.
For a stronger democracy: protecting and expanding voting rights (ACLU-NJ SUPPORTS)
Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. New Jersey, one of the most diverse states in the country, must be a leader in combatting rampant voter suppression efforts across the country.
The New Jersey Voter Empowerment Act will protect voters of color and strengthen our democracy by reducing barriers to voting; increasing language access and assistance; prohibiting deceptive practices at the polls; and ensuring that communities of color will have their ballots counted. To fully protect access to the ballot for all residents, New Jersey must pass S3009/A4083
For a more just criminal legal system: eliminating municipal public defender application fees (ACLU-NJ SUPPORTS)
Each person accused of a crime has the right to legal counsel, as promised by the Sixth Amendment. However, New Jersey currently allows municipalities to charge community members up to $200 to apply for an attorney through public defender application fees, creating a financial barrier to the constitutional right to counsel.
S4396/A5639 will eliminate municipal public defender application fees, which is necessary to ensure public defense is accessible and equitable. The bill will also work to lessen the financial and emotional strain put on community members who suffer from these kinds of fees.
For accessible reproductive health care: eliminating cost-sharing for abortion care (ACLU-NJ SUPPORTS)
While the right to abortion is protected in New Jersey state law, many people still struggle to access this time-sensitive care due to financial barriers. S3452/A4601 will ensure that New Jerseyans can access affordable reproductive health care by eliminating cost-sharing requirements for insurance coverage. It will also protect health care providers for providing legally protected reproductive care in New Jersey to patients from states where this care may be restricted or banned.
All people, regardless of income or insurance status, should be able to access the full range of reproductive health care services. Passing S3452/A4601 will support progress in the direction of truly accessible and affordable care.
For fair housing: creating a revised homelessness prevention program and implementing an eviction filing fee (ACLU-NJ SUPPORTS WITH AMENDMENTS)
The current affordable housing and eviction crisis is impacting communities across the country. New Jersey in particular has a higher-than-average share of rent-burdened tenants and a significantly higher eviction filing rate compared to nationwide statistics.
With our amendment suggestions incorporated, S268/A3282 will support homelessness reduction efforts in New Jersey by increasing the eviction filing fee from $50 to $125, with the additional $75 collected going to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to fund eviction prevention efforts. Evictions continue to be the leading cause of homelessness and research suggests that increasing the eviction filing fee will lead to a decrease in the eviction filing rate.
For gender-affirming care and reproductive freedom: safeguarding legally protected activities and services (ACLU-NJ SUPPORTS WITH AMENDMENTS)
All residents of New Jersey, and anyone who travels to New Jersey, deserve to safely access the health care they need. New Jersey has long been, and must continue to be, a state that supports and protects reproductive freedom and the right of all individuals to make choices about their bodies and lives.
With our amendment recommendations incorporated to address constitutional concerns, S3491/A4656 will secure protections for patients and providers accessing and providing legally protected health care activities, including those which are restricted in other states. Passing S3491/A4656 will ensure those seeking and providing care can do so without fear.
For criminal justice and decarceration: ending reincarceration for violating parole conditions (ACLU-NJ SUPPORTS)
A violation of parole conditions – such as missing a meeting – should not cost someone their freedom. Still, around 10% of people in New Jersey’s prisons are incarcerated because of technical parole violations. Incarcerating people on technical parole violations does not contribute to public safety; in fact, research shows it does just the opposite.
While a bill has not yet been introduced, Gov. Murphy has noted ending reincarceration for violating parole conditions as a priority for his administration. We look forward to working with him and the Sherrill administration to further decarceration efforts across New Jersey.
Lame duck is an opportunity for lawmakers to build a fairer, more equitable future for all New Jerseyans. The ACLU-NJ calls on the Legislature to prioritize these key issues and bills ahead of the Sherrill administration.
