Push for Major Social Justice Bills as NJ Prepares for New Administration

A coalition of social justice organizations across New Jersey launched the People’s Agenda on Thursday. The initiative is a coordinated advocacy effort aimed at passing a series of long-stalled social justice bills before the year’s end, ahead of the next legislative session and incoming gubernatorial administration.

Several of the proposals have circulated in the state Legislature for years with little progress, while others have advanced at times but ultimately stalled in committee. These bills need to be reintroduced come January, restarting the clock–and the work–on all pending legislative items.

As voting rights, access to reproductive healthcare, and birthright citizenship face ongoing challenges at the federal level, advocates from the coalition’s 33 organizations argue that it is imperative for New Jersey to pass these measures now.

“New Jersey has a responsibility to uphold its values of freedom and justice for all,” said Ami Kachalia, campaign strategist at ACLU New Jersey. “Now more than ever, as the Trump administration continues to attack on our democracy, state protections are essential to safeguarding our fundamental rights.” 

The list of bills include:

• S3672/A4987 (Immigrant Trust Act) – Codifies an attorney general’s directive which limits how local police interact with federal immigration officers. It also provides extended privacy protections for immigrants.
• S3009/A4083 (New Jersey Voter Empowerment Act) – Protects and expands voting access in New Jersey.
• S3545/A4696 (Climate Superfund Act) – Holds major fossil fuel companies strictly liable for climate change damages in New Jersey and requires them to pay for adaptation and recovery projects through state-collected payments.
• S3491/A4656 – Expands protections for patients and providers accessing or delivering abortion, gender-affirming care, and related health services in New Jersey.
• S3452/A4601 – Requires health insurers and Medicaid to cover family planning and reproductive health services.
• S2338/A4463 – Offers rehabilitative release for seniors who are incarcerated.
• S2348/A4175 – Requires attorney general to review use-of-force policies every two years.

The Immigrant Trust Act, for example, has been introduced in the Legislature multiple times since 2022 without advancing. Advocates say it’s crucial to codify the attorney general’s limits on police cooperation with federal immigration officials, because a new governor could rescind these protections at any time.​

With immigrant detention increasing since the start of President Trump’s second term, advocates warn that expanded local police involvement could accelerate his enforcement agenda. Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill (D) has not said publicly whether she would retain the current attorney general directive.

“Since January, our communities have experienced relentless attacks,” said Madison Linton of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. “There is no other policy that can provide the safeguards, nor a first line of defense against federal overreach. Now that [Trump is] back, it’s time to get the job done.”

Advocates also cited concerns over U.S. Supreme Court decisions over the last 12 years, which voting rights experts say have stripped away key protections in the federal Voting Rights Act. One current case, Louisiana v. Callais, could eliminate or restrict a section of the act which challenges discriminatory voting practices by requiring proof of intent.

The bill before the state Legislature would establish strong state-level protections against voting discrimination by codifying key Voting Rights Act provisions. According to Nuzhat Chowdhury of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, the measure would also protect voters from intimidation at the polls, expand access to language assistance, and create new avenues for people to challenge discriminatory voting policies in court.

An Assembly version of the bill has not moved since June, and the Senate version has not moved at all.

“If federal law won’t protect voters, then it’s up to New Jersey to protect New Jersey voters through state law,” said Chowdhury.

The list of coalition members includes: AAPI NJ, ACLU of New Jersey, Black Lives Matter Paterson, Cherry Hill Women’s Center, El Pueblo Unido of Atlantic City, Empower NJ, Fair Share Housing Center, Faith in New Jersey, First Friends of New Jersey & New York, Garden State Equality, Indivisible Cranbury Democracy Taskforce, Indivisible Highland Park, League of Women Voters of New Jersey, Make the Road New Jersey, New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, New Jersey Certified Professional Midwives Association, New Jersey Citizen Action, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, New Labor, New Jersey Policy Perspective, New Jersey Poor People’s Campaign, New Jersey Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, New Jersey Working Families Alliance, NJ Harm Reduction Coalition, Palestinian American Community Center, Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey, Salvation and Social Justice, Second Look NJ, Third Act New Jersey, Unitarian Universalist FaithAction NJ, WADEIn New Jersey, and Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center.