These NJ laws take effect in 2024
TRENTON, N.J. - New year, New Jersey.
Several new laws are going into effect in the Garden State in 2024, including a minimum wage increase and tax breaks for several groups.
Here's a look at the new bills signed into law for New Jersey this year.
Click here to learn about new laws in New York State.
Raising the minimum wage
New Jersey’s statewide minimum wage was raised by $1 to $15.13 per hour for most employees.
The increase was part of a scheduled hike stemming from a 2019 bill Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed. The legislation phases in a $15 an hour minimum wage which will be reached by 2024.
The federal minimum wage in the United States has stayed at $7.25 per hour since 2009, but states and some localities are free to set higher amounts. Thirty states have chosen to do so.
Aerial view of Trenton New Jersey Skyline featuring state capitol dome of New Jersey. (Photo by: Visions of America/Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Birth control coverage
Certain kinds of birth control are no longer require a prescription in New Jersey under a new law Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed earlier this year.
Self-administered hormonal contraceptives like the pill, patch and ring won’t require a prescription from a health care provider under the measure. Murphy said New Jersey is upholding access to reproductive health care after the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision that ended the constitutional right to abortion.
There are no residency requirements under the new law, so New Jersey pharmacists could dispense the contraceptives regardless of where a person lives, the governor said.
Tax cuts
A total of 20 tax cuts will affect middle-class families and seniors in New Jersey, according to the Murphy administration.
This includes property tax relief through the ANCHOR program.
"Eligible senior tenants will now see their relief boosted by more than 55 percent to $700 in the coming year and homeowners will receive $1,250 or $1,750, depending on their income," according to the state government.
New Jersey's Child Tax Credit program will also increase, now providing up to $1,000 per child under age six for families earning under $30,000.
Check out to see if new tax cuts will affect you here.
Free period products in schools
Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, New Jersey will require school districts to offer free menstrual products for grades six through 12.
Under the bill, school districts are required to ensure that students in schools with students from grade six through 12 have access to free menstrual products in at least half of the female and gender-neutral bathrooms.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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