Senate clears wide package of bills on third reading; many measures pass by voice or machine vote

The New Jersey Senate passed a broad package of third‑reading bills and concurrent resolutions during the session, approving measures that range from education and environmental appropriations to public‑safety and administrative changes.

Clerk tallies and voice votes on the floor recorded repeated 39‑0 results on multiple items; others recorded fewer votes where members were absent or recorded negatives. Notable third‑reading items and outcomes recorded on the floor included:

- S-317 (Revises athletic training licensure act) — recorded as passed (39-0 on the machine tally as announced on the floor).
- S-2167 (Requires public and certain… — passed, tally recorded 39-0 as announced on the floor).
- S-2961 (Minimum requirements for persons employed by public works contract) — passed, machine tally announced 39-0.
- S-3309 (Motor vehicle open recall notice and fair compensation act; franchise revisions) — passed (machine tally announced 39-0).
- S-3711 / related higher‑education and energy and environmental appropriations and grant bills (multiple measures referenced on the floor) — passed; where tallies were given they were recorded as unanimous or strongly affirmative.
- S-4632 (grant program for DOE water/filtration stations) — passed (machine tally announced on the floor).

The floor also confirmed three nomination lists released from the Judiciary Committee earlier in the day (lists 1–3); each list was adopted by voice or machine vote as recorded on the floor and the clerk declared the nominees confirmed.

Throughout the day the Senate used routine floor procedures to adopt amendments and substitute Assembly bills for identical Senate bills under rule 17:3; the floor repeatedly substituted Assembly bills for identical Senate versions before final passage, and passed several concurrent resolutions including FY2026 plan approvals for the NJ Infrastructure Bank.

Several bills included explicit dollar appropriations announced on the floor: for example, S-3711 provisions referenced appropriations for open‑space and farmland preservation programs and multiple other appropriations were moved and recorded. Where the clerk announced specific tallies those counts are noted above; when the transcript listed bills without a recorded machine tally the floor transcript either recorded a voice vote (“ayes have it”) or used the clerk’s shorthand that the bill passed.

Votes at a glance (selected; full list follows): S-317 — passed (39-0); S-2167 — passed (39-0); S-2961 — passed (39-0); S-3309 — passed (39-0); S-4135 — passed (machine tally announced 39-0 or 38-0 where noted); S-423 (small modular reactor site approval) — passed (39-0); S-4632 — passed; S-2026 (budget) — passed (26-13; discussed in separate coverage). The Senate also moved and passed many Assembly substitutions and concurred with Assembly amendments on multiple bills.

The floor session concluded with final technical steps — entering received Assembly messages and synchronizing machine tallies — after which senators stood adjourned until later business.