Employers of all sizes are required by State law to provide full-time, part-time, and temporary employees with up to 40 hours of paid sick leave per year to care for themselves or a loved one. Employers can provide all 40 hours of the earned sick leave up front each year, or they can provide one hour of earned leave for every 30 hours worked.

Employees who work more than 40 hours in a week should receive 150% of their regular pay rate (time and a half) for hours worked in excess of 40.

Employers who do not comply may be subject to enforcement action.

Businesses that operate certain types of facilities may be affected by newly implemented environmental justice rules.

• Major sources of air pollution (i.e., gas fired power plants and cogeneration facilities)
• Resource recovery facilities or incinerators; sludge processing facilities
• Sewage treatment plants with a capacity of more than 50 million gallons per day
• Transfer stations or solid waste facilities
• Recycling facilities that receive at least 100 tons of recyclable material per day
• Scrap metal facilities
• Landfills
• Medical waste incinerators (hospitals and university facilities exempt)

The environmental justice rules require companies seeking to build or expand such a facility to submit assessments and other documentation measuring a project's potential public health consequences.

Be a part of the 2023 Governor's Conference on Housing and Economic Development in Atlantic City, September 28-29th, 2023. Join industry experts and key players in affordable housing, economic development, and government from municipalities throughout the State of New Jersey.

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Learn about the range of resources available to small businesses and entrepreneurs in New Jersey at a free webinar during National Small Business Week, April 30th - May 6th, 2023. The Small Business Services Team at the New Jersey Economic Development Agency (NJEDA) will host three separate sessions for North Jersey, Central and South Jersey, and for the Spanish-speaking business community.

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Small businesses seeking financing for clean energy projects, new clean energy companies, and small business banking partners can learn how to finance qualifying clean energy initiatives by attending a virtual information session about the New Jersey Clean Energy Loans (NJ CELs) program on Monday, April 17th, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. Applications for the program will open on Wednesday, April 19th, 2023.

NJ CELs will offer loans of $500,000 to $20 million with a term of one to 25 years, with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) financing up to 50% of the total loan amount ($250,000 to $10 million). 

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Employers with at least 100 employees have obligations under the State’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) law. As of April 10th, 2023, several new changes to the law are in effect. Among the most significant changes: 

• Employees impacted by layoffs, closures, or relocations must now have 90 days advance notice.
• Employees must be notified whenever a mass layoff impacts at least 50 workers at a given worksite.
• Part-time employees now have the same protections under the law as full-time employees. They should be counted as employees when determining an employer’s WARN obligations.
• Employers must provide discharged employees with one week of severance pay for each year of service.

Employers subject to WARN requirements are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the complete changes to the law.

Businesses with a majority owner who identifies as LGBTQ+ can now apply for certification as a LGBTQ+-owned business. Certification can make a business eligible to participate in select set-aside or goal-based contracting initiatives offered by State agencies. Certification can also provide a competitive advantage when bidding for contracts elsewhere. Other eligibility criteria apply.

Eligible reproductive health care facilities that can demonstrate a high-security risk may apply for up to $100,000 in security-enhancing grant funding from the Reproductive Health Security Grant Program (RHSGP). RHSGP funds can be used to hire security personnel, to purchase or install security equipment, for security and emergency preparedness training, and for other security-related expenses. Applications are due by 4:59 p.m. on April 30th, 2023.

Employers willing to hire and train dislocated workers with identifiable skills gaps can receive up to $20,000 in wage reimbursement per worker. Through the Return and Earn program, employers are reimbursed for 50% of the wages paid for regular hours worked during their training period.

Training periods can last up to six months, and wage reimbursement is capped at $20,000 per Return and Earn employee. Prospective employers must receive NJDOL approval for their training plan in order to be eligible for the wage reimbursement.

A recently enacted law eliminates the requirement for recognized federal S corporations to make a separate S corporation election with New Jersey. Federal S corporations will be automatically recognized as S corporations by New Jersey unless the corporation opts out. To opt out, 100% of the shareholders must consent. The entity may opt out at any time during the tax year or at any time on or before the due date or extended due date of the S corporation return.

The Division of Taxation has published a technical bulletin and FAQ document to assist companies with the resulting procedural changes.