Bill Text: NJ A3636 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires State agencies to make their websites accessible to people with disabilities and on mobile devices.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-1)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-12-12 - Reported and Referred to Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee [A3636 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A3636-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Requires State agencies to make their websites accessible to people with disabilities and on mobile devices.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the websites of State government agencies and amending of P.L.2007, c.56.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 16 of P.L.2007, c.56 (C.52:18A-234) is amended to read as follows:
16. a. All Executive Branch departments and State agencies are directed to cooperate fully with the Office of Information Technology and the Chief Technology Officer to implement the provisions of sections 6 through 16 of P.L.2007, c.56 (C.52:18A-224 through C.52:18A-234) and to ensure effective use of information technology within the Executive Branch of State Government.
The Governor shall define and establish the overall direction, standards, and priorities for the information technology community in the Executive Branch of State Government.
b. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA, or the most up-to-date version of the guidelines, shall be the accessibility standard for the web pages, sites, and services of all State agencies. Each web page, site, and service shall be configured in such a way that it can be navigated, viewed, and accessed on a smartphone, tablet computer, or similar mobile device.
The Chief Technology Officer shall establish the protocol by which a State agency can determine that its web pages, sites, and services comply with the requirements in this subsection. Compliance shall be certified by the Chief Technology Officer. A web page, site, or service that is in operation on the effective date of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall be certified by the Chief Technology Officer no later than two years from that effective date as being in compliance with the requirements. A web page, site, or service created after the effective date of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall not be considered operational until it has been certified by the Chief Technology Officer as being in compliance with the requirements. The Chief Technology Officer shall recertify the compliance of each web page, site, and service every two years after initial certification.
As used in this subsection, "State agency" means the Executive and Legislative Branch of the State, including, but not limited to, any department, board, bureau, commission, division, office, council, agency, or instrumentality thereof, or independent agency,
public authority, or public benefit corporation.
(cf: P.L.2013, c.253, s.47)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires that the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG) 2.0 AA, or the most up-to-date version of the guidelines, be the accessibility standard for the websites of all State agencies, and requires that each website be configured in such a way that it can be navigated, viewed, and accessed on a smartphone, tablet computer, or similar mobile device.
The WCAG guidelines are published by the Web Accessibility
Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium, and make content accessible for people with disabilities.
Under the bill, the Chief Technology Officer is required to establish the protocol by which a State agency can determine that its websites comply with the requirements. The Chief Technology Officer is required to certify each website's compliance two years after the bill's effective date and recertify compliance once every two years thereafter.
As used in this bill, "State agency" means the Executive and
Legislative Branch of the State, including, but not limited to, any department, board, bureau, commission, division, office, council, agency, or instrumentality thereof, or independent agency, public authority, or public benefit corporation.
