Bill Text: NJ A3686 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires four-year public institution of higher education to admit certain students diagnosed with cancer and sickle cell anemia.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-02-12 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee [A3686 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A3686-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOE DANIELSEN
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Requires four-year public institution of higher education to admit certain students diagnosed with cancer and sickle cell anemia.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning admission to four-year public institutions of higher education and supplementing chapter 62 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation to the contrary, a four-year public institution of higher education shall offer admission to an undergraduate degree program to eligible students diagnosed with cancer or sickle cell anemia before the age of 24.
b. To be eligible for admission pursuant to subsection a. of this section, an individual shall be a resident of the State for at least one year and be less than 24 years of age at the time of application.
c. A four-year public institution of higher education shall establish policies to prioritize admissions, institutional financial aid, and on-campus housing for students admitted pursuant to subsection a. of this section.
d. An institution may deny admission to a student who otherwise qualifies for admission pursuant to subsection b. of this section if the institution identifies a compelling reason for the denial. The institution shall submit information on a denial of admission pursuant to this subsection to the Secretary of Higher Education, who may override an institution's decision to deny admission to a student.
e. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require an institution to waive its admission standards and application procedures for any specialized program, department, or school of the institution.
2. A four-year public institution of higher education shall annually report to the Secretary of Higher Education on the number of students enrolled in the institution who received automatic admission pursuant to section 1 of this act. The secretary shall annually report the total number of students enrolled in all four-year public institutions of higher education who received admission pursuant to section 1 of this act to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1).
3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the first full academic year following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires four-year public institutions of higher education to offer admission to certain students diagnosed with
cancer and sickle cell anemia.
The bill requires each four-year public institution of higher education to provide admission to certain students diagnosed with cancer or sickle cell anemia before the age of 24. To be eligible for admission, a student is required to be a resident of the State for at least one year and be less than 24 years of age at the time of application.
Under the bill, an institution is prohibited from denying admission to an individual diagnosed with cancer or sickle cell anemia, unless the institution has a compelling reason to deny admission. The bill permits the Secretary of Higher Education to override the admission decision of an institution.
Finally, the bill requires each institution to annually report to the Secretary of Higher Education and requires the secretary to submit an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature.
