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Assembly sustains speaker’s ruling, passes multiple bills after objection to virtual session
Summary
The General Assembly sustained the Speaker’s ruling and approved several bills during a virtual session on March 10, 2026, after an assemblyman argued the remote meeting violated the Open Public Meetings Act; key measures passed include Assembly Bill 2078 and Senate Bill 3219.
The General Assembly sustained the Speaker’s ruling and proceeded to pass several bills in a virtual session on March 10, 2026, after an assemblyman objected that the meeting exceeded the limits set by the Open Public Meetings Act.
An assemblyman who raised the point of order told colleagues: "This meeting fails to comply with the Open Public Meeting Act," arguing the statute (NJSA 10:4-9.3(b)), related amendments to R.S. 52:1-1 and General Assembly Rule 4:2(d) limit virtual sessions to business necessary for the continuing operation of government. The lawmaker said the measures on the floor did not meet that threshold and urged the body to overturn the Speaker’s direction to hold the session electronically.
The Speaker denied the point of order on the floor. After the ruling was appealed, the Assembly conducted a voice vote and the Speaker announced that the ayes had it; the Assembly then continued with its calendar.
Votes at a glance (reported on the floor): • Assembly Bill 2078 — described on the floor as establishing a registry of out-of-state contractors that hold public-works contracts in the state. Moved by Assemblywoman Carter; Clerk recorded 72 yeas, 6 nays, 0 abstentions. Outcome: passed (will take the usual course). • Assembly Bill 7 98 — called on third reading; Clerk recorded 78 yeas, 1 nay, 0 abstentions. Outcome: passed. • Assembly Bill 13 23 — described as requiring boards of education and boards of trustees to adopt policies for the use of surveillance systems with artificial-intelligence capacity. Floor mover recorded as Senator (on the floor) Miller; Clerk recorded 78 yeas, 1 nay, 0 abstentions. Outcome: passed. • Senate Joint Resolution 84 — substituted and adopted on the floor (substitution motion moved and approved); Clerk recorded passage and usual course for the resolution. • Senate Bill 3219 — described on the floor as extending TransMil’s deadline for a fiscal-year 2027 budget message to March 10, 2026. Moved on the floor by Assemblywoman Pindamoran; the Clerk later recorded 67 yeas, 11 nays, 0 abstentions. Outcome: passed. • Assembly Bill 4070 — the Speaker Pro Tem moved to return this bill to second reading for purposes of amendment; the motion was approved, and amendments were distributed.
Why it matters: The exchange on the floor centered not only on the measures themselves but also on whether the Assembly should be conducting full legislative business under a virtual/remote format while the body said the chamber was physically available. That procedural dispute did not prevent final passage of several measures, but the point of order and subsequent roll calls underscore ongoing tensions about transparency and the use of emergency-authority provisions.
On the substance of the bills, the floor descriptions were brief: AB 2078 was summarized on the floor as creating an out-of-state contractor registry for public-works contracts; AB 13 23 was described as requiring AI-capable surveillance policies for certain boards; SB 3219 was described as a one-time scheduling/deadline extension for a statutory budget message. The Clerk recorded the formal vote tallies and the Speaker announced the usual course for passed measures.
The session concluded after routine business and a reminder to members about travel safety; AB 4070 will return to second reading for amendment before further action.
