New Jersey 222nd Legislature Status: Introduced Bipartisan · 2 R · 2 D cosponsors

S 1343 — Permits students to be eligible for high school graduation credits in career readiness or career, and technical education for completing county fire academy course under certain circumstances.*

Last action — R/A REF AED

  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed General Assembly
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced January 13, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Advancing 50% · moderate confidence

  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 4 sponsors

    2 primary, 2 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (2 R · 2 D) — cross-party backing.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 2 recorded votes so far.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

In plain language

Allows high school students to earn graduation credits for completing a county fire academy course.

This bill enables students to receive high school graduation credits for completing certain fire academy courses. It aims to recognize and reward career readiness and technical education efforts.

What this means for you
  • Students: This means you can gain credits toward your high school diploma by completing a fire academy course.

Summary

County fire academy course-req districts award high school graduation credits

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

24 added · 24 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendment changes the focus of the graduation credits from "health, safety, and physical education" to "career readiness or career and technical education" for students completing a county fire academy course. It allows students aged 16 to 18 to gain credit toward high school graduation if they meet specific criteria, including completing an examination to become a junior firefighter and committing to volunteer with their local fire department for two years. This shift emphasizes preparing students for careers in fire service and technical fields rather than traditional health and physical education.

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S1343 SENATE, No.
S1343 1R [First Reprint] SENATE, No.
BUCCO District 25 (Morris and Passaic)         SYNOPSIS      Permits students to be eligible for high school graduation credits in health, safety, and physical education for completing county fire academy course under certain circumstances.
BUCCO District 25 (Morris and Passaic)   Co-Sponsored by:
  CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT      Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
Senators Timberlake and Gopal         SYNOPSIS      Permits students to be eligible for high school graduation credits in career readiness or career and technical education for completing county fire academy course under certain circumstances.
  CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT      As amended by the Senate on May 28, 2026.
A student who successfully completes a course at a county fire academy shall be eligible to receive credit toward meeting high school graduation requirements for health, safety, and physical education in accordance with N.J.A.C.6A:8-5.1, provided that the student:
A student who successfully completes a course at a county fire academy shall be eligible to receive credit toward meeting high school graduation requirements for 1[health, safety, and physical education] career readiness or career and technical education1 in accordance with N.J.A.C.6A:8-5.1, provided that the 1[student]1:
     (1)  is between the ages of 16 and 18 years old;
     (1)   1county fire academy ensures that the course aligns with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key Skills;
     (2)  completes an examination, as applicable, to become a junior firefighter, or an equivalent position;
     (2) student1 is between the ages of 16 and 18 years old;
and      (3)  commits to volunteer at the fire department that serves the municipality in which the student resides for a period of two years.
     1[(2)] (3) student1 completes an examination, as applicable, to become a junior firefighter, or an equivalent position;
and      1[(3)] (4) student1 commits to volunteer at the fire department that serves the municipality in which the student resides for a period of two years.
    STATEMENT        The bill permits a student who successfully completes a course at a county fire academy to be eligible to receive credit toward meeting the high school graduation requirements for health, safety, and physical education if the student meets certain criteria.  The student is required to:
be between the ages of 16 and 18 years old;
complete an examination, as applicable, to become a junior firefighter, or equivalent;
and commit to volunteer at the fire department that serves the municipality in which the student resides for a period of two years.
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Action History

  1. R/A REF AED

  2. PS

  3. SA 2RS

  4. REP 2RS

  5. INT 1RS REF SED

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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2 sponsors · 2 co-sponsors · 116 not signed on

Sponsors (2)

Co-sponsors (2)

Not signed on (116)

116 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 116 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Floor vote

Passed 40 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 15000
Democrat 25000
Total 40000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (40)
Member Party Vote
Beach, James Democrat Yea
Burgess, Renee C. Democrat Yea
Burzichelli, John J. Democrat Yea
Cruz-Perez, Nilsa I. Democrat Yea
Cryan, Joseph P. Democrat Yea
Diegnan Jr., Patrick J. Democrat Yea
Gopal, Vin Democrat Yea
Greenstein, Linda R. Democrat Yea
Johnson, Gordon M. Democrat Yea
Lagana, Joseph A. Democrat Yea
McKeon, John F. Democrat Yea
McKnight, Angela V. Democrat Yea
Moriarty, Paul D. Democrat Yea
Mukherji, Raj Democrat Yea
Ruiz, M. Teresa Democrat Yea
Sarlo, Paul A. Democrat Yea
Scutari, Nicholas P. Democrat Yea
Singleton, Troy Democrat Yea
Smith, Bob Democrat Yea
Stack, Brian P. Democrat Yea
Timberlake, Britnee N. Democrat Yea
Turner, Shirley K. Democrat Yea
Vitale, Joseph F. Democrat Yea
Wimberly, Benjie E. Democrat Yea
Zwicker, Andrew Democrat Yea
Amato Jr., Carmen F. Republican Yea
Bramnick, Jon M. Republican Yea
Bucco, Anthony M. Republican Yea
Corrado, Kristin M. Republican Yea
Henry, Owen Republican Yea
Holzapfel, James W. Republican Yea
O'Scanlon Jr., Declan J. Republican Yea
Pennacchio, Joseph Republican Yea
Polistina, Vincent J. Republican Yea
Schepisi, Holly T. Republican Yea
Singer, Robert W. Republican Yea
Space, Parker Republican Yea
Steinhardt, Douglas J. Republican Yea
Testa Jr., Michael L. Republican Yea
Tiver, Latham Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 1343 do?
County fire academy course-req districts award high school graduation credits
Who sponsors S 1343?
S 1343 is sponsored by Gopal, Vin (Democrat), Timberlake, Britnee N. (Democrat), Bucco, Anthony M. (Republican), and Pennacchio, Joseph (Republican).
What is the current status of S 1343?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced January 13, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 1343?
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