New Jersey 222nd Legislature Status: Introduced Bipartisan · 1 R · 1 D cosponsors

SR 72 — Recognizes open water lifeguards as first responders and emergency services providers.

Last action — FSS

  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 February 05, 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

Stalled 30% · moderate confidence

  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 2 sponsors

    2 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (1 R · 1 D) — cross-party backing.

  • Mixed recorded votes

    1 passed, 1 failed in 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

The bill recognizes open water lifeguards as first responders and emergency services providers.

This bill officially classifies open water lifeguards in the same category as first responders and emergency services providers. It acknowledges their role in emergency situations and emphasizes their importance in public safety.

Summary

Open water lifeguards-recognize as first responders & emergency svcs providers

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

10 added · 11 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendment changes the text by specifying that copies of the resolution should be sent to the United States Lifesaving Association instead of just the NJ Lifeguard and the American Lifeguard Association. This matters because it broadens the scope of the outreach to include a national organization, potentially enhancing recognition and support for open-water lifeguards as first responders across a larger audience.

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Previous
Latest
SR72 SENATE RESOLUTION No.
SR72 1R [First Reprint] SENATE RESOLUTION No.
Senator  VIN GOPAL District 11 (Monmouth)         SYNOPSIS      Recognizes open water lifeguards as first responders and emergency services providers.
Senator  VIN GOPAL District 11 (Monmouth) Senator  CARMEN F.
  CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT      As introduced.
AMATO, JR.
District 9 (Ocean)         SYNOPSIS      Recognizes open water lifeguards as first responders and emergency services providers.
  CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT      As reported by the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee on June 11, 2026, with amendments.
      2.
       2.    Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to 1[NJ Lifeguard and the American Lifeguard Association] the United States Lifesaving Association1. 
    Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to NJ Lifeguard and the American Lifeguard Association.
    STATEMENT        This resolution recognizes the work of open-water lifeguards as first responders and emergency service providers due to their training and in carrying out their duties, risk their lives to respond and attend to victims.
It notes lifeguards in other countries where they are recognized as emergency responders are eligible for programs which first responders are entitled.
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View plain text versions (2)
  • Amended View text Current html June 12, 2026
  • Introduced View text html February 06, 2026

Action History

  1. FSS

  2. PS FILE

  3. REP/SCA 2RS

  4. INT 1RS REF SLP

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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2 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 118 not signed on

Sponsors (2)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (118)

118 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 118 →

"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

Subjects

public-safety
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 SR 72 do?
Open water lifeguards-recognize as first responders & emergency svcs providers
Who sponsors SR 72?
SR 72 is sponsored by Amato Jr., Carmen F. (Republican) and Gopal, Vin (Democrat).
What is the current status of SR 72?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced February 05, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SR 72?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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