A4979 —

A4979 ACD1R Statement[First 6/16/21Reprint] ASSEMBLY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND AFFAIRS COMMITTEE   STATEMENT TO   ASSEMBLY, No.

4979  STATE withOF committeeNEW amendmentsJERSEY 219th LEGISLATURE   STATEINTRODUCED OFNOVEMBER NEW12, JERSEY2020   DATED:  Sponsored by:

 JUNEAssemblyman  16,VINCENT 2021MAZZEO  District      2 The(Atlantic) AssemblyAssemblyman  CommunityJOHN DevelopmentARMATO andDistrict Affairs2 Committee(Atlantic) reportsAssemblyman  favorablyBRIAN andBERGEN withDistrict committee25 amendments(Morris Assemblyand BillSomerset) No.  Co-Sponsored by:

4979.Assemblywomen Jasey, Jimenez, Murphy, Assemblyman Mejia, Assemblywomen Chaparro, Vainieri Huttle, Assemblyman McKeon, Assemblywoman N.Munoz, Assemblymen Catalano, McGuckin, Assemblywoman DiMaso, Assemblymen Moriarty, Johnson, Scharfenberger, Spearman, Stanley, Assemblywoman Timberlake, Assemblymen Karabinchak and Mukherji         SYNOPSIS      Establishes immunity relating to COVID-19 spread in planned real estate developments.

       AsCURRENT amendedVERSION byOF theTEXT committee,     thisAs billreported wouldby provide immunity from civil liability to a planned real estate development for damages arising from a COVID-19 exposure or transmission on the premisesAssembly ofCommunity aDevelopment planned real estate development, so long as the planned real estate development has prominently displayed a warning, described in the bill, at the entrance of any communal space       This immunity would not apply to acts or omissions constituting a crime, actual fraud, actual malice, gross negligence, recklessness, or willful misconduct.  Nothing in the bill would be construed to limit or modify any claim for relief under the State’s workers’ compensation law.  The bill would take effect immediately, and wouldAffairs expireCommittee on theJune first16, day2021, ofwith calendaramendments. year 2022.

        AsAn amendedAct byestablishing theimmunity committee,relating thisto billCOVID-19 isspread identicalin toplanned Senatereal Billestate No.developments 1[and supplementing Title 2A of the New Jersey Statutes]1.

3584,  as     thatBe billIt wasEnacted amended and reported by the committeeSenate onand thisGeneral date. Assembly  of COMMITTEEthe AMENDMENTSState       The committee amendments specify that a real estate development is immune from civil liability for exposure or transmission of COVID-19New onJersey: its premises, so long as there is a specific warning sign in communal spaces;

clarify  that     1.  a.  1[Any illness, injury, death, or other] A planned real estate development shall be immune from civil liability for1 damages arising from, or related to, an exposure to, or transmission of, COVID-19 on the billpremises shouldof 1[a] the1 planned real estate development 1[shall not begive construedrise to limitany orcause modifyof action.] , so long as the planned real estate development has prominently displayed at the entrance of any claimcommunal forspace reliefshared underby the State’splanned workers’real compensationestate law;development’s residents and their guests, such as pools, gyms, and clubhouses, a sign stating the following warning:

and“ANY requirePERSON thatENTERING theTHE provisionsPREMISES ofWAIVES theALL billCIVIL wouldLIABILITY expireAGAINST onTHE thePLANNED firstREAL dayESTATE ofDEVELOPMENT calendarFOR yearDAMAGES 2022. ARISING FROM, OR RELATED TO, AN EXPOSURE TO, OR TRANSMISSION OF, COVID-19 ON THE PREMISES, EXCEPT FOR ACTS OR OMISSIONS CONSTITUTING A CRIME, ACTUAL FRAUD, ACTUAL MALICE, GROSS NEGLIGENCE, RECKLESSNESS, OR WILLFUL MISCONDUCT.”1      b.    The immunity provided pursuant to subsection a.

of this section shall not apply to acts or omissions constituting a crime, actual fraud, actual malice, gross negligence, recklessness, or willful misconduct.

     c.  1Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or modify any claim for relief under the workers’ compensation law, R.S.34:15-1 et seq.

     d.1   As used in this section:

     “COVID-19” means the coronavirus disease 2019, as announced by the World Health Organization on February 11, 2020, and first identified in Wuhan, China.

     “Planned real estate development” means the same as that term is defined in section 3 of P.L.1977, c.419 (C.45:22A-23).

       2.    This act shall take effect immediately 1and shall expire on the first day of calendar year 20221.