A comprehensive bill to reform the state’s Fair Housing Act and affordable housing policy is scheduled for a hearing before the Assembly Appropriations Committee tomorrow , Thursday , January 4 .  
   Assembly bill A - 4was introduced on December 18 and reported favorably out of the Assembly Housing Committee on December 21 . With A - 4 being scheduled for a hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee , this tees up the possibility of a vote in the full Assembly on Monday , January 8 , the last day of the legislative session .
   A - 4’s Senate counterpart ,
   S - 4251has been introduced and referred to the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee . The Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee is scheduled to meet tomorrow , but S - 4251 is not currently on the Committee’s agenda .   
   The legislation would eliminate the Council on Affordable Housing ( COAH ) , which has been declared moribund by the State Supreme Court . COAH would be replaced by an “Affordable Housing Dispute Resolution Program” to be created within the Administrative Office of the Courts . The Affordable Housing Dispute Resolution program would take over the process of administrative review of municipal affordable housing plans that was once done by COAH .
   The bill creates a two - year timeline with the goal of having all municipalities adopt final fair share plans and housing elements by January 31 , 2026 .  
   The bill would create a statutory formula to determine municipal obligations based on the
   “Jacobsen Opinion” ( IMO the Application of the Municipality of Princeton and IMO West Windsor Twp . )
    .  
   There would be three “special masters” appointed in the North , Central , and South regions . The special masters would be required to determine the regional need and calculate the affordable housing obligations for each municipality . The obligations adopted by the special master would act as guidelines for a municipality . Each municipality , however , would be free to diverge from the special master’s calculation if local factors exist that make it unreasonable .   
   The League is still reviewing this legislation and we hope to have a more comprehensive breakdown of the bill available to our members soon .  
   If you plan to submit testimony or testify at the Assembly Appropriations Committee hearing scheduled for 12 p . m . on January 4 , we ask that you reach out in advance to League Associate Counsel , Frank Marshall , Esq . , to share your comments .  
   Contacts: Michael Cerra , Executive Director ,
   mcerra@njlm . orgor 609 - 695 - 3481 ext . 120 or Frank Marshall , Associate General Counsel ,
   fmarshall@njlm . orgor 609 - 695 - 3481 ext . 137
   

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