TRENTON, N.J. – A new bill introduced in the New Jersey Assembly aims to permanently eliminate the requirement that unvaccinated state employees undergo regular COVID-19 testing, marking another step toward rolling back pandemic-era workplace policies.
Assembly Bill 720, sponsored by Assemblyman Michael Torrissi Jr. of the 8th District, with Assemblyman Gregory P. McGuckin and Assemblywoman Marilyn Piperno Flynn as co-sponsors, would prohibit any state agency or department from maintaining a policy that requires unvaccinated employees to submit to periodic COVID-19 testing or provide proof of a negative test.
Under the measure, state workers could still choose to test voluntarily, and agencies would retain the authority to require testing of any employee—vaccinated or not—who exhibits COVID-19 symptoms while on the job. The legislation takes immediate effect upon enactment.
The proposal reflects a continued shift away from COVID-19 mitigation mandates as infection rates and emergency measures have declined across the state. Many state departments began easing testing and vaccination rules in recent years, but some policies remained in place for specific employee groups.
Torrissi said the bill is intended to “restore fairness and consistency” for state workers and formally end the last of the pandemic testing mandates that applied only to unvaccinated employees.
Assembly Bill 720 would prohibit state agencies from requiring unvaccinated employees to undergo routine COVID-19 testing, allowing testing only for symptomatic workers or on a voluntary basis.
