The bill passed the assembly 71-1 with five abstentions and 30-0 in the senate. The bill now makes it way to Gov. Chris Christie, who has not said whether he will sign it.
According to Garden State Equality, which advocated for the bill, the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights protects all students bullied for any reason. The legislation maintains the language of New Jersey's existing antibullying law, enacted in 2002, which enumerates protection of students based on their actual or perceived race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and has clear language protecting students bullied for any other reason.
Among its many far-reaching provisions, Garden State Equality reports that the bill is the first in the country to set firm deadlines for bullying incidents to be reported, investigated, and resolved. It also creates an antibullying team at each school led by a specialist, and grades every school on its antibullying efforts and requires that the school post the grade on its website.