New Jersey State Senate
General Information
Party control:	Democrat
Session start:	January 13, 2026
Session end:	December 31, 2026
Term length:	2-4-4 year system
Term limits:	None
Redistricting:	Commission
Salary:	$49,000/year
Members
Total:	40
Democrats:	25
Republicans:	15
Other:	0
Vacancies:	0
Leadership
President:	Nicholas Scutari (D)
Maj. Leader:	Teresa Ruiz (New Jersey) (D)
Min. Leader:	Anthony M. Bucco (R)
Elections
Last election:	November 7, 2023
Next election:	November 2, 2027

TheNew Jersey State Senate is theupper chamber of theNew Jersey State Legislature. Alongside theNew Jersey General Assembly, it forms the legislative branch of the New Jersey state government and works alongside thegovernor of New Jersey to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the New Jersey State Senate include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The New Jersey State Senate meets in the State House inTrenton, New Jersey.

This page contains the following information on the New Jersey State Senate.

• Which partycontrols the chamber
• The chamber'scurrent membership
• Partisan control of the chamberover time
• Elections in the chamber and how vacancies are filled
• Adistrict map
• Howredistricting works in the state
• Legislation currently under consideration
• Legislative session dates
• Legislative procedures, such as veto overrides and the state budget process
• A list ofcommittees

Party control

Current partisan control

The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the New Jersey State Senate as of February 2026:

Members

Leadership

At the organizational meeting, the Senate elects a president, president pro tempore, and secretary, with each requiring 21 or more votes for approval. The Senate then appoints by resolution the other officers.^[1][2]

Leadership and members

• Senate president:Nicholas Scutari (D)
• President pro tem:Shirley Turner (D)
• Majority leader:Teresa Ruiz (New Jersey) (D)
• Minority leader:Anthony M. Bucco (R)

Salaries

See also:Comparison of state legislative salaries

Swearing in dates

See also:When state legislators assume office after a general election

New Jersey legislators assume office at noon on the second Tuesday in January following the election.^[4]

Membership qualifications

See also:State legislature candidate requirements by state

In order to qualify as a candidate for the New Jersey State Senate, a candidate must:^[5]

• Be a citizen of the United States
• Be 30 years of age or older by the day of swearing in
• Be a registered voter
• Reside in the state for a minimum of four years prior to the general election
• Reside in the legislative district for one year prior to the general election

Historical party control

Democrats won control of the New Jersey State Senate in 2003. In2023, they won a 25-15 majority.

The table below shows the partisan history of the New Jersey Senate following every general election from 1991 to 2023. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin'sParty Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

Trifecta history

Astate government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Between 1992 and 2023 New Jersey was under the following types of trifecta control:

• Democratic trifecta: 2004-2009, 2018-2023
• Republican trifecta: 1994-2001
• Divided government: 1992-1993, 2002-2003, 2010-2017

Elections

Elections by year

New Jersey's state senators are not subject toterm limits. They serve four-year terms, except in the first term of a new decade, which only lasts for two years. New Jersey holds elections for its legislature in odd years.

Four states,Louisiana,Mississippi,New Jersey andVirginia hold their state legislative elections in odd-numbered years. New Jersey began holding elections in odd-numbered years when the state adopted a newconstitution in 1947. Prior to the new constitution, members of theAssembly were elected to one-year terms, members of the Senate to three-year terms andgovernors to three-year terms. The new constitution changed the term structure to include two years for representatives and four-year terms for senators and governors. Because the constitution was adopted in an odd-numbered year, elections were also held in odd-numbered years and have continued in such a manner to this day.^[6]

2027

See also:New Jersey State Senate elections, 2027

Elections for theNew Jersey State Senate will take place in 2027. The general election is onNovember 2, 2027.

2023

See also:New Jersey State Senate elections, 2023

Elections for theNew Jersey State Senate took place in 2023. The general election was on November 7, 2023. A primary was June 6, 2023. The filing deadline was March 27, 2023.

2021

See also:New Jersey State Senate elections, 2021

Elections for theNew Jersey State Senate took place in 2021. The primary was on June 8, 2021, and the general election was on November 2. The filing deadline for candidates was April 5, 2021.^[7]

Heading into the election, Democrats held a 25-14 majority with one vacancy. Democrats lost one seat in the election and decreased their majority to 24-16.

2017

See also:New Jersey State Senate elections, 2017

Elections for theNew Jersey State Senate took place in 2017. All40 seats were up for election. The general election took place onNovember 7, 2017. A primary election took place onJune 6, 2017. Thefiling deadline for the primary election wasApril 3, 2017.^[8][9]

Heading into the election, Democrats held a 24-16 majority. Democrats gained one seat in the election and increased their majority to 25-15.

Vacancies

See also:How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in theNew Jersey State Legislature, the vacancy will be filled by an interim appointment by the county leadership of the political party that holds the seat. The office will be on the ballot in the next general election, unless the vacancy occurs within 51 days of the election. If that is the case, the appointment would stand until the following general election.^[14][15]

See sources:New Jersey Const., Art. IV, Sec. IV(1)

District map

See also:New Jersey state legislative districts

The state of New Jersey has 40 legislative districts. Senators are elected from the same legislative districts as are members of the New Jersey General Assembly. Each district elects two assembly members but only one senator.

Use the interactive map below to find your district.

Redistricting

See also:Redistricting in New Jersey

In New Jersey, congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by two distinct politician commissions. The congressional redistricting commission comprises the following 13 members:^[16]

1. The majority and minority leaders of each chamber of theNew Jersey State Legislature appoint two commissioners a piece (for a total of eight members).
2. The chairs of the state's two major political parties each appoint two members to the commission (for a total of four members). Commissioners appointed by the political parties cannot be members of Congress or congressional employees.
3. The first 12 commissioners appoint the last member. This member cannot have held public office in the state within the previous five-year period. If the first 12 commissioners cannot agree on an appointment, they must submit two names to theNew Jersey Supreme Court. The court must then appoint the final commissioner.

If the congressional redistricting commission fails to reach an agreement about a redistricting plan, it must submit two plans to the state Supreme Court, which must in turn select from those two plans a final map.^[16]

The state legislative redistricting commission comprises 10 members. The chairs of the state's two major political parties each appoint five members to the commission. In the event that this commission is unable to reach an agreement about a redistricting plan, the state Supreme Court may appoint a tie-breaking member.^[16]

State law requires that state legislative districts meet the following criteria:^[16]

1. Districts must be contiguous.
2. Districts "must be as nearly compact as possible."
3. Municipalities "must be kept intact, except where otherwise required by law."

There are no such requirements in place for congressional districts.^[16]

2020

See also:Redistricting in New Jersey after the 2020 census

On February 18, 2022, the New Jersey Legislative Reapportionment Commission voted to approve a new set of state legislative maps.^[17] The commission voted 9-2 to approve the maps.Thomas Kean Jr. (R) and Cosmo A. Cirillo (D) were the two dissenting votes.^[18] TheNew Jersey Monitor's Nikita Biryukov wrote that the vote was "an unprecedented compromise for a commission that has historically relied on a court-appointed tiebreaker to end partisan gridlock."^[17] These maps took effect for New Jersey's 2023 legislative elections.

District map after 2020 redistricting

Click here to view the enacted map. This map took effect for New Jersey's 2023 legislative elections.

2010

See also:Redistricting in New Jersey after the 2010 census

New Jersey received its local census data on February 3, 2011, the state's population grew five percent from 2000 to 2010.^[19][20]

The Redistricting Commission had 60 days to decide on a map after receiving its local census data. With the commission unable to agree on a map within 30 days, Rutgers law professor Alan Rosenthal was appointed as the nonpartisan 11th member of the commission as required by state law When a compromise could not be reached, he cast the tie-breaking vote to approve a new map on April 3, 2011.^[21]

Sessions

Legislation

The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the New Jersey State Senate has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by the House and signed by the governor after its passage in the Senate. The table below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read the bill text and see its voting history. Click the headings to sort the content. Rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Click the magnifying glass in the bottom left corner to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated byBillTrack50.

Dates of legislative sessions in New Jersey by year

2025

See also:2025 New Jersey legislative session andDates of 2025 state legislative sessions

In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 14, 2025, and adjourn on January 12, 2025.

Click [show] for past years' session dates.

2024 See also:2024 New Jersey legislative session andDates of 2024 state legislative sessions In 2024, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 9, 2024, and adjourn on December 19, 2024. 2023 See also:2023 New Jersey legislative session andDates of 2023 state legislative sessions In 2023, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 10, 2023, and adjourn on January 8, 2024. 2022 See also:2022 New Jersey legislative session andDates of 2022 state legislative sessions In 2022, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 11, 2022, and adjourn on December 31, 2022. 2021 See also:2021 New Jersey legislative session andDates of 2021 state legislative sessions In 2021, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 4, 2021, and adjourn on January 11, 2022. 2020 See also:2020 New Jersey legislative session andDates of 2020 state legislative sessions In 2020, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 14, 2020, and adjourn on December 17, 2020. Effect of coronavirus pandemic See also:Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020 Coronavirus pandemic Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more. Political responses overviewState reopening plansDocumenting America's Path to RecoveryElection changesChanges to vote-by-mail and absentee voting proceduresFederal responsesState responsesState executive ordersStay-at-home ordersMultistate agreementsNon-governmental reopening plansEvictions and foreclosures policiesTravel restrictionsEnacted state legislationState legislative session changesSchool closuresState court closuresInmate releasesLocal government responsesDiagnosed or quarantined politiciansBallot measure changesArguments about government responsesThe 1918 influenza pandemicPandemic Response Accountability CommitteeUnemployment filingsLawsuitsBallotpedia's polling on the coronavirus pandemicSubmit Several state legislatures had their sessions impacted as a result of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. 2019 See also:2019 New Jersey legislative session andDates of 2019 state legislative sessions In 2019, the legislature was in session from January 9, 2019, through January 14, 2020. 2018 See also:2018 New Jersey legislative session andDates of 2018 state legislative sessions In 2018, the legislature was in session from January 9, 2018, through January 8, 2019. To read about notable events and legislation from this session, clickhere. 2017 See also:Dates of 2017 state legislative sessions In 2017, the legislature was in session from January 10, 2017, through January 9, 2018. Click [show] to read about the 2017 partial government shutdown. New Jersey's three-day partial government shutdown came to an end on July 4, 2017, after Gov.Chris Christie (R) signed a $34.7 billionstate budget into law.[22] The New Jersey government went into a partial shutdown on July 1, 2017, after Democratic leadership in the Legislature and Christie failed to reach an agreement over the budget by the start of the new fiscal year. New Jersey last experienced a partial government shutdown in 2006. The budget impasse in 2017 centered on a proposal by Christie to restructure Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, the state's largest health insurance company. Christie said he would not sign the budget, which included over $325 million in funding for Democratic priorities, unless it included the Horizon legislation. Both Christie and Senate PresidentStephen Sweeney (D) were in favor of including legislation in the state budget that would allow for more government oversight of the insurance provider. The legislation would have also required Horizon to dedicate its excess surplus to fund drug treatment programs. Assembly SpeakerVincent Prieto (D) opposed the legislation, arguing that it could increase premiums for Horizon's policyholders. Fearing that Christie might line-item veto Democratic-backed proposals in the budget if the Horizon legislation was not included, many members of the Legislature abstained from voting on the budget which led to the shutdown.[23] On July 3, 2017, the Legislature and Christie reached an agreement to end the shutdown but the legislation was not signed until the early morning of June 4, 2017. The $34.7 billion budget included increased spending for education and healthcare and also established a cap on Horizon's reserves. Instead of the excess surplus going to fund drug treatment programs, the budget required the money to be used to limit future premium increases for Horizon's 3.8 million policyholders. The legislation also added two public members to Horizon's board.[24] TheAssembly voted 53-23 in favor of the budget, while thestate Senate backed it 21-14.[24] 2016 See also:Dates of 2016 state legislative sessions In 2016, the legislature was in session from January 12 through January 10, 2017. 2015 See also:Dates of 2015 state legislative sessions In 2015, the legislature was in session from January 13 through January 11, 2016. Major issues in 2015 Major issues in the 2015 legislative session included pension reform, funding the Transportation Trust Fund, property taxes, and bills aimed at improving the economic climate in Atlantic City after the closing of three casinos in a short span of time.[25] 2014 See also:Dates of 2014 state legislative sessions In 2014, the legislature was in session from January 14 through January 12, 2015. Major issues in 2014 Major issues in the 2014 legislative session included lowering property taxes, establishing the "Hurricane Sandy Bill of Rights," pay equity for women, funding for women’s health care, and making college more affordable.[26] 2013 See also:Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions In 2013, the legislature was in session from January 10, 2013, to January 13, 2014. Major issues in 2013 Major issues in the 2013 legislative session included rebuilding the state after superstorm Sandy and gun control.[27] 2012 See also:Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions In 2012, the legislature was in session from January 10, 2012, to January 9, 2013. 2011 In 2011, the legislature was in session from January 12, 2011, to January 9, 2012.[28] 2010 In 2010, the legislature convened on January 12, and remained in session throughout the year.[29]

About legislative sessions in New Jersey

TheTenth Amendment of theU.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.^[30] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions,legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

Article IV of the New Jersey Constitution establishes when theNew Jersey State Legislature, of which the Senate is a part, is to be in session. Section 1 of Article IV states that each annual session is to begin on the second Tuesday of January. The session does not end until the beginning of the next annual session or until the Legislature chooses to adjourn.

Section 1 also allows for special sessions of the Legislature to be called by theGovernor of New Jersey or by a majority of the members of each legislative house.

Legislative roles and procedures

Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includesveto overrides,the role of the legislature in the state budget,procedures for filling membership vacancies, andredistricting.

Veto overrides

See also:Veto overrides in state legislatures

State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in New Jersey are listed below.

How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members in both chambers.

How can vetoes be overridden after the legislature has adjourned?

Authority:Article V, Section 1 of theNew Jersey Constitution.

Role in state budget

See also:New Jersey state budget and finances

New Jerseyon

Check outBallotpedia articles about policy in your state on:

Budgets •Civil liberties •Education •Elections •Energy •Environment •Healthcare •Pensions

The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:^[31]

1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies inSeptember.
2. State agency requests are submitted inOctober.
3. Thegovernor submits his or her proposed budget to theNew Jersey State Legislatureon or before the fourth Tuesday in February.^[32]
4. The legislature adopts a budget on or beforeJune 30. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.
5. The fiscal year beginsJuly 1.

New Jersey is one of 44 states in which the governor hasline item veto authority.^[31][33]

The governor is constitutionally required to submit a balanced budget. In turn, the legislature is also constitutionally required to pass a balanced budget.^[31]

Committees

See also:List of committees in New Jersey state government

Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

• Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
• Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
• Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The New Jersey State Senate has 16 standing committees:

Constitutional amendments

In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process forreferring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states,initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are alsomany other types of statewide measures.

The methods in which the New Jersey Constitution can be amended:

See also:Article IX of the New Jersey Constitution andLaws governing ballot measures in New Jersey

The New Jersey Constitution provides for a legislative process to amend the state constitution.

Legislature

See also:Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

The New Jersey Constitution provides two legislative methods for referring a constitutional amendment to the ballot. First, the legislature can refer an amendment to the ballot through a 60% vote of both chambers during one legislative session. That amounts to a minimum of 48 votes in theNew Jersey General Assembly and 24 votes in theNew Jersey State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Second, the legislature can refer an amendment through a simple majority vote (50%+1) in each legislative chamber during two successive legislative sessions. That amounts to a minimum of 41 votes in theNew Jersey General Assembly and 21 votes in theNew Jersey State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

See also

Elections	New Jersey State Government	State Legislatures	State Politics
New Jersey State Senate elections, 2023 New Jersey State Senate elections, 2021 New Jersey State Senate elections, 2017 New Jersey State Senate elections, 2013	New Jersey State Legislature New Jersey General Assembly Governor of New Jersey New Jersey Supreme Court	State legislative elections:2024,2023,2022,2021,2020,2019, and2018	State government trifectas State government triplexes State executives State courts Ballot measures The State Legislative Decade

External links

• New Jersey State Legislature

Footnotes

	v • e State ofNew Jersey Trenton (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? |Elections in 2026 |How to vote |How to run for office |Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? |U.S. President |U.S. Congress |Federal courts |State executives |State legislature |State and local courts |Counties |Cities |School districts |Public policy