---
type: "Bill"
title: "Authorizes all licensed health care facilities and laboratories to collect specimens to test for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); allows waiver of staffing ratio requirements."
description: "Authorizes all licensed health care facilities and laboratories to collect specimens to test for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); allows waiver of staffing ratio requirements."
jurisdiction: "us/states/nj"
legislature: "New Jersey Legislature"
session: "219"
identifier: "A 3854"
citation: "New Jersey A 3854 (219)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["DISEASE", "HEALTH FAC"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Addiego, Dawn Marie", "Benson, Daniel R.", "Brown, Chris A.", "Conaway, Herb", "Cruz-Perez, Nilsa I.", "Gill, Nia H.", "Greenstein, Linda R.", "Holzapfel, James W.", "Kean, Thomas H.", "Munoz, Nancy F.", "O'Scanlon, Declan J.", "Ruiz, M. Teresa", "Singer, Robert W.", "Vitale, Joseph F."]
version_count: 1
action_count: 7
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2020-03-16T04:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2020-03-20T04:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/ab8d1e0a-9431-4577-a5da-4a95fba1cc3f"
source_url: "http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/downloads.asp"
source_hash: "e6cf5aa6c110c25ed6fed6d19918e43efc754f9f72fc29280a7acc1245faefdf"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-nj"]
---

# New Jersey A 3854 (219) — Authorizes all licensed health care facilities and laboratories to collect specimens to test for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); allows waiver of staffing ratio requirements.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2020/Bills/A4000/3854_I1.HTM)

## Votes

- 3RDG FINAL PASSAGE — **65–0** (pass) · lower
- 3RDG FINAL PASSAGE — **34–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Addiego, Dawn Marie — primary (person)
- Benson, Daniel R. — primary (person)
- Brown, Chris A. — primary (person)
- Conaway, Herb — primary (person)
- Cruz-Perez, Nilsa I. — primary (person)
- Gill, Nia H. — primary (person)
- Greenstein, Linda R. — primary (person)
- Holzapfel, James W. — primary (person)
- Kean, Thomas H. — primary (person)
- Munoz, Nancy F. — primary (person)
- O'Scanlon, Declan J. — primary (person)
- Ruiz, M. Teresa — primary (person)
- Singer, Robert W. — primary (person)
- Vitale, Joseph F. — primary (person)
- DiMaso, Serena — cosponsor (person)
- Downey, Joann — cosponsor (person)
- Freiman, Roy — cosponsor (person)
- Giblin, Thomas P. — cosponsor (person)
- Jasey, Mila M. — cosponsor (person)
- Jimenez, Angelica M. — cosponsor (person)
- McKnight, Angela V. — cosponsor (person)
- Mejia, Pedro — cosponsor (person)
- Reynolds-Jackson, Verlina — cosponsor (person)
- Stack, Brian P. — cosponsor (person)
- Timberlake, Britnee N. — cosponsor (person)
- Zwicker, Andrew — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2020-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** Introduced, 1st Reading without Reference, 2nd Reading `introduction`
- **2020-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** Emergency Resolution (63-0-0) (Greenwald)
- **2020-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** Passed Assembly (65-0-0) `passage`
- **2020-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** Received in the Senate without Reference, 2nd Reading
- **2020-03-19T04:00:00+00:00** Substituted for S2286
- **2020-03-19T04:00:00+00:00** Passed Senate (Passed Both Houses) (34-0) `passage`
- **2020-03-20T04:00:00+00:00** Approved P.L.2020, c.13. `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/ab8d1e0a-9431-4577-a5da-4a95fba1cc3f`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official New Jersey legislature records).