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Read. Follow. Verify.New Jersey Bill A711 Requires Public Colleges to Establish Cyber Security and Incident Response Plans
Last action · January 13, 2026: Introduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education CommitteeSponsors: McGuckin, Gregory P. and 6 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Assembly Bill 711 requires public institutions of higher education in New Jersey to create and regularly update comprehensive plans and procedures for enhancing cyber security, preventing s, and reporting breaches to the State. The measure establishes legal definitions for cyber attacks, personal information, and , and takes effect immediately upon enactment.
Public colleges and universities must allocate institutional resources to build, maintain, and regularly update specialized technical frameworks for risk monitoring, threat assessment, breach mitigation, and incident recovery, while establishing mandatory state reporting protocols.
- The New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell was established in 2015 by Executive Order No. 178 as the state's central organization for cyber security information sharing and threat analysis. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
public institution of higher education
Public colleges and universities must establish, update, and implement mandatory cyber security plans, threat monitoring protocols, and incident notification procedures.
New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness
The office receives mandatory notifications from public institutions of higher education regarding cyber attacks against their information technology systems.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Assembly Bill 711 require public colleges to do?
Are phishing attempts considered cyber attacks under this bill?
Who must be notified if a public college experiences a cyber attack?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
1 action- Jan 13, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
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Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Standardized Cyber Incident Reporting
The bill aligns higher education reporting obligations with existing state statutes governing cybersecurity incident notification under P.L.2023, c.19.
Connected Entities
Sources
njleg.state.nj.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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