New Jersey Assembly Bill ACR61

New Jersey 2026-2027 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/13/26
• Refer: 1/13/26

Caption

Respectfully urges Congress to appropriate emergency funds for and increase staffing at facilities supporting Newark Liberty International Airport.

Summary

ACR61 is a New Jersey concurrent resolution that does not change state law directly, but instead formally urges the United States Congress to take federal action on air traffic control conditions affecting Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). The resolution calls for emergency federal funding to modernize air traffic control infrastructure serving the region and to increase staffing at facilities that support EWR. The resolution is grounded in concerns about repeated radar and communications outages, flight delays and cancellations, ground stops, and the strain caused by a nationwide air traffic controller shortage. It emphasizes that EWR is a major transportation hub for New Jersey and argues that the federal government should act quickly because long-term FAA modernization plans will take years to implement.

Impact

Because ACR61 is a concurrent resolution, it has no direct regulatory or fiscal effect on New Jersey statutes, agencies, or private parties. Its practical impact is advisory and political: it places the Legislature on record supporting emergency federal investment in air traffic control systems and staffing tied to Newark Liberty International Airport, and it directs copies of the resolution to congressional leaders, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the FAA, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and New Jersey’s congressional delegation.

Sentiment

The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text is strongly supportive of urgent federal intervention. The resolution presents the issue as a public safety, economic continuity, and mobility concern, and it frames modernization and staffing increases as necessary and overdue. No committee testimony or vote record is provided, so there is no recorded opposition or amendment activity in the available materials.

Contention

The main point of contention is not within state law but in the policy approach to addressing EWR’s operational problems. The resolution argues for immediate emergency funding and staffing increases now, while acknowledging that the federal government has already announced a longer-term air traffic control modernization plan. The tension is between short-term emergency relief and the slower federal timeline for system-wide upgrades, as well as between the need for more controllers and the reality of a nationwide staffing shortage. No specific in-state opponents or dissenting legislators are identified in the provided record.