On September 3, 2025, New Jersey enacted New Jersey Bill No. 4429, which took effect on December 2, 2025. The bill amends state law by expanding prohibitions on employers’ requiring employees to attend or listen to communications concerning political or religious matters, including at mandatory meetings—often referred to as “captive audience” meetings—to cover the decision to join or support a labor organization or association.

Prior to this amendment, New Jersey law prohibited employers from requiring employees to attend captive audience meetings held for the purpose of communicating the employer’s opinion on religious or political matters. The law also prohibited employers from disciplining, penalizing, or retaliating against employees who refuse to attend captive audience meetings that relate primarily to religious or political matters.

Now, as amended, New Jersey law defines “political matters” more broadly to include topics that “relate to an electioneering communication and the employee’s decision to join or support any political party or political, civic, community, fraternal, or labor organization or association.” The prohibition on unlawful disciplining, penalizing, or retaliating is unchanged.

The legislation includes certain exceptions. For example, employers are not prohibited from:

• Holding voluntary meetings where employees are clearly informed they can refuse to attend without penalty;
• Transmitting information that the employer is required by law to...

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