Senator Sikola, sponsor of House Bill 33 with House Amendment 1, told the Senate Health and Social Services Committee the bill would “amend Title 6, streamline the judicial process and provide a swift and local resolution for certain offenses.” The measure would give Newark’s alderman’s court concurrent jurisdiction with the Court of Common Pleas and other courts for specified violations related to possessing, using or publicly consuming marijuana or THC-containing products while retaining family court jurisdiction for people under 18.

The bill does not change penalties, Sikola said, and “Newark will only keep the court security fee.” James D'Shane of Blue Hen Strategies, testifying for the City of Newark, told the committee the court security fee is $10 and “it is used to pay for bailiffs and security.” He said Newark City Council and the Newark Police Department support the change because it shortens travel and delays for residents and campus students and reduces backlog at higher courts.

Sikola said courts and agencies including the Department of Justice and others reviewed the bill and raised no objections; he also noted the House previously approved the bill on a 37‑yes, two‑thirds threshold and recorded four absences in that vote. Committee members asked about the size of fees redirected to Newark and about how the change would operate in practice; Sikola and the city witness said the bill does not create new crimes and is intended to move existing violation cases into a local forum to reduce case delays. The sponsor cited 2022 figures he said were reported to him: 8,876 citations issued in Newark that year and 2,367 cases finalized through the alderman’s court.

No formal committee action or recorded vote on HB 33 appears in the transcript. Committee members indicated they had their questions answered and moved on to the next agenda item.