Nia H. Gill began her career in government and law over 20 year ago – first, as a Legislative Aide to the late Senator Wynona Lipman and today, as a practicing attorney and New Jersey State Senator. On January 12, 2010, Senator Gill was selected by her Senate colleagues to serve as Senate President Pro Tempore. Prior to being elected to the New Jersey State Senate in November 2001, Senator Gill served four terms in the New Jersey State Assembly. Currently, Senator Gill is the Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, which handles all banking, insurance, regulated professions and consumer affairs issues for the Senate. In addition, Senator Gill is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and is the first African American and the first woman to sit on this Committee. No newcomer to the cause of economic and social change, Senator Gill has sponsored numerous laws that have afforded New Jerseyans greater protections and opportunities.
As Chair of the Commerce Committee, Senator Gill sponsored the law that expanded health insurance coverage for young adults, ages 18 to 30, capturing more than 100,000 uninsured individuals in the State. A version of this provision was recently adopted by Congress in the federal Healthcare Reform Bill. As one of the sponsors of the “New Jersey Micro-Business Credit Act”, Senator Gill was able to assist New Jersey women owned small businesses by providing loans and training to ensure that these businesses have the tools to remain viable in the future. In order to prevent the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New Jersey, Senator Gill authored and fought for the passage of The Blood-borne Disease Harm Reduction Act. Signed into law on December 16, 2006, the Act allows municipalities to establish programs to provide clean syringes under state supervision. In January 2010, The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services released a report recommending the continuation of the state’s five syringe access programs. The report stated that “the program is off to an excellent start and serves a hard-to-reach population with tremendous promise in preventing the transmission of blood-borne pathogens.”
As an advocate for human rights in the State, Senator Gill sponsored the law which made human trafficking a crime in the State of New Jersey, this law is one of the toughest in the nation. In response to the crisis in Dafur, Senator Gill sponsored the law that made New Jersey one of the first two states in the nation to prohibit the investment of state pension funds in companies that conduct business in Sudan. For her actions throughout her tenure as a state legislator, Senator Gill was honored in Selma, Alabama as one of ‘100 women in the 20th Century’ who contributed to the struggle for civil rights. Senator Gill was born in Glen Ridge and raised in Montclair. She is a graduate of Upsala College and Rutgers University School of Law and holds an honorary Doctor of Laws from Essex County College. Senator Gill is also a member of the New Jersey State bar, the federal bar, and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. Ms. Gill is currently a practicing attorney in the Montclair and is a mother and a grandmother. Senator Gill represents the 34th legislative district, which includes Montclair, East Orange, Glen Ridge, Clifton and Woodland Park.