STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman BENJIE E. WIMBERLY
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes "Guaranteed Income Pilot Program" in DOLWD for residents of certain cities.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act establishing a "Guaranteed Income Pilot Program" for residents of certain cities.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development shall establish a "Guaranteed Income Pilot Program" to study the effect of unconditional disbursement of funds on individual spending habits and on the economic circumstances in the municipality in which the individual resides. The pilot program shall operate for a period of two years.
b. The program shall select at random 500 residents of each city as participants, provided that no participant shall have reported an annual household income of greater than $80,000 in the previous year. There may not be more than one selected individual in a household. No other criteria shall be necessary for receipt of the funds provided by the pilot program.
c. The pilot program shall provide its recipients with $500 per month for eighteen months.
d. The pilot program shall be established in the cities of Paterson, Passaic City, Jersey City, Plainfield, Newark, Trenton, and Camden.
2. The Department of the Treasury, in consultation with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, shall study economic data from the cities affected by the pilot program, and collect voluntary survey data from the participants in the pilot program regarding their spending habits and personal financial situation, as well as any other data or information relevant to the pilot program that they see fit to gather, and shall submit a report with findings and recommendations to the Governor and to the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), no later than the first day of the tenth month following the conclusion of the two-year pilot program.
3. The commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations in accordance with the "Administrative Procedures Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) to effectuate the provisions of this act.
4. This act shall take
effect on the first day of the fourth month next following the date of
enactment, but the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development may take
such anticipatory administrative action in advance thereof as shall be
necessary for the implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a "Guaranteed Income Pilot Program" in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. This pilot program is to study the effect of unconditional disbursement of funds on individual spending habits and on the economic status of the municipality in which the individual resides. The pilot program shall operate for a period of two years. It shall provide its recipients with $500 per month for eighteen months.
The pilot program shall be established in the cities of Paterson, Passaic City, Jersey City, Plainfield, Newark, Trenton, and Camden. The program shall select at random 500 residents of each city as participants, provided that no participant shall have reported an annual household income of greater than $80,000 in the previous year, and provided that there is not more than one selected individual per household. No other criteria shall be necessary for receipt of the funds provided by the pilot program.
The Department of the Treasury, in consultation with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, shall study economic data from the cities affected by the pilot program, and collect voluntary survey data from the participants in the pilot program regarding their spending habits and personal financial situation, as well as any other data or information relevant to the pilot program that they see fit to gather, and shall submit a report with findings and recommendations to the Governor and to the Legislature no later than the first day of the tenth month following the conclusion of the two-year pilot program.