Bill Text: NJ A1882 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires animal cruelty training for selected assistant county prosecutors and tracking of animal cruelty cases in State uniform crime reporting system; directs AG to issue prosecutor guidelines for animal cruelty cases.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2011-01-06 - Withdrawn from Consideration [A1882 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A1882-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman GORDON M. JOHNSON
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Requires animal cruelty training for selected assistant county prosecutors and tracking of animal cruelty cases in State uniform crime reporting system; directs AG to issue prosecutor guidelines for animal cruelty cases.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing animal cruelty assistant county prosecutors, supplementing Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes and chapter 22 of Title 4 of the Revised Statutes, and amending P.L.1966, c.37.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. (New section) No later than 180 days after the effective date of this act, each county prosecutor shall select one or more of the assistant county prosecutors in that county to be specially trained in matters of animal cruelty, the State animal cruelty laws, and the rules and regulations adopted pursuant thereto. The Attorney General, in consultation with the Humane Society University of the Humane Society of the United States, shall prescribe the required training. The training shall be completed within one year after the date on which the assistant county prosecutor was selected for the training.
2. (New section) The Attorney General shall develop for, and distribute to, each county prosecutor and each municipal prosecutor in the State a checklist of issues to be considered prior to the disposition of an animal cruelty case, similar to the State pleading and practice forms that set forth matters to consider in filing a domestic violence complaint.
3. (New section) The Attorney General may issue any guidelines or adopt, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), any rules or regulations necessary for the implementation of this act.
4. (New section) No county prosecutor, animal cruelty assistant county prosecutor, or municipal prosecutor shall recommend the admission into, or consent to the referral to, a pretrial intervention program of a person who is charged with an animal cruelty offense pursuant to chapter 22 of Title 4 of the Revised Statutes.
5. Section 1 of P.L.1966, c.37 (C.52:17B-5.1) is amended to read as follows:
1. A uniform crime reporting
system shall be established under the direction, control and supervision of the
Attorney General in the Department of Law and Public Safety. The Attorney
General shall have the power and duty, by such rules and regulations as he may
deem necessary, to collect and gather such information from such
local and county police authorities as may be and is hereinafter prescribed in
this act , including, but not limited to, animal cruelty offenses in
violation of chapter 22 of Title 4 of the Revised Statutes.
(cf: P.L.1966, c.37, s.1)
6. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires each county prosecutor to have one or more assistant county prosecutors specially trained in matters of animal cruelty, the State animal cruelty laws, and the rules and regulations adopted pursuant thereto. The bill provides that this training would be prescribed by the Attorney General, in consultation with the Humane Society University of the Humane Society of the United States. The Humane Society University has a prosecutor training program. The bill also requires the Attorney General to issue a checklist for animal cruelty cases for, and distribute them to, county and municipal prosecutors. The bill further requires that the uniform crime reporting system established by P.L.1966, c.37 (C.52:17B-5.1 et seq.) include tracking of animal cruelty offenses and violations. Finally, the bill authorizes the Attorney General to issue guidelines and adopt regulations that may be necessary for implementing the act.
