Bill Text: NJ A2348 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Creates task force to study feasibility of paperless Executive Branch of State Government and remote workplace program for Executive Branch employees.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-02-07 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee [A2348 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-A2348-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RAJ MUKHERJI
District 33 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Creates task force to study feasibility of paperless Executive Branch of State Government and remote workplace program for Executive Branch employees.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act creating a task force to study the feasibility of a paperless Executive Branch of State Government and a remote workplace program for Executive Branch employees.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is established in the Department of State a task force to study the feasibility of a paperless Executive Branch of State Government and the feasibility of a remote workplace program for employees of the Executive Branch.
b. The task force shall consist of 15 members as follows:
(1) the Secretary of State, who shall serve ex officio:
(2) the Director of the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell in the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, who shall serve ex officio;
(3) the Chief Technology Officer of the New Jersey Office of Information Technology, who shall serve ex officio;
(4) the Chairman of the New Jersey Building Authority in the Department of the Treasury, who shall serve ex officio;
(5) the Treasurer of the State of New Jersey, who shall serve ex officio;
(6) the Chair of the Civil Service Commission, who shall serve ex officio;
(7) five public members who shall be appointed by the Governor, one with expertise in government information technology, one with expertise in facilities management, one with expertise in employee recruitment, engagement, and retention, one with expertise in cybersecurity, and one with expertise in electronic transaction and management;
(8) one public member appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the President of the Senate, with expertise in government information technology;
(9) one public member appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly, with expertise in electronic transaction and management;
(10) one public member appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the Senate Minority Leader, with expertise in employee recruitment, engagement, and retention; and
(11) one public member appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the Assembly Minority Leader, with expertise in cybersecurity.
c. All appointments to the task force shall be made not later than the 45th day after the effective date of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill). The task force shall convene its first meeting within 30 days following the date on which the majority of its members have been appointed. The members shall elect one of the members to serve as chair and one of the members to serve as vice-chair. The chair and vice-chair shall not be of the same political party. The chair may appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the task force.
d. The task force shall meet at the call of the chair. A meeting of the task force may be called upon the request of eight members of the task force and eight members of the task force shall constitute a quorum at any meeting.
e. The members of the task force, other than those serving ex officio, shall serve for the duration of the existence of the task force. Any vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. The task force members shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties to the extent that funds are available for that purpose.
f. The task force shall be entitled to the assistance and services of the employees of the Department of State, and such other departments and agencies of the Executive Branch, as it may require, and as may be available to it for these purposes including, but not limited to, clerical assistants within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to it for its purposes.
g. The Department of State shall assist the task force in the performance of its duties and provide the task force with studies, data, or other materials relevant to the purposes of the task force.
2. a. The task force shall study the feasibility of a paperless Executive Branch and the feasibility of a program to allow State employees in the Executive Branch to work remotely from an alternative workplace, with the ability to go into the physical office when necessary. The task force shall study the following:
(1) opportunities and risks associated with using electronic applications, registrations, and communications for all Executive Branch transactions;
(2) different types of technology available for the State to develop a paperless Executive Branch and an alternative workplace program;
(3) cybersecurity protections and technology upgrades to State computer systems, networks, software, and hardware across all Executive Branch departments commissions, councils, boards, authorities, offices, and other agencies;
(4) the physical office space utilized in Executive Branch buildings and how the space may be consolidated, leased, repurposed, or sold;
(5) the current state of Executive Branch facilities and any improvements needed including furnishings, supplies, and creation of new, shared work stations, conference rooms, or offices for employees to use when in the physical office;
(6) any cost-benefit analysis concerning all needed technology upgrades and additional purchases;
(7) the best approach to finance the cost of implementation of a paperless Executive Branch and an alternative workplace program;
(8) the potential for employee recruitment, engagement, satisfaction, retention, reduction of stress, and collaboration offered by an alternative workplace;
(9) modifications to current State laws to implement a secure paperless Executive Branch and to implement an alternative workplace program;
(10) summaries of the benefits of a paperless Executive Branch and alternative workplace program for Executive Branch employees; and
(11) any other topic relative to a paperless Executive Branch and an alternative workplace program in the Executive Branch.
b. The task force shall issue an interim report on its activities and progress to the Governor and the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), within six months from the date of its first meeting. The report shall include, but not be limited to, the feasibility and logistics of a paperless Executive Branch of State Government and the feasibility of an alternative workplace program for employees in the Executive Branch, a cost-benefit analysis concerning all needed technology upgrades and additional purchases, a summary of the benefits of a paperless Executive Branch and an alternative workplace program in the Executive Branch, network interoperability, and any other information relevant to the subject of the task force's study. The task force shall issue its final report within one year from the date of its first meeting. The final report shall provide updated information contained in the interim report, and any recommendations for legislation the task force deems necessary.
c. Following the issuance of its final report, the task force shall convene at the call of the chairperson to consider and may respond to any written request submitted to it on any issue, item, or decision set forth in its report.
3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire six months after the issuance of the task force's final report.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a task force to study the feasibility of a paperless Executive Branch of State Government and the feasibility of an alternative workplace program for employees in the Executive Branch. The alternative workplace is a program to allow State employees in the Executive Branch to work remotely from an alternative workplace, with the ability to go into the physical office when necessary. The remote work study required by this bill was prompted by the successful model from Tennessee known as "Alternative Workplace Solutions." The task force will consist of 15 members.
The task force will study:
(1) opportunities and risks associated with using electronic applications, registrations, and communications for all Executive Branch transactions;
(2) different types of technology available for the State to develop a paperless Executive Branch and an alternative workplace program;
(3) cybersecurity protections and technology upgrades to State computer systems, networks, software, and hardware across all Executive Branch departments commissions, councils, boards, authorities, offices, and other agencies;
(4) the physical office space utilized in Executive Branch buildings and how the space may be consolidated, leased, repurposed, or sold;
(5) the current state of Executive Branch facilities and any improvements needed including furnishings, supplies, and creation of new, shared work stations, conference rooms, or offices for employees to use when in the physical office;
(6) any cost-benefit analysis concerning all needed technology upgrades and additional purchases;
(7) the best approach to finance the cost of implementation of a paperless Executive Branch and an alternative workplace program;
(8) the potential for employee recruitment, engagement, satisfaction, retention, reduction of stress, and collaboration offered by an alternative workplace;
(9) modifications to current State laws to implement a secure paperless Executive Branch and to implement an alternative workplace program;
(10) summaries of the benefits of a paperless Executive Branch and an alternative workplace program for Executive Branch employees; and
(11) any other topic relative to a paperless Executive Branch and an alternative workplace program in the Executive Branch.
The task force will issue an interim report on its activities and progress to the Governor and the Legislature within six months from the date of its first meeting. The task force will issue its final report within one year from the date of its first meeting. Following the issuance of its final report, the task force will convene at the call of the chairperson to consider and may respond to any written request submitted to it on any issue, item, or decision set forth in its report. The task force will expire six months after the issuance of the task force's final report.
