Bill Text: NJ A5515 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes "New Jersey Economic and Fiscal Policy Review Commission" to provide ongoing review of State and local tax structure, economic conditions, and related fiscal issues.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-09-17 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee [A5515 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-A5515-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman DAWN FANTASIA
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes "New Jersey Economic and Fiscal Policy Review Commission" to provide ongoing review of State and local tax structure, economic conditions, and related fiscal issues.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing the "New Jersey Economic and Fiscal Policy Review Commission" and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is hereby created in the Legislative Branch of the State Government a commission to be known as the "New Jersey Economic and Fiscal Policy Review Commission." The commission shall consist of 16 members as follows: four members of the Senate, including two members of the majority party to be appointed by the President of the Senate and two members of the minority party to be appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; four members of the General Assembly, including two members of the majority party to be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and two members of the minority party to be appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly; and eight public members, of whom two members shall be appointed by the President of the Senate, two members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, two members shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, and two members shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly. No more than eight members appointed to the commission may be of the same political party.
b. In appointing public members, the appointing authority shall select academic, business, and other professionals who have knowledge, expertise, and practice experience in: accounting; county and municipal government; economic analysis; governmental finance and fiscal management; and tax policy, implementation, practice, administration, and regulation. No member shall be a nominee for, or hold, an elective office.
c. Legislative members shall serve during the two-year legislative term in which appointments are made. Public members of the commission shall serve for a term of three years, except that of the initial public members so appointed: one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate and one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly shall serve for a term of one year; one member appointed by the President of the Senate, one member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate and one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly shall serve for a term of two years; and one member appointed by the President of the Senate and one member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly shall serve for three years. The term of each public member shall be deemed to commence on July 1 of the calendar year of appointment and shall expire on June 30 of the third calendar year thereafter, as the case may be for the first or subsequent appointments, but members shall continue to serve during a succeeding term until the appointment and qualification of a successor. Any vacancy during a term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment but only for the balance of the unexpired term. Members shall be eligible for reappointment to successive terms. Any member of the commission may be removed for cause by the appropriate appointing authority. The members shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties, subject to the availability of funds therefor.
2. The commission shall organize as soon as practicable following the appointment of its members to elect a chairperson, and to select a secretary who need not be a member of the commission. The commission may formulate and adopt rules of procedure and operation in furtherance of its responsibilities. The commission may divide itself into such subcommittees and task forces as it deems necessary to accomplish its purposes, which task forces may include persons other than members of the commission, such as academics, government officers, representatives of business, or other professionals. The commission may enter into such cooperative agreements as it deems necessary to accomplish its purposes. Persons serving on task forces who are not members of the commission shall serve at the appointment of the chairperson and shall be non-voting participants in the task forces. The commission may meet and hold hearings at such places and times as it shall designate, provided, however, that the commission shall meet at least once in each calendar quarter following its organization. The commission may receive reports and testimony from independent experts, other qualified individuals, and members of the general public.
3. a. On or before December 31 of each year, the commission shall adopt a plan of work for the following calendar year. The plan of work shall require the commission to undertake a thorough study of significant economic or fiscal policy issues facing New Jersey, including, but not limited to: economic conditions and trends; the State and local tax structure; the impact of changes to federal law on State finances; the methods for providing funds for government services and infrastructure, employee retirement, health care, and other benefits; and the structural and administrative streamlining of State government. The commission's plan of work and studies shall be completed by the end of the calendar year in which they were initiated and shall be transmitted to the Governor and Legislature with its annual report pursuant to section 5 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
b. The commission shall have all the powers granted pursuant to Chapter 13 of Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
c. The studies prepared by the commission pursuant to this section shall provide a summary of the examination or review, as appropriate, conducted by the commission and detail each of the commission's recommended policy options. The studies shall identify any legislative bills or resolutions that the commission recommends for adoption by the Legislature and shall specify if any recommendation necessitating any changes to the State Constitution should be recommended by the Legislature for submission to the voters. The commission shall transmit any study conducted pursuant to this section to the Governor and, in accordance with section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature and shall make the report available to the public electronically through a link prominently displayed on the official Internet website of the Legislature.
4. a. The commission, as it deems necessary in order to perform its duties, and as may be within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to it for its purposes, shall be entitled to: appoint an executive director and a staff; call to its assistance and avail itself of the services or employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, agency, or authority as it may require; employ counsel and contract for professional and consulting services; employ stenographic and clerical assistants; and incur traveling and other miscellaneous expenses.
b. The staff of the commission shall be within the unclassified service of the State, and their compensation shall be determined by the commission within the limitations of funds appropriated or otherwise made available for its purposes.
c. The commission may make use of existing studies, surveys, data and other materials in the possession of any State agency or authority and such materials in the possession of any county, municipality, or political subdivision of the State, other than the records and files of the Director of the Division of Taxation that are confidential under R.S.54:50-8, but may direct the Director of the Division of Taxation to prepare for publication statistics so classified as to prevent the identification of a particular report and the items thereof. Each State agency, authority, county, municipality, and political subdivision of the State shall make any information and materials available to the commission as it may require to perform its responsibilities under P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
5. The commission shall annually issue a report to the Governor and, in accordance with section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature summarizing its activities in the prior year and shall submit interim reports setting forth the results of its studies and making such legal, administrative, and organizational changes as the commission deems appropriate. The commission shall also make any appropriate studies, subject to the limitations of the commission's staff and financial resources, which are requested by the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the General Assembly, notifying each officer of any request made by the other.
6. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a 16-member "New Jersey Economic and Fiscal Policy Review Commission" in the Legislative Branch of State government. This legislation is based on a proposal in the New Jersey Economic and Fiscal Policy Workgroup's "Path to Progress" report issued in 2018.
The commission is charged with studying significant economic and fiscal concerns confronting the State to ensure that policymakers, academics, and the public are provided with information and analyses of the State's policies and their implications, ultimately improving the decision-making capabilities of State and local government officials, business leaders, and concerned members of the general public. The commission will be composed of eight members of the Legislature (four Senators and four Assemblypersons) and eight public members. Legislative members of the commission will serve during the two-year term in which they were appointed; public members will serve three-year terms except that of the initial public members.
The commission will engage in the ongoing study of conditions and prospects for the State's economy and other fiscal issues facing New Jersey. The bill requires the commission to adopt an annual plan of work. The plan of work will outline significant economic or fiscal policy concerns confronting the State that the commission addresses during a calendar year. Issue studies are required to be completed within the calendar year they were initiated and are to be transmitted to the Governor and Legislature with the commission's annual report.
The commission is also required to respond to specific study requests by the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the General Assembly if the work is within the limitations of the commission's staff and financial resources. To facilitate the commission's work, the bill authorizes the commission to divide itself into subcommittees and task forces that may include persons other than members of the commission, such as academics, government officers, representatives of business, and other professionals. The bill allows the commission to enter into cooperative arrangements as it deems necessary to accomplish its purposes.
The commission is authorized to employ an executive director and staff, employ counsel, contract for professional and consulting services, and incur other expenses within the limits of funds available for its purposes. The commission may call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, agency, or authority as it may require and as may be available. The commission may make use of any existing studies, surveys, data, and other materials in the possession of any State agency or authority and such materials in the possession of any county, municipality, or political subdivision of the State. The commission is granted the powers available pursuant to Chapter 13 of Title 52 of the Revised Statutes, which includes the power to compel the attendance of witnesses.
