Bill Text: NJ A565 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires certain cities of the second class to establish a Second Chance Council to develop a plan to increase jobs for released criminals and high school dropouts.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-12 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee [A565 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A565-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOSEPH CRYAN
District 20 (Union)
Assemblyman ALBERT COUTINHO
District 29 (Essex and Union)
Assemblywoman L. GRACE SPENCER
District 29 (Essex and Union)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Chivukula and Assemblywoman Quijano
SYNOPSIS
Requires certain cities of the second class to establish a Second Chance Council to develop a plan to increase jobs for released criminals and high school dropouts.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act requiring the establishment of Second Chance Councils, supplementing Title 40 of the Revised Statutes and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "New Jersey Second Chance Councils Act."
2. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. There is a lack of viable employment opportunities in New Jersey for released criminal offenders and for individuals who lack a high school diploma, or an equivalent degree;
b. Employment opportunities are necessary to curtail the rate of recidivism and to reincorporate criminal offenders back into civil society;
c. Citizens who never graduate from high school are at greater risk of engaging in criminal activity since they have tremendous difficulty finding and maintaining adequate jobs;
d. Educational opportunities leading to a high school diploma and marketable job skills are essential for these individuals to become productive members of society; and
e. Local public officials and business leaders, given their unique understanding of their community's economic trends and conditions, are in the best position to identify employment opportunities for released criminal offenders and for individuals who lack a high school education and to propose a plan for attracting such employment opportunities into their respective municipalities.
3. As used in this act:
"Business" means an employer located in this State that has operated continuously in the State, in whole or in part, in its current form or as a predecessor entity for at least 10 years prior to filing an application pursuant to P.L.1996, c.25 (C.34:1B-112 et seq.) and which is subject to the provisions of R.S.43:21-1 et seq. and may include a sole proprietorship, a partnership, or a corporation that has made an election under Subchapter S of Chapter One of Subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any other business entity through which income flows as a distributive share to its owners, limited liability company, nonprofit corporation, or any other form of business organization located either within or outside the State.
"Council" means a Second Chance Council established pursuant to section 4 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
4. a. Every municipality that is a city of the second class with a population between 100,000 and 150,000 people, according to the latest federal decennial census, shall establish a Second Chance Council. Every council established pursuant to this section shall consist of nine members as follows:
(1) the mayor or other chief executive;
(2) four public members, who shall be eligible for reappointment, appointed for three year terms by the mayor or other chief executive who each have at least 10 years of experience working for a business that employs at least 30 employees and has an office within the municipality; provided, however, that the public members first appointed pursuant to this act shall be appointed for staggered terms such that one shall be appointed for three years, two shall be appointed for two years, and one shall be appointed for one year. A vacancy in the membership occurring other than by expiration of a term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment, but for the unexpired term only;
(3) one member of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational Schools or his designee, who shall serve ex officio;
(4) the Chairman of the State Parole Board or his designee, who shall serve ex officio; and
(5) two members of the Workforce Investment Board of the county in which the municipality is located or their designees, who shall serve ex officio.
b. Vacancies in the membership of the council shall be filled in the same manner provided for the original appointments. The public members of the council shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for traveling and other miscellaneous expenses necessary to perform their duties, within the limits of funds made available to the council for its purposes.
c. The council shall organize as soon as practicable but no later than 30 days following the appointment of its members, and shall select a chairperson and vice-chairperson from among the members. Such a council shall meet periodically at the call of the chairperson, but not less than 10 times in each year and hold hearings at the times and in the places it deems appropriate and necessary to fulfill its charge. A majority of the members of the council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of council business, but a lesser number may hold hearings.
d. The council shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission or agency as it may require and as may be available to it for its purposes.
e. The chairperson shall appoint a salaried administrator for such a council and shall provide the council with additional administrative staff and support as may be necessary to enable the council to carry out its functions.
f. The council may seek the advice of experts, such as persons specializing in the field of law, public policy, education, economic development or other related fields, as deemed appropriate by the membership of the council.
5. a. A council formed pursuant to section 4 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall annually develop a plan entitled "Second Chances: A Plan to Increase Employment Opportunities for Ex-Offenders and Others in Need of Reintegration with Society." The purpose of the plan shall be to increase the number of job opportunities within the municipality for released criminal offenders and for individuals who lack a high school diploma, or an equivalent degree. The plan shall contain:
(1) an inventory of the current employment opportunities within the municipality for released criminal offenders and for individuals who lack a high school diploma, or an equivalent degree;
(2) an analysis of the factors that limit the number of such employment opportunities within the municipality;
(3) proposals for encouraging businesses within the municipality to hire an increased number of released criminal offenders and individuals who lack a high school diploma, or an equivalent degree;
(4) an inventory of adult education opportunities available within the municipality for released criminal offenders and individuals who lack a high school diploma, or an equivalent degree;
(5) an analysis to determine whether the current number of adult educational opportunities within the municipality for released criminal offenders and individuals who lack a high school diploma, or an equivalent degree, is adequate to satisfy the demand for such opportunities within the municipality;
(6) recommendations for the expansion of current, or the creation of new, adult educational opportunities within the municipality for such individuals, provided that the council determines that the current number of adult educational opportunities is insufficient to meet the demand for such opportunities;
(7) an inventory and examination of the State, local government, agency, and community-based programs that provide services to released criminal offenders and to individuals who lack a high school diploma, or an equivalent degree; and
(8) an examination of programs in other states that increase employment opportunities for released criminal offenders and individuals without a high school diploma, or an equivalent degree.
b. The report shall be presented by the first day of the thirteenth month next following the date of enactment and annually thereafter. The report shall be presented to the Director of the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs, the mayor or executive officer of the municipality, the director or other chief administrative officer of each free county library of the county in which the municipality is located, the President of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational Schools, the Chairman of State Parole Board, the Chairman of the State Employment and Training Commission, and to either the administrator or director of the Workforce Investment Board of the county in which the municipality is located.
6. There shall annually be appropriated $100,000 from the General Fund to the treasury of each municipality required to establish a Second Chance Council pursuant to section 4 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
7. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires municipalities with a population between 100,000 and 150,000 people to establish a Second Chance Council. The purpose of a Second Chance Council is to develop annually a plan entitled "Second Chances: A Plan to Increase Employment Opportunities for Ex-Offenders and Others in Need of Reintegration with Society." The purpose of the plan is to increase the number of vocational and educational opportunities within the municipality for released criminal offenders and for individuals who lack a high school diploma, or an equivalent degree.
A Second Chance Council will be composed of the Mayor or other chief executive of the municipality; four individuals, appointed by the mayor or other chief executive, who each have at least 10 years of experience working for a business that employs at least 30 employees and has an office within the municipality; one member of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational Schools or his designee; one associate board member of the State Parole Board or his designee; two members of the State Employment and Training Commission or their designees; and two members of the Workforce Investment Board of the county in which the municipality is located or their designees.
The plan developed by a Second Chance Council will contain:
- an inventory of the current employment opportunities within the municipality for released criminal offenders and for individuals who lack a high school diploma, or an equivalent degree;
- an inventory of adult education opportunities available within the municipality for released criminal offenders and individuals who lack a high school diploma, or an equivalent degree;
- an analysis to determine whether the current number of adult educational opportunities within the municipality for released criminal offenders and individuals who lack a high school diploma, or an equivalent degree, is adequate to satisfy the demand for such opportunities within the municipality;
- recommendations for the expansion of current, or the creation of new, adult educational opportunities within the municipality for such individuals, provided that the council determines that the current number of adult educational opportunities is insufficient to meet the demand for such opportunities;
- an analysis of the factors that limit the number of such employment opportunities within the municipality;
- proposals for encouraging businesses within the municipality to hire an increased number of released criminal offenders and individuals who lack a high school diploma, or an equivalent degree;
- an inventory and examination of the State, local government, agency, and community-based programs that provide services to these individuals; and
- an examination of programs in other states designed to increase employment opportunities for such individuals.
The first report must be completed within one year of this bill's enactment. All subsequent reports must be submitted annually. The report must be presented to the Director of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs, the Mayor or executive officer of the municipality, the county library director of the county in which the municipality is located, the President of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational Schools, the Chairman of State Parole Board, the Chairman of the State Employment and Training Commission, and to either the administrator or director of the workforce investment board of the county in which the municipality is located.
In order to ensure that a Second Chance Council has adequate funding to realize its intended purpose, this bill appropriates $100,000 from the General Fund to the municipal treasuries of those municipalities required to establish a Second Chance Council.
