Bill Text: NJ A789 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes streamlined hiring process pilot program to permit certain counties and municipalities to appoint persons in Civil Service.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Introduced) 2026-01-13 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee [A789 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2026-A789-Introduced.html

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ASSEMBLY, No. 789

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

 

 

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman DAVID BAILEY, JR.

District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Establishes streamlined hiring process pilot program to permit certain counties and municipalities to appoint persons in Civil Service.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

  

An Act establishing a hiring process pilot program for certain counties and municipalities in the Civil Service.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    a.  The Civil Service Commission shall establish a two-year pilot program that permits counties and municipalities to appoint persons through a streamlined hiring process for certain positions in the Civil Service, as further provided in this section.  The purpose of the pilot program shall be to streamline the hiring process for certain positions and to reduce the timeframe between the request to fill a vacancy and the hiring of a qualified candidate. 

     b.    The Chair of the Civil Service Commission shall establish the scope of the pilot program and the policies and procedures for the selection of counties and municipalities eligible to participate in the pilot program.  In selecting the counties and municipalities to participate in the pilot program, the chair shall consider the needs of the county or municipality, as appropriate. 

     c.     Participation by any eligible county or municipality in the pilot program shall be voluntary.  A county or municipality that wants to participate shall submit an application to the Civil Service Commission in such form as required by the commission.  The county or municipality, as part of the application, shall include information on their hiring needs, including the number of positions and the rate of turnover in the positions, and such other information as required by the commission. 

     d.    The commission shall select counties and municipalities in the northern, central, and southern regions of the State; a cross section of urban, suburban, and rural areas; a cross section of counties and cities of various classes; and a diverse representation of forms of government. 

     e.     Under the pilot program, the chair shall establish the positions, policies, and procedures for the counties and municipalities participating in the pilot program to appoint persons through the streamlined hiring process.  Such policies and procedures may include, but may not be limited to, permitting the counties and municipalities to post the vacancy to be filled and to administer the examination with the approval of the commission. 

     The commission shall create the examinations.  After administration of the examination by the county or municipality, as appropriate, the examination shall immediately be submitted to the commission for review and completion of the certification process. 

     f.     Upon completion of the certification process, the county or municipality, as appropriate, shall be permitted to hire a qualified candidate.  The county or municipality, as appropriate, with the written authorization of the Chair of the Civil Service Commission, or a designee, shall sign a waiver designed and authorized by the commission exempting the candidate from the civil service hiring process. 

     g.    Upon accepting the appointment, the candidate shall satisfactorily complete the working test period to be considered by the commission as qualified for the position and to have civil service status.

     h.    The commission shall not require the county or municipality, as appropriate, to replace the candidate hired through the streamlined process established by this section, upon the issuance of a subsequent certified eligible list.  This provision shall apply regardless of whether or not the candidate is listed on the certified eligible list. 

     i.     As used in this section:

     "Municipality" means and includes cities, towns, townships, villages, and boroughs. 

     j.     The Civil Service Commission shall, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules and regulations as necessary to implement the provisions of this act.

     k.    Two years following the establishment of the pilot program, the commission shall submit a report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1).  The report shall contain information on the implementation of the pilot program and the recommendations of the commission on the advisability of continuing, expanding, or modifying the program. 

 

     2.    This act shall take effect on the first day of the third month next following enactment, except that the Civil Service Commission may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act. 

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill establishes a Civil Service two-year pilot program that permits counties and municipalities to appoint persons through a streamlined hiring process for certain positions in the Civil Service.  The purpose of the pilot program will be to streamline the hiring process for certain positions and to reduce the timeframe between the request to fill a vacancy and the hiring of a qualified candidate. 

     Under the bill, the Chair of the Civil Service Commission will establish the scope of the pilot program and the policies and procedures for the selection of counties and municipalities eligible to participate in the pilot program.  Participation by any eligible county or municipality in the pilot program will be voluntary.  A county or municipality that wants to participate will submit an application to the Civil Service Commission in such form as required by the commission.  The county or municipality, as part of the application, will include information on their hiring needs, including the number of positions and the rate of turnover in the positions, and such other information as required by the commission. 

     The bill specifies that the commission will select counties and municipalities in the northern, central, and southern regions of the State; a cross section of urban, suburban, and rural areas; a cross section of counties and cities of various classes; and a diverse representation of forms of government. 

     Under the pilot program, the chair will establish the positions, policies, and procedures for the counties and municipalities participating in the pilot program to appoint persons through the streamlined hiring process.  The policies and procedures may include, but may not be limited to, permitting the counties and municipalities to post the vacancy to be filled and to administer the examination with the approval of the commission.  The commission will continue the current practice of creating the examinations.  In addition, after administration of the examination, by the county or municipality, as appropriate, the examination will immediately be submitted to the commission for review and completion of the certification process as under current law. 

     Upon completion of the certification process, the county or municipality will be permitted to hire a qualified candidate.  The county or municipality, with the written authorization of the Chair of the Civil Service Commission, will sign a waiver designed and authorized by the commission exempting the candidate from the civil service hiring process.  The bill requires the candidate to satisfactorily complete the working test period to be considered by the commission as qualified for the position and to have civil service status.  Also under the bill, the commission will not require the county or municipality to replace the candidate hired through the streamlined process established by the bill upon the issuance of a subsequent certified eligible list.  This provision will apply regardless of whether or not the candidate is listed on the certified eligible list.