STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman SHAVONDA E. SUMTER
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Requires gender balance in membership of certain boards and commissions established by statute.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act requiring gender balance in membership of certain boards and commissions established by statute 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. Any appointive State board, commission, task force, or any other multi-member body or entity established by a statute enacted before, on, or after the effective date of this act, P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill), shall be gender balanced unless otherwise provided by law or gender balancing conflicts with the particular circumstances or requirements of the statute establishing the board, commission, task force, or other multi-member body or entity.
b. No person shall be appointed or reappointed to any board, commission, task force, or other multi-member body or entity established by statute if that appointment or reappointment would cause the number of members of one gender to be greater than one-half the membership plus one if the board, commission, task force, or multi-member body or entity is composed of an odd number of members. If the board, commission, task force, or other multi-member body or entity is composed of an even number of members, not more than one-half of the membership shall be of one gender.
c. If there are multiple appointing authorities, they shall consult each other to avoid a violation of this act, P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
d. As used in this act:
"Gender" means a person's sex-related or gender-related characteristics, including one's gender identity, and has the same legal meaning as sex.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires all State appointive boards, commissions, task forces, or any other multi-member body or entity established by statute to be gender balanced, unless otherwise provided by law or it conflicts with the particular circumstances or requirements of the statute establishing the board, commission, task force, or other multi-member body or entity.
No person will be appointed or reappointed if that appointment or reappointment would cause the number of members of one gender to be greater than one-half the membership plus one if the board, commission, task force, or multi-member body or entity is composed of an odd number of members. If the board, commission, task force, or other multi-member body or entity is composed of an even number of members, not more than one-half of the membership will be of one gender. If there are multiple appointing authorities, they will consult with each other to avoid violating the provisions of the bill.