Bill Text: NJ ACR22 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Proposes amendment to Constitution to provide civil service hiring preference and property tax deduction to veteran who received badge, medal, or ribbon for serving in support of federal military combat operation.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-14 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee [ACR22 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2020-ACR22-Introduced.html

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ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 22

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

219th LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2020 SESSION

 

 

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman  JOHN ARMATO

District 2 (Atlantic)

Assemblyman  VINCENT MAZZEO

District 2 (Atlantic)

Assemblywoman  CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Proposes amendment to constitution to provide civil service hiring preference and property tax deduction to veteran who received badge, medal, or ribbon for serving in support of federal military combat operation.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

 

A Concurrent Resolution proposing to amend Article VII, Section I, paragraph 2, and Article VIII, Section I, paragraph 3 of the New Jersey Constitution. 

 

     Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (the Senate concurring):

 

     1.    The following proposed amendment to the Constitution of the State of New Jersey is agree to: 

 

PROPOSED AMENDMENT

 

     a.     Amend Article VII, Section I, paragraph 2 to read as follows: 

     2.    Appointments and promotions in the civil service of the State, and of such political subdivisions as may be provided by law, shall be made according to merit and fitness to be ascertained, as far as practicable, by examination, which, as far as practicable, shall be competitive; except that preference in appointments by reason of active service in any branch of the military or naval forces of the United States in time of war, or in support of combat operations for which a badge, medal, or ribbon was awarded to the service member, may be provided by law.

(cf: Art. VII, Sec. I, par. 2)

     b.    Amend Article VIII, Section 1, paragraph 3 to read as follows: 

     3.    Any citizen and resident of this State now or hereafter honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active service, in time of war or other emergency as, from time to time, defined by the Legislature, or in support of combat operations for which a badge, medal, or ribbon was awarded to the service member, in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States shall be entitled, annually to a deduction from the amount of any tax bill for taxes on real and personal property, or both, including taxes attributable to a residential unit held by a stockholder in a cooperative or mutual housing corporation, in the sum of $50 or if the amount of any such tax bill shall be less than $50, to a cancellation thereof, except that the deduction or cancellation shall be $100 in tax year 2000, $150 in tax year 2001, $200 in tax year 2002 and $250 in each tax year thereafter.  The deduction or cancellation shall not be altered or repealed.  Any person hereinabove described who has been or shall be declared by the United States Veterans Administration, or its successor, to have a service-connected disability, shall be entitled to such further deduction from taxation as from time to time may be provided by law. The surviving spouse of any citizen and resident of this State who has met or shall meet his or her death on active duty in time of war or of other emergency as so defined, or in support of combat operations for which a badge, medal, or ribbon was awarded to the service member, in any such service shall be entitled, during her widowhood or his widowerhood, as the case may be, and while a resident of this State, to the deduction or cancellation in this paragraph provided for honorably discharged veterans and to such further deduction as from time to time may be provided by law.  The surviving spouse of any citizen and resident of this State who has had or shall hereafter have active service in time of war or of other emergency as so defined, or in support of combat operations for which a badge, medal, or ribbon was awarded to the service member, in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States and who died or shall die while on active duty in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, or who has been or may hereafter be honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active service in time of war or of other emergency as so defined, or in support of combat operations for which a badge, medal, or ribbon was awarded to the service member, in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States shall be entitled, during her widowhood or his widowerhood, as the case may be, and while a resident of this State, to the deduction or cancellation in this paragraph provided for honorably discharged veterans and to such further deductions as from time to time may be provided by law.

(cf: Art. VIII, Sec. I, par. 3, amended effective December 2, 1999)

 

     2.    When this proposed amendment to the Constitution is finally agreed to pursuant to Article IX, paragraph 1 of the Constitution, it shall be submitted to the people at the next general election occurring more than three months after the final agreement and shall be published at least once in at least one newspaper of each county designated by the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the General Assembly and the Secretary of State, not less than three months prior to the general election.

 

     3.    This proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be submitted to the people at that election in the following manner and form:

     There shall be printed on each official ballot to be used at the general election, the following:

     a. In every municipality in which voting machines are not used, a legend which shall immediately precede the question as follows:

     If you favor the proposition printed below make a cross (X), plus (+), or check (a) in the square opposite the word "Yes." If you are opposed thereto make a cross (X), plus (+) or check (a) in the square opposite the word "No."

     b.    In every municipality the following question:

		CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO ALLOW VETERANS WITH SERVICE BADGE, MEDAL, OR RIBBON TO RECEIVE CIVIL SERVICE HIRING PREFERENCE AND PROPERTY TAX DEDUCTION
	YES	Do you approve amending the Constitution to give a civil service hiring preference to a veteran who has a badge, medal, or ribbon for serving in support of military combat operations?       The amendment also gives those same veterans a property tax deduction.
		INTERPRETIVE STATEMENT
	NO	This change to the Constitution would expand the number of veterans eligible for a civil service hiring preference.  The amendment would also expand the number of veterans eligible for a property tax deduction.  These benefits would be given to a veteran who was awarded a badge, medal, or ribbon for serving in support of military combat operations.  At present, only veterans who served in time of war or other emergency are eligible for these benefits.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     At present, the State Constitution allows a veteran who served in time of war to receive a civil service hiring preference for public employment, and allows a veteran who served in time of war or during other emergency to receive a property tax deduction.

     This proposed amendment would make a veteran eligible for these benefits if the veteran served in support of a federal military combat operation and received a badge, medal, or ribbon.

     The criteria for a badge, medal, or ribbon is determined by the federal government and generally include, but are not limited to, military operations with active or potentially active opposing hostile forces and performance under enemy fire with a risk of grave danger.