New Jersey-2022-S102-Introduced

An Act concerning employer retaliation in certain cases of employee disclosure of governmental mismanagement or abuse of authority or waste of public funds and amending P.L.1986, c.105.

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

1. Section 2 of P.L.1986, c.105 (C.34:19-2) is amended read as follows:

2. As used in this act:

a. "Employer" means any individual, partnership, association, corporation or any person or group of persons acting directly or indirectly on behalf of or in the interest of an employer with the employer's consent and shall include [all branches of State Government, or the several counties and municipalities thereof, or any other political subdivision of the State, or a school district, or any special district, or any authority, commission, or board or any other agency or instrumentality thereof] any governmental entity.

b. "Employee" means any individual who performs services for and under the control and direction of an employer for wages or other remuneration.

c. "Public body" means:

(1) the United States Congress, and State legislature, or any popularly-elected local governmental body, or any member or employee thereof;

(2) any federal, State, or local judiciary, or any member or employee thereof, or any grand or petit jury;

(3) any federal, State, or local regulatory, administrative, or public agency or authority, or instrumentality thereof;

(4) any federal, State, or local law enforcement agency, prosecutorial office, or police or peace officer;

(5) any federal, State or local department of an executive branch of government; or

(6) any division, board, bureau, office, committee or commission of any of the public bodies described in the above paragraphs of this subsection.

d. "Supervisor" means any individual with an employer's organization who has the authority to direct and control the work performance of the affected employee, who has authority to take corrective action regarding the violation of the law, rule or regulation of which the employee complains, or who has been designated by the employer on the notice required under section 7 of this act.

e. "Retaliatory action" means the discharge, suspension or demotion of an employee, or other adverse employment action taken against an employee in the terms and conditions of employment.

f. "Improper quality of patient care" means, with respect to patient care, any practice, procedure, action or failure to act of an employer that is a health care provider which violates any law or any rule, regulation or declaratory ruling adopted pursuant to law, or any professional code of ethics.

g. "Abuse of authority" means a pattern of illegal, malicious, fraudulent, arbitrary or capricious actions by an employer that is a governmental entity, made in a manner clearly deviating from the standard of care or competence that a reasonable person would observe in the same situation, which has a substantial adverse affect on the operations, clients, customers or employees of the entity, or on the efficient accomplishment of any function of the entity authorized by law, regulation, or a clear mandate of public policy concerning the public health, safety or welfare or protection of the environment.

h. "Governmental entity" means any branch of State government, or any county, municipality or other political subdivision of the State, or any school district or special district, or any authority, commission, or board or any other agency or instrumentality of the State, subdivision or district.

i. "Gross mismanagement" means a pattern of negligent or incompetent actions by an employer that is a governmental entity, made in a manner clearly deviating from the standard of care or competence that a reasonable person would observe in the same situation, which has a substantial adverse affect on the operations, clients, customers or employees of the entity, or on the efficient accomplishment of any function of the entity authorized by law, regulation, or a clear mandate of public policy concerning the public health, safety or welfare or protection of the environment. "Gross mismanagement" does not mean the mere failure to act in accordance with a particular opinion regarding management techniques.

j. "Substantial waste of public funds" means conduct or omissions, made in a manner clearly deviating from the standard of care or competence that a reasonable person would observe in the same situation, of any employer, including an employer which is a governmental entity, which result or could reasonably be expected to result, at once or over a period of time, in the misuse, destruction, loss, or expenditure without valuable result, of a substantial amount of moneys or resources belonging to or deriving from a governmental entity.

(cf: P.L.1997, c.98, s.1)

2. Section 3 of 1986, c.105 (C.34:19-3) is amended read as follows:

3. An employer shall not take any retaliatory action against an employee because the employee does any of the following:

a. Discloses, or threatens to disclose to a supervisor or to a public body an activity, policy or practice of the employer, or another employer[,] with whom there is a business relationship, that the employee reasonably believes:

(1) is in violation of a law, or a rule or regulation promulgated pursuant to law, including any violation involving deception of, or misrepresentation to, any shareholder, investor, client, patient, customer, employee, former employee, retiree or pensioner of the employer or any governmental entity, or, in the case of an employee who is a licensed or certified health care professional, reasonably believes constitutes improper quality of patient care; [or]

(2) is fraudulent or criminal, including any activity, policy or practice of deception or misrepresentation which the employee reasonably believes may defraud any shareholder, investor, client, patient, customer, employee, former employee, retiree or pensioner of the employer or any governmental entity;

(3) is a substantial waste of public funds by a governmental entity; or

(4) is, if the employer is a governmental entity, an abuse of authority or gross mismanagement.

b. Provides information to, or testifies before, any public body conducting an investigation, hearing or inquiry into any violation of law, or a rule or regulation promulgated pursuant to law by the employer, or another employer[,] with whom there is a business relationship, including any violation involving deception of, or misrepresentation to, any shareholder, investor, client, patient, customer, employee, former employee, retiree or pensioner of the employer or any governmental entity, provides information to, or testifies before, any public body conducting an investigation, hearing or inquiry into a substantial waste of public funds by any employer or into gross mismanagement or an abuse of authority by an employer that is a governmental entity, or, in the case of an employee who is a licensed or certified health care professional, provides information to, or testifies before, any public body conducting an investigation, hearing or inquiry into the quality of patient care; or

c. Objects to, or refuses to participate in any activity, policy or practice which the employee reasonably believes:

(1) is in violation of a law, or a rule or regulation promulgated pursuant to law, including any violation involving deception of, or misrepresentation to, any shareholder, investor, client, patient, customer, employee, former employee, retiree or pensioner of the employer or any governmental entity, or, if the employee is a licensed or certified health care professional, constitutes improper quality of patient care;

(3) is incompatible with a clear mandate of public policy concerning the public health, safety or welfare or protection of the environment;

(4) is a substantial waste of public funds by a governmental entity; or

(5) is, if the employer is a governmental entity, an abuse of authority or gross mismanagement.

(cf: P.L.2005, c.329, s.1)

3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill provides protection against employer retaliation for an employee who makes disclosures, provides testimony, or objects or refuses to participate in any activity, policy or practice of the employer, or another employer in a business relationship with the employer, which the employee reasonably believes is a substantial waste of public funds by a governmental entity or is a gross mismanagement or an abuse of authority by an employer that is a governmental entity.

The bill defines both "gross mismanagement" and "abuse of authority" as a pattern of actions by an employer that is a governmental entity, made in a manner clearly deviating from the standard of care or competence that a reasonable person would observe in the same situation, which has a substantial adverse affect on the operations, clients, customers or employees of the entity, or on the efficient accomplishment of any function of the entity authorized by law, regulation, or a clear mandate of public policy concerning the public health, safety or welfare or protection of the environment. The difference is that "gross mismanagement" concerns actions which are "negligent or incompetent" while "abuse of authority" concerns actions which are "illegal, malicious, fraudulent, arbitrary or capricious."

The bill defines "substantial waste of public funds" as conduct or omissions, made in a manner clearly deviating from the standard of care or competence that a reasonable person would observe in the same situation, of any employer, including one which is a governmental entity, which result or could reasonably be expected to result, at once or over a period of time, in the misuse, destruction, loss, or expenditure without valuable result, of a substantial amount of moneys or resources belonging to or deriving from a governmental entity.