Bill Text: NJ S1662 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires reduction in number of positions in State service; establishes procedure to control creation of new State positions and filling of vacancies.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-02-16 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee [S1662 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-S1662-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator JEFF VAN DREW
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
SYNOPSIS
Requires reduction in number of positions in State service; establishes procedure to control creation of new State positions and filling of vacancies.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the number of positions in State service and supplementing Title 11A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Within six months following the effective date of this act, P.L. , c. (C. ), the State Treasurer shall adopt a comprehensive plan for the reduction in the number of positions in the Executive Branch of State government through the elimination, reclassification, or transfer of any position that is, or becomes, vacant for any reason. The plan shall provide for the systematic reduction, over four consecutive fiscal years beginning with the fiscal year that commences more than six months after the effective date of this act, until the number of positions is 10 percent fewer than the number of positions that existed on the effective date. In each applicable fiscal year, there shall be a reduction, as required pursuant to subsection b. of this section, in the funding for the salaries and wages and benefits accounts in the annual appropriations law that corresponds to the reduction in the number of positions in accordance with the plan.
A plan shall be prepared by each department head after a review of the duties of, and continued need for, any position in the Executive Branch of State government that is or becomes vacant for any reason, in order to determine whether that position should be continued, eliminated, reclassified or transferred. Each plan shall be submitted to the State Treasurer within three months following the effective date.
The Civil Service Commission shall provide necessary personnel and assistance to each department head for the review.
Upon the adoption of the comprehensive plan, a copy shall be provided to the Joint Budget Oversight Committee.
b. Each annual appropriation law that is enacted for the four consecutive fiscal years beginning with the fiscal year that commences more than six months after the effective date of this act shall provide for the reduction in the funding for the salaries and wages and benefits accounts to implement the reduction goal in the comprehensive plan for that fiscal year.
2. Following the effective date of this act, P.L. , c. (C. ) pending before the Legislature as this bill), the creation of any new position in the senior executive, career, or unclassified service of the Executive Branch of State government or the filling of a position that is vacant or becomes vacant after the effective date of this act shall be reviewed by a State Position Review Panel comprised of five members appointed by the Civil Service Commission. The panel shall either deny or approve the creation of the new position or the filling of the vacancy and an approval shall be granted only if necessary for the public's health, safety and welfare. The panel shall develop criteria that it shall use in its determinations. The criteria shall address, but need not be limited to, the duties of the position, the funding source for the position, the existence of other substantially similar positions, the period of time for which the position will be needed, the essential or supportive nature of the position, whether an existing position may be reclassified or transferred for the same purpose, and whether another position can be eliminated if a new position is created. The panel's denial or approval shall be accompanied by a statement detailing the panel's reasoning and conclusion on each element of the criteria considered.
If the creation of a new position or the filling of a vacancy is approved by the review panel, it shall be forwarded to the Civil Service Commission and the State Treasurer for their review. The written approval of the commission and treasurer shall be required before a new position is created or a vacancy is filled.
The panel shall submit detailed quarterly reports of its activities, denials, and approvals to the Joint Budget Oversight Committee.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
The purpose of this bill is to establish a plan and procedure to rein in the growth in the number of employees in the Executive Branch of State government and to control the strain that growth places on the required annual expenditures of the State and the allocation of revenues. Required expenditures for State employees include salaries and wages, pension benefits, and health care costs.
This bill requires the State Treasurer to adopt, within six months following the date on which this bill is enacted, a comprehensive plan for the reduction in the number of positions in the Executive Branch of State government through the elimination, reclassification, or transfer of any position that is or becomes vacant for any reason. The plan will provide for the systematic reduction, over four consecutive fiscal years beginning with the fiscal year that commences more than six months after the effective date, until the number of positions is 10% fewer than the number of positions that existed on the effective date. In each of the four fiscal years, there will also be a reduction in the funding for the salaries and wages and benefits accounts in the annual appropriations law that corresponds to the reduction in the number of positions.
Upon the adoption of the comprehensive plan, a copy will be provided to the Joint Budget Oversight Committee.
Additionally, the bill requires that the creation of any new position in the senior executive, career, or unclassified service of the Executive Branch of State government or the filling of a position that is vacant or becomes vacant after the bill's enactment will be reviewed by a State Position Review Panel comprised of five members appointed by the Civil Service Commission. The panel will either deny or approve the creation of the new position or the filling of the vacancy according to criteria that must address, but need not be limited to, the duties of the position, the funding source for the position, the existence of other substantially similar positions, the period of time for which the position will be needed, the essential or supportive nature of the position, whether an existing position may be reclassified or transferred for the same purpose, and whether another position can be eliminated if a new one is created. An approval would be granted only if necessary for the public health, safety and welfare. The panel's denial or approval will be accompanied by a statement detailing its reasoning and conclusion on each element of the criteria considered. An approval for the creation of a new position or the filling of a vacancy will be forwarded to the Civil Service Commission and the State Treasurer for their review. The written approval of the commission and treasurer will be required before a new position is created or a vacancy is filled.
The panel is to submit detailed quarterly reports of its activities, denials, and approvals to the Joint Budget Oversight Committee.
