Bill Text: NJ S2565 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Imposes $1 surcharge on offenses and traffic violations in municipal court to fund "crime stopper" organizations.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-05-14 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee [S2565 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-S2565-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator ANTHONY R. BUCCO
District 25 (Morris and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Imposes $1 surcharge on offenses and traffic violations in municipal court to fund "crime stopper" organizations.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning municipal courts and supplementing Title 2B of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. In addition to any fine, fee, surcharge, penalty, or assessment imposed by the court upon conviction of a petty disorderly persons offense, disorderly persons offense, violation of Title 39 or Title 40 of the Revised Statutes or violation of Title 40A of the New Jersey Statutes, or any traffic ordinance, a municipal court shall also impose a $1 surcharge. The surcharge shall be collected by the clerk of the municipal court for deposit into the Criminal Investigatory Tips Fund established by section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill). The court shall not suspend the collection of the surcharge imposed pursuant to this section.
2. a. There is established in the General Fund the Criminal Investigatory Tips Fund as a nonlapsing revolving fund in the Department of the Treasury. Monies deposited in the fund shall be disbursed by the county prosecutor to organizations certified by the prosecutor to receive funds pursuant to subsection b. of this section.
b. The county prosecutor shall certify an organization to receive funds from the Crime Tip Fund established by this section if the prosecutor finds that it:
(1) is a nonprofit organization pursuant to the federal Internal Revenue Code;
(2) is organized for the purposes of: (a) forwarding to the appropriate law enforcement agency any information received by the organization concerning criminal activity; (b) paying rewards to persons who provide information to the organization; and (c) operating hotlines for the public;
(3) enters into a written agreement or memorandum of understanding with each law enforcement agency with which the organization has a relationship, defining the procedures to be used in the relationship and the duties and responsibilities of each of the parties;
(4) does not have voting members of the board of directors who are active law enforcement officers, representatives or employees of the criminal justice system, or government employees or officials;
(5) establishes and follows written procedures for: determining fair rewards; the payment of those rewards; and protecting the anonymity of persons who provide information and receive awards;
(6) pays rewards for information which leads to an arrest or the filing of criminal charges; and
(7) maintains statistical data concerning the number of rewards and total sums paid by the organization and the number and nature of any criminal charges filed.
3. This act shall take effect on the 90th day following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill would impose a $1 surcharge on offenses and traffic violations in municipal court to fund "crime stopper" organizations.
The bill provides that, in addition to any fine, fee, surcharge, penalty, or assessment imposed by the court upon conviction of a petty disorderly persons offense, disorderly persons offense, violation of Title 39 or Title 40 of the Revised Statutes or Title 40A of the New Jersey Statutes, or any traffic ordinance, a municipal court would also impose a $1 surcharge. The surcharge would be deposited into the Criminal Investigatory Tips Fund established by the bill. The fund would be a nonlapsing revolving fund in the Department of the Treasury.
Monies deposited in the Criminal Investigatory Tips Fund would be disbursed by the county prosecutor to organizations certified by the prosecutor to receive such funds pursuant to the bill. An organization would be certified if the prosecutor finds that it:
(1) is a nonprofit organization pursuant to the federal Internal Revenue Code;
(2) is organized for the purposes of: (a) forwarding to the appropriate law enforcement agency any information received by the organization concerning criminal activity; (b) paying rewards to persons who provide information to the organization; and (c) operating hotlines for the public;
(3) enters into a written agreement or memorandum of understanding with each law enforcement agency with which the organization has a relationship, defining the procedures to be used in the relationship and the duties and responsibilities of each of the parties;
(4) does not have voting members of the board of directors who are active law enforcement officers, representatives or employees of the criminal justice system, or government employees or officials;
(5) establishes and follows written procedures for: determining fair rewards; the payment of those rewards; and protecting the anonymity of persons who provide information and receive awards;
(6) pays rewards for information which leads to an arrest or the filing of criminal charges; and
(7) maintains statistical data concerning the number of rewards and total sums paid by the organization and the number and nature of any criminal charges filed.
