Bill Text: NJ S2933 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes one-year property tax levy cap exclusion for bail reform costs.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Failed) 2017-02-06 - Withdrawn from Consideration [S2933 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-S2933-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator ROBERT W. SINGER
District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes one-year property tax levy cap exclusion for bail reform costs.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing a temporary property tax levy cap exclusion for the implementation of bail reform.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. In addition to the exclusions added to the calculation of the adjusted tax levy pursuant to subsection b. of section 10 of P.L.2007, c.62 (C.40A:4-45.45), any increase in costs incurred by a county during calendar year 2017 for the implementation of bail reform pursuant to P.L.2014, c.31 (C.2A:162-15 et al.) shall be added to the calculation of the adjusted tax levy for that county's budget for 2018.
2. This act shall take effect immediately, shall be applicable to the local budget year beginning on or after January 1, 2017, and shall expire on January 1, 2018.
STATEMENT
This bill creates a one-year property tax levy cap exclusion for costs incurred by local units as a result of the implementation of bail reform pursuant to P.L.2014, c.31 (C.2A:162-15 et al.). The bill permits counties to add bail reform expenditures incurred during calendar year 2017 to the adjusted tax levy for calendar year 2018.
In November 2014, the voters approved an amendment to Article I, paragraph 11 of the New Jersey Constitution, which allows the Legislature to pass laws concerning pretrial release and pretrial detention. P.L.2014, c.31 concerns several aspects of judicial administration. That law establishes statutory trial deadlines for persons being detained in jail, both pre- and post-indictment; reforms the manner in which determinations for bail and other forms of criminal pre-trial release are made; provides courts with the authority to deny pre-trial release and instead order pre-trial detention; and authorizes the Judiciary to revise and supplement fees to help fund a pre-trial risk assessment and monitoring program, and other court-related programs and services.
Published news reports indicate counties have incurred new costs associated with the bail reform initiative. Currently, such expenses are not excluded from the cap on increases in the county property tax levy. Without this temporary levy cap exclusion, county governments may be forced to limit expenditures on local priorities in order to support the bail reform program. Providing a levy cap exclusion will allow counties to budget for any additional costs to be incurred while maintaining local services.
