Bill Text: NJ S3426 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires Civil Service Commission establish mentoring program for certain civil service firefighter applicants.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-06-10 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee [S3426 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S3426-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator BRITNEE N. TIMBERLAKE
District 34 (Essex)
Senator M. TERESA RUIZ
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Requires Civil Service Commission establish mentoring program for certain civil service firefighter applicants.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act requiring the Civil Service Commission to establish a mentoring program to assist certain applicants with civil service employment and supplementing chapter 7 of Title 11A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Notwithstanding any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, the Civil Service Commission shall establish and maintain a mentoring program for civil service firefighter applicants who reside in a municipality with a median income at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level.
The purpose of the mentoring program shall be to assist firefighter applicants through the civil service application, examination, and selection process and to help address obstacles unique to their circumstances. The program may be conducted through mentoring projects, including workshops, group discussions, and dissemination of information about civil service practices which provide assistance in overcoming barriers to employment. The program shall be designed to provide mentoring to an applicant for the duration of the exam cycle, until the mentee completes the hiring process. The program shall include a study group to help applicants in any municipality with a median income at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level with the resources needed to compete with applicants in other communities that benefit from outside private study groups.
b. As used in this act:
"Mentee" means a civil service firefighter applicant participating in the mentoring program established pursuant to subsection a. of this section.
"Mentor" means a volunteer who agrees to participate in the mentoring program established pursuant to subsection a. of this section. A mentor may be a current firefighter in good standing who obtained the current firefighter position through the civil service process, a former firefighter who retired or resigned in good standing who obtained the firefighter position through the civil service process, or any other person deemed appropriate by the Civil Service Commission.
c. The Civil Service Commission shall develop criteria to determine eligibility in the mentoring program as a mentor and as a mentee. Monies shall not be provided to a mentor to participate in the program and fees shall not be charged to a mentee to participate in the program. When possible, the mentor shall be of the same racial or ethnic background as the mentee.
d. A mentor or mentee may be removed from the program for good cause as determined by the Civil Service Commission. A mentee shall be removed from the program upon the mentee's acceptance of an offer of employment. An applicant may participate in the program as a mentee a maximum of three times within a 10-year period. After successfully completing the program, a former mentee may be eligible to participate in the program as a mentor.
e. At least once a year, the Civil Service Commission shall review the mentoring program for its efficacy, and make any necessary adjustments to continue to meet the needs and purpose of the program.
f. The Civil Service Commission shall develop rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this act, P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the tenth month next following enactment, except the Civil Service Commission may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Civil Service Commission to establish and maintain a mentoring program for civil service firefighter applicants.
The purpose of the mentoring program would be to assist applicants residing in a municipality with a median income at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level through the civil service application, examination, and selection process, and to help address obstacles unique to their circumstances. The program will include a study group to help applicants in any municipality with a median income at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level with the resources needed to compete with applicants in other communities that benefit from outside private study groups.
The program may be conducted through mentoring projects, including workshops, group discussions, and dissemination of information about civil service practices which provide assistance in overcoming barriers to employment. The program will be designed to provide mentoring to an applicant for the duration of the exam cycle, until the mentee completes the hiring process.
The commission would develop criteria to determine eligibility in the program as a mentor and as a mentee. A mentor may be a current or former firefighter in good standing who obtained a firefighter position through the civil service process, or any other person deemed appropriate by the commission.
A mentor or mentee may be removed from the mentoring program for good cause as determined by the commission. A mentee would be removed from the program upon the mentee's acceptance of an offer of employment. An applicant may participate in the program as a mentee a maximum of three times within a 10-year period. A former mentee may be eligible to participate in the program as a mentor.
No monies would be provided to a mentor to participate in the program, and no fees would be charged to a mentee to participate in the program.
At least once a year, the commission would review the program for its efficacy, and make any necessary adjustments to continue to meet the needs and purpose of the program.
