Bill Text: NJ S3614 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires stipends for certain members of boards, commissions, committees, and other public entities.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-05-13 - Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee [S3614 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-S3614-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator NICHOLAS P. SCUTARI
District 22 (Middlesex, Somerset and Union)
SYNOPSIS
Requires stipends for certain members of boards, commissions, committees, and other public entities.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning payment of stipends to certain public entities and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of any law, rule or regulation to the contrary, a member of a board, commission, committee, task force, or similar multi-member entity created by law and allocated within a principal department of the Executive Branch of the State government or within any other State entity shall be paid a stipend for each month in which a meeting held by the board, commission, committee, task force, or similar entity is attended by the member. This stipend shall not be paid to a member of a board, commission, committee, task force, or similar entity for whom the State already provides by law or otherwise a salary, stipend, or remuneration for services rendered as a member that is in excess of the amount set by the head of each department or the head of any other State entity in accordance with subsection b. of this section. A stipend shall be paid to a member who receives a stipend or remuneration that is less than the amount set in subsection b. of this section in such additional amount as will provide together with the stipend paid the amount of the stipend set.
b. The stipend shall be in an amount that is at least $300 but not more than to $1,500 as set by the head of each department or other State entity. The head of each department or the head of any other State entity, as appropriate within which a board, commission, committee, task force, or similar entity is allocated shall set, for each calendar year, the specific amount of the stipend that will be paid to the members of a board, commission, committee, task force, or similar entity. The same amount of stipend shall be paid to all members of the same of a board, commission, committee, task force, or similar entity. The head of the department shall take into consideration when setting the amount of the stipend to be paid to the members of a board, commission, committee, task force, or similar entity, the number of meetings held per month and the scope of responsibilities of the members.
c. The total amount to be paid annually for stipends shall be paid primarily from an appropriation of the fees collected by the board, commission, committee, task force, or similar entity. If there are no fees collected, or the fees are insufficient, or the fees are otherwise dedicated by law for another purpose, there shall be an appropriation from the State General Fund for the payment of the stipends.
d. The head of each department or the head of any other State entity shall prepare an annual report to be transmitted to the Governor and the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), containing the amount of the stipend to be disbursed to the members of each specific board, commission, committee, task force, or similar entity.
2. This act shall take effect immediately but remain inoperative for 60 days following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires members of a board, commission, committee, task force, and other similar entity that is created in a principal Executive Branch department of the New Jersey State government to be paid a stipend for work as a member of the specific entity. The stipend is to be paid each month in which a meeting is held by the specific entity and is attended by the member. A stipend is not to be paid where the law already provides for a salary, stipend, or remuneration that is in excess of the amount of the stipend set by the head of each department or the head of any other State entity in accordance with this bill. A stipend will still be paid to a member who receives a stipend or remuneration that is less than the amount set in this bill, in such additional amount as will provide together with the stipend paid the amount of the stipend set.
This bill excludes from its provisions those members of boards, commissions, committees, task forces, and other similar entities who already receive a stipend or other remuneration from the State.
Under the bill, each stipend is to be in an amount that is at least $300 but not more than to $1,500 as set by the head of each department or other State entity. The head of each department or the head of any other State entity, as appropriate within which a board, commission, committee, task force, or similar entity is allocated shall set, for each calendar year, the specific amount of the stipend that will be paid to the members of a board, commission, committee, task force, or similar entity. Additionally, the head of each department or other State entity that oversees a board, commission, committee, task force, or similar entity is to transmit a report to the Governor and Legislature containing the dollar amount of the stipend to be disbursed to the specific board, commission, committee, task force, or similar entity.
