Bill Text: NJ S4331 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Prohibits local government from naming its property after foreign terrorist organization.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 15)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2025-05-12 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee [S4331 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S4331-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator ROBERT W. SINGER
District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)
Senator HOLLY T. SCHEPISI
District 39 (Bergen)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Testa, Henry, Amato, Holzapfel, Steinhardt, Polistina, Tiver, Space, Pennacchio, O'Scanlon, A.M.Bucco, Bramnick and Corrado
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits local government from naming its property after foreign terrorist organization.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the naming of certain entities owned by local governments and supplementing chapter 10 of Appendix A.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), "local government" means a municipality, county, school district, or other political subdivision of the State, or any public board, commission, committee, authority, or agency which is not a State board, commission, committee, authority, or agency.
b. (1) A local government shall not name property under its control or ownership, including, but not limited to, a road, bridge, school, building, neighborhood, community, or park, after a group that has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by any branch or agency of the federal government, or after land controlled by a foreign terrorist organization, not including recognized, sovereign nations.
(2) The Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs, in consultation with the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, shall develop a list of designated foreign terrorist organizations and lands controlled by foreign terrorist organizations, not including recognized, sovereign nations, and shall review and revise the list annually. The division shall publish a list developed pursuant to this paragraph on the division's Internet website.
c. Within 30 days following the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), a local government shall remove or dismantle all signs, street pole banners, plaques, and any other displays of support for, or the naming of property after, a foreign terrorist organization, designated by the federal government, from property under the control or ownership of the local government.
d. Within 90 days following the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), a local government that has named property under its control or ownership after a foreign terrorist organization shall rename the property so that it does not identify the name of a foreign terrorist organization.
e. In the event that a local government violates the provisions of this section, the State Treasurer shall, for each day in which the local government is in violation of this section, deduct a portion of the total amount of State aid allocated to the local government. The daily deduction authorized pursuant to this subsection shall be in an amount equal to the result of dividing the total amount of State aid allocated to the local government by the total number of days in the fiscal year in which the State aid is allocated.
f. The Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs shall provide for the reimbursement of costs incurred by municipalities in complying with the provisions of subsections c. and d. of this section and the department shall establish procedures by which a municipality may apply for reimbursement pursuant to this subsection.
2. The Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs, in consultation with the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, shall adopt, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill prohibits a local government from naming property under its ownership or control, including, but not limited to, a road, bridge, school, building, neighborhood, community, or park, after a group, that has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the federal government, or after land controlled by a foreign terrorist organization, not including recognized, sovereign nations. The bill requires the Division of Local Government Services (division) in the Department of Community Affairs, in consultation with the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (office), to develop and publish a list of designated foreign terrorist organizations and lands controlled by foreign terrorist organizations, not including recognized, sovereign nations.
The bill defines a "local government" as a municipality, county, school district, or other political subdivision of the State, or any public board, commission, committee, authority, or agency which is not a State board, commission, committee, authority, or agency.
The bill requires a local government to remove or dismantle signs, street pole banners, plaques, or other forms of displays of support for, or the naming of property after, a foreign terrorist organization, under the control or ownership of the local government within 30 days following the bill's enactment.
Within 90 days following the bill's effective date, the bill requires a local government that has named property under its control or ownership after a foreign terrorist organization to rename the property so that it does not identify the name of as a foreign terrorist organization. The bill requires the State to reimburse local governments for both of these costs, upon application.
If a local government violates the provisions of the bill, the State Treasurer, for each day in which the local government is in violation of the bill, is directed to deduct a portion of the total amount of State aid allocated to the local government. The daily deduction is to be in an amount equal to the result of dividing the total amount of State aid allocated to the local government by the total number of days in the fiscal year in which the State aid is allocated.
The bill provides that the division, in consultation with the office, is to adopt rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of the bill.
