Bill Text: NJ SJR64 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes temporary Morgue Capacity Evaluation Task Force to evaluate existing morgue capacity and provide recommendations for improvements.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-03-08 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee [SJR64 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-SJR64-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator ROBERT W. SINGER
District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes temporary Morgue Capacity Evaluation Task Force to evaluate existing morgue capacity and provide recommendations for improvements.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Joint Resolution establishing a temporary Morgue Capacity Evaluation Task Force.
Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is hereby established a Morgue Capacity Evaluation Task Force.
b. The purpose of the task force shall be to: (1) determine the current holding capacity of county public morgues throughout the State, and study and evaluate whether existing morgue capacity is sufficient to provide adequate storage of dead bodies both during ordinary operations, and during times of public emergency; (2) evaluate the need for, and the frequency of use of, portable morgues and other supplemental corpse holding facilities, on both a local and Statewide basis; and (3) provide recommendations identifying legislative actions, public policies, and practical methods that could be used to increase the State's morgue capacity and better enable county public morgues to handle increased loads during public emergencies.
c. The task force shall consist of nine members, including:
(1) five members, or their designees, who shall serve ex officio, as follows: the Commissioner of Health; the State Medical Examiner; the State Attorney General, the medical examiner who supervises the operations of the State's Northern Regional Medical Examiner Office, and the medical examiner who supervises the operations of the Southern Regional Medical Examiner Office; and
(2) four public members, to be appointed as follows:
(a) one member to be appointed by the Senate President;
(b) one member to be appointed by the Senate Minority Leader;
(c) one member to be appointed by the Assembly Speaker; and
(d) one member to be appointed by the Assembly Minority Leader.
The public members of the task force shall include persons who are morgue keepers at county public morgues in the State, or who otherwise have specialized experience in the morgue keeping activities taking place in the State.
d. The members of the task force shall serve without compensation, but shall be entitled to employ stenographic and clerical assistance, and incur traveling and other miscellaneous expenses as may be deemed necessary to perform their duties, within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the task force for its purposes.
e. Members of the task force shall be appointed within 60 days after the effective date of this resolution, and the task force shall organize as soon as practicable after the appointment of its members. Any vacancy in the task force membership shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment was made. The task force shall select a chairperson from among its members, and a secretary who need not be a member of the task force. A majority of all the authorized members shall constitute a quorum. The task force may conduct business without a quorum, but may only vote on recommendations when a quorum is present. The task force shall be entitled to call to its assistance, and avail itself of the services of, the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, authority, or agency as it may require, and as may be available to it for its purposes.
f. The task force shall meet at the call of the chair, at the times, and in the places, deemed appropriate to fulfill its duties. The task force may also conduct public hearings, at the times and places it designates, if deemed appropriate to fulfill its duties.
g. Within one year following the task force's organization, as provided by subsection e. of this section, the task force shall prepare and submit to the Governor, and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature, a report of its findings and recommendations on the matters described in subsection b. of this section. The task force shall dissolve on the 31st day following the date on which its report is issued under this subsection.
2. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately, and shall expire on the 31st day following the date of issuance of the task force's report to the Governor and the Legislature, as provided by section 1 of this resolution.
STATEMENT
This joint resolution would establish a temporary Morgue Capacity Evaluation Task Force. The task force would be required to: (1) determine the current holding capacity of county public morgues throughout the State, and study and evaluate whether the existing morgue capacity is sufficient to provide adequate storage of dead bodies both during ordinary operations, and during times of public emergency; (2) evaluate the need for, and the frequency of use of, portable morgues and other supplemental corpse holding facilities, on both a local and Statewide basis; and (3) provide recommendations identifying the policies and practical methods that could be used to increase the State's morgue capacity and better prepare the State's morgues to handle increased loads during public emergencies.
The task force would consist of nine members, including the Commissioner of Health, the State Medical Examiner, the State Attorney General, the medical examiner who supervises the operations of the State's Northern Regional Medical Examiner Office, and the medical examiner who supervises the operations of the Southern Regional Medical Examiner Office, or their designees, who would each serve ex officio; and four public members, to be appointed as follows:
-- one member to be appointed by the Senate President;
-- one member to be appointed by the Senate Minority Leader;
-- one member to be appointed by the Assembly Speaker; and
-- one member to be appointed by the Assembly Minority Leader.
The public members of the task force are to include persons who are morgue keepers at county public morgues in the State, or who otherwise have specialized experience in the morgue keeping activities taking place in the State.
The task force members would be appointed within 60 days after the enactment of the resolution, and would be required to issue a report of their findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature within one year after the task force's organization.
The resolution and the task force would expire on the 31st day following the submission of the task force's report.
