SENATE BILL NO. 983
(First Reprint)
To the Senate:
Pursuant to Article V, Section I, Paragraph 14 of the New Jersey Constitution, I am returning Senate Bill No. 983 (First Reprint) with my recommendations for reconsideration.
The State’s Emergency Assistance program provides temporary housing and shelter-related assistance to individuals and families with emergent needs who also receive Work First benefits or Supplemental Security Income. The program is specifically designed to deliver temporary relief to individuals who encounter unexpected difficulties that necessitate emergency housing assistance. This bill would expand the temporary Emergency Assistance program to a permanent program providing housing-related benefits to certain individuals.
Since I became Governor, reducing homelessness has been a top priority of my Administration. In 2012, I established through executive order the Interagency Council on Homelessness (“Interagency Council”) and tasked it with developing a 10-year plan to prevent and end homelessness in this State. I subsequently formed a Working Group made up of Senior Administration officials and members of the public to consider the proposals recommended by the Interagency Council and to further explore ways to reduce and prevent homelessness.
I continue to support several important programs that provide housing assistance to individuals. Recently, I announced the creation of the statewide Housing First Program to help homeless individuals and families immediately obtain housing, as well as the issuance of Statewide Rental Assistance Program vouchers to support the Housing First Program. I also have doubled the capacity of the Veterans Haven program, which provides transitional housing and medical, counseling, and rehabilitation services to homeless veterans, successfully guiding them into more stable living situations across the State. With the success of these programs, there has been a steady decrease in homelessness in New Jersey over the past five years.
The ultimate goal of my Administration is to help those most in need locate and obtain permanent residences so that no one experiences homelessness in this State. While my commitment to this goal remains steadfast, the Emergency Assistance program is meant to be a temporary program to help with emergency housing expenses. I cannot sign a bill that would fundamentally alter the purpose of this temporary program, potentially undermining our focus on finding permanent housing solutions for those in need.
Nevertheless, I understand that individuals with permanent disabilities or individuals who are the caretakers of dependents with disabilities may need extended benefits in certain circumstances. Therefore, I recommend that the bill be amended to authorize the Commissioner of Human Services to grant up to two six-month extensions of Emergency Assistance benefits specifically to individuals with permanent disabilities or caretakers of dependents with disabilities, consistent with extensions already authorized by law. I also recommend that the notice required for termination or modification of benefits be amended to ten days to remain consistent with the notice required for termination of Work First benefits generally. These improvements will help maintain the integrity, efficacy, and consistency of the Emergency Assistance program while expanding access to temporary housing assistance when appropriate.
Accordingly, I herewith return Senate Bill No. 983 (First Reprint) and recommend that it be amended as follows:
Page 2, Section 1, Line 16: After “children,” insert “including dependent children with disabilities,”
Page 2, Section 1, Line 25: After “children” insert “, including dependent children with disabilities,”
Page 2, Section 1, Line 38: Delete “shall” and insert “may”
Page 2, Section 1, Line 39: After “assistance” insert “for up to six additional months”
Page 2, Section 1, Line 40: After “determines” insert “that a case of extreme hardship exists and”
Page 2, Section 1, Line 41: Delete “disabled child or other”
Page 2, Section 1, Line 42: Delete “disabled dependent” and insert “dependent with a disability”
Page 2, Section 1, Line 42: After “the” delete “disabled”
Page 2, Section 1, Line 43: Delete “child or other disabled”
Page 2, Section 1, Line 43: After “dependent” delete “;” and insert “with a disability; or”
Page 3, Section 1, Line 2: Delete “;” and insert “.”
Page 3, Section 1, Lines 3-5: Delete in their entirety
Page 3, Section 1, Line 6: Delete “individual’s eligibility for” and insert “such case on a monthly basis during the six-month period and shall continue the emergency assistance only if the commissioner determines, based upon the monthly review, that the extreme hardship continues to exist. If the extreme hardship continues to exist at the end of the six-month period, the commissioner may provide up to an additional six months of emergency assistance to no more than 10% of those individuals that meet the criteria established pursuant to this paragraph (3).
Page 3, Section 1, Lines 7-10: Delete in their entirety
Page 3, Section 1, Line 12: Delete “paragraphs (1) and (2) of”
Page 3, Section 1, Lines 31-42: Delete in their entirety
Page 3, Section 1, Line 43: Delete “f.” and insert “e.”
Page 3, Section 1, Line 45: Delete “one month” and insert “ten days”
Page 3, Section 1, Line 47: After “benefits” insert “in accordance with regulations adopted by the commissioner”
Page 4, Section 1, Line 1: Delete “g.” and insert “f.”
Respectfully,
[seal] /s/ Chris Christie
Governor
Attest:
/s/ Thomas P. Scrivo
Chief Counsel to the Governor