STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2018 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman BRIAN E. RUMPF
District 9 (Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean)
Assemblywoman DIANNE C. GOVE
District 9 (Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Requires any individual seeking elective public office to disclose when filing petition of nomination whether he or she has been convicted of a criminal offense.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act requiring the disclosure of certain information by individuals seeking elective public office in this State and supplementing chapters 13 and 23 of Title 19 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. In addition to the requirements for a petition of nomination established in R.S.19:13-4, each such petition filed with the Secretary of State, the county clerk or the municipal clerk, as may be appropriate, shall include a statement signed by the candidate that he or she:
a. has not been convicted of any criminal offense under the laws of this State or of any criminal offense under the laws of another state, territory, commonwealth or jurisdiction of the United States, or any country in the world, which would be a crime if committed in this State; or
b. has been so convicted, in which case, the candidate shall disclose on the statement the details of the offense, including the type and degree of offense, the individual or entity it involved, the date it occurred, the date of conviction for the offense and the time served, the fine paid and any other penalty imposed. Such a candidate may, as an alternative, provide with the statement a copy of an official document that provides such information. If the candidate has been convicted of more than one criminal offense, such information about each such offense shall be provided.
If a petition of nomination contains the names of two or more candidates, a signed statement for each candidate shall be attached to the petition at the time of filing.
2. In addition to the requirements for a petition of nomination established in R.S.19:23-7, each such petition filed with the Secretary of State, the county clerk or the municipal clerk, as may be appropriate, shall include a statement signed by the candidate that he or she:
a. has not been convicted of any criminal offense under the laws of this State or of any criminal offense under the laws of another state, territory, commonwealth or jurisdiction of the United States, or any country in the world, which would be a crime if committed in this State; or
b. has been so convicted, in which case, the candidate shall disclose on the statement the details of the offense, including the type and degree of offense, the individual or entity it involved, the date it occurred, the date of conviction for the offense and the time served, the fine paid and any other penalty imposed, if applicable. Such a candidate may, as an alternative, provide with the statement a copy of an official document that provides such information. If the candidate has been convicted of more than one criminal offense, such information about each such offense shall be provided.
If a petition of nomination contains the names of two or more candidates, a signed statement for each candidate shall be attached to the petition at the time of filing.
3. This act shall take effect on January 1 next following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
The purpose of this bill is to require any individual seeking elective public office in this State to disclose at the time of filing a petition of nomination whether he or she has been convicted of a criminal offense.
Specifically, the bill requires that each petition of nomination must include a statement signed by the candidate that he or she has either not been convicted of a criminal offense in this State or any other state or involving the government of the United States or any other country, or that the candidate has been so convicted. In that case, the candidate must disclose on the statement the details of the offense, including the type or degree of offense, the individual or entity it involved, the date it occurred, the date of conviction for the offense and the time served, the fine paid or both, if applicable. Such a candidate may, as an alternative, provide with the statement a copy of an official document that provides such information. If the candidate has been convicted of more than one criminal offense, such information about each such offense must be provided.