STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2018 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman GORDON M. JOHNSON
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Extends from one to two years after leaving employment period during which Executive Branch department heads cannot act as governmental affairs agent.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act limiting registration of certain Executive Branch officers as governmental affairs agents and amending P.L.2004, c.34.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 1 of P.L.2004, c.34 (C.52:13C-21.4) is amended to read as follows:
1. a. [As used in this section, "person" means any] No member of the Legislature, [the] Governor, [the] or Lieutenant Governor [or the head of a principal department of the Executive Branch] unless serving as the head of a principal department of the Executive Branch, within one year next subsequent to the termination of the office of such person, shall register as a “governmental affairs agent” as defined in section 3 of P.L.1971, c.183 (C.52:13C-20).
b. No [person] head of a principal department of the Executive Branch, including the Lieutenant Governor if serving as the head of a principal department of the Executive Branch, within [one year] two years next subsequent to the termination of the office or employment of such person, shall register as a "governmental affairs agent" as defined in section 3 of P.L.1971, c.183 (C.52:13C-20).
c. Any person who knowingly and willfully violates the provisions of [subsection b. of] this section shall be subject to a penalty of not more than $10,000 and shall be barred from activities prohibited under [subsection b.] this section for up to an additional five years.
d. Upon receiving evidence of any violation of this section, the Election Law Enforcement Commission shall have the power to hold, or to cause to be held, hearings about the violation and, upon finding any person to have committed a violation, to assess such penalty, within the limits prescribed herein, as it deems proper under the circumstances, which penalty may be collected in a summary proceeding pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.).
(cf: P.L.2009, c.66, s.39)
2. This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would prohibit the head of a principal department in the Executive Branch from registering as a governmental affairs agent for a period of two years after leaving office. Under current law, heads of principal departments in the Executive Branch are prohibited from registering as a governmental affairs agent for one year after leaving office.
The Lieutenant Governor is included in the prohibition if the Lieutenant Governor served as the head of a principal department of the Executive Branch.