Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOHN ARMATO
District 2 (Atlantic)
Assemblyman BOB ANDRZEJCZAK
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
Assemblyman R. BRUCE LAND
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Mazzeo and Assemblywoman Murphy
SYNOPSIS
Creates civil service preference for peacetime veterans.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act creating a civil service veterans preference for peacetime veterans and supplementing chapter 5 of Title 11A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Any individual who does not meet the definition of veteran pursuant to N.J.S.11A:5-1, but who has served in the Armed Forces of the United States, a Reserve component thereof, or the National Guard of this State, as defined in N.J.S.38A:1-1, and has been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable from that service, and who receives a passing score on an open competitive examination, shall be entitled to five additional points above the individual’s earned score.
b. Veterans qualified under subsection a. of this section, shall be placed at the top of a civil service list immediately after veterans who meet the definition of veteran under N.J.S.11A:5-1.
c. At no time shall this section supersede the veterans preference provided in N.J.S.11A:5-4 and N.J.S.11A:5-5.
d. The Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs shall be responsible for determining whether any individual seeking to be considered a veteran under this section, for the purpose of receiving civil service preference, meets the criteria set forth herein and adjudicating an appeal from any person disputing this determination. The determination of the Adjutant General shall apply only prospectively from the date of initial determination or date of determination from an appeal, as appropriate, and shall be binding upon the commission.
2. This act shall take effect three months next following the date of enactment or three months after approval of a relevant amendment to the New Jersey Constitution, whichever occurs later. This act shall apply to persons taking examinations after the effective date, except the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Military and Veterans affairs may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act. This act shall only apply if an amendment to the State constitution is approved by the voters to permit such veterans to receive the benefit.
STATEMENT
This bill would expand eligibility for veterans civil service hiring preference so that individuals who are veterans, but are not eligible for preference in the State civil service as wartime veterans, would receive five additional points above the individual's earned score on a State civil service examination and be listed in order of their scores immediately after veterans who are currently eligible for preference in the State civil service.
Under this bill, a veteran will mean any individual who has served in the Armed Forces of the United States, a Reserve component thereof, or the National Guard of this State, and has been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable from that service.
The Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs will be responsible for determining whether any individual seeking to be considered a veteran under this bill meets the criteria.
These changes will not supersede current law concerning civil service preference provided to disabled veterans and wartime veterans.
This new benefit for veterans who did not serve in a time of war would apply only if an amendment to the State constitution is approved by the voters to permit such veterans to receive the benefit.