AJR206

A Joint Resolution establishing a task force to evaluate the impact of the use of facial recognition systems by governmental entities on the civil rights and civil liberties of certain communities.

Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. There is hereby created a task force to be known as the “Task Force on Facial Recognition Systems.” The purpose of the task force shall be to evaluate the impact and document potential consequences of the use of facial recognition systems by governmental entities on the civil rights and civil liberties of vulnerable communities.

As used in this act:

“Facial recognition system” means a computer application which uses facial recognition algorithms to identify or verify a person from a digital image or a video frame from a video source.

“Vulnerable communities” means communities historically impacted by surveillance technologies, including but not limited to, African American, Hispanic American, Native American, and Asian American communities; religious minorities; and protest and activist groups.

b. The task force shall consist of 17 members as follows:

(1) 14 public members representing vulnerable communities, seven of which shall be appointed by the President of the Senate and seven of which shall be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly;

(2) a representative of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly;

(3) a representative of the New Jersey State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, appointed by the President of the Senate; and

(4) a representative of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly.

Any vacancy in the membership of the task force shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made.

c. All appointments to the task force shall be made within 90 days of the effective date of this act. The task force shall organize as soon as practicable after the appointment of its members, and shall select a chairperson from among the members. The chairperson shall appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the task force. The presence of a majority of the members of the task force shall constitute a quorum.

d. The task force may meet at the call of its chairperson at the times and in the places it may deem appropriate and necessary to fulfill its duties, and may conduct public hearings at the places it shall designate. The members of the task force shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed, within the limits of funds made available to the task force, for necessary travel expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.

e. 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, or agency as it may require and may be available to it for its purpose. The Office of the Attorney General in the Department of Law and Public Safety shall provide professional and clerical staff to the task force, as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.

f. A report of the task force’s findings shall be submitted to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature no later than 12 months following the date of the task force’s initial meeting.

2. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon submission of the task force’s final report to the Governor and the Legislature.

STATEMENT

This joint resolution establishes a “Task Force on Facial Recognition Systems” to evaluate the impact and document potential consequences of the use of facial recognition systems by governmental entities on the civil rights and civil liberties of vulnerable communities.

Under the joint resolution, “vulnerable communities” is defined as communities historically impacted by surveillance technologies, including but not limited to African American, Hispanic American, Native American, and Asian American communities; religious minorities; and protest and activist groups.

The 17 member task force would be comprised of the following members: (1) 14 public members representing vulnerable communities, seven of whom are to be appointed by the President of the Senate and seven of whom are to be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; (2) a representative of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; (3) a representative of the New Jersey State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, appointed by the President of the Senate; and (4) a representative of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly.

The joint resolution requires the task force appointments to be made within 90 days of the joint resolution’s effective date. The task force is to organize as soon as practicable after the appointment of the members. In addition, the task force is to select a chairperson from among its members and the chairperson is required to appoint a secretary. The presence of a majority of the members of the task force constitutes a quorum.

In addition, the joint resolution provides that the task force may meet at the call of its chairperson at the times and in the places it may deem appropriate and necessary to fulfill its duties, and may conduct public hearings at the places it designates.

Finally, the task force is required to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and Legislature no later than 12 months following the date of the task force’s initial meeting.