Sponsored by:
Senator JAMES BEACH
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Senator SHIRLEY K. TURNER
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Creates fund to reimburse counties for cost of certain mail-in ballot procedures; appropriates $4,000,000.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act creating a fund to offset the cost to counties of implementing certain aspects of the law concerning mail-in ballots, supplementing P.L.2009, c.79 (C.19:63-1 et seq.), and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. There is created a special, non-lapsing fund in the Department of State that shall be designated the “Mail-In Ballot County Reimbursement Fund.” The fund shall be maintained as a separate account and administered by the Secretary of State. The fund shall consist of: (1) any monies appropriated by the State for the purposes of the fund; and (2) all interest and investment earnings received on monies in the fund. The fund shall be used to offset the additional direct expenditures required for the implementation of P.L.2018, c.72 and P.L.2019, c.265 and any rule or regulation issued pursuant thereto.
There shall be appropriated annually through the annual appropriations act such amounts as shall be deemed necessary for the purposes of the fund.
The clerk of each county shall, on or before January 1 of each year following the year for which the county is seeking reimbursement, certify to the Department of State, in a manner prescribed by the department, the total cost incurred by the county in implementing the provisions of P.L.2018, c.72 and P.L.2019, c.265.
2. There is appropriated from the State General Fund to the Department of State for deposit into the “Mail-In Ballot County Reimbursement Fund,” created pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the sum of $4,000,000 for the purposes specified therein.
3. To the extent deemed expired by the Council on Local Mandates, established by section 4 of P.L.1996, c.24 (C.52:13H-4) pursuant to Article VIII, Section II, paragraph 5 of the New Jersey Constitution, the provisions of P.L.2018, c.72 and P.L.2019, 265 shall be accorded full force and effect retroactive to the effective dates thereof, the funding for which shall be provided as in sections 1 and 2 of this act, P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) to offset the additional direct expenditures required for the implementation of such laws as required under Article VIII, Section II, paragraph 5 of the New Jersey Constitution.
4. This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill creates a fund to reimburse counties for the cost of implementing laws enacted in 2018 and 2019 that require county clerks to provide mail-in ballots for all future elections to voters who requested a mail-in ballot for the 2016 general election, or any election in 2017 and 2018. The bill requires an annual appropriation to the new fund for each State fiscal year.
This bill also appropriates for the current State fiscal year $4,000,000 from the State General Fund for deposit into the new fund to reimburse counties for the additional direct costs incurred in carrying out the purpose of the 2018 and 2019 laws.
This bill is intended to address the order of the Council on Local Mandates in In The Matter of the Complaint Filed by the New Jersey Association of Counties No. 1-19, issued November 15, 2019.