LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
[First Reprint]
ASSEMBLY, No. 4379
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
219th LEGISLATURE
DATED: MARCH 25, 2021
SUMMARY
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Synopsis: |
Establishes Employment Application Registry database in Division of State Police. |
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Type of Impact: |
Annual State and local cost increases. |
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Agencies Affected: |
Department of Law and Public Safety; local governments |
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Office of Legislative Services Estimate |
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Fiscal Impact |
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
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State Cost Increase |
Indeterminate |
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Local Cost Increase |
Indeterminate |
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· The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) finds that the bill will result in indeterminate annual cost increases for the State and local governments. The State will incur initial costs to establish the Employment Application Registry database and thereafter there will be annual State, county, and municipal expenditure increases to maintain the registry. It is unknown whether there will be additional expenditures for annual data collection and reporting, or if additional personnel investments and technology upgrades will be needed for the collection and reporting of the required data for the registry.
BILL DESCRIPTION
This bill requires the Superintendent of State Police to establish and maintain an Employment Application Registry database.
Each law enforcement agency is required to maintain records of all applicants for employment in the agency and report the information to the Superintendent of State Police for inclusion in the Employment Application Registry. The information contained in the Employment Application Registry is to be confidential and not a public record.
The records to be maintained by the law enforcement agency are to include, but not be limited to: information related to the applicant’s identity; the position for which the applicant submitted an application; whether an offer of employment was made and, if not, the reason, including, but not limited to, whether an offer was not made because the applicant was included in the Central Drug Registry established by the Attorney General as a result of a positive drug test; and whether the applicant is to be disqualified from employment with a law enforcement agency in this State.
Each law enforcement agency in this State is required to consult the Employment Application Registry prior to making an offer of employment to an applicant.
The bill requires the Attorney General to issue any necessary guidelines and directives including, but not limited to: procedures for the collection of information to be contained in the Employment Application Registry; the reasons for which an applicant is to be disqualified from employment; and procedures for maintaining the confidentiality of information contained in the database.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
None received.
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
The OLS finds that the bill will result in indeterminate annual cost increases for the State and local governments. The State will incur initial costs to establish the Employment Application Registry database and thereafter there will be annual State, county, and municipal expenditure increases to maintain the registry. It is unknown whether there will be additional expenditures for annual data collection and reporting, or if additional personnel investments and technology upgrades will be needed for the collection and reporting of the required data for the registry.
Expenditure Increases: The bill requires the Attorney General to issue any necessary guidelines and directives including, but not limited to: procedures for the collection of information to be contained in the Employment Application Registry; the reasons for which an applicant is to be disqualified from employment; and procedures for maintaining the confidentiality of information contained in the database. The Superintendent of State Police is required to establish and maintain the Employment Application Registry database, which requires data to be submitted from all law enforcement offices Statewide.
Currently, the Department of Law and Public Safety collects data in accordance with Attorney General Directive 2020-7 for existing employees to ensure internal workplace discipline concerns may be tracked. The data collected, however, does not appear to extend to those persons submitting applications for employment to a law enforcement agency. Therefore, additional expenditures may be required at the State, county, and municipal levels to establish a database or modify an existing database, to train personnel on the proper collection and entry of data, to collect and retain the data, and to complete data collection and reporting requirements Statewide from the various agencies as required in this bill.
The OLS notes that there may be a financial savings
and also other law enforcement agency resources may be saved as a result of not
having to process a new applicant if that applicant is found to be disqualified
in the Employment Application Registry.
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Section: |
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Analyst: |
Senior Fiscal Analyst |
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Approved: |
Thomas Koenig Legislative Budget and Finance Officer |
This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.
This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).