ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 4379

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MAY 18, 2021

      The Assembly Appropriations Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 4379 (1R).

      This bill requires the Superintendent of State Police to establish and maintain an Employment Application Registry database.

      Under the amended bill, 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.

      Under the amended bill, 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 amended bill also 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 IMPACT:

      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.