LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
[First Reprint]
ASSEMBLY, No. 4511
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
219th LEGISLATURE
DATED: SEPTEMBER 1, 2020
SUMMARY
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Synopsis: |
Allows for immediate transport of persons by local law enforcement officers under certain circumstances. |
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Type of Impact: |
State and local expenditure increases. |
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Agencies Affected: |
Department of Law and Public Safety; Department of Health; County and Municipal Law Enforcement Agencies. |
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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) projects that the bill may result in a one-time marginal State expenditure increase by the Department of Law and Public Safety (DLPS) and the Department of Health (DOH) to promulgate guidelines for county and municipal law enforcement agencies to implement this bill.
· The OLS finds the costs that may be attributable to the transport of certain injured persons by county and municipal law enforcement officers are indeterminate.
BILL DESCRIPTION
This bill requires a county or municipal law enforcement officer to provide a person with immediate transportation to the nearest hospital under certain circumstances. The bill provides that the Attorney General, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, is to promulgate guidelines to effectuate the provisions of the bill.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
None received.
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
The OLS projects that the bill may result in a one-time marginal State expenditure increase by the DLPS and the DOH to promulgate guidelines for county and municipal law enforcement agencies to implement this bill. The OLS finds the costs that may be attributable to the transport of certain injured persons by county and municipal law enforcement officers are indeterminate.
Expenditure: The OLS estimates the State’s expenditure increase to be marginal for the DLPS and the DOH to promulgate guidelines for county and municipal law enforcement agencies to implement this bill; however, it is uncertain if the concerned departments may be able to absorb the additional workload within their existing operating budgets.
Under the bill, the county and municipal law enforcement officers are required to provide a person with direct transportation to the nearest hospital under certain circumstances as determined by the DLPS and the DOH guidelines. Some research indicates that persons with certain penetrating injuries, such as a firearm injury, have a higher rate of survival when taken immediately to a hospital by a law enforcement officer who may be first to arrive on a scene versus waiting for emergency medical transportation to arrive. The OLS is uncertain of costs to county and municipal law enforcement agencies to implement the provisions of this bill. Possible costs associated with the bill may be the need to increase department staffing and increase the number of available vehicles in the department fleet. Depending on the guidelines promulgated by the State, the law enforcement agency may need to hold training sessions on the new duties, increase staffing due to a potential loss of an officer on duty as the officer may be required to transport the injured person to a hospital, remain with the transported injured person, and may need to complete additional incident documentation. In addition, the law enforcement agency may need to ensure additional vehicles in the fleet are available and absorb costs attributed to the time out of service and sanitization costs associate with the cleaning of a law enforcement vehicle.
A community may actualize an unmeasurable societal savings attributed to more lives being saved and a positive law enforcement image.
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Section: |
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Analyst: |
Senior Fiscal Analyst |
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Approved: |
Frank W. Haines III 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.).