Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblywoman ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT
District 31 (Hudson)
Assemblyman GORDON M. JOHNSON
District 37 (Bergen)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Speight and Murphy
SYNOPSIS
Requires Civil Service Commission establish mentoring program for minority civil service law enforcement applicants.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act requiring the Civil Service Commission to establish a mentoring program to assist certain applicants for civil service employment, and supplementing chapter 7 of Title 11A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to the contrary, the Civil Service Commission shall establish and maintain a mentoring program for minority civil service law enforcement applicants.
The purpose of the mentoring program shall be to assist minority law enforcement applicants through the civil service application and selection process, and to help address obstacles unique to their circumstances. The program may be conducted through mentoring projects, including workshops, group discussions, and dissemination of information about civil service practices which provide assistance in overcoming barriers to employment.
b. As used in this act:
“Mentee” means a civil service law enforcement applicant participating in the mentoring program established pursuant to section a. of this act.
"Mentor" means a volunteer who agrees to participate in the mentoring program established pursuant to section a. of this act. A mentor may be a current law enforcement officer in good standing who obtained his or her current law enforcement position through the civil service process, a former law enforcement officer who retired or resigned in good standing who obtained his or her law enforcement position through the civil service process, or any other person deemed appropriate by the Civil Service Commission.
c. The Civil Service Commission shall develop criteria to determine eligibility in the mentoring program as a mentor and as a mentee. No monies shall be provided to a mentor to participate in the program, and no fees shall be charged to a mentee to participate in the program. When possible, the mentor shall be of the same racial or ethnic background as the mentee.
d. A mentor or mentee may be removed from the program for good cause as determined by the Civil Service Commission. A mentee shall be removed from the program upon the mentee’s acceptance of an offer of employment. An applicant may participate in the program as a mentee a maximum of three times within a ten year period. After successfully completing the program, a former mentee may be eligible to participate in the program as a mentor.
e. At least once a year, the Civil Service Commission shall review the mentoring program for its efficacy, and make any necessary adjustments to continue to meet the needs and purpose of the program.
f. The Civil Service Commission shall develop rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this act, P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the sixth month next following enactment, except the Civil Service Commission may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Civil Service Commission to establish and maintain a mentoring program for minority civil service law enforcement applicants.
The purpose of the mentoring program will be to assist minority law enforcement applicants through the civil service application and selection process, and to help address obstacles unique to their circumstances. The program may be conducted through mentoring projects, including workshops, group discussions, and dissemination of information about civil service practices which provide assistance in overcoming barriers to employment.
The commission will develop criteria to determine eligibility in the program as a mentor and as a mentee. A mentor may be a current or former law enforcement officer in good standing who obtained his or her law enforcement position through the civil service process, or any other person deemed appropriate by the Civil Service Commission.
A mentor or mentee may be removed from the mentoring program for good cause as determined by the commission. A mentee will be removed from the program upon the mentee’s acceptance of an offer of employment. An applicant may participate in the program as a mentee a maximum of three times within a ten year period. A former mentee may be eligible to participate in the program as a mentor.
No monies will be provided to a mentor to participate in the program, and no fees will be charged to a mentee to participate in the program.
At least once a year, the commission will review the program for its efficacy, and make any necessary adjustments to continue to meet the needs and purpose of the program.