Sponsored by:
Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Assemblyman ROY FREIMAN
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman B.DeCroce
SYNOPSIS
Requires Director of Division of Developmental Disabilities to establish payment programs for purchase of transportation services from private sector and government transportation service providers.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning Division of Developmental Disabilities funding for transportation services for persons with developmental disabilities and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Human Services shall develop a payment program utilizing existing division transportation funding that provides persons with developmental disabilities individual monthly budgets for personal travel.
b. The program shall establish a method to allow individuals to use their personal budget to pay for travel on: (1) motorbus regular route service, rail passenger service, and light rail service operated by or under contract to the New Jersey Transit Corporation; (2) pay-per-ride trips provided by county transportation agencies that participate in the "Senior Citizen and Disabled Resident Transportation Assistance Act," P.L.1983, c.578 (C.27:25-25 et seq.); and (3) individual trips with taxi services and transportation network companies with drivers that have completed the Community Transportation Association of America’s (CTAA) Passenger Assistance, Safety, and Sensitivity (PASS) driver training program.
c. The director shall develop rules and regulations that encourage the utilization of existing county transportation agency services for travel to and from day programs and employment sites. If day programs and employment sites are not currently accessible through county transportation agency services, the division shall coordinate with county transportation agencies to establish these services.
2. This act shall take effect immediately, but remain inoperative for 180 days following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Human Services (director) to develop a payment program that provides individuals with developmental disabilities individual travel budgets. The program is to permit individuals to use the travel budget to pay for travel on the New Jersey Transit Corporation regular route bus, rail, and light rail network, pay-per-ride trips provided through county transportation agencies, and transportation network company and taxi services with drivers that have received Passenger Assistance, Safety, and Sensitivity (PASS) training.
The bill also requires the director to develop rules and regulations that encourage the utilization of county transportation agency services for travel to and from day programs and employment sites, and for the division to coordinate with county transportation agencies to establish service to day programs and employment sites that are not currently served by county transportation agencies.