Sponsored by:
Assemblyman WILLIAM W. SPEARMAN
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
Assemblywoman ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT
District 31 (Hudson)
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson
SYNOPSIS
Prioritizes distribution of 9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund monies; permits use of funds for certain expenses incurred by counties and municipalities for the provision and maintenance of 9-1-1 emergency services.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the “9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account” and amending P.L.2004, c.48.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 3 of P.L.2004 c.48 (C.52:17C-19) is amended to read as follows:
3. a. There is established in the Department of the Treasury within the General Fund a special account to be known as the "9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account."
b. Funds credited to the "9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account" shall be annually appropriated for the purposes of paying:
(1) eligible costs pursuant to the provisions of sections 13 and 14 of P.L.1989, c.3 (C.52:17C-13 and 52:17C-14);
(2) the costs of funding the State's capital equipment (including debt service), facilities and operating expenses that arise from emergency response;
(3) the cost of emergency response training, including any related costs or expenses of the Office of Emergency Management in the Division of State Police in the Department of Law and Public Safety;
(4) the cost of operating the Office of Emergency Telecommunications Services created pursuant to section 3 of P.L.1989, c.3 (C.52:17C-3);
(5) the cost of operating the Statewide Public Safety Communications Commission created pursuant to section 5 of P.L.2011, c.4 (C.52:17C-3.2);
(6) any costs associated with implementing any requirement of the Federal Communications Commission concerning 9-1-1 service that is not otherwise allocated to a carrier and not eligible for reimbursement under law or regulation;
(7) any costs associated with planning, designing or implementing an automatic location identification technology that is not otherwise allocated to a wireless carrier and not eligible for reimbursement under law or regulation; [and]
(8) any costs associated with planning, designing or acquiring replacement equipment or systems (including debt service) related to the enhanced 9-1-1 network as defined by subsection e. of section 1 of P.L.1989, c.3 (C.52:17C-1) ; and
(9) any costs incurred by counties and municipalities for the provision and maintenance of 9-1-1 emergency services including, but not limited to, costs associated with emergency response training, operating expenses, and capital expenses.
c. The Attorney General shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to allocate 9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account monies to county, regional, and municipal public safety answering points. Funds shall be prioritized for distribution to county, regionalized, or large centralized public safety answering points. To the extent available, funds shall then be distributed to other local public safety answering points.
(cf: P.L.2013, c.245, s.1)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill permits funds from the "9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account" to be appropriated for the purposes of paying for certain costs incurred by counties and municipalities for the provision and maintenance of 9-1-1 emergency services and prioritizes funds.
Currently, pursuant to N.J.S.A.52:17C-19, funds in the trust fund account are allocated for the following purposes:
(1) the costs incurred in the initial installation of the Statewide enhanced 9-1-1 network and for the costs incurred by a county for the employment of a county 9-1-1 coordinator in an amount not to exceed $25,000 per county 9-1-1 coordinator (N.J.S.A.52:17C-13) as well as the installation, operation, and maintenance costs required to provide wireless enhanced 9-1-1 services (N.J.S.A.52:17C-14);
(2) the costs of funding the State's capital equipment (including debt service), facilities, and operating expenses that arise from emergency response;
(3) the cost of emergency response training, including any related costs or expenses of the Office of Emergency Management in the Division of State Police in the Department of Law and Public Safety;
(4) the cost of operating the Office of Emergency Telecommunications Services;
(5) the cost of operating the Statewide Public Safety Communications Commission;
(6) any costs associated with implementing any requirement of the Federal Communications Commission concerning 9-1-1 service that is not otherwise allocated to a carrier and not eligible for reimbursement under law or regulation;
(7) any costs associated with planning, designing, or implementing an automatic location identification technology that is not otherwise allocated to a wireless carrier and not eligible for reimbursement under law or regulation; and
(8) any costs associated with planning, designing or acquiring replacement equipment or systems (including debt service) related to the enhanced 9-1-1 network.
This bill provides that funds in the 9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account may also be allocated for costs incurred by counties and municipalities for the provision and maintenance of 9-1-1 emergency services including, but not limited to, costs associated with emergency response training, operating expenses, and capital expenses.
Finally, the bill requires funds to be distributed on a prioritized basis first to county, regionalized, or large centralized public safety answering points, followed by other local public safety answering points.