SCR48

Sponsored by:

Senator MICHAEL L. TESTA, JR.

District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)

Co-Sponsored by:

Senator Sarlo

SYNOPSIS

Urges Governor and Legislature to fully fund 9-1-1 system.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

As introduced.

A Concurrent Resolution urging the Governor and Legislature to fully fund the 9-1-1 system.

Whereas, New Jersey collects roughly $124 million annually in fees from landline and cellular telephone customers, and those fees are placed in the "9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account" (fund); and

Whereas, Monies in the fund are used to fund certain emergency management activities, including the 9-1-1 system; and

Whereas, The State has allocated only 11 percent of the monies in the fund to counties and municipalities to operate the 9-1-1 system; and

Whereas, New Jersey has failed to provide sufficient funding for counties and municipalities to operate the 9-1-1 system and has instead diverted an inordinate share of monies from the fund to the State’s Department of Law of Law and Public Safety; and

Whereas, As a result, counties and municipalities, which handle the vast majority of 9-1-1 emergency service requests, have been forced to rely on local property tax monies in order to maintain, operate, and improve the 9-1-1 system; and

Whereas, Counties and municipalities require monies from the fund to maintain and operate the 9-1-1 system and to improve the system with the latest technologies in order to ensure the safety of their constituents; and

Whereas, If monies from the fund continue to be diverted away from counties and municipalities, local governments may be forced to either raise property taxes or cut essential services in order to operate the 9-1-1 system; and

Whereas, The Governor and Legislature should restore monies to the fund to allow counties and municipalities to properly maintain, operate, and continue to improve the 9-1-1 system; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):

1. The Legislature respectfully urges the Governor to take all necessary steps to allocate monies from the "9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account" to counties and municipalities so that the 9-1-1 system can be properly maintained, operated, and improved.

2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to the Governor of the State of New Jersey.

STATEMENT

This concurrent resolution urges the Governor and Legislature to fully fund the 9-1-1 system.

New Jersey collects roughly $124 million annually in fees from landline and cellular telephone customers, and those fees are placed in the "9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account" (fund). Monies in the fund are used to fund certain emergency management activities, including the 9-1-1 system.

The State has allocated only 11 percent of the monies in the fund to counties and municipalities to operate the 9-1-1 system. New Jersey has failed to provide sufficient funding for counties and municipalities to operate the 9-1-1 system and has instead diverted an inordinate share of monies from the fund to the State’s Department of Law of Law and Public Safety. As a result, counties and municipalities, which handle the vast majority of 9-1-1 emergency service requests, have been forced to rely on local property tax monies in order to maintain, operate, and improve the 9-1-1 system.

Counties and municipalities require monies from the fund to maintain and operate the 9-1-1 system and to improve the system with the latest technologies in order to ensure the safety of their constituents. If monies from the fund continue to be diverted away from counties and municipalities, local governments may be forced to either raise property taxes or cut essential services in order to operate the 9-1-1 system.