ASSEMBLY, No. 403

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

 

 

By Assemblywoman HECK

 

 

A Supplement to "An Act making appropriations for the support of the State Government and the several public purposes for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1994 and regulating the disbursement thereof," approved June 30, 1993 (P.L.1993, c.155).

 

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

    1. In addition to the amounts appropriated under P.L.1993, c.155, there is appropriated out of the General Fund the following sum for the purpose specified:

 

DIRECT STATE SERVICES

26 DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

10 PUBLIC SAFETY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE

7025 SYSTEM-WIDE PROGRAM SUPPORT

 

13-7025 Institutional Program

Support           ......................................................$4,500,000

    Special Purpose:

    Computerized inmate and parolee collections system.. $4,500,000

 

    2.    Prior to the distribution of the funding hereinabove appropriated, the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections shall conduct a study of the department's current collection system, identify alternative computerized collection systems and their costs, and recommend the most cost effective collections system available that will permit the department to collect money due from its inmates and parolees. Included in this report shall be a plan indicating how the Department of Corrections intends to collect financial obligations owed by its inmates and parolees that are already in arrears. The department shall submit these recommendations to the Joint Budget Oversight Committee for their approval of the selected system. In addition, the Department of Corrections shall provide to the Joint Budget Oversight Committee an estimate of the increased revenues which shall be collected as a result of the installation of the new system.

 

    3.    Within six months of receiving the funds, the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections shall appear before the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees to provide the Legislature with an update of the status of the system.

 

    4.    This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This bill appropriates $4.5 million to the Department of Corrections for the purpose of developing a computerized collections program to permit the department to collect court imposed financial obligations owed by prison inmates and parolees. N.J.S.A. 30:4-92 requires the Department of Corrections to deduct up to one third of an inmates wages to pay any assessment, restitution, or fine ordered as a part of the inmate's sentence. The department is also required to deduct up to one third of an inmate's work release wages for this purpose (N.J.S.A. 30:4-91.4). However, at the present time the Department of Corrections manually deducts the wages only from inmates on work release. Inmates working in the institutions have their pay deducted on a voluntary basis and parolees make voluntary payments to their parole officers.

    This appropriation will permit the Department of Corrections to develop and install a computerized payroll deduction program. This program will provide for computerized electronic funds transfer capability to accommodate the shift of funds to the receiving agency, and a centralized accounting and bookkeeping system to collect, keep track of and to send out the funds to the recipient agency or individual.

    The bill requires that prior to the distribution of the funds appropriated, the department conduct a study of its current collection system, identify alternative computerized collection systems and their costs, and submit recommendations to the Joint Budget Oversight Committee with regard to the most cost effective collections system available. Included in this report shall be a plan indicating how the department intends to collect sums owed by inmates and parolees that are already in arrears. In addition, the Department of Corrections is required to provide to the Joint Budget Oversight Committee an estimate of the increased revenues which will be collected as a result of the installation of the new system.

    Within six months of receiving the funds, the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections is required to appear before the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees to provide the Legislature with an update of the status of the system.

 

 

 

Appropriates $4.5 million to the Department of Corrections for a computerized inmate and parolee collections system.