ASSEMBLY, No. 487

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

 

 

By Assemblywoman VANDERVALK

 

 

An Act to amend and supplement "An Act making appropriations for the support of the State Government and the several public purposes for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995 and regulating the disbursement thereof," approved June 30, 1994 (P.L.1994, c.67).

 

    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.1994, c.67, there is appropriated out of the Casino Revenue Fund the following sum for the purpose specified:

 

CASINO REVENUE FUND

GRANTS-IN-AID

54 DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES

30 Educational, Cultural and Intellectual Development

32 Operation and Support of Educational Institutions

7601 Community Programs -- Grants-In-Aid

 

02-7601 Social Supervision and Consultation..............$13,500,000

Grants:

    Additional Services .......................($13,500,000)

 

    The Division of Developmental Disabilities is authorized to transfer the funds hereinabove appropriated to such other programs within its jurisdiction as deemed appropriate, subject to the approval of the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting. Notice of any such transfer shall be provided to the Legislative Budget and Finance Officer on the effective date of the approved transfer.

 

    2. This act shall take effect upon enactment into law of P.L. , c. (C. ) (now pending before the Legislature as Assembly Bill No. 262 of 1994).


STATEMENT

 

    This bill appropriates $13,500,000 in Casino Revenue Funds to the Division of Developmental Disabilities for the purpose of providing services to developmentally disabled persons.

    The Department of Human Services identified the need for $17.2 million to serve 700 developmentally disabled persons: 500 persons on the waiting list and 200 persons requiring emergency out-of-home placement. The FY1995 appropriations act provided only $2 million in new funding for additional group home placements. This bill provides additional funding for services to developmentally disabled persons. The bill also provides the division with flexibility to transfer monies among its various programs as not all developmentally disabled persons require residential placement and their service needs cannot be readily identified beforehand.

    This bill is contingent upon passage of Assembly Bill No. 262 of 1994 which extends the application of the use tax to certain uses of food and drinks, occupancy of a room and admissions at casino hotels. By extending the requirements of the use tax to casino hotels that use property and services as a gift, it is estimated that an additional $26.5 million to $28 million in revenue would be generated to the Casino Revenue Fund. These additional revenues would be used to support this supplemental appropriation.

 

 

 

Supplemental appropriation of $13,500,000 in Casino Revenue Funds to DHS to serve 700 developmentally disabled persons.