ASSEMBLY, No. 797

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Assemblywoman FARRAGHER and Assemblyman ARNONE

An Act concerning the distribution of certain maps and amending R.S.19:4-16.

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

    1. R.S.19:4-16 is amended to read as follows:

    19:4-16. The county board shall cause to have prepared and shall maintain an up-to-date suitable map of the county and of each constituent municipality clearly delineating the geographical boundaries of each election district contained therein and of the ward, legislative, freeholder, Congressional or other district or part thereof, in which each election district is contained. A word description of such geographical boundaries shall be attached to each such map.

    The county board shall file copies of such maps and descriptions in the following manner: three copies to the Secretary of State, one copy to the county clerk, one copy to the secretary of the local or regional school board in each affected municipality, one copy to the secretary of each fire district in each affected municipality, if the municipality has such a district, and one copy to the clerk of each affected municipality. Within 30 days of any changes in the boundaries of any of the aforementioned districts, the county board shall file revised maps and accompanying revised descriptions in the same manner.

    Said maps and descriptions shall be public records and shall be available for inspection by the public in the offices of the Secretary of State, county clerks, local and regional school boards, fire districts and municipal clerks during normal office hours. Copies shall be made available to the public for a fee necessary to cover the cost of reproduction.

    In order to effectuate the purposes of this act, the Secretary of State shall establish such rules and regulations governing the preparation, maintenance, distribution and filing of said maps and descriptions as he deems necessary or desirable.

(cf: P.L.1976,c.83,s.7)

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    The purpose of this bill is require that whenever political districts are drawn or changed, the county board of elections in the county in which the redistricting occurs shall file copies of the maps delineating the district lines with each local or regional school district in a municipality affected by the redistricting and with each fire district in a municipality similarly affected.

    Under current law, copies of maps delineating political districts or changes to those districts must be filed only with the Secretary of State, the county clerk and the municipal clerk of each affected municipality.

Requires copies of all political district maps, and changes thereto, be filed with school boards and fire districts in affected municipalities.