ASSEMBLY, No. 1003

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Assemblymen MORAN and CONNORS

An Act concerning undocumented aliens and supplementing Title 34 of the Revised Statutes.

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

    1. There is established within the Department of Labor a Council on Undocumented Aliens which shall consist of 14 public members and the commissioner, ex officio, or his designee, as chair, not more than eight of whom shall be of the same political affiliation. Of the 14 public members, two shall be appointed by the President of the Senate and two shall be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, two shall be representatives of nonprofit agencies providing services to immigrants, two shall be representatives of organized labor, two shall be representatives of employers, two shall be representatives of regulated professions and two shall be representatives of urban cities. With the exception of those public members appointed by the President of the Senate of the General Assembly, each public member of the council shall be appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, and shall serve until the council ceases to exist as provided in section 4 of this act.

    Any vacancies in the membership of the council occurring prior to the dissolution of the council shall be filled by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, for the unexpired term only. Any member of the council may be removed from office by the Governor, for cause, upon notice and opportunity to be heard.

    The members of the council shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.

    2. The council shall be responsible for:

    a. Making a study of the undocumented alien population in this State, including, but not limited to:

    (1) An estimate of whether the number of undocumented aliens in this State is increasing, decreasing or relatively stable;

    (2) A determination of the source countries from which undocumented aliens have come and paths of entry into and exit from the State, including a finding as to whether there is a one way stream or a back and forth flow from the source countries;

    (3) Factors which are considered attractors for undocumented aliens;

    (4) Factors which maintain the presence of undocumented aliens once in this State; and

    (5) A determination of the impact of the presence of undocumented aliens on the employment opportunities of persons legally resident in this State.

    b. Providing advice and recommendations to the department and the Legislature for remedial action or legislation, or both, as appropriate, with respect to the impact of undocumented aliens on employment opportunities for those legally resident within this State.

    c. Reviewing any relevant matters submitted to it by other persons or entities.

    3. The Council may:

    a. Hold public meetings or hearings within the State on any matter or matters related to the provisions of this act.

    b. Call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of such employees of any State, county or municipal department, board, commission, or agency as may be required and made available for its purposes.

    4. Three years from the date the council first meets, the council shall submit to the commissioner and the Legislature a report summarizing its activities, findings and recommendations. Upon the transmittal of this report, the council shall cease to exist, unless otherwise determined by enactment of subsequent legislation.

    5. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill establishes a Council on Undocumented Aliens in the Department of Labor. The council is responsible for: making a study of various aspects of the undocumented alien population in the State, including, but not limited to, the impact of this population on the employment opportunities of persons legally resident in this State; and recommending remedial action or legislation to the department or Legislature, or both, as appropriate, with respect to the findings of the council.

    The bill provides that the council is made up of 14 public members and the Commissioner of Labor, ex officio, or his designee, as chair. Public members are to be representative of various segments of the State. Of the public members, two are to be appointed by the President of the Senate, two by the Speaker of the Assembly and 10 by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate.

Establishes Council on Undocumented Aliens in Department of Labor.