Bill Summary:

      Assembly Bill No 1495 (1R) of 1996 requires the Commissioner of Human Services to provide funding to six counties on a pilot basis to establish broad-based community coalitions to address the needs and concerns of grandparents raising their grandchildren. The counties to be funded are as follows: Atlantic, Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex and Monmouth. Each coalition will be comprised of 11 members who will be appointed by the county governing body. The members will represent community agencies, law enforcement, the courts and the fields of health, housing, child care, substance abuse and education. Grandparents raising their grandchildren will also be included as members. The goals of the community coalitions will be to: identify the needs of grandparents raising their grandchildren; match areas of need with an awareness of existing resources; provide a comprehensive resource guide for grandparents based on existing programs and services; and recommend programs and services where they do not exist.

      The bill provides an appropriation of $30,000 to the Department of Human Services to provide grants of $5,000 to each of the six community coalitions. The coalitions will provide interim and final reports of their findings and recommendations to the Legislature, the Commissioner of Human Services and their respective governing bodies. The bill provides that its provisions will expire one year following enactment.

Agency Comments:

      The Department of Human Services and the Office of Management and Budget have not provided any fiscal information on the legislation.

Office of Legislative Services Comments:

      The Office of Legislative Services is of the opinion that the $30,000 appropriation should be sufficient to enable the six counties which are to receive funds under the legislation to establish the coalitions and meet the reporting requirements of the bill.

      This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.

This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67.