ASSEMBLY LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 1524

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: MARCH 4, 1996

      The Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 1524.

      Assembly Bill No. 1524 supplements chapter 8 of Title 30 of the Revised Statutes to permit the governing body of any county to enter into a contract with a private, for-profit entity to operate and maintain a commissary at its county correctional facility. The bill also permits the governing body to contract for the provision of food services with a central food service facility that is established by the Department of Corrections or Human Services to service State prisons and facilities.

      While the bill provides that the contract be made, negotiated and awarded in accordance with the "Local Public Contracts Law," (P.L.1971, c.198; C.40A:11-1 et seq.), it specifically directs that the regulations governing the qualification of bidders be established by the Director of the Division of Purchase and Property in the Department of the Treasury.

      Finally, the bill specifies that any profits accruing to the county from the contract must be expended exclusively for the use, benefit and general welfare of the inmates of the county correctional facility.