LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE TO

[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 1728

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: July 15, 1996

      Assembly Bill No. 1728 (1R) of 1996 provides for licensure of hospitals by the Department of Health (DOH) based on accreditation by voluntary accreditation agencies, such as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations, approved by DOH.

      Agency Comments:

      DOH and the Office of Management and Budget have not provided any current fiscal information on the legislation. However, in testimony on the subject, DOH has indicated that staff will be reassigned to conduct more specialized hospital reviews and to other DOH licensing functions.

      Office of Legislative Services Comments:

      As DOH intends to reassign personnel involved in hospital licensing activities to conduct more specialized hospital licensing activities and to other DOH licensing functions, no overall reduction in expenditures should occur, though the funding source for such persons may be shifted from the General Fund to other federal or off-budget sources. How much, if any, General Fund savings will be realized cannot be determined in the absence of current information from DOH.     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.