ASSEMBLY, No. 1987

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED MAY 6, 1996

 

 

By Assemblyman GUSCIORA, Assemblywoman WEINBERG, Assemblymen Suliga, Dalton, Barnes, Wisniewski, Assemblywoman Friscia, Assemblyman Zisa, Assemblywoman Buono, Assemblymen Greenwald, Connors, Bodine, Azzolina, Brown, Impreveduto, Pascrell, Romano, Steele, Caraballo, Stanley, Assemblywomen Crecco, Heck, Assemblyman Geist, Assemblywomen Bark, Farragher, Assemblymen Bateman, Kelly, Arnone, Green, Assemblywomen Gill, Quigley, Assemblymen R.Smith, Roberts, Doria, Roma, Assemblywoman Murphy, Assemblymen Garrett, Cohen, Charles, Assemblywoman Allen, Assemblymen DeSopo, Bucco, LeFevre, Mattison and Blee

 

 

An Act creating the New Jersey State House Golden Dome Task Force and the Golden Dome Restoration Fund, and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

 

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

 

    1. The Legislature finds and declares that:

    a. The dome and cupola of the New Jersey State House are of singular historic and public significance as the proud and enduring symbol of State government and the city of Trenton;

    b. These structures have stood for over a century as a source of civic pride and the crowning glory of the State House and the city of Trenton, imparting a necessary grandeur to the State House and the Trenton skyline;

    c. The dome and cupola are in an alarming state of disrepair, and repairs are vitally needed to keep the dome from further degeneration and to restore the dome to its original state;

    d. These repairs can be best financed through the joint efforts of State government and the private sector to raise funds necessary to restore the dome to a state of grandeur befitting the State and its capital city, equal in beauty to the best State capitols in the country.

 

    2. There is established in the Department of the Treasury the New Jersey State House Golden Dome Task Force. The task force shall consist of eleven members to be appointed as follows: two members of the executive branch of State government to be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Governor; four members of the legislative branch of State government who may either be legislators or their employees, two of whom shall be appointed by the President of the Senate and who shall each be of different political parties, and two of whom shall be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and who shall each be of different political parties; the chairman of the State Capitol Joint Management Commission, or his designee, ex officio; the executive director of the Capital City Redevelopment Corporation, or his designee, ex officio; the mayor of the city of Trenton or his designee, ex officio; and two public members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The two public members appointed by the Governor shall be from different political parties, shall be residents of this State and shall have knowledge and expertise in the area of fund-raising. The chair of the task force shall be elected by and from among the members. The members shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of their duties. Any vacancy in the membership of the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments are made.

 

    3. The task force shall initiate fund-raising measures and receive

monetary donations for the repair and renovation of the State House dome and cupola. Any moneys received for these purposes by the task force shall be deposited in the fund created under section 4 of this act. Any appropriations made by the Legislature or unused proceeds from bond issues for the renovation of the State capitol complex may be allocated for the repair and renovation of the State House dome and cupola and shall be deposited in the fund. Not later than one year after the effective date of this act, the task force shall provide an accounting of its fund-raising efforts to the Legislature and the Governor.

 

    4.     There is created in the Department of the Treasury a fund to be known as the Golden Dome Restoration Fund. The fund shall be credited with any moneys received by the New Jersey State House Golden Dome Task Force as donations under section 3 of this act, and any moneys as may thereafter be donated by members of the public or appropriated to the fund by law. All interest on moneys in the fund shall be credited to the fund. The moneys in the fund shall be administered by the State Treasurer, to be held thereby in the fund until appropriated by law. Not later than one year after the effective date of this act, and periodically thereafter, the State Treasurer shall certify to the Legislature the total amount of moneys in the fund.

 

    5. This act shall take effect immediately, and shall expire one year after the effective date hereof; except for section 4 hereof, which shall remain in effect.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This bill creates the New Jersey State House Golden Dome Task Force and the Golden Dome Restoration Fund. The purpose of the task force is to raise money and accept donations and other funds from the public and private sectors to pay for repairs and renovations necessary to restore the State House dome and cupola. Monies raised by the committee will be deposited in the fund, which will be administered by the State Treasurer. The membership of the task force includes representatives of the executive and legislative branches of State government, the State Capitol Joint Management Commission, the Capitol City Redevelopment Corporation, the Mayor of Trenton, and two public members.

 

 

                             

Creates the New Jersey State House Golden Dome Task Force to raise public and private funds for the restoration of the State House dome.