ASSEMBLY STATE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 2090

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: DECEMBER 15, 1997

      The Assembly State Government Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly, No. 2090.

      This bill revises the statute governing the allowance of paid leaves of absence to public employees to attend State and national conventions of certain veterans' and other organizations. Current law mandates allowance of a leave of absence with pay for no more than five days each calendar year to a State, county or municipal employee who is a duly authorized representative of any of several statutorily enumerated organizations to attend that organization's State or national convention. Under the bill, a county or municipal government would be permitted, but no longer required, to give a paid leave of absence to such employees to attend these conventions.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

      The committee adopted amendments to this bill to clarify that, in the case of employees of a county or municipality whose terms and conditions of employment are governed by a contract, the provisions of the legislation would be inoperative until that contract expired.

      This amendment would protect employees whose contract did not specifically provide for paid leave, as well as those whose contract did so provide.