ASSEMBLY, No. 2540

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED DECEMBER 5, 1996

By Assemblyman GUSCIORA and Assemblywoman TURNER

An Act concerning the administrative costs of the Victims of Crime Compensation Board and supplementing chapter 4B of Title 52 of the New Jersey Statutes.

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

    1.    In each fiscal year, the Victims of Crime Compensation Board shall use no more than 10% of the penalties collected and deposited in the Victims of Crime Compensation Board Account, established pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1979, c.396 (C.2C:43-3.1), in the previous fiscal year for administrative costs.

    2.    This act shall take effect at the beginning of the next fiscal year following enactment.

STATEMENT

    This bill limits the amount of revenues that the Victims of Crime Compensation Board (VCCB) may spend on administrative costs to 10% of the penalties collected during the previous fiscal year. Currently, the VCCB is experiencing a shortfall of millions of dollars in funds, despite the fact that the money it collects from criminal fines is growing. This shortfall may be attributed to the board’s unusually high administrative costs. This limit on administrative costs may also help to avoid the current practice of capping payments to qualifying crime victims at an amount less than the board’s average award and far less than the maximum allowable payment.

Limits administrative costs of VCCB.