ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

 

STATEMENT TO

 

SENATE, No. 128

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

DATED: MARCH 20, 1997

 

      The Assembly Appropriations Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 128.

      Senate Bill No. 128 extends the coverage of the workers' compensation law, R.S.34:15-1 et seq., to any volunteer doing work for the Division of Parks and Forestry, the Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife, the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust or the New Jersey Historic Trust in activities authorized by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection.

      The bill entitles these volunteers to the maximum level of compensation authorized by the workers' compensation law. However, the bill disallows benefits to a claimant who has another single source of injury or death benefits that provides the claimant with compensation that exceeds the compensation available to the claimant under the workers' compensation law.

      The bill also extends the coverage of the "New Jersey Tort Claims Act," N.J.S.59:1-1 et seq., to these volunteers, to limit the liability of these volunteers during their period of voluntary service to the liability established for regular service of public employees covered by the "New Jersey Tort Claims Act."

 

FISCAL IMPACT:

      The Department of Labor indicates that the bill will have no fiscal impact on its administrative costs, as the anticipated increase in the workers' compensation client base is expected to be minimal.

      However, the State's benefit costs cannot be predicted, as there is no workers' compensation claims experience available for this class of workers. The cost to the State of providing benefits will be a direct function of claims. The Office of Legislative Services has noted that in 1995 there were some 6,137 volunteers registered with the Department of Environmental Protection, including some 4,137 volunteers with the Division of Parks and Forestry, 1,800 volunteers with the Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife, and 200 volunteers with the Natural Lands Trust, providing a wide range of services to the State of varying degrees of risk.