SENATE, No. 132

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Senators KYRILLOS and CONNORS

An Act concerning the employment of certain firefighters by municipalities, and supplementing chapter 14 of Title 40A of the New Jersey Statutes.

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

    1. a. The provisions of any other law to the contrary notwithstanding, the appointing authority of a municipality which, pursuant to N.J.S.40A:14-7, has established and maintains a paid or part-paid fire department and force may appoint as a member or officer of that fire department or force any person who:

    (1) was serving as a civilian federal firefighter in good standing at any U.S. military installation in the State;

    (2) satisfactorily completed such firefighter training as is required for employment as a civilian federal firefighter; and

    (3) was, as a consequence of the closure of a federal military installation in this State, terminated as a civilian federal firefighter within 36 months prior to the appointment.

    b. A municipality may employ such a person notwithstanding that:

    (1) Title 11A, Civil Service, of the New Jersey Statutes is operative in that municipality;

    (2) the municipality has available to it an eligible or regular reemployment list of persons eligible for such appointments; and

    (3) the appointed person is not on any eligible list. A municipality which has adopted Title 11A, Civil Service, may not employ such a person if a special reemployment list is in existence for the firefighter title to be filled.

    c. If a municipality determines to appoint a person pursuant to the provisions of this act, it shall give first priority in making such appointments to residents of the municipality and second priority to residents of the county not residing in the municipality.

    d. The seniority, seniority-related privileges and rank a civilian federal firefighter possessed while employed at a federal military installation shall not be transferable to a position in a municipal fire department and force obtained pursuant to the provisions of this section.

    e. To effectuate the purposes of this section, the Department of Personnel shall prepare and circulate, to those municipalities which have established and maintain fire departments and forces pursuant to N.J.S.40A:14-7, a list of civilian federal firefighters eligible for appointment under the provisions of this section.

    To assist in the preparation of the list required under the provisions of this subsection, the department shall consult with the employee organizations representing those civilian federal firefighters.

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill would establish a special reemployment program for civilian federal firefighters who were laid off as a result of the federal government's decision to close several U.S. military installations in New Jersey.

    The program established under this bill is patterned on the reemployment program the Department of Personnel currently coordinates for laid-off law enforcement officers pursuant to P.L.1991, c.299 (C.40A:14-180).

    Under the provisions of the bill, federally trained civilian federal firefighters who have lost their jobs due to the closure of a U.S. military installation in New Jersey would be eligible for preferential appointment and reemployment opportunities by municipalities. The Department of Personnel is to prepare and circulate among potential municipal employers a list of these laid-off civilian federal firefighters. To ensure that the list of eligible firefighters is as comprehensive as possible, the department is to consult with the organizations representing the civilian federal firefighters.

    This priority hiring program is designed to benefit both local governmental units seeking to employ trained and experienced firefighters, and unemployed, qualified firefighters who are seeking employment.

Authorizes municipalities to hire certain unemployed firefighters.