SENATE, No. 328

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Senator LITTELL

An Act concerning county emergency management coordinators and amending P.L.1953, c.438.

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

    1. Section 12 of P.L.1953, c.438 (C.App.A:9-42.1) is amended to read as follows:

    12. In every county of this State the governing body shall appoint a county emergency management coordinator[, which appointment shall be for a] for an initial term of three years and, for that person and any coordinator in that office not eligible for tenure, subsequent terms of five years each. The appointments shall be subject to the approval of the State Director of Emergency Management and thereafter shall be subject to his orders. The State Director of Emergency Management shall exercise supervision and control of all such appointees, who may be removed by said State Director of Emergency Management for cause. As a condition of appointment and continuing employment, a person appointed to an initial term after the effective date of this act shall successfully complete an introductory program of training as specified by the director within two years of appointment.

    Any person who holds the office of county emergency management coordinator continuously for at least eight years from the date of his original appointment, including those holding the office on or before the effective date of this act, shall have tenure in that office and shall not be removed therefrom except for good cause shown after a fair and impartial hearing.

(cf: P.L.1989, c.222, s.8)

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill amends a statute concerning appointments and terms of county emergency management coordinators to:

    (1) establish the current three-year term as an initial term to be followed by one or more five-year terms;

    (2) require appointees entering their initial three-year terms to successfully complete a training program specified by the State Director of Emergency Management within two years of their appointments; and

    (3) grant tenure to county coordinators who hold that office continuously for at least eight years.

    The terms of those who have served for more than three years but who are not yet eligible for tenure would be extended to five years.

Modifies terms for county emergency management coordinators.