SENATE LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 70

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: FEBRUARY 22, 1996

      The Senate Law and Public Safety Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 70.

      This bill would increase from 36 to 60 months the period during which laid-off law enforcement officers are eligible, and accorded preference, for reemployment appointments under the State's special statewide law enforcement program.

      Under current law (P.L.1991, c.299; C.40A:14-180), the names of qualified law enforcement officers who are laid-off for reasons of economy are placed on a "Special Statewide Law Enforcement Reemployment List" and circulated to local governmental appointing authorities by the Department of Personnel. This priority hiring program benefits both local governmental units seeking to employ trained and experienced law enforcement officers and qualified officers seeking reemployment.

      One of the program's statutory qualifications is that law enforcement officers are only eligible during the initial 36 months following the official date of their lay-off. There are a number of highly trained and qualified law enforcement officers who will be dropped from the program because they have been unable, through no fault of their own, to secure reemployment within that arbitrary 36 month period. The purpose of this bill is to assist those officers by extending the statutory eligibility period to 60 months.

      This bill was prefiled for introduction in the 1996 session pending technical review. As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review which has been performed.