SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 99

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: JANUARY 18, 1996

      The Senate Education Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 99 with committee amendments.

      This bill provides that a board of education may require its employees, and shall require any candidate for employment who has received a conditional offer of employment, to undergo a physical examination. Under the current statute, all current employees of a school board are required to undergo a physical exam annually and the board may require a physical exam of any candidate for employment. The bill makes clear that screening for tuberculosis or fitness examinations for bus drivers as required under any statute or regulation would not be affected.

      The committee amended the bill to make a physical exam permissive for current employees and mandatory for candidates for employment who have a conditional offer of employment.

      While the bill provides a new requirement that candidates for employment undergo a physical examination, the committee notes that the requirement is permitted under the recently approved State constitutional amendment prohibiting unfunded mandates because the bill also eliminates the mandatory annual physical examination now required of all school board employees.

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