SENATE, No. 761

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 15, 1996

By Senator BUBBA

An Act concerning certain legalized games of chance, amending P.L.1954, c.7 and repealing section 3 of P.L.1994, c.63.

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

    1. Section 21 of P.L.1954, c.7 (C.5:8-21) is amended to read as follows:

    21. The commission is authorized to incur such necessary expenses, and engage and appoint an executive officer and such competent and expert advisors, and clerical and stenographic assistants and investigators, as it may deem necessary to the proper performance of the purpose of this act, and may fix their compensation and that of its secretary, if he is not a member of the commission, within the limits of any sums appropriated or made available to it for such purposes.

    Fees shall be established, prescribed or changed by regulation promulgated by the commission [to the extent necessary to defray all proper expenses incurred by the commission and any staff employed to administer the Bingo Licensing Law or the Raffles Licensing Law, except that no fee shall be set at a level that will raise funds in excess of the amount necessary for these purposes], except that the registration fee for bingo and raffles paid to the commission shall be $50 for a five-year period beginning with the year that the fee is paid initially and no per-occasion fees may be prescribed by regulation by the commission for each bingo game or raffle conducted by a licensee. All fees payable to the commission and the proceeds of any civil penalties imposed by the commission or any court shall be deposited in the [Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission Fund created pursuant to section 3 of P.L.1994, c.63 (C.5:8-21.1)]General Fund.

    In addition to the fees to be paid to the commission, licensed organizations shall pay a licensing fee, as established by the commission, to the municipality in which any game or games of chance are conducted.

    No investigator employed by the commission need be employed in accordance with the provisions of, or shall be in any manner subject to, the provisions of Title 11A, Civil Service, of the New Jersey Statutes.

(cf: P.L.1994, c.63, s.2)

    2. (New section) All moneys in the Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission Fund, established pursuant to section 3 of P.L.1994, c.63 (C.5:8-21.1), on the effective date of P.L. , c. (now pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall be transferred to the General Fund as soon as practicable after that date.

    3. Section 3 of P.L.1994, c.63 (C.5:8-21.1) is repealed.

    4. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    The purpose of this bill is to make certain changes in the fees charged to organizations that conduct bingo and raffles, and to change the depository for those and other fees payable to the Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission.

    Specifically, the bill:

    a) removes from the Control Commission the authority to establish by regulation the cost of registration fees for bingo and raffle licensees and provides instead that the fee shall be $50 for a five-year period beginning with the year the fee is paid initially;

    b) provides that no per-occasion fees may be prescribed by regulation by the commission for each bingo game or raffle conducted by a licensee; and

    c) abolishes the Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission Fund, established pursuant to P.L.1994, c.63, and provides that all moneys collected by the Control Commission shall be deposited in the General Fund. All moneys in the Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission on the effective date of the bill would be transferred to the General Fund as soon as practicable after that date.

Makes certain changes in fees charged to organizations that conduct certain games of chance; changes depository for all fees prescribed by Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission.