LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE TO

SENATE, No. 906

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: AUGUST 2, 1996

      Senate Bill No.906 of 1996 adds the Italian American Police Society of New Jersey to the list of organizations specified in section 1 of P.L.1977, c.347 (C.40A:14-177) whose duly authorized representatives are given a leave of absence with pay to attend any State or national convention of the organizations. The leave of absence is for the duration of the convention with a reasonable time allowed for travel to and from the convention.

      The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) has determined that this bill does not impose a cost on State government, as the bill requires that counties and municipalities must provide a paid leave for the members of the Italian American Police Society of New Jersey to attend either State or national conventions of the organization.

      The OLS notes that, while there will be a cost imposed by this bill on the counties and municipalities that employ these delegates in the form of paying the salary of the delegates while they attend the convention, the cost will be mitigated by the effects of swing-shift scheduling of personnel common in police and fire departments. A delegate would be required to be paid for the convention attendance only if the delegate were scheduled to work on any of the days that the convention is held. If any (or all) of those days are a delegate's scheduled days off, no productive work time would be lost to the employing entity. The OLS is not able to calculate the precise cost of this bill to the delegates' employers due to a lack of specific information regarding the identities of the delegates, the rate of pay of the delegates, and the uncertainties caused by the swing-shift scheduling of the delegates. The OLS notes, however, that the effective date of the bill makes it retroactive to April 13, 1993, the effective date of P.L.1993, c.105, which allows a corrections officer who is a member of the Italian American Police Society of New Jersey to take a leave of absence with pay to attend, as a duly authorized representative, a State or national convention of the organization. The OLS notes that this retroactive provision of the bill will add an additional cost to the bill as these representatives seek reimbursement for leaves of absence taken to attend conventions on or after that date.

      This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.

This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67.