SENATE COMMUNITY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 912

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: JUNE 3, 1996

      The Senate Community Affairs Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 912.

      This bill as amended would require municipalities which enforce the State Uniform Construction Code to waive construction permit and site plan review fees for disabled persons, or parents or siblings of disabled persons, seeking to make alterations or improvements intended to promote accessibility to their own living units. "Disabled" is defined in the bill to mean a person who has the total and permanent inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment, including blindness, and includes, but is not limited to, any resident of this State who is disabled pursuant to the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.§416), or the federal Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 (45 U.S.C.§231 et seq.), or is rated as having a 60% disability or higher pursuant to any federal law administered by the United States Veterans' Act.

      The committee amended the bill to include the parents and siblings of a disabled person as additional individuals eligible under the bill for fee waivers.