SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 1084

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: DECEMBER 16, 1996

      The Senate Judiciary Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 1084.

      This bill would create a new $1000.00 penalty to be imposed on persons convicted of the crime of arson and on juveniles adjudicated delinquent for arson. Penalties collected would be deposited in the Arson Investigation Fund established in the State Treasury by this bill. Moneys from this fund would be used by the Division of Criminal Justice to fund arson investigation efforts by county prosecutors. Under the bill, the Attorney General would devise a formula for distributing the available funds among the counties based on numbers of convictions and adjudications and the seriousness of the underlying offenses.