[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 1103

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED MAY 9, 1996

 

 

By Senators LaROSSA and LIPMAN

 

 

An Act renaming and expanding the scope of the Commission on Racism, Racial Violence and Religious Violence and amending and supplementing the title and body of P.L.1991, J.R.2.

 

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

 

    1. (New section) The Legislature finds and declares that because of a lack of social and economic opportunities for New Jersey's ethnic and racial minorities, the scope of the Commission on Racism, Racial Violence and Religious Violence should be expanded to include the study of, and the making of recommendations concerning, the status of these minorities and that the commission should be renamed the Commission on Racism, the Status of Minorities, and Racial Violence and Religious Violence to reflect this expanded scope.

 

    2. The title of P.L.1991, J.R.2 is amended to read as follows:

A Joint Resolution establishing a commission to study and make     recommendations concerning racism, the status of minorities, and     racial violence and religious violence.

(cf: P.L.1991, J.R.2, Title)

 

    3. Section 1 of P.L.1991, J.R.2 (C.52:9DD-1) is amended to read as follows:

    1. There is created a 21-member Commission on Racism, the Status of Minorities, and Racial Violence and Religious Violence to be appointed as follows: two shall be members of the Senate appointed by the President thereof, who shall not be of the same political party; two shall be members of the General Assembly appointed by the Speaker thereof, who shall not be of the same political party; the Attorney General or his designee; the Public Defender or his designee; and 15 public members to be appointed by the Governor. The public members shall be representative of the ethnic, racial and religious diversity of the State's population and shall include representatives from the following groups: the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Puerto Rican Congress, the Anti-Defamation League of B'Nai B'Rith, the New Jersey Black Issues Convention, the New Jersey Chapter of the National Rainbow Coalition, 1[and]1 the American Civil Liberties Union 1and the Asian-American Political Coalition1.

(cf: P.L.1994, c.58, s.55)

 

    4. Section 4 of P.L.1991, J.R.2 (C.52:9DD-4) is amended to read as follows:

    4. The commission shall study the various problems of racism, racial violence and religious violence, shall determine the methods of preventing racially and religiously motivated violence, and shall annually make recommendations thereon to the Governor and to the Legislature.

    The commission shall also study the status of New Jersey's ethnic and racial minorities in terms of their access to educational opportunities, health care, social services, housing and mortgage financing, employment opportunities, business financing, and fair treatment under the criminal justice system. The commission shall annually make recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature regarding one or more of these issue-areas.

(cf: P.L.1991, J.R.2, s.4).

 

    5. This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

                            

 

Renames and expands scope of the Commission on Racism, Racial Violence and Religious Violence.