SENATE, No. 1430

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED JULY 25, 1996

 

 

By Senators CIESLA and SINGER

 

 

An Act concerning government response to environmental and health issues and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.

 

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

 

    1. a. There is created in the Department of Health, a Coordinating Council for the Resolution of Environmental and Health Issues. The Council shall consist of the Commissioner of Health, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the Commissioner of Community Affairs, or their designees and a representative from the Division of State Police in the Department of Law and Public Safety. The Commissioner of Health or a designee shall act as chairman.

    b. The coordinating council shall develop a plan to coordinate State government's response to significant environmental and health threats, including emergencies involving hazardous substances, health problems that may be the result of environmental exposures, or discoveries of hazardous substances that may pose a localized health threat. The coordinating council shall develop a plan for the most effective governmental response to environmental problems and health threats. The plan shall coordinate the activities of State departments and agencies and of local government; define the roles of various concerned State, federal and local agencies; develop the most effective system for the communication of information to the public; review the resources available on the local, State and federal levels and develop a system to efficiently access those resources; and make recommendations for regulatory or legislative changes in order to allow the State to more effectively respond to environmental and health problems. The coordinating council shall update the plan periodically.

    c. The coordinating council shall submit its plan to the Governor and the Legislature and any recommendations for legislative action no later than six months after the effective date of this act.

 

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.


STATEMENT

 

    This bill would establish the Coordinating Council for the Resolution of Environmental and Health Issues. The Coordinating Council would be required to develop a plan to coordinate State government's response to significant environmental problems and health threats, including emergencies involving hazardous substances, health problems that may be the result of environmental exposures, or discoveries of hazardous substances that may pose a local health threat. The coordinating council would establish a plan for the most effective governmental response to environmental and health problems, including a method for the coordination of the activities of State departments and agencies and of local government. The plan would define the roles of various concerned State, federal and local agencies; develop the most effective system for the communication of information to the public; review the resources available on the local, State and federal levels and develop a system to efficiently access those resources; and make recommendations for regulatory or legislative changes in order to allow the State to more effectively respond to environmental and health problems.

 

 

                             

Establishes Coordinating Council for the Resolution of Environmental and Health Issues.