SENATE COMMUNITY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 1572

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: OCTOBER 28, 1996

      The Senate Community Affairs Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 1572.

      As amended by the committee, this bill would permit municipalities that have opted to license rooming and boarding houses, to deny licenses or refuse to renew licenses of those rooming and boarding houses for which property taxes have not been paid. Under current law, the reasons a municipality may deny a license are limited to those pertaining to density issues or fitness of the premises for a rooming and boarding house. In some instances, municipalities have been unable to deny licenses to owners of rooming and boarding homes who failed to pay significant amounts of property taxes assessed against the facilities. The bill will provide an enforcement tool for licensing municipalities to better regulate those rooming and boarding houses under their control.

      The committee amended the bill to correct terminology used to refer to property tax delinquencies. The committee amendments also clarify that a municipality may deny an initial license to a prospective rooming and boarding house owner if the applicant owns any other other rooming and boarding homes in the municipality for which property taxes have not been paid. The amendments also specify that the law as amended is not to be construed as denying or limiting the rights of displaced tenants to relocation assistance in accordance with P.L.1971, c.362 (C.20:4-1 et seq.).

      As amended, this bill is identical to Assembly, No.2217 (1R) with amendments, which was also favorably reported by this committee on October 28, 1996.