SENATE, No. 2023

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED APRIL 17, 1997

By Senator SINAGRA

An Act limiting the receipt of travel expenses by members of the Legislature and officers and employees of the State and restricting certain gifts thereto, amending and supplementing P.L.1971, c.182, and supplementing P.L.1971, c.183 (C.52:13C-18 et seq.).

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

    1. Section 13 of P.L.1971, c.182 (C.52:13D-24) is amended to read as follows:

    13. a. No State officer or employee, special State officer or employee, or member of the Legislature shall solicit, receive or agree to receive, whether directly or indirectly, any compensation, reward, employment, gift, loan, honorarium, food, beverage, lodging, entertainment, travel or subsistence expense, or other thing of value from any source other than the State of New Jersey, for any service, advice, assistance, appearance, speech, or other matter related to his official duties [, except reasonable fees for speeches or published works on matters within his official duties and except in connection therewith, reimbursement of actual expenditures for travel and reasonable subsistence for which no payment or reimbursement is made by the State of New Jersey].

    b. It shall not be a violation of subsection a. of this section for a State officer or employee, special State officer or employee, or member of the Legislature to:

    (1) solicit or receive reasonable fees from sources other than the State for published books on matters within the official duties of the officer, employee or member;

    (2) solicit or receive payment from the following of actual expenses for food, beverage, lodging, entertainment, travel or subsistence provided by the following:

    (a) a national organization to which the Legislature or a State agency pays membership dues, in connection with a meeting or convention sponsored by that organization; or

    (b) a nonprofit organization or a public entity, in connection with a meeting or trip sponsored by that organization or pubic entity for the purpose of discussing or providing information on public policy issues. As used in this subparagraph, "public entity" means any other state, a political subdivision of this or any other state, the federal government or any foreign government.

    c. This section shall not apply to the solicitation or acceptance of contributions to the campaign of an announced candidate for elective public office , except that campaign contributions may not be accepted if they are known to be given in lieu of a payment prohibited pursuant to this section.

(cf: P.L.1971, c.182, s. 13)

    2. (New section) a. Except as prohibited by subsection a. of section 13 of P.L.1971, c.182 (C.52:13D-24), or as permitted by subsection b. thereof, a State officer or employee, special State officer or employee, or member of the Legislature shall not accept from a lobbyist or legislative agent any expenditure conferring a benefit, as those terms are defined in section 3 of P.L.1971, c.183 (C.52:13C-20), totaling more than $100 in a calendar year.

    b. The provisions of this section shall not apply to a certificate, plaque or similar item which is inscribed with the recipient's name or where the lobbyist or legislative agent is a member of the immediate family of the State officer or employee, special State officer or employee or member of the Legislature and a benefit is conferred because of that relationship.

    3. (New section) a. Except as permitted by subsection b. of section 13 of P.L.1971, c.182 (C.52:13D-24), a lobbyist or legislative agent shall not make an expenditure conferring a benefit, as those terms are defined in section 3 of P.L.1971, c.183 (C.52:13C-20), with respect to any particular State officer or employee, special State officer or employee, or member of the Legislature which totals more than $100 in a calendar year.

    b. The provisions of this section shall not apply to a certificate, plaque or similar item which is inscribed with the recipient's name or where the lobbyist or legislative agent is a member of the immediate family of the State officer or employee, special State officer or employee or member of the Legislature and a benefit is conferred because of that relationship.

    4. This act shall take effect on January 1 next following enactment.

STATEMENT

    This bill would strengthen the provisions of existing law under which a State officer or employee, special State officer or employee, or member of the Legislature is prohibited from accepting any thing of value from any source other than the State in connection with official duties. It would permit exceptions only in the case of certain travel expenses provided by: a national organization to which the Legislature or a State agency pays dues, in connection with a meeting sponsored by that organization; or a nonprofit organization or a public entity (defined as any other state, any political subdivision of this or any other state, the federal government or a foreign government), in connection with a meeting or trip sponsored by that organization or government entity for the purpose of discussing or providing information on public policy issues.

    The bill would also prohibit a State officer or employee, special State officer or employee or member of the Legislature from accepting from a lobbyist or legislative agent any expenditure conferring a benefit totaling more than $100 in a calendar year. This limit would not apply to a certificate, plaque or similar item which is inscribed with the recipient's name or where a lobbyist or legislative agent is a member of the immediate family of the officer, employee or member and the benefit is conferred because of that relationship.

Limits acceptance of travel expenses and gifts by legislators and officers and employees of the State.