SENATE, No. 2049

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED MAY 8, 1997

By Senator CIESLA

An Act concerning public assistance recipients and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.

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

    1. If a single person without dependent children or a member of a couple without dependent children who is a recipient of benefits under the Work First New Jersey program established pursuant to P.L.1997, c.38 (C.44:10-55 et seq.) is incarcerated in a county jail or place of detention, county workhouse or county penitentiary, the warden, administrator, sheriff or other person in charge of the county jail or place of detention, county workhouse or county penitentiary, or his designee, shall notify immediately the director of welfare of the municipality or county, as appropriate, which administers the recipient's benefits.

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill requires that if a single person without dependent children or a member of a couple without dependent children who is a recipient of benefits under the Work First New Jersey (WFNJ) program established pursuant to P.L.1997, c.38 (C.44:10-55 et seq.) is incarcerated in a county jail or place of detention, county workhouse or county penitentiary, the warden, administrator, sheriff or other person in charge of the county jail or place of detention, county workhouse or county penitentiary, or his designee, shall notify immediately the welfare agency which administers the recipient's WFNJ benefits.

    Presently, there is no form of notification to the local welfare agency if a recipient of public assistance is incarcerated. In some instances, public assistance funds for housing costs could be spent on a welfare recipient while he is incarcerated. This legislation is designed to address this situation by requiring the necessary notification.

Requires correctional authorities to notify welfare directors if certain Work First New Jersey recipients are incarcerated.