Sponsored by:
Senator LORETTA WEINBERG
District 37 (Bergen)
Senator LINDA R. GREENSTEIN
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Assemblywoman SHAVONDA E. SUMTER
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Ruiz, Assemblyman Johnson, Assemblywoman Lopez, Assemblymen Calabrese and Moen
SYNOPSIS
Establishes database of certain appointed positions and elected offices.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing a database with certain information concerning certain appointed positions and elected offices, and supplementing chapter 3 of Title 19 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, The State University, shall establish and maintain two databases that contain for every person appointed to a State board, commission, authority, or other multi-member entity, and for every elected public official in this State, excluding school boards, the name of the individual, the title of the office held, the term of office, the race and the gender identity or expression of that individual, and the appointing authority.
b. (1) To establish the database of appointed officials, the Institute may transmit to any person appointed to a State board, commission, authority, or other multi-member entity on or before the effective date of this act, P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill), a form, developed by the Institute, for completion that records the: (a) individual’s full name; (b) the title of the office held and the mailing address for that office; (c) the race of the individual, using the same racial categories as required on the federal decennial census of the United States by the federal Bureau of the Census; (d) the gender identity or expression of the individual; (e) the name and title of the appointing authority; and (f) the term of the office held.
The Governor or other appointing authority shall provide to the Institute contact information for all currently serving appointees in order to survey all current appointees. The Governor or other appointing authority shall sign the request to complete the form.
(2) To maintain the database of appointed officials, no later than 30 days after an individual has been appointed to a State board, commission, authority, or other multi-member entity in this State, including an individual selected to fill a vacancy for the remainder of a term, the Governor or other appointing authority, as appropriate, shall transmit to the individual a form, developed by the Institute, for completion that records the: (a) individual’s full name; (b) the title of the office held and the mailing address for that office; (c) the race of the individual, using the same racial categories as required on the federal decennial census of the United States by the federal Bureau of the Census; (d) the gender identity or expression of the individual; (e) the name and title of the appointing authority; and (f) the term of the office held.
The Governor shall notify the Institute of any new vacancies caused by resignations or term expiration within 30 days of the occurrence of the vacancy.
c. (1) To establish the database of elected officials, the Institute may transmit to any individual elected to public office in this State on or before the effective date of this act, P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill), a form, developed by the Institute, for completion that records: (a) the individual’s full name; (b) the title of the public office held and the mailing address for that public office; (c) the race of the individual, using the same racial categories as required on the federal decennial census of the United States by the federal Bureau of the Census; (d) the gender identity or expression of the individual; and (e) the term of the office held.
The Secretary of State shall cooperate with the Institute for the survey and shall sign the request to complete the form.
(2) To maintain the database of elected officials, no later than 30 days after an individual has been certified as elected to an elective public office in this State, including an individual selected to fill a vacancy in an elective public office for the remainder of a term, the Secretary of State shall transmit to the individual a form, developed by the Institute, for completion that records: (a) the individual’s full name; (b) the title of the public office held and the mailing address for that public office; (c) the race of the individual, using the same racial categories as required on the federal decennial census of the United States by the federal Bureau of the Census; (d) the gender identity or expression of the individual; and (e) the term of the office held.
d. (1) The Institute shall use the information from the forms received pursuant to subsections b. and c. of this section, to establish and maintain separate databases for appointed public officials and for elected public officials. The databases shall be searchable by the public official’s name, title of the office held, the term of the office held, the public official’s race, the public official’s gender identity or expression, and the appointing authority.
Each database shall be available to the public in a prominent location on the website of the Institute, of Rutgers, The State University, and of the Secretary of State.
(2) The information in each database shall be reviewed and updated in a timely manner, but no less than once each calendar year. Information on completed forms received by the Institute shall be added to the database within 21 business days of receipt.
e. The Eagleton Institute of Politics’ Center for American Women and Politics and Center for Public Interest Polling shall work with the Secretary of State and the Office of the Governor to effectuate the purposes of this section.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
The Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, with its Center for American Women and Politics and Center for Public Interest Polling, will establish and maintain two databases that contain for every person appointed to a State board, commission, authority, or other multi-member entity, and for every person elected to a public office in this State, the name of the individual, the title of the office held, the term of office, the race and the gender identity or expression of that individual, and the appointing authority. The bill will not apply to school boards.
The bill also permits the Institute to survey individuals currently serving in an appointed position or elected office for addition to its database.