Bill Text: NJ S1377 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Concerns certain agreements entered into by State political subdivisions with groups outside US.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee [S1377 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S1377-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator MICHAEL L. TESTA, JR.
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
Senator DOUGLAS J. STEINHARDT
District 23 (Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
Concerns certain agreements entered into by State political subdivisions with groups outside US.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning certain agreements entered into by political subdivisions of the State, and supplementing chapter 16A of Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. Sister city and other political subdivision pairing organizations are volunteer groups of ordinary citizens who, with the support of their local elected officials, form long-term relationships with people and organizations of a municipality or political subdivision, often abroad.
b. These organizations are often independent and pursue the activities and thematic areas that the organization deems most important, including municipal, business, trade, educational, or cultural exchanges between cities or political subdivisions.
c. These organizations often promote peace through people-to-people relationships with program offerings varying greatly, from basic cultural exchange programs to shared research and development projects between paired entities.
d. A pairing relationship is often a broad-based, long-term partnership between two communities often in two countries.
e. A pairing relationship is often officially recognized after elected or appointed officials from both communities ratify an agreement.
f. In addition to volunteers, pairing organizations may include representatives from nonprofits, governmental entities, the private sector, and other civic organizations.
g. Pairing relationships offer the flexibility to form connections between communities that are mutually beneficial and which address issues that are most relevant for partners.
h. The State's sister cities and other pairing programs, both in concept and practice, are valuable programs for encouraging cultural, educational, and trade relationships between different political subdivisions in New Jersey and political subdivisions in other countries.
i. These programs have resulted in a number of successful cultural, educational, and economic exchanges in New Jersey.
j. Despite the successes that the sister city and other political subdivision pairing programs have brought to the State, a recent sister city agreement that the City of Newark entered into with a fictitious city, posing as an independent Hindu nation which is led by an alleged criminal accused in India for a number of heinous crimes, has raised serious concerns.
k. It is in the State's interest to require all sister city and other political subdivision pairing agreements entered into by a municipality, county, or any political subdivision of the State with any group outside of the United States to be approved by the Secretary of State, as a form of due diligence to avoid another incident involving a New Jersey municipality, county, or other political subdivision entering into or ratifying a sister city or political subdivision pairing agreement that could be detrimental to the municipality, county, other political subdivision, or the State in effort to avoid future State embarrassment such as the City of Newark did when it signed a pairing agreement with a fictitious nation led by a wanted criminal and hosted a ceremony to commemorate the agreement.
2. a. There is established in the Department of State an Office of Community Pairing Review.
b. A municipality, county, and any political subdivision of the State seeking to enter into a sister city or political subdivision pairing agreement with any group outside of the United States shall submit an application to the Secretary of State for approval and shall obtain approval by the Secretary of State before entering into or ratifying the agreement.
c. The Secretary of State shall verify that the sister city or political subdivision subject to the sister city or political subdivision pairing agreement and located outside of the United States is a real and reputable entity.
d. The Secretary of State shall approve an application submitted pursuant to subsection b. of this section in writing to the political subdivision that is requesting approval to enter into a sister city or political subdivision pairing agreement confirming that the political subdivision is able to proceed with entering into and ratifying the agreement.
e. As used in this section, "political subdivision" means any county, municipality, school district or other political subdivision of the State of New Jersey or any instrumentality or agency of the political subdivision.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill provides that a municipality, county, or political subdivision of the State entering into a sister city or political subdivision pairing agreement with any group outside of the United States is required to apply for and obtain approval by the Secretary of State before entering into the agreement. A sister city, county, or political subdivision pairing relationship can be a broad-based, long-term partnership between two communities often in two countries. A sister city, county, or political subdivision pairing relationship is often officially recognized after elected or appointed officials from both communities formally ratify an agreement. The State's sister cities and other pairing programs, both in concept and practice, are valuable programs for encouraging cultural, educational, and trade relationships between different political subdivisions in the New Jersey and political subdivisions in other countries.
These programs have resulted in a number of successful cultural, educational, and economic exchanges in New Jersey. Despite the success that these programs have brought to the State, a recent sister city agreement that the City of Newark entered into with a fictitious city has raised serious concerns. It is in the State's interest to require all sister city and political subdivision pairing agreements entered into by a municipality, county, or political subdivision of the State with any group outside of the United States to be approved by the Secretary of State as a form of due diligence to avoid another incident involving a New Jersey municipality, county, or other political subdivision entering into or ratifying a sister city or political subdivision pairing agreement that could be detrimental to the municipality, county, other political subdivision, or the State.
