Bill Text: NJ S2288 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Removes requirement that certain government officers disclose the address of their home or secondary residence, or that of their immediate family on financial disclosure statements.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee [S2288 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S2288-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator NICHOLAS P. SCUTARI
District 22 (Somerset and Union)
Senator NELLIE POU
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Removes requirement that certain government officers disclose the address of their home or secondary residence, or that of their immediate family on financial disclosure statements.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act removing the requirement that local government officers disclose their home address in certain financial disclosure statements and amending P.L.1991, c.29.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 6 of P.L.1991, c.29 (C.40A:9-22.6) is amended to read as follows:
6. a. Local government officers shall annually file a financial disclosure statement.
All financial disclosure statements filed pursuant to P.L.1991, c.29 shall include the following information which shall specify, where applicable, the name and address of each source and the local government officer's job title , except that where a specified address would be the address, lot, or block number of the local government officer's home or principal residence or a secondary residence where the local government officer or their immediate family, as defined in P.L.2021, c.371 (C.47:1B-1 et seq.), may also reside, a brief description, including the county and municipality where located, of the source shall be included in lieu of the address :
(1) Each source of income, earned or unearned, exceeding $2,000 received by the local government officer or a member of his immediate family during the preceding calendar year. Individual client fees, customer receipts or commissions on transactions received through a business organization need not be separately reported as sources of income. If a publicly traded security is the source of income, the security need not be reported unless the local government officer or member of his immediate family has an interest in the business organization;
(2) Each source of fees and honorariums having an aggregate amount exceeding $250 from any single source for personal appearances, speeches or writings received by the local government officer or a member of his immediate family during the preceding calendar year;
(3) Each source of gifts, reimbursements or prepaid expenses having an aggregate value exceeding $400 from any single source, excluding relatives, received by the local government officer or a member of his immediate family during the preceding calendar year;
(4) The name and address of all business organizations in which the local government officer or a member of his immediate family had an interest during the preceding calendar year, or, if the business organization is located at the local government officer's home or principal residence or a secondary residence where the local government officer or their immediate family, as defined in P.L.2021, c.371 (C.47:1B-1 et seq.), may also reside, the name and a brief description, including the county and municipality where located, of such business organization; and
(5) The address, except the address, lot, or block number of the local government officer's home or principal residence or a secondary residence where the local government officer or their immediate family, as defined in P.L.2021, c.371 (C.47:1B-1 et seq.), may also reside, and a brief description, including the county and municipality where located, of all real property in the State, including a description of the local government officer's home or principal residence or a secondary residence where their immediate family, as defined in P.L.2021, c.371 (C.47:1B-1 et seq.), may also reside, in which the local government officer or a member of his immediate family held an interest during the preceding calendar year.
b. The Local Finance Board shall prescribe a financial disclosure statement form for filing purposes. For counties and municipalities which have not established ethics boards, the board shall transmit sufficient copies of the forms to the municipal clerk in each municipality and the county clerk in each county for filing in accordance with this act. The municipal clerk shall make the forms available to the local government officers serving the municipality. The county clerk shall make the forms available to the local government officers serving the county.
For counties and municipalities which have established ethics boards, the Local Finance Board shall transmit sufficient copies of the forms to the ethics boards for filing in accordance with this act. The ethics boards shall make the forms available to the local government officers within their jurisdiction.
For local government officers serving the municipality, the original statement shall be filed with the municipal clerk in the municipality in which the local government officer serves. For local government officers serving the county, the original statement shall be filed with the county clerk in the county in which the local government officer serves. A copy of the statement shall be filed with the board. In counties or municipalities which have established ethics boards a copy of the statement shall also be filed with the ethics board having jurisdiction over the local government officer. Local government officers shall file the initial financial disclosure statement within 90 days following the effective date of this act. Thereafter, statements shall be filed on or before April 30th each year, except that each local government officer shall file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of taking office.
c. All financial disclosure statements filed shall be public records.
d. The Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs may establish an electronic filing system for financial disclosure statements required to be filed pursuant to this section.
(cf: P.L.2015, c.95, s.22)
2. For filings due by April 30, 2023, the Local Finance Board may extend the deadline by up to 60 days if necessary to allow for the implementation of the provisions of this act, P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
3. This act shall take effect immediately and apply to financial disclosure statements filed in 2023 and thereafter.
STATEMENT
This bill removes the requirement that local government officials certify their residency within the relevant jurisdiction on their financial disclosure form. The bill also provides that local government officers who are judicial or law enforcement officers will not be required to disclosure their home address, or that of a secondary residence where their immediate family, as defined in P.L.2021, c.371, may reside, under any circumstances. The bill allows for the local finance board to postpone the due date for financial disclosure forms for up to 60 days for those forms due to be filed in the year 2023.
