Bill Text: NJ S2949 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires expenses incurred by Governor during out-of-State travel for political activities not be paid with or out of public funds.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-07-23 - Reported from Senate Committee, 2nd Reading [S2949 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-S2949-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator LORETTA WEINBERG
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Requires expenses incurred by Governor during out-of-State travel for political activities not be paid with or out of public funds.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the payment of certain expenses incurred by the Governor during out-of-State travel and supplementing chapter 15 of Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. (1) All expenses incurred for travel, food, lodging, security, or any other purposes, incurred by the Governor when traveling out of State and engaging in political activities and not activities directly related to the Governor's regular and official duties as Governor, shall not be paid with or out of public funds.
(2) Within 10 business days after the Governor travels out of State and engages in political activities, the Governor shall file with the State Ethics Commission, created pursuant to section 10 of P.L.1971, c.182 (C.52:13D-21), a notice that describes the date, destination, and purpose of the trip.
b. (1) Whenever a question arises as to whether a particular expense is one that the Governor incurred when traveling out of State and engaging in political activities and not activities directly related to the Governor's regular and official duties as Governor, the commission shall resolve the question based on information gathered by the commission and provided by the Governor. The commission may accept questions from the Governor, a State officer or employee, or a member of the public.
(2) Any expense for an activity determined by the commission to be a political activity shall not be eligible for payment or reimbursement from public funds made available to the Governor.
(3) An individual or an organization may file a complaint with the commission that an activity in which the Governor has engaged is a political activity and not an activity directly related to the Governor's regular and official duties as Governor and is, therefore, ineligible for payment or reimbursement from public funds. The commission shall conduct an investigation of the complaint in accordance with the existing applicable procedures of the commission for examining and resolving complaints.
2. This act shall take effect on the 60th day following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill provides that all expenses incurred for travel, food, lodging, security, or any other purposes, incurred by the Governor when traveling out of State and engaging in political activities and not activities directly related to the Governor's regular and official duties as Governor, would not be paid with or out of public funds.
Within 10 business days after the Governor travels out of State and engages in political activities, the Governor is to file with the State Ethics Commission a notice that describes the date, destination, and purpose of the trip.
Whenever a question arises as to whether a particular expense is one that the Governor incurred when traveling out of State and engaging in political activities and not activities directly related to the Governor's regular and official duties as Governor, the commission is to resolve the question based on information gathered by the commission and provided by the Governor. The commission may accept questions from the Governor, a State officer or employee, or a member of the public.
The bill further provides that any expense for an activity determined by the commission to be a political activity would not be eligible for payment or reimbursement from public funds made available to the Governor.
The bill also provides that an individual or an organization may file a complaint with the commission that an activity in which the Governor has engaged is a political activity and not an activity directly related to the Governor's regular and official duties as Governor and is, therefore, ineligible for payment or reimbursement from public funds. The commission is to conduct an investigation of the complaint in accordance with the existing applicable procedures of the commission for examining and resolving complaints.
