Bill Text: NJ S739 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes "Salute to Service and Sacrifice Memorial Commission."
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee [S739 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S739-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator DOUGLAS J. STEINHARDT
District 23 (Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes "Salute to Service and Sacrifice Memorial Commission."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act establishing a "Salute to Service and Sacrifice Memorial Commission" and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is established in, but not of, the Department of Law and Public Safety a commission to be known as the "Salute to Service and Sacrifice Memorial Commission." The purpose of the commission shall be to design and oversee the construction of a Salute to Service and Sacrifice Memorial that honors and recognizes law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services personnel who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
b. The commission shall consist of 13 members as follows:
(1) the Attorney General, or a designee of the Attorney General;
(2) a representative of the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association, appointed by the Governor;
(3) a representative of the New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police, appointed by the Governor;
(4) a representative of the State Troopers Fraternal Association, appointed by the Governor;
(5) a representative of the New Jersey Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association, appointed by the Governor;
(6) a representative of the Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey, appointed by the Governor;
(7) a representative of the New Jersey Emergency Medical Services Council, appointed by the Governor;
(8) a representative of the New Jersey State First Aid Council, appointed by the Governor;
(9) two public members with experience in the design, construction, or maintenance of memorials, appointed by the Governor; and
(9) three public members who are family members of a fallen law enforcement officer, a fallen firefighter, and a fallen emergency medical services personnel, appointed by the Governor.
c. All appointments to the commission shall be made within 90 days of the effective date of this act. Any vacancy in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments are made.
d. The commission shall organize as soon as practicable after the appointment of a majority of its members and shall select a chairperson from among its members. The chairperson shall appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the commission. A majority of all the authorized members shall constitute a quorum.
e. The Department of Law and Public Safety shall provide staff and related support services as the commission requires to carry out its work. The commission may request the assistance and services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available to it for its purposes.
f. The members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but shall be eligible for reimbursement for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the commission for its purposes.
g. The commission shall select a suitable design and location for the construction of the Salute to Service and Sacrifice Memorial dedicated to law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty.
The memorial, at minimum, shall have three walls to represent the following branches of emergency service: law enforcement, firefighting, and emergency medical services. Each wall shall contain the names of each fallen law enforcement officer, firefighter, and emergency medical services personnel, as appropriate. The wall shall be constructed with additional space to add additional names as necessary.
h. The commission shall determine appropriate methods of financing the construction and maintenance of the memorial. The commission may initiate fund raising measures and may receive monetary donations for the memorial. Any money received by the commission for these purposes shall be deposited in the fund established by section 2 of this act.
i. No later than 18 months following the effective date of this act, the commission shall prepare and submit a final report to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1) to the Legislature, which shall include the final design and location selected for the memorial.
2. There is established in the Department of Treasury a special non-lapsing fund to be known as the "Salute to Service and Sacrifice Memorial Commission Fund." The fund shall be maintained as a separate account and administered by the Department of Treasury to support the design, construction, and maintenance of the Salute to Service and Sacrifice Memorial.
The fund shall be credited with any moneys as may be donated by members of the public, appropriated to the fund by law, or any other moneys that may become available for its purpose. All interest on moneys in the fund shall be credited to the fund.
3. This act shall take
effect immediately. Section 1 shall expire on the first day of the sixth month
following the completion of the construction of the memorial and section 2
shall remain in effect.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a "Salute to Service and Sacrifice Memorial Commission."
Under the bill, there is established in, but not of, the Department of Law and Public Safety a commission to be known as the "Salute to Service and Sacrifice Memorial Commission." The purpose of the commission is to select a location and design for the construction of a "Salute to Service and Sacrifice Memorial" that honors and recognizes law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services personnel who have lost their lives in the line of duty. A non-lapsing fund will be established for the design, construction, and maintenance of the memorial
The commission is to consist of the following thirteen members: the Attorney General or designee, a representative of the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association, a representative of the New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police, a representative of the State Troopers Fraternal Association, a representative from the New Jersey Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association, a representative from the Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey, a representative from the New Jersey Emergency Medical Services Council, a representative from the New Jersey State First Aid Council, two public members with experience in the design, construction, or maintenance of memorials, and three public members who are family members of a fallen law enforcement officer, a fallen firefighter, and a fallen emergency medical services personnel. All members are to be appointed by the Governor.
The bill requires the appointments to be made within 90 days of the bill's effective date. The commission is to organize as soon as practicable after the appointment of the majority of the members. A majority of all of the authorized members constitutes a quorum.
Under the bill, the Department of Law and Public Safety is to provide staff and related support services as the commission requires to carry out its work.
The bill requires the commission to select a suitable design and location for the construction of the Salute to Service and Sacrifice Memorial Fund and to oversee the construction of the memorial. The memorial is required to have three walls to represent the following branches of emergency service: law enforcement, firefighting, and emergency medical service. Each wall will contain the names of each fallen law enforcement officer, firefighter, and emergency medical services personnel, as appropriate. The walls are to be constructed with additional space to add additional names as necessary.
Within 18 months of the bill's effective date, the commission is required to submit a final report to the Governor and the Legislature which is to include the final design and location selected for the memorial.
Finally, the bill establishes in the Department of Treasury a special non-lapsing fund to be known as the "Salute to Service and Sacrifice Memorial Commission Fund." The fund will support the design, construction, and maintenance of the Salute to Service and Sacrifice Memorial. The fund is to be credited with any donations by members of the public, funds appropriated by law, or any other moneys that may become available for its purpose.
