Bill Text: NJ SCR56 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Creates "Full-time Legislature Study Commission" to study the feasibility of establishing a full-time Legislature in New Jersey.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-30 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee [SCR56 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-SCR56-Introduced.html
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 56
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
216th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED JANUARY 30, 2014
Sponsored by:
Senator LORETTA WEINBERG
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Creates "Full-Time Legislature Study Commission" to study the feasibility of establishing a full-time Legislature in New Jersey.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Concurrent Resolution creating the "Full-time Legislature Study Commission" to study the feasibility of establishing a full-time Legislature in New Jersey.
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):
1. There is established in the Legislative Branch of state government a temporary commission to be known as the "Full-time Legislature Study Commission" to study the feasibility of establishing a full-time Legislature in New Jersey. It shall be the duty of the commission to review and analyze the need for and the manner of establishing a full-time Legislature in New Jersey, and to make recommendations to the Legislature pertaining thereto. The review and analysis shall include, but shall not be limited to, matters concerning the effectiveness, efficiency, and implementation costs that may be associated with a full-time Legislature in this State.
2. The commission shall consist of 11 voting members, to be appointed as follows:
a. two members of the Senate, who shall not be of the same political party, to be appointed by the President of the Senate;
b. two members of the General Assembly, who shall not be of the same political party, to be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly;
c. three members of the public, two of which shall have expertise in constitutional law, to be appointed by the Executive Director of the Office of Legislative Services;
d. the Executive Director of the Senate Majority Office, ex officio;
e. the Executive Director of the Senate Minority Office, ex officio;
f. the Executive Director of the Assembly Majority Office, ex officio; and
g. the Executive Director of the Assembly Minority Office, ex officio.
3. Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner provided for the original appointments. The public members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but shall be entitled to receive reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to it for its purposes. The commission shall be entitled to and avail itself of the assistance of the Office of Legislative Services as it may require and as may be available to it for its purposes.
4. Members of the commission shall be appointed within 30 days after the effective date of this act, P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill), and shall hold their initial organizational meeting as soon as practicable, but no later than 30 days following the appointment of its members, and shall select a chairperson and vice-chairperson, who shall be of different political parties. The chairperson shall appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the commission.
5. The commission may meet and hold hearings at the places it designates throughout the State during the sessions or recesses of the Legislature. The commission shall meet at the call of the chairperson. The commission shall hold at least three public hearings in different parts of the State and elicit testimony from the public at such times and places as the chair shall designate. A meeting of the commission shall be called upon the request of six of the commission's members, and the presence of six members of the commission shall constitute a quorum at any meeting thereof.
6. Within 12 months from the date of its organization, the commission shall report its findings, along with any recommendations and legislative proposals it may make, to the Governor, and the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1). The commission shall expire upon issuance of its final report.
7. This concurrent resolution shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon the commission's issuance of its report.
STATEMENT
This concurrent resolution creates the "Full-time Legislature Study Commission" to study the feasibility of establishing a full-time Legislature in New Jersey.
The commission would be created in the Legislative Branch of state government and its purpose would be to review and analyze the need for a full-time Legislature in New Jersey and the manner of establishing such full-time service requirement. The commission would consider the effectiveness, efficiency, and implementation costs that may be associated with a full-time Legislature, in addition to other related matters.
The commission would be composed of 11 voting members. Four of these members would be legislators, not more than two of whom would be from the same political party, to be appointed by the Senate President and the Assembly Speaker. Four members would be the Executive Directors of the Senate and Assembly partisan staff offices, ex officio. Three members of the commission would be members of the public, two of which would have expertise in constitutional law, to be appointed by the Executive Director of the Office of Legislative Services.
The commission would issue a report containing its recommendations within 12 months from the date of its organization, and would expire upon issuance of the report.
