STATE OF NEW JERSEY
217th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman TIM EUSTACE
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblyman REED GUSCIORA
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblyman JOHN F. MCKEON
District 27 (Essex and Morris)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits State-sponsored travel to states adopting religious freedom statutes without protection against discrimination.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act prohibiting State-sponsored travel to certain states and supplementing chapter 18A of Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Notwithstanding any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, no department, division, office, board, bureau, commission, authority, or other instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, or any public institution of higher education that receives State funds, shall approve a request for travel to be paid, in whole or in part, out of State funds or otherwise sponsored by the State, to any state of the United States that has adopted a law to protect religious freedom without instituting in such law or other statute protections against discrimination in the provision of goods or services to the public. All State entities shall immediately upon enactment of this act review all requests for travel and deny any funding or sponsorship request that would violate these provisions.
The provisions of this section shall be in effect with respect to a state of the United States while such a law remains in effect in that state, except that an entity of this State may approve a travel or sponsorship request to be paid, in whole or in part, out of State funds when required due to an emergency, or for law enforcement or contractual purposes, or to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill prohibits State entities to pay for or sponsor travel requests to states that have adopted religious freedom statutes without protections against discrimination.
Under the bill, any department, division, office, board, bureau, commission, authority, or other instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, and State-funded public institutions of higher education, would be prohibited from approving a request for travel to be paid out of State funds or sponsored by the State, to any state of the United States that has adopted a law to protect religious freedom without instituting in such law or other statute protections against discrimination in the provision of goods or services to the public. The bill also requires all State entities to immediately review all requests for travel and to deny any funding or sponsorship request that violates the bill. The prohibition would be in effect with respect to a state of the United States while such a law remains in effect in that state. However, the bill allows a State entity to approve a travel or sponsorship request when required due to an emergency, or for law enforcement or contractual purposes, or to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare.