A405

An Act creating the New Jersey Task Force on Child Support Reform.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "New Jersey Task Force on Child Support Reform Act."

2. New Jersey Task Force on Child Support Reform, established; purpose.

There is established the "New Jersey Task Force on Child Support Reform." The purpose of the task force is to study current law, policies and procedures of New Jersey’s child support program and related statutes, to identify problems, and to make recommendations for legislation and strategies to create a more effective and efficient program in the State.

3. Task force membership. The task force shall consist of 16 members as follows: the Commissioner of Human Services, the Commissioner of Corrections, the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, the Attorney General, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Public Defender, or their designees, as ex officio members; two members of the Senate and two members of the General Assembly, no more than one of whom in each case shall be of the same political party; and six public members to be appointed by the Governor.

The public members shall be multi-disciplinary child support professionals and interested laypersons.

The task force shall be co-chaired; one co-chair shall be the Commissioner of Human Services and the other shall be appointed by the Governor from among the public members and shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor.

4. Vacancies; compensation. Vacancies in the membership of the task force shall be filled in the same manner provided for the original appointments. The members of the task force shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for traveling and other miscellaneous expenses necessary to perform their duties, within the limits of funds made available to the task force for its purposes.

5. Providing staff. The Department of Human Services shall provide professional and clerical staff to the task force as necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.

6. Task force's use of services and consultants.

a. The task force shall be entitled to call upon the services of any State, county or municipal department, board, commission or agency, as may be available to it for these purposes, and to incur such traveling and other miscellaneous expenses as it may deem necessary for the proper execution of its duties and as may be within the limit of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to it for these purposes.

b. The task force shall consult with such organizations and associations as Advocates for Children of New Jersey, the New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, Inc., the New Jersey State Nurses Association, the New Jersey Education Association, Foster and Adoptive Family Services, and the Graduate School of Social Work of Rutgers, The State University.

7. Meetings; hearings. The task force may meet and hold hearings at such places as it shall designate during the sessions or recesses of the Legislature.

8. Funds, solicitation, use. The task force may solicit, receive, disburse and monitor grants and other funds made available from any governmental, public, private, not-for-profit or for-profit agency, including funds made available under any federal or State law, regulation or program.

9. Report. The task force shall present a report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature no later than 18 months after the organization of the task force. The task force shall dissolve three months after presenting the report.

10. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill creates a 16-member task force to review current law, practices and procedures of New Jersey’s child support program and related statutes.

The task force would consist of the Commissioner of Human Services, the Commissioner of Corrections, the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, the Attorney General, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the Public Defender, or their designees, as ex officio members; two members of the Senate and two members of the General Assembly, no more than one of whom in each case shall be of the same political party; and six public members to be appointed by the Governor.

The public members would be multi-disciplinary child support professionals and interested laypersons.

The bill provides that the task force would consult with such organizations and associations as Advocates for Children of New Jersey, the New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, Inc., the New Jersey State Nurses Association, the New Jersey Education Association, Foster and Adoptive Family Services, and the Graduate School of Social Work of Rutgers, The State University.

This bill directs the task force to submit a report to the Legislature no later than 18 months after the organization of the task force with recommendations for legislation and strategies to create a more effective and efficient program.