STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2018 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman BETTYLOU DECROCE
District 26 (Essex, Morris and Passaic)
Assemblyman THOMAS P. GIBLIN
District 34 (Essex and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Carroll
SYNOPSIS
Provides that Secretary of State, as leader of tourism and economic development, will have authority to designate and prepare special commemorative day, week, month, or year for the State.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act authorizing the Secretary of State to prepare ceremonial-in-nature resolutions designating commemorative time periods for the State and supplementing Title 36 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Following the effective date of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the Secretary of State shall have the authority to designate, declare, proclaim, recognize, or acknowledge an official special commemorative day, week, month, year, or other specified period of time for the State of New Jersey, or for any public or private part, sector, entity, or persons thereof. A ceremonial designation by the Secretary of State shall be in written form signed by the Secretary and announced Statewide to the public.
No such designation, declaration, proclamation, recognition, or acknowledgement shall be made by any other State officer or State entity.
The Legislature shall annually memorialize, with a concurrent resolution adopted during the first session of each House held after January 1 of each year, all official special commemorative days, weeks, months, years, or other specified periods of time designated, declared, proclaimed, recognized, or acknowledged by the Secretary of State since the adoption of the prior concurrent resolution.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
The bill allows the Secretary of State to designate, declare, proclaim, recognize, or acknowledge any official special commemorative day, week, month, year, or other specified period of time for the State of New Jersey, or for any public or private part, sector, entity, or persons thereof. After the bill’s effective date, any State officer or State entity, including the Legislature, would transfer duties of preparing ceremonial-in-nature resolutions designating such special commemorative periods to the Secretary of State.
The Secretary of State’s core mission areas include economic vitality, cultural and historical programs, and civic engagement responsibilities; therefore, the public is best served when such a leader in tourism and economic growth prepares ceremonial resolutions. Such practice would allow the State Legislature to focus on public policy priorities.
The bill requires the Legislature to annually memorialize, with a concurrent resolution adopted during the first session of each House held after January 1 of each year, all official special commemorative days, weeks, months, years, or other specified periods of time designated, declared, proclaimed, recognized, or acknowledged by the Secretary of State since the adoption of the prior concurrent resolution.