Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Requires AG to release bias incident data monthly.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning bias incidents and amending P.L.2007, c.303.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 5 of P.L.2007, c.303 (C.52:17B-5.4a) is amended to read as follows:
5. a. The Attorney General shall maintain a central repository for the collection and analysis of information collected pursuant to section 3 of P.L.1966, c.37 (C.52:17B-5.3). Information in the repository shall be made available to the public. The Attorney General may designate the Division of State Police in the Department of Law and Public Safety to be the agency to maintain the repository and provide information from the repository to the public.
b. The Attorney General shall release bias incident data monthly, which shall be made available to the public on the Internet website of the Department of Law and Public Safety.
As used in this subsection, “bias incident” means a suspected or confirmed violation of paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection a. of section 1 of P.L.2001, c.443 (C.2C:16-1).
(cf: P.L.2007, c.303, s.5)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Attorney General to release bias incident data monthly.
Under current law, municipal and county law enforcement agencies are required to submit quarterly reports to the Attorney General, which include information regarding crimes committed within their respective jurisdictions. These reports are required to include information relating to any offense directed against a person or group or their property, by reason of their race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, or ethnicity. The Attorney General is required to issue an annual report containing the results of the information reflected in these quarterly reports.
Under the provisions of this bill, in addition to the annual report, the Attorney General is required to release bias incident data monthly, which is to be made available to the public on the Internet website of the Department of Law and Public Safety. Under the bill, “bias incident” is defined as a suspected or confirmed violation of certain provisions of the bias intimidation statute.