ASSEMBLY, No. 1269

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

220th LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION

 


 

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman  STERLEY S. STANLEY

District 18 (Middlesex)

Assemblywoman  LISA SWAIN

District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)

 

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Karabinchak

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Establishes Employment Application Registry database in Division of State Police.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

  


An Act establishing an employment application registry in the Division of State Police and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

 

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

 

     1.    a.  The Superintendent of State Police shall establish and maintain an Employment Application Registry database, which shall contain information related to any individual who submits an application for employment in a law enforcement agency in this State.

     b.    Each law enforcement agency shall maintain records of all applicants for employment in the law enforcement agency.  These

records shall include, but not be limited to:

     (1)   the identity of each applicant including, but not limited to, the applicant’s: name; last known address; date of birth; social security number; SBI number, if known; gender; race and ethnicity; and eye color;

     (2)   the position sought;

     (3)   whether an offer of employment was made to the applicant;

     (4)   if no offer was made, the reason, including but not limited to whether an offer was not made because the applicant was included in the Central Drug Registry established by the Attorney General as a result of a positive drug test; and

     (5)   whether the applicant shall be disqualified from employment with a law enforcement agency in this State based on the guidelines and directives established pursuant to subsection b. of section 2 of P.L.    , c.    (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

     c.     Each law enforcement agency shall report the information collected pursuant to subsection b. of this section to the Superintendent of State Police for inclusion in the Employment Application Registry. 

     d.    Each law enforcement agency in this State shall consult the Employment Application Registry prior to making an offer of employment to an applicant. 

     e.     The information contained in the Employment Application Registry shall be confidential and not be a public record subject to public access, inspection, or copying under P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.) or the common law concerning access to public records. 

 

     2.    The Attorney General shall issue any guidelines or directives necessary for the enforcement of this act including, but not limited to:

     a.     procedures for collecting and maintaining the information to be reported to the Superintendent and maintained in the Employment Application Registry;

     b.    the reasons for which an applicant shall be disqualified from employment in a law enforcement agency in this State; and

     c.     procedures for maintaining the confidentiality of information contained in the database.

 

     3.    This act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month next following the date of enactment; but the Superintendent of State Police may take such anticipatory administrative action in advance as may be necessary for the implementation of this act.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill requires the Superintendent of State Police to establish and maintain an Employment Application Registry database.

     Under the bill, each law enforcement agency is required to maintain records of all applicants for employment in the agency, and report the information to the Superintendent of State Police for inclusion in the Employment Application Registry.  The information contained in the Employment Application Registry is to be confidential and not a public record. 

     The records to be maintained by the law enforcement agency are to include, but not be limited to: information related to the applicant’s identity; the position for which the applicant submitted an application; whether an offer of employment was made and, if not, the reason, including, but not limited to, whether an offer was not made because the applicant was included in the Central Drug Registry established by the Attorney General as a result of a positive drug test; and whether the applicant is to be disqualified from employment with a law enforcement agency in this State.

     Under the bill, each law enforcement agency in this State is required to consult the Employment Application Registry prior to making an offer of employment to an applicant. 

     The bill also requires the Attorney General to issue any necessary guidelines and directives including, but not limited to: procedures for the collection of information to be contained in the Employment Application Registry; the reasons for which an applicant is to be disqualified from employment; and procedures for maintaining the confidentiality of information contained in the database.