A4345

An Act establishing the 9-1-1 PSAP County Grants and amending P.L.2004, c.48 to provide county grants annually as part of the “9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account.”

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

1. (New section) The 9-1-1 PSAP County Grants program shall be established and executed by the Office of Information Technology in but not of the Department of the Treasury, in consultation with the Office of Emergency Management in the Department of Law and Public Safety.

Of the fees imposed pursuant to section 2 of P.L.2004, c.48 (C.52:17C-18) and deposited into the "9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account," 10 percent of the $.90 cent fee shall be dedicated to 9-1-1 PSAP County Grants to support the annual operations and any improvements of county public safety answering points (PSAPs). The 9-1-1 PSAP County Grants shall provide financial aid to public safety answering points (PSAPs) for purchasing, upgrading, maintaining, and operating the technology necessary to provide reliable and cost-effective state-of-the-art emergency telephone reporting system in New Jersey.

The distribution of the 9-1-1 PSAP County Grants shall be at the discretion of the Office of Information Technology, in consultation with the Office of Emergency Management in the Department of Law and Public Safety.

The Office of Information Technology shall submit to the Governor and the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1) an annual report of the distribution of the 9-1-1 PSAP County Grants.

2. Section 3 of P.L.2004 c.48 (C.52:17C-19) is amended to read as follows:

3. a. There is established in the Department of the Treasury within the General Fund a special account to be known as the "9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account."

b. Funds credited to the "9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account" shall be annually appropriated for the purposes of paying:

(1) eligible costs pursuant to the provisions of sections 13 and 14 of P.L.1989, c.3 (C.52:17C-13 and 52:17C-14);

(2) the costs of funding the State's capital equipment (including debt service), facilities and operating expenses that arise from emergency response;

(3) the cost of emergency response training, including any related costs or expenses of the Office of Emergency Management in the Division of State Police in the Department of Law and Public Safety;

(4) the cost of operating the Office of Emergency Telecommunications Services created pursuant to section 3 of P.L.1989, c.3 (C.52:17C-3);

(5) the cost of operating the Statewide Public Safety Communications Commission created pursuant to section 5 of P.L.2011, c.4 (C.52:17C-3.2);

(6) any costs associated with implementing any requirement of the Federal Communications Commission concerning 9-1-1 service that is not otherwise allocated to a carrier and not eligible for reimbursement under law or regulation;

(7) any costs associated with planning, designing or implementing an automatic location identification technology that is not otherwise allocated to a wireless carrier and not eligible for reimbursement under law or regulation; [and]

(8) any costs associated with planning, designing or acquiring replacement equipment or systems (including debt service) related to the enhanced 9-1-1 network as defined by subsection e. of section 1 of P.L.1989, c.3 (C.52:17C-1) [.] ; and

(9) any costs to support the 9-1-1 PSAP County Grants for counties to maintain and improve public safety answering points (PSAPs) as provided in section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

(cf: P.L.2013, c.245, s.1)

3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes the 9-1-1 PSAP County Grants program. The grant program is established for the purposes of paying for certain costs incurred by counties for the provision and maintenance of county public safety answering points (PSAPs). The grant program allocates 10 percent of the .90 cent fee collected on telephone bills pursuant to section 2 of P.L.2004, c.48 (C.52:17C-18) from the "9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account."

The Office of Information Technology is required to establish the 9-1-1 PSAP County Grants program in consultation with the Office of Emergency Management in the Department of Law and Public Safety. The OIT is required to provide an annual report of the grant program to the Governor and Legislature.

Currently, pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2004, c.48 (C.52:17C-19), funds in the trust fund account are allocated for the following purposes:

(1) the costs incurred in the initial installation of the Statewide enhanced 9-1-1 network and for the costs incurred by a county for the employment of a county 9-1-1 coordinator in an amount not to exceed $25,000 per county 9-1-1 coordinator pursuant to section 13 of P.L.1989, c.3 (C.52:17C-13), as well as the installation, operation, and maintenance costs required to provide wireless enhanced 9-1-1 services pursuant to section 14 of P.L.1989, c.3 (C.52:17C-14);

(2) the costs of funding the State's capital equipment (including debt service), facilities, and operating expenses that arise from emergency response;

(3) the cost of emergency response training, including any related costs or expenses of the Office of Emergency Management in the Division of State Police in the Department of Law and Public Safety;

(4) the cost of operating the Office of Emergency Telecommunications Services;

(5) the cost of operating the Statewide Public Safety Communications Commission;

(7) any costs associated with planning, designing, or implementing an automatic location identification technology that is not otherwise allocated to a wireless carrier and not eligible for reimbursement under law or regulation; and

(8) any costs associated with planning, designing or acquiring replacement equipment or systems (including debt service) related to the enhanced 9-1-1 network.

This bill provides that funds in the “9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account” may also be allocated toward an annual grant program for county public safety answering points (PSAPs).