Sponsored by:
Senator NICHOLAS P. SCUTARI
District 22 (Middlesex, Somerset and Union)
Senator NELLIE POU
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Removes requirement that local government officers disclose address of their home or principal residence on financial disclosure statements.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee on March 2, 2023, with amendments.
An Act removing the requirement that local government officers disclose their 1[property addresses] home address1 in certain financial disclosure statements and amending P.L.1991, c.29.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 6 of P.L.1991, c.29 (C.40A:9-22.6) is amended to read as follows:
6. a. Local government officers shall annually file a financial disclosure statement.
1As part of the financial disclosure statement, an officer who holds an elective public office shall certify that the officer is a resident of the appropriate county, municipality, district, ward, or other jurisdiction in which such residency by the holder of that elective public office is required by law.
As part of the financial disclosure statement, an officer who does not hold an elective public office shall certify that the officer is a resident of the appropriate county, municipality, district, ward, or other jurisdiction in which such residency by the holder of that public position is required by law and that the officer is in compliance with the provisions of R.S.52:14-7.1
All financial disclosure statements filed pursuant to P.L.1991, c.29 shall include the following information which shall specify, where applicable, the name and address of each source and the local government officer's job title:
(1) Each source of income, earned or unearned, exceeding $2,000 received by the local government officer or a member of his immediate family during the preceding calendar year. Individual client fees, customer receipts or commissions on transactions received through a business organization need not be separately reported as sources of income. If a publicly traded security is the source of income, the security need not be reported unless the local government officer or member of his immediate family has an interest in the business organization;
(2) Each source of fees and honorariums having an aggregate amount exceeding $250 from any single source for personal appearances, speeches or writings received by the local government officer or a member of his immediate family during the preceding calendar year;
(3) Each source of gifts, reimbursements or prepaid expenses having an aggregate value exceeding $400 from any single source, excluding relatives, received by the local government officer or a member of his immediate family during the preceding calendar year;
(4) The name and address of all business organizations in which the local government officer or a member of his immediate family had an interest during the preceding calendar year; 1[and]1
(5) [The address and] 1[A] The address and a1 brief description, including the county and municipality where located, of all real property in the State in which the local government officer or a member of his immediate family held an interest during the preceding calendar year 1, excluding the address, description, county, and municipality of the principal or secondary residence of the officer or of a member of the officer’s immediate family; and
(6) The address and brief description, including the county and municipality where located, of all real property in the State from which the officer or a member of the officer’s immediate family derived income, including any such property where the officer or a member of the officer’s immediate family resided for any period of time during the preceding calendar year1.
b. The Local Finance Board shall prescribe a financial disclosure statement form for filing purposes. For counties and municipalities which have not established ethics boards, the board shall transmit sufficient copies of the forms to the municipal clerk in each municipality and the county clerk in each county for filing in accordance with this act. The municipal clerk shall make the forms available to the local government officers serving the municipality. The county clerk shall make the forms available to the local government officers serving the county.
For counties and municipalities which have established ethics boards, the Local Finance Board shall transmit sufficient copies of the forms to the ethics boards for filing in accordance with this act. The ethics boards shall make the forms available to the local government officers within their jurisdiction.
For local government officers serving the municipality, the original statement shall be filed with the municipal clerk in the municipality in which the local government officer serves. For local government officers serving the county, the original statement shall be filed with the county clerk in the county in which the local government officer serves. A copy of the statement shall be filed with the board. In counties or municipalities which have established ethics boards a copy of the statement shall also be filed with the ethics board having jurisdiction over the local government officer. Local government officers shall file the initial financial disclosure statement within 90 days following the effective date of this act. Thereafter, statements shall be filed on or before April 30th each year, except that each local government officer shall file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of taking office.
c. All financial disclosure statements filed shall be public records.
d. The Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs may establish an electronic filing system for financial disclosure statements required to be filed pursuant to this section.
(cf: P.L.2015, c.95, s.22)
2. This act shall take effect immediately and apply to financial disclosure statements filed in 2023 and thereafter.