A1001

An Act establishing a Red Tape Review Task Force 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. There is established a Red Tape Review Task Force in, but not of, the Department of the Treasury. The purpose of the task force shall be to investigate ways to improve New Jersey’s regulatory process, eliminate burdensome red tape, and promote job creation and retention, economic growth, and investment in New Jersey. The task force shall consist of nine members as follows:

(1) the Lieutenant Governor, or a designee, who will serve as chair of the task force;

(2) the Chief Counsel to the Governor, or a designee;

(3) the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, or a designee;

(4) the Commissioner of Community Affairs, or a designee;

(5) the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, or a designee;

(6) the President of the Senate, or a designee;

(7) the Speaker of the General Assembly, or a designee;

(8) the Senate Minority Leader, or a designee; and

(9) the Minority Leader of the General Assembly, or a designee.

b. The Lieutenant Governor, at the Lieutenant Governor’s discretion, may appoint additional members to provide the task force with necessary and appropriate expertise and representation on behalf of non-profit organizations, businesses, workers, and local governments. Members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor shall serve at the pleasure of the Lieutenant Governor.

c. Members of the task force shall serve without compensation.

d. The task force shall meet once every six months and at such other times as the chair of the task force may determine.

2. a. The task force shall:

(1) review the rules and regulations established by the State government to eliminate unnecessarily burdensome requirements and to streamline interactions between the State government and private entities by collaboratively working to achieve regulatory restraint;

(2) call upon any department, office, division, or agency of this State to supply the task force with data and other information, personnel, or assistance it deems necessary to discharge its duties;

(3) solicit both written and oral comments from the public, including non-profit organizations, businesses, workers, local governments, and other affected persons or entities as the task force deems appropriate, and to consider the views expressed by those parties in any report; and

(4) provide a written report to the Governor, and to the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1) on its findings and recommendations no later than three years after the effective date of this act. The task force shall expire upon submission of its report.

b. Each department, office, division, or agency of the State shall cooperate with the task force and furnish it with such information, personnel, and assistance necessary for the task force to accomplish its duties.

c. Reports provided by the task force pursuant to this section, including any recommendations to repeal, rescind, or amend any rules and regulations or Executive Orders contained therein, shall not confer any legal rights upon any persons or entities affected by those rules and regulations or Executive Orders. The task force’s reports shall be advisory and shall not be used as a basis for any legal challenges based upon the action or inaction of any department, office, division, or agency of the State.

3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes the Red Tape Review Task Force.

The purpose of the task force is to provide recommendations to eliminate unnecessarily burdensome requirements and to streamline State government and private entity interactions by collaboratively working to achieve regulatory restraint. The goal of these efforts is to improve New Jersey’s regulatory process, eliminate burdensome red tape, and promote job creation and retention, economic growth, and investment in New Jersey.

The task force will consist of the following nine members who will serve without compensation: