A3839

An Act establishing a legislative internship program for veterans 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 hereby established in the Legislature a legislative internship program for veterans. The purpose of the program shall be to create employment opportunities for veterans in the public policy field. Members of the Legislature shall obtain the approval of the presiding officer of the member’s House prior to employing a veteran as an intern through the veteran legislative internship program. Once approved by the presiding officer of the member’s House, the member shall employ the veteran as an intern.

b. The veteran legislative internship program shall accept applications from veterans who were:

(1) honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces, including a Reserve component thereof;

(2) released from active duty within the last five years; and

(3) at or below the pay grades of E-5 or O-3.

Applicants shall be required to have a service-connected disability rating, as determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, or its successor agency, of a minimum of 20 percent, except for applicants who are Purple Heart recipients. Veterans who are in receipt of a 20-year or Temporary Early Retirement Authorization retirement shall not be considered eligible for the program.

Applicants shall submit an application including, but not limited to, proof of eligibility based on the program requirements established pursuant to this section.

c. Veterans who are residents of New Jersey shall be granted priority over other applicants to the program.

d. Participants shall complete one work period with the district office of a legislator. The work period shall be established by each legislator prior to employing a veteran as an intern.

Upon completion of the work period, the legislator may elect to retain the participant for an additional work period if the participant agrees to continue their internship.

e. Participants shall perform legislative services as may be directed by the legislator for whom they are employed. Such services shall be designed to offer the interns a broad experience in legislative activities and may, as the presiding officer of the respective House of the Legislature permits, include attendance on the floor of legislative sessions.

f. The Legislature, with the assistance of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, shall annually apply for and use any federal grant funds or other federal assistance which may be available to be used for the veteran legislative internship program established pursuant to this section including, but not limited to, the federal “Jobs for Veterans’ State Grants” program funded by the federal “Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act,” (29 U.S.C. s.3111).

g. The Legislature shall appropriate such funds as shall be necessary to implement the veteran legislative internship program established pursuant to this section.

2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes a legislative internship program for veterans which will allow members of the Legislature to employ veterans as interns with the approval of the presiding officer of the member’s House.

The bill requires the veteran legislative internship program to accept applications from veterans who were honorably discharged, released from active duty within the last five years, and at or below the pay grades of E-5 or O-3. Applicants must also have a minimum of a 20 percent service-connected disability rating. Applicants who are Purple Heart recipients are not required to meet the service-connected disability rating to be considered eligible for the program. Any veterans receiving a 20-year or Temporary Early Retirement Authorization retirement are not eligible for the program.

Under the bill, veterans who are residents of New Jersey will be granted priority over other applicants to the program.

The bill requires participants to complete one work period with the district office of a legislator, which will be established by each legislator prior to employing a veteran as an intern. The legislator may elect to retain the participant for an additional work period if the participant agrees to continue their internship after completion of the initial work period. The duties of the interns are to be decided by the legislator for which they are employed.