Sponsored by:
Senator ROBERT W. SINGER
District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Directs Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness to provide security risk assessment guidance to certain institutions of higher education.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning risk assessments of certain institutions of higher education and supplementing chapter 3B of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness shall develop security risk assessment guidance for each public or private institution of higher education that receives State funds.
b. The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness shall develop a security risk assessment checklist, as a component of the security risk assessment guidance, to be used by each public or private institution of higher education that receives State funds. The office shall biennially review and update the security risk assessment checklist, in consultation with the governing board of each institution of higher education, and update the checklist as appropriate.
The security risk assessment checklist shall include, but not be limited to, a site assessment, a climate assessment, a threat assessment, a capacity assessment, and the communication systems utilized to facilitate notification to parents and other members of the community during an emergency.
The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness shall provide each institution of higher education with technical assistance to facilitate the completion of the security risk assessment checklists in a uniform manner.
c. Each public or private institution of higher education which receives State funds shall annually review the security risk assessment guidance and submit the completed security risk assessment checklist to the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. The security risk assessment guidance and checklists shall be kept confidential and shall not be deemed a public record under P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.) or the common law concerning access to public records, but may be utilized for the purposes of allocating any State grants or loans made available for the purpose of school facility safety and security upgrades for the institution.
d. The Director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness shall promulgate rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) as may be needed to effectuate the purposes of this act.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness to develop security risk assessment guidance for use by certain institutions of higher education and requires institutions of higher education to complete an annual security risk assessment.
Specifically, this bill requires the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness to develop security risk assessment guidance for each public or private institution of higher education that receives State funds.
The security risk assessment guidance is to proactively assist institutions of higher education to identify, analyze, and evaluate hazards and risk factors including campus safety and security, data security, emergency response plans, infrastructure security, and mental healthcare access. The office is required to at least provide a biennial review of the security risk assessment guidance, and update the guidance as needed.
As a component of the security risk assessment guidance, the office is required to develop a security risk assessment checklist to be completed at least annually by each public or private institution of higher education that receives State funds. The office is required to biennially review and update the checklist, in consultation with the governing board of each institution of higher education, and update the checklist as appropriate. The checklist is to include, but not be limited to, a site assessment, a climate assessment, a threat assessment, a capacity assessment, and the communication systems utilized to facilitate notification to parents and other members of the community during an emergency. The office is required to provide technical assistance to facilitate the completion of the checklists in a uniform manner.
The security risk assessment guidance and checklists are to be kept confidential and are not considered public record, but may be utilized for the purposes of allocating any State grants or loans made available for the purpose of school facility safety and security upgrades for the institution.