ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 1205

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 3, 2016

      The Assembly Education Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 1205.

     This bill requires that if a school building of a school district is equipped with video surveillance equipment that is capable of wirelessly streaming live video to a remote location, the board of education must enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with local law enforcement authorities giving the authorities the ability to activate the equipment and view live streaming videos.  In the case of a school building located in a municipality that does not have a municipal police department, then the board would enter into the MOU with an entity designated by the Superintendent of the State Police.  The MOU would designate the individuals who would have access to the live streaming video, the circumstances under which the individuals would be authorized to access the video, and a plan for preventing and detecting unauthorized access.  The bill would not require the installation of video surveillance equipment that has the capacity to wirelessly stream video to a remote location.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2016-2017 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.