LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE

[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 419

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

219th LEGISLATURE

 

DATED: AUGUST 7, 2020

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Synopsis:

Requires law enforcement agencies to provide law enforcement officers with cultural diversity training and develop diversity action plan.

Type of Impact:

Annual State and Local Expenditure Increases; Annual Expenditure Increases for Public Institutions of Higher Education

Agencies Affected:

Office of the Attorney General; Law Enforcement Agencies; Public Institutions of Higher Education

 

 

Office of Legislative Services Estimate

Fiscal Impact

Annual

 

State Expenditure Increase

Indeterminate

 

Local Expenditure Increase

Indeterminate

 

Public Institutions of Higher Education Expenditure Increase

Indeterminate

 

 

 

 

·         The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) estimates that this bill may result in indeterminate annual increases in certain administrative costs incurred by State, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies, and campus police departments at public institutions of higher education to provide in-service training to its personnel and to adopt and implement a cultural diversity action plan.

 

·         The bill may also result in periodic indeterminate expenditure increases for the Office of the Attorney General to assess the cultural diversity action plans.

 

 

BILL DESCRIPTION

 

      This bill requires law enforcement agencies to provide cultural diversity training to its law enforcement officers and develop a cultural diversity action plan. 

      Current law authorizes State, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies to provide to their officers in-service cultural diversity training that utilizes course materials and an on-line tutorial developed or identified by the Department of Law and Public Safety.  This bill makes this cultural diversity training mandatory.  

      The bill also requires these law enforcement agencies to develop and adopt a cultural diversity action plan. The plans are to include strategies for outreach programs that address the social needs and concerns regarding crime in the community.  The plans also are to include strategies to form partnerships with various cultural, religious, and civic organizations, including those formed on the basis of preventing discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. A primary objective of each plan is to emphasize positive relationships between the police and various community groups that encourage a willingness to collaborate in identifying community safety issues and establishing innovative strategies designed to create safe and stable neighborhoods and campuses.

      The bill requires law enforcement agencies to submit the plans to the Attorney General within one year of the bill’s effective date and at least once every three years thereafter. The bill also authorizes the Attorney General to periodically assess the plans to determine whether each agency is meeting its goals in providing the in-service training and formulating the cultural diversity action plans. 

 

 

FISCAL ANALYSIS

 

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

 

      None received.

 

 

OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES

 

      The OLS estimates that this bill may result in indeterminate expenditure increases for State, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies, and campus police departments at public institutions of higher education in providing in-service training of its personnel, including the cost to administer the program, payments to personnel to attend, and reporting to the Office of the Attorney General. 

      These law enforcement agencies and campus police departments may also experience an increase in certain administrative costs associated with developing and adopting a cultural diversity action plan, including a one-time cost to develop the cultural diversity action plan and ongoing costs to implement the plan and report to the Attorney General 

      This bill may result in indeterminate expenditure increase for the Office of the Attorney General to periodically assess the cultural diversity action plans to determine whether each law enforcement agency is meeting its goals. 

 

Section:

Law and Public Safety

Analyst:

Kristin Brunner Santos

Law and Public Safety

Approved:

Frank W. Haines III

Legislative Budget and Finance Officer

 

This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.

 

This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).