SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 2477

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MAY 12, 2020

      The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 2477.

      This bill permits an employee of the State, or of a political subdivision of the State that has adopted the provisions of Title 11A of the New Jersey Statutes, who is in the classified service or unclassified service of the civil service to be transferred or reassigned by the appointing authority during the period of a state of emergency or public health emergency declared by the Governor to another job assignment that is within or outside of the employee’s job title and that is within the employee’s organizational unit or department or that is in another organizational unit or department. 

      If the appointing authority decides to transfer or reassign an employee, the appointing authority can order the transfer or reassignment only when the workforce needs of the organizational unit or department within which or to which the employee is transferred or reassigned have been adversely impacted by the events that caused the state of emergency or public health emergency to be declared by the Governor.  The transfer or reassignment has to be for the sole purpose of responding to, mitigating, or recovering from the adverse impact, including but not limited to the processing of applications from members of the public for benefits which has been adversely impacted.

      The transfer or reassignment will be for a temporary period of no more than 30 consecutive or intermittent days. 

      The seniority rights, the accumulated leave balances, salary steps, promotional rights, and other substantive rights, within the job title, job classification, and job assignment from which the employee was transferred or reassignment will not be adversely affected by the transfer or reassignment. 

      The consent of the employee will not be required for the transfer or reassignment to occur.

      The provisions of this bill will not apply to an employee holding a public safety title and job assignment.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      This bill is not certified as requiring a fiscal note.