SENATE LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 2693

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 11, 2021

      The Senate Law and Public Safety Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 2693.

      As amended and reported by the committee, this bill requires the Superintendent of State Police to establish and maintain an Employment Application Registry database.

     Under the bill, each law enforcement agency is required to maintain records of all applicants for employment in the agency and report the information to the State Police to be included in the Employment Application Registry.  The information contained in the Employment Application Registry is to be confidential and not a public record. 

     The records to be maintained by the law enforcement agency are to include, but not be limited to, information related to the applicant’s identity; the position for which the applicant submitted an application; whether an offer of employment was made and, if not, the reason including, but not limited to, whether an offer was not made because the applicant was included in the Central Drug Registry established by the Attorney General as a result of a positive drug test; and whether the applicant is to be disqualified from employment with a law enforcement agency in this State.

     Under the bill, each law enforcement agency in this State is required to consult the Employment Application Registry prior to making an offer of employment to an applicant. 

     The bill also requires the Attorney General to issue any necessary guidelines and directives including, but not limited to: procedures for the collection of information to be contained in the Employment Application Registry; the reasons for which an applicant is to be disqualified from employment; and procedures for maintaining the confidentiality of information contained in the database.

COMMITTTEE AMENDMENTS: 

      The committee made technical amendments to the bill.