Bill Text: NJ A518 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Provides for expansion of county transportation services to include disabled veterans; provides funding source for expansion.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-1)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-04 - Reported out of Asm. Comm. with Amendments, and Referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee [A518 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A518-Amended.html
ASSEMBLY, No. 518
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman WAYNE P. DEANGELO
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Assemblywoman CLEOPATRA G. TUCKER
District 28 (Essex)
Assemblyman HERB CONAWAY, JR.
District 7 (Burlington)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Murphy, Lampitt, Assemblymen Moen, Tully, Sauickie, Assemblywomen Lopez and Reynolds-Jackson
SYNOPSIS
Provides for expansion of county transportation services to include disabled veterans; provides funding source for expansion.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Assembly Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee on March 4, 2024, with amendments.
An Act 1[establishing a county veteran transportation grant program,] concerning an expansion of county transportation services for disabled veterans and1 amending P.L.2015, c.211 1[, and making an appropriation]1.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 1 of P.L.2015, c.211 (C.38A:3-49) is amended to read as follows:
1. The Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs shall establish a program to provide assistance to qualified veterans in in-patient and out-patient treatment programs to travel to attend medical counseling appointments for service-connected conditions approved and authorized by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs within this State.
The department shall:
a. develop, in cooperation with the New Jersey Transit Corporation and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, a program to provide reimbursement, subject to available State or federal funding, to qualified veterans who spend their own funds to travel on public transportation to and from medical counseling appointments for service-connected conditions within the State using any motor bus or rail passenger service conducted by the corporation when the veteran is not otherwise eligible for payment for travel or reimbursement by means of any existing State or federal program;
b. develop, in cooperation with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, a program to provide reimbursement to qualified veterans who spend their own funds to travel using private transportation to and from medical counseling appointments for service-connected conditions within the State by reimbursing on a per mile basis their operation of a privately-owned conveyance when that veteran is not otherwise eligible for payment for travel or reimbursement by means of any existing State or federal program, provided that the qualified veteran shall not use a for-hire private entity that charges for transportation unless such transportation is necessary for the qualified veteran due to a service-connected injury or disability for which the veteran has a certified rating provided by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs which prevents or hinders his or her ability to operate a privately-owned conveyance;
c. develop, in coordination with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, a system for monitoring veterans who have applied for reimbursement;
d. notify the general public and eligible veterans that the program established by this section is available to qualified veterans; [and]
e. adopt such rules and regulations as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this [act] section; and
f. 1[develop, in cooperation] coordinate,1 with county governments 1[, a program to provide reimbursement, subject to available State or federal funding, to qualified participating county governments that] , an expansion of existing county-administered transit service under the Senior Citizens and Disabled Residents Transportation Assistance Program to1 provide transportation services to disabled veterans to and from medical counseling appointments for service-connected conditions within the State by 1[reimbursing their operation of a county-owned conveyance] helping counties to identify transportation service needs in the veterans community for the purposes outlined in this subsection and providing financial assistance to the counties to cover the cost of such service expansions, in addition to monies appropriated pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1983, c.578 (C.27:25-28)1. As used in this subsection: "disabled veteran" means any citizen and resident of this State now or hereafter honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active service in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, a Reserve component thereof, or the National Guard and who has been or shall be declared by the United States Veterans Administration, or its successor, to have a service-connected disability.
(cf: P.L.2015, c.211, s.1)
1[2. There is appropriated $2,000,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs for the county veteran transportation grant program provided in section 1 of P.L.2015, c.211 (C.38A:3-49).]1
12. Section 4 of P.L.1983, c.578 (C.27:25-28) is amended to read as follows:
4. a. The board shall establish and administer a program to be known as "The Senior Citizen and Disabled Resident Transportation Assistance Program" for the following purposes:
(1) To assist counties to develop and provide accessible feeder transportation service to accessible fixed-route transportation services where such services are available, and accessible local transit service to senior citizens and the disabled, which may include but not be limited to door-to-door service, fixed route service, local fare subsidy, and user-side subsidy, which may include but not be limited to private ride or taxi fare subsidy; and to coordinate the activities of the various participants in this program in providing the services to be rendered at the county level and between counties; and
(2) To enable the corporation to develop, provide and maintain capital improvements that afford accessibility to fixed route and other transit services in order to make rail cars, rail stations, bus shelters and other bus equipment accessible to senior citizens and the disabled; to render technical information and assistance to counties eligible for assistance under this act; and to coordinate the program within and among counties.
b. In the State fiscal year beginning July 1 following the effective date of P.L.2009, c.261 and in each fiscal year thereafter, there shall be appropriated to the corporation from the revenues deposited in the Casino Revenue Fund established pursuant to section 145 of P.L.1977, c.110 (C.5:12-145) a sum equal to 8.5 percent of the revenues deposited in the fund during the preceding fiscal year, as determined by the State Treasurer, to effectuate the purposes and provisions of P.L.1983, c.578 (C.27:25-25 et seq.).
Of the amounts appropriated to the corporation from the Casino Revenue Fund pursuant to this subsection, 4 percent of the amount appropriated to the corporation shall be used to issue grants to counties for the purpose of providing transportation services to disabled veterans to and from medical counseling appointments for service-connected conditions, across county boundaries, but within the State pursuant to subsection f. of section 1 of P.L.2015, c.211 (C.38A:3-49).
Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, for the State Fiscal Years 2022, 2023, and 2024, appropriations to the corporation from the revenues deposited in the Casino Revenue Fund or the Property Tax Relief Fund, as appropriate, shall be given priority to ensure that the corporation receives an amount equal to 8.5 percent of the sum of the revenues deposited in the Casino Revenue Fund during the preceding fiscal year, adding back any reductions in revenues during the preceding fiscal year that directly resulted from the temporary credit allowable under section 1 of P.L.2021, c.314 or the temporary deduction allowable under section 3 of the P.L.2021, c.314, as determined by the State Treasurer, to effectuate the purposes and provisions of P.L.1983, c.578 (C.27:25-25 et seq.).1
(cf: P.L.2021, c.314, s.6)
3. This act shall take effect on the first day of the sixth month next following enactment, except that the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.
