Bill Text: NJ A1929 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires applicants for public assistance undergo retinal scan to detect multiple case fraud.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-02-08 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Human Services Committee [A1929 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A1929-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman HERB CONAWAY, JR.
District 7 (Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
Requires applicants for public assistance undergo retinal scan to detect multiple case fraud.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning applicants for public assistance and supplementing Title 44 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section:
"WFNJ-GA benefits" means Work First New Jersey benefits provided to an assistance unit composed of a single person without dependent children or a couple without dependent children pursuant to P.L.1997, c.38 (C.44:10-55 et seq.).
"WFNJ-TANF benefits" means Work First New Jersey benefits provided to an assistance unit composed of dependent children only, or a person or couple with one or more dependent children who are legally or blood-related, or who is their legal guardian, and who live together as a household unit pursuant to P.L.1997, c.38 (C.44:10-55 et seq.).
b. A person who applies for WFNJ-TANF or WFNJ-GA benefits, on or after the effective date of this act, shall be required to undergo a retinal scan as a condition of receiving such benefits, under procedures to be prescribed by regulation of the Commissioner of Human Services.
c. The commissioner shall apply for such waivers of federal regulations as may be required to effectuate the purposes of this act.
d. The commissioner shall provide, and the State shall assume the costs for, the acquisition of necessary equipment to carry out the provisions of this act and the establishment of a central database for retinal scans to detect multiple case fraud across municipal and county lines.
e. The commissioner, no later than 12 months after the effective date of this act and annually thereafter, shall report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), on the effectiveness of utilizing retinal scans to detect multiple case fraud with respect to the benefits specified in this section, and shall include with that report any recommendations that the commissioner desires to make concerning the use of retinal scans or other biometric identification methods to detect multiple case fraud in public assistance programs.
2. The Commissioner of Human Services, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this act.
3. This act shall take effect on the 180th day after enactment, but the Commissioner of Human Services may take such anticipatory administrative action in advance thereof as shall be necessary for the implementation of the act.
STATEMENT
The purpose of this bill is to employ biometric identification to detect multiple case fraud with respect to persons receiving Work First New Jersey benefits for adults with dependent children (WFNJ-TANF) and for single adults or couples without dependent children (WFNJ-GA), pursuant to P.L.1997, c.38 (C.44:10-55 et seq.).
The bill provides specifically as follows:
· A person who applies for WFNJ-TANF or WFNJ-GA benefits, on or after the effective date of the bill, is required to undergo a retinal scan as a condition of receiving such benefits, under procedures to be prescribed by regulation of the Commissioner of Human Services.
· The commissioner is directed to apply for such waivers of federal regulations as may be required to effectuate the purposes of the bill.
· The commissioner is to provide, and the State is to assume the costs for, the acquisition of necessary equipment to carry out the provisions of the bill and the establishment of a central database for retinal scans to detect multiple case fraud across municipal and county lines.
· The commissioner, no later than 12 months after the effective date of the bill and annually thereafter, is to report to the Governor and the Legislature on the effectiveness of utilizing retinal scans to detect multiple case fraud with respect to the benefits specified in the bill, and to include with that report any recommendations that the commissioner desires to make concerning the use of retinal scans or other biometric identification methods to detect multiple case fraud in public assistance programs.
· The bill takes effect on the 180th day after enactment, but authorizes the commissioner to take anticipatory administrative action in advance as necessary for its implementation.
Retinal scan identification is based on the blood vessel patterns found on the back of the retina in one's eye; and retinal scans involve a low-intensity infrared light that is projected through to the back of the eye and onto the retina, and is then reflected back to a video camera which captures the retinal pattern and converts it into data that is 35 bytes in size. Retinal identification is regarded as one of the best biometric identification markers that can be used, with these advantages: a low occurrence of false negatives; extremely low false positive rates; high reliability because no two people have the same retinal pattern; and very quick verification of a subject's identity.
