Bill Text: NJ A2763 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires reduction in number of State vehicles over five fiscal years.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-05-20 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly State Government Committee [A2763 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A2763-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman REED GUSCIORA
District 15 (Mercer)
Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO
District 20 (Union)
Assemblyman CRAIG J. COUGHLIN
District 19 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Requires reduction in number of State vehicles over five fiscal years.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the reduction in the number of State vehicles, supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes, and amending P.L.2007, c.108.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. (New section) a. For the purposes of this section:
"Vehicle" means a motor vehicle that is required to be registered with or licensed by the Motor Vehicle Commission pursuant to the provisions of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes, but not including aircraft and watercraft, and not including vehicles of the Division of State Police or the Division of Gaming Enforcement in the Department of Law and Public Safety, or vehicles and equipment used for construction, maintenance, or emergency services purposes; and
"State" means the Executive Branch of State government, but not including the Division of State Police or the Division of Gaming Enforcement in the Department of Law and Public Safety, or an independent authority, commission, board, agency, or instrumentality of the State or an institution of higher education of the State.
b. Within six months of the effective date of this act, P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill), the State Treasurer shall adopt a comprehensive plan for the reduction in the number of State vehicles in the Executive Branch of the State government. The plan shall provide for the systematic reduction of the State vehicle fleet by 10 percent each year for five consecutive fiscal years beginning with the fiscal year that commences more than six months after the effective date of this act. However, in considering the 10 percent annual reduction, the panel shall make an assessment of the number of vehicles needed to maintain efficient State services, and shall recommend a reduction of less than 10 percent, but not lower than 8 percent, when necessary to maintain efficient State services. In each applicable fiscal year, there shall be a reduction, as required pursuant to subsection c. of this section, in the funding for the State vehicle accounts in the annual appropriations act that corresponds to the reduction in the number of State vehicles in accordance with the plan.
The comprehensive plan shall be prepared by a panel comprised of the State Treasurer, a member of the Governor's staff designated by the Governor, and the commissioner of each department of State government, or a designee. The panel shall review the assignment, use, and continued need for each State vehicle in order to determine whether that assignment, use, or need should be continued, eliminated, or transferred. If the panel determines that the reduction goal cannot be implemented in five fiscal years, it shall provide a statement detailing the panel's reasoning and conclusion and specifying how many additional fiscal years, not to exceed three fiscal years, will be required to achieve the reduction goal.
The Department of the Treasury shall provide necessary personnel and assistance to the panel.
Upon adoption of the comprehensive plan, a copy shall be provided to the Joint Budget Oversight Committee.
c. Each annual appropriation law that is enacted for the five consecutive years beginning with the fiscal year that commences more than six months after the effective date of this act shall provide for the reduction in the funding for the State vehicle accounts to implement the reduction in the comprehensive plan for that fiscal year.
d. Following the effective date of this act, any request for an additional State vehicle to be added to the State fleet, not including replacement vehicles, in the Executive Branch of State government shall be reviewed by the panel. The panel shall either deny or approve a request for an additional State vehicle. The panel shall develop criteria that it shall use in its determinations. The criteria shall address, but need not be limited to, the duties and requirements of the position requiring a State vehicle, the funding source for the State vehicle, the existence of other substantially similar positions that are assigned a State vehicle, the period of time for which the State vehicle will be needed, the essential or supportive nature of the State vehicle, and whether an existing State vehicle may be transferred for the same purpose. The panel's denial or approval shall be considered final and binding, and shall be accompanied by a statement detailing the panel's reasoning and conclusion on each element of the criteria considered.
The panel shall submit detailed quarterly reports of its activities, denials, and approvals to the Joint Budget Oversight Committee.
e. The sale of State vehicles in compliance with this section shall be upon such terms and conditions as the State Treasurer shall determine to be in the best interests of the State and shall be by any method of sale that maximizes revenue to the State in accordance with any applicable requirements of law, rule or regulation. The proceeds from the sale of State vehicles shall be deposited, appropriated, and utilized as prescribed in accordance with section 1 of P.L.2007, c.108 (C.52:31-1.3b), as amended by this act.
2. Section 1. of P.L.2007, c.108 (C.52:31-1.3b) is amended to read as follows:
1. a. There is established in the Department of the Treasury a special, non-lapsing fund into which shall be deposited the proceeds of the sale of any surplus State-owned real property which has been approved for sale or conveyance by the State House Commission pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1997, c.135 (C.52:31-1.3a) after the effective date of P.L.2007, c.108, and into which shall be deposited the proceeds of the sale of State vehicles pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill), unless another disposition of such proceeds is specified by statute. The monies in the fund are dedicated and shall be used only to carry out the purposes described in subsection b. of this section. The fund shall be credited with all interest received from the investment of monies in the fund, and any monies which, from time to time, may otherwise become available for the purposes of the fund. Pending the use thereof pursuant to the provisions of subsection b. of this section, the monies deposited in the fund shall be held in interest-bearing accounts in public depositories, as defined pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1970, c.236 (C.17:9-41), and may be invested or reinvested in such securities as are approved by the State Treasurer.
b. Monies deposited in the fund shall be used only for the relief of State debt or to assist in funding capital improvement projects undertaken by the State. The allocation of such money from the fund shall be made upon the recommendation of the Governor for the annual appropriations act, together with a detailed description of the purpose for which the monies will be used. The money shall be expended only upon appropriation in the annual appropriations act and only for the specified purposes.
(cf: P.L.2007, c.108, s.1)
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
The purpose of this bill is to reduce the number of State vehicles in the Executive Branch of State government by 10% each fiscal year for five consecutive years, except under certain circumstances. The bill exempts the Division of State Police and the Division of Gaming Enforcement in the Department of Law and Public Safety, and their vehicles, and also exempts vehicles and equipment used for construction, maintenance, or emergency services purposes, from the provisions of the bill.
The bill provides that the State Treasurer must adopt, within six months of enactment of the bill, a comprehensive plan for the reduction in the number of State vehicles in the Executive Branch of the State government. The plan must provide for the systematic reduction of the State vehicle fleet by 10 percent each year for five consecutive fiscal years beginning with the fiscal year that commences more than six months after the effective date of the act. However, in considering the 10 percent annual reduction, the panel must make an assessment of the number of vehicles needed to maintain efficient State services, and must recommend a reduction of less than 10 percent, but not lower than 8 percent, when necessary to maintain efficient State services. In each applicable fiscal year, there must also be a reduction in the funding for the State vehicle accounts in the annual appropriations law that corresponds to the reduction in the number of State vehicles in accordance with the plan.
The comprehensive plan would be prepared by a panel comprised of the State Treasurer, a member of the Governor's staff designated by the Governor, and the commissioner of each department of State government, or a designee. If the panel determines that the reduction goal cannot be implemented in five fiscal years, it must provide a statement detailing the panel's reasoning and conclusion and specifying how many additional fiscal years, not to exceed three fiscal years, will be required to achieve the reduction goal.
Following the effective date of the bill, any request for an additional State vehicle to be added to the State fleet in the Executive Branch of State government, not including a replacement vehicle, will be reviewed by the panel. The panel will either deny or approve a request for an additional State vehicle, and will develop criteria for use in its determinations. The criteria will include the duties and requirements of the position requiring a State vehicle, the funding source for the State vehicle, the existence of other substantially similar positions that are assigned a State vehicle, the period of time for which the State vehicle will be needed, the essential or supportive nature of the State vehicle, and whether an existing State vehicle may be transferred for the same purpose. The decision of the panel to deny or approve a request to add a vehicle to the State fleet will be considered final and binding, without the need for written approval by the State Treasurer for each addition.
The proceeds from the sale of any State vehicle sold pursuant to the provisions of the bill will be deposited into the special, non-lapsing fund into which is deposited the proceeds of the sale of State-owned real property.
