Bill Text: NJ A2835 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Establishes Second Chance Program in charge of providing opportunities through labor organizations for formerly incarcerated individuals.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 19-1)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-09-30 - Received in the Senate, Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee [A2835 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2024-A2835-Amended.html

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[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 2835

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION

 

 

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman  ANTHONY S. VERRELLI

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

Assemblyman  REGINALD W. ATKINS

District 20 (Union)

Assemblyman  WILLIAM B. SAMPSON, IV

District 31 (Hudson)

 

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywomen Reynolds-Jackson, Speight, Murphy, Swain, Quijano, Assemblyman Conaway, Assemblywoman Hall, Assemblyman Barlas, Assemblywomen Sumter and McCoy

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Establishes Second Chance Program in charge of providing opportunities through labor organizations for formerly incarcerated individuals.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As reported by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on June 24, 2024, with amendments.

  

An Act concerning employment opportunities for individuals returning to the workforce after imprisonment and supplementing Title 34 of the Revised Statutes.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    The Legislature finds and declares that:

     a.     There is a lack of viable employment opportunities in New Jersey for individuals recently released from prison;

     b.    Employment opportunities are necessary to curtail the rate of recidivism and to reincorporate recently incarcerated individuals back into civil society;

     c.     Individuals with low educational attainment are at greater risk of engaging in criminal activity since they have tremendous difficulty finding and maintaining adequate jobs; and

     d.    Labor organizations, given their unique understanding of their community's economic conditions are in the best position to identify employment opportunities for recently incarcerated individuals and to propose a plan for attracting such employment opportunities into their respective trades.

 

     2.    There is established, in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Second Chance Program (program).  ¹[The program shall be under the direction of the State Employment and Training Commission as part of the commission's responsibilities pursuant to subsection d. of section 9 of P.L.1989, c.293 (C.34:15C-6).]¹  The purpose of the program shall be to provide real and lasting career opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals through, and in consultation with, labor organizations in order to reduce recidivism.

     For the purposes of this section, "labor organization" means a labor organization as defined in section 3 of 29 U.S.C. s.402.

 

     3.    This act shall take effect immediately.