Bill Text: NJ A3767 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes NJ Commission on Irish and Irish-American Cultural and Educational Programs.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-10-02 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee [A3767 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A3767-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman CELESTE M. RILEY
District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes NJ Commission on Irish and Irish-American Cultural and Educational Programs.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing the New Jersey Commission on Irish and Irish-American Cultural and Educational Programs and supplementing Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
men and women of Irish decent have been a part of the fabric of American society and culture since our nation's founding and have contributed immensely to our nation's success and the character of our society;
during the colonial era, an estimated 250,000 Irish men and women came to this country in hopes of creating a new life for themselves and their families in a new land;
during our nation's fight for independence more than one quarter of George Washington's Continental Army were of Irish birth or decent, and nine of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence were of Irish decent;
today, there are an estimated 34.1 million residents of Irish descent in the United States, 1.4 million of whom reside in New Jersey;
families of Irish descent have proudly passed down their culture and heritage to future generations of Americans and made significant contributions to the history of the United States; Irish-Americans have played an active role in our nation's armed forces, including approximately 150,000 soldiers who fought in the Civil War;
Americans of Irish descent have been awarded a countless number of Medals of Honor by a nation grateful for their military valor and heroic service;
Irish culture is part of the fabric of American society and culture, as demonstrated by the popularity of Irish dancing, Celtic music and song, and Irish-American literature;
the histories of our nation and our State have been significantly enriched by the heritage of the Irish and Irish-Americans; and
it is desirable to educate our citizens about the culture, music, art, language, history and heritage of the Irish and Irish-Americans;
it is the policy of the State of New Jersey that the culture, history and heritage of the Irish and Irish-Americans are a proper concern for all people, particularly students enrolled in the schools of this State;
it is appropriate and desirable that programs, workshops, institutes, seminars and other teacher-training activities for the study of the culture, history and heritage of the Irish and Irish-Americans be conducted at the various high schools and institutions of higher education in this State; and
it is fitting and proper to establish a permanent State-level commission to survey, design, encourage and promote the implementation of Irish and Irish-American cultural and educational programs in this State, with responsibility for the coordination of events that will provide appropriate awareness and memorialization of the culture, history, heritage and language of the Irish and Irish-Americans on a regular basis throughout the State.
2. a. The New Jersey Commission on Irish and Irish-American Cultural and Educational Programs is created and established in the Executive Branch of the State Government. For the purposes of complying with the provisions of Article V, Section IV, paragraph 1 of the New Jersey Constitution, the commission is allocated within the Department of Education, but notwithstanding this allocation, the commission shall be independent of any supervision or control by the department or any board or officer thereof.
The commission shall consist of 21 members, including the Commissioner of Education and the chair of the executive board of the Presidents' Council, serving ex officio, and 19 public members.
Public members shall be appointed as follows: five public members shall be appointed by the President of the Senate, at least one of whom shall have a Masters' degree in an area of Irish studies or language; five public members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, at least one of whom shall have a Masters' degree in an area of Irish studies or language; and nine public members shall be appointed by the Governor, no less than four of whom shall at the time of their appointment have at least a Masters' degree in an area of Irish studies or language. The public members shall be residents of the State who have served prominently as spokespersons for, or as leaders of, organizations in the Irish and Irish-American community which serve members of religious, ethnic, national heritage or social groups or who are experienced in the field of Irish and Irish-American culture. To the greatest extent practicable, they shall be chosen with due regard to afford the commission with broad regional representation and ethnic diversity. At least one-half of the public members shall be of Irish descent.
b. Each public member of the commission shall serve for a term of three years, except that of the initial members so appointed: one member appointed by the President of the Senate, one member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and two members appointed by the Governor shall serve for terms of one year; two members appointed by the President of the Senate, two members appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and three members appointed by the Governor shall serve for terms of two years; and two members appointed by the President of the Senate, two members appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and four members appointed by the Governor shall serve for terms of three years. Public members shall be eligible for reappointment. They shall serve until their successors are appointed and qualified, and the term of the successor of any incumbent shall be calculated from the expiration of the term of that incumbent. A vacancy occurring other than by expiration of term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment, but for the unexpired term only.
c. The members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but they shall be entitled to reimbursement for all necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.
d. The commission annually shall elect a chairman from among its members. It shall meet upon the call of the chairman or of a majority of the commission members. The presence of a majority of the authorized membership of the commission shall be required for the conduct of official business.
e. The commission shall appoint an executive director, who shall serve at its pleasure and shall be a person qualified by training and experience to perform the duties of the office.
3. The commission shall have the following responsibilities and duties:
to provide, based upon the collective knowledge and experience of its members, assistance and advice to the public and nonpublic schools of this State with respect to the implementation of Irish and Irish-American cultural and educational programs;
to meet with county and local school officials and other interested public and private organizations, for the purpose of assisting with the planning, coordination or modification of courses of study dealing with issues, matters and subjects concerning or relating to the culture, history and heritage of the Irish and Irish-Americans;
to survey and catalog the extent and breadth of Irish and Irish-American cultural awareness and educational programs presently being incorporated into the curricula and taught in the school systems of this State; to inventory those Irish and Irish-American exhibits and resources which may be incorporated into courses of study at various locations throughout the State and, upon request, to assist the State Department of Education and other educational agencies in the development and implementation of Irish and Irish-American cultural awareness and educational programs. In furtherance of this responsibility, the commission shall be authorized to contact and cooperate with existing Irish and Irish-American public or private nonprofit resource organizations and may act as a liaison concerning issues and topics involving and relating to the culture, history and heritage of the Irish and Irish-Americans to members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives and the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly;
to compile a roster of individual volunteers who are willing to share their knowledge and experience in classrooms, seminars and workshops on subjects concerning and relating to the culture, history and heritage of the Irish and Irish-Americans. These volunteers may be scholars, clergymen, community relations professionals and other persons who, by virtue of their experience, training or interest, have acquired personal or academic knowledge of the culture, history and heritage of the Irish and Irish-Americans and who are willing to share that knowledge with students and teachers;
to coordinate events observing the culture, history and heritage of the Irish and Irish-Americans and to seek volunteers who are willing and able to participate in commemorative events that will enhance student awareness of the significance of the culture, history and heritage of the Irish and Irish-Americans;
to prepare reports for the Governor and the Legislature regarding its findings and recommendations to facilitate the inclusion of the Irish and Irish-American studies and special programs memorializing the culture, history and heritage of the Irish and Irish-Americans in the educational system of this State; and
to develop, in consultation with the State Department of Education, curriculum guidelines for the teaching of subjects and topics concerning and relating to the culture, history and heritage of the Irish and Irish-Americans. To the greatest extent practicable, each board of education shall incorporate those guidelines as part of the curriculum for its district's elementary and secondary school students.
4. The commission is authorized to call upon any department, office, division or agency of the State, or of any county, municipality or school district of the State, to supply such data, program reports and other information, personnel and assistance as it deems necessary to discharge its responsibilities under this act.
These departments, offices, divisions and agencies shall, to the extent possible, and not inconsistent with any other law of this State, cooperate with the commission and shall furnish it with such information, personnel and assistance as may be necessary or helpful to accomplish the purposes of this act.
5. a. The commission shall create, establish and oversee the Institute of Irish and Irish-American Heritage Studies as an entity whose purpose is to assist the commission in implementation of its responsibilities as identified in section 3 of this act, P.L. , c.(C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill). The commission shall function as the board of governors for the institute. The commission shall appoint an executive director of the institute who shall serve at its pleasure.
b. The commission shall survey the New Jersey four-year universities and colleges that have an advanced degree program in the fields of Irish or Irish-American studies and select one to serve as host to the institute. The institute shall not be administered by the college or university selected as the host site. The institute will collaborate with and otherwise engage, share and exchange resources with the higher education community of New Jersey and work to establish mutually beneficial public service programs and activities consistent with the mission of the commission.
c. The institute shall have the authority to raise private funds and obtain public funds to be used toward scholarships, grants and studies in the field of Irish or Irish-American studies.
d. The commission shall appoint an Advisory Council to the commission and institute. The advisory council shall consist of individuals who have served prominently as spokespersons for, or as leaders of, organizations in the Irish and Irish-American community which serve members of religious, ethnic, national heritage or social groups or who are experienced in the field of Irish and Irish-American education.
6. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the New Jersey Commission on Irish and Irish-American Cultural and Educational Programs. The commission will be responsible for promoting the implementation of Irish and Irish-American cultural and educational programs.
