New Jersey-2024-S1849-Introduced

An Act establishing a bipartisan task force to study the response to COVID-19 in New Jersey.

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

1. There is established a bipartisan task force, to be known as the "New Jersey COVID-19 Response Task Force," to consist of eight members. The President of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the General Assembly, and the Minority Leader of the General Assembly shall each appoint two members to the task force.

2. The members of the task force shall be appointed and shall hold their initial organizational meeting within 45 days following the effective date of this act. The members shall elect one of the members to serve as chair and one of the members to serve as vice-chair. The chair may appoint a secretary, who need not be a member of the task force. The members shall serve without compensation, but shall be eligible for reimbursement for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the task force.

3. The task force shall meet at the call of the chair. The task force shall hold at least three public hearings in different parts of the State and elicit testimony from the public at such times and places as the chair shall designate. A meeting of the task force shall be called at the request of five of the task force's members, and five members of the task force shall constitute a quorum at any meeting thereof.

4. It shall be the duty of the task force to study New Jersey's general response to COVID-19. In addition, the task force shall:

a. examine the effectiveness of the communication and coordination between governmental entities during the State's response to COVID-19;

b. review the impact of the State's COVID-19 response measures on nursing homes and nursing home residents;

c. assess the impact of the State's COVID-19 response measures on the education, physical and mental health, and socialization of children in the State;

d. examine the impact of the State's COVID-19 response measures on crime rates, physical and mental health, poverty rates, and rates of suicide;

e. analyze the financial impact of the State's COVID-19 response measures on businesses, residents, and the State;

f. compare the number of positive COVID-19 cases and the number of COVID-19 deaths in this State to states which took less restrictive, comparable, and more restrictive COVID-19 response measures as compared to New Jersey's COVID-19 response measures;

g. review the healthcare system's response to COVID-19 and determine which government actions and provisions of law either aided or hindered the ability of the healthcare system to respond to COVID-19; and

h. consider other matters as the members of the task force may deem appropriate.

5. The task force shall make recommendations for legislation or other action as it deems appropriate with regard to improving, expanding, and facilitating a response to a Statewide or national medical emergency.

6. The task force shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission or agency, as it may require and as may be available for its purposes, and to employ stenographic and clerical assistance and incur traveling and other miscellaneous expenses as may be necessary in order to perform its duties, within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the task force.

7. The task force shall report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), and the Governor within 18 months of its initial organizational meeting.

8. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire after the task force submits its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes a bipartisan task force to study the response to COVID-19 in New Jersey.

The bill establishes a bipartisan task force, to be known as the "New Jersey COVID-19 Response Task Force," (task force) to consist of eight members. The President of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the General Assembly, and the Minority Leader of the General Assembly are to each appoint two members to the task force. The members of the task force are to be appointed and are to hold their initial organizational meeting within 45 days following the bill's effective date.

It is to be the duty of the task force to study New Jersey's general response to COVID-19. In addition, the task force is to: 1) examine the effectiveness of the communication and coordination between governmental entities during the State's response to COVID-19; 2) review the impact of the State's COVID-19 response measures on nursing homes and nursing home residents; 3) assess the impact of the State's COVID-19 response measures on the education, physical and mental health, and socialization of children in the State; 4) examine the impact of the State's COVID-19 response measures on crime rates, physical and mental health, poverty rates, and rates of suicide; 5) analyze the financial impact of the State's COVID-19 response measures on businesses, residents, and the State; 6) compare the number of positive COVID-19 cases and the number of COVID-19 deaths in this State to states which took less restrictive, comparable, and more restrictive COVID-19 response measures as compared to New Jersey's COVID-19 response measures; 7) review the healthcare system's response to COVID-19 and determine which government actions and provisions of law either aided or hindered the ability of the healthcare system to respond to COVID-19; and 8) consider other matters as the members of the task force may deem appropriate.

Under the bill, the task force is to make recommendations for legislation or other action as it deems appropriate with regard to improving, expanding, and facilitating a response to a Statewide or national medical emergency.

The bill provides that the task force is to expire after it submits its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature.