Bill Text: NJ S2263 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes Co-Curricular Activity Emergency Grant Program to support operations of co-curricular activities at public schools; appropriates $750,000.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S2263 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S2263-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator NICHOLAS P. SCUTARI
District 22 (Somerset and Union)
Senator M. TERESA RUIZ
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Diegnan, Greenstein and Turner
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Co-Curricular Activity Emergency Grant Program to support operations of co-curricular activities at public schools; appropriates $750,000.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act establishing the Co-Curricular Activity Emergency Grant Program, supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is established in the Department of Education the Co-Curricular Activity Emergency Grant Program. The grant program shall provide funds to selected school districts, charter schools, and renaissance schools to support the continued operations of co-curricular activities at public schools.
b. A school district, charter school, or renaissance school may apply to the department for a grant. Funds awarded through the grant program shall be dedicated to supporting the operations of one or more co-curricular activities offered to students who attend the recipient school district, charter school, or renaissance school. When submitting an application, the school district, charter school, or renaissance school shall designate the co-curricular activities to which grant funding would be dedicated.
c. The grants shall be awarded in amounts determined by the Commissioner of Education. When awarding grants, the commissioner may give preference to applicants that experienced the largest reduction in revenues due to the outbreak of COVID-19, or dedicate funding to specific co-curricular activities.
d. Notwithstanding any provision of P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), or any other law to the contrary, the commissioner may adopt, immediately upon filing with the Office of Administrative Law and no later than the 90th day after the effective date of this act, such rules and regulations as the commissioner deems necessary to implement the provisions of this act, which regulations shall be effective for a period not to exceed 12 months. The regulations shall, at a minimum, set forth the requirements for application submissions, the criteria for application selections, and the eligible uses of grant funds. The regulations shall thereafter be amended, adopted, or readopted by the commissioner in accordance with the provisions of P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.).
e. As used in this section, "co-curricular activity" means a voluntary activity or program that is conducted outside of regular school hours and supplements the academic experience of participating students, including such activities as model United Nations, debate competitions, theatrical performances, musical performances, and other academic-related activities.
2. There is appropriated $750,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Education for the Co-Curricular Activity Emergency Grant Program.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a Co-Curricular Activity Emergency Grant Program in the Department of Education to support the continued operations of certain academic-related, co-curricular activities that are offered to students by public schools.
The bill permits any school district, charter school, or renaissance school to apply to the Department of Education for a co-curricular activity emergency grant. Each grant would be dedicated to supporting the operations of one or more co-curricular activities that are offered to students who attend the recipient school. When submitting an application, the school district, charter school, or renaissance school would be required to designate the co-curricular activities to which grant funding would be dedicated.
Under the bill, each grant would be awarded in an amount determined by the Commissioner of Education. When awarding grants, the commissioner may give preference to applicants that experienced the largest reduction in revenues due to the outbreak of COVID-19, or dedicate funding to specific co-curricular activities.
As used in the bill, a "co-curricular activity" means a voluntary activity or program that is conducted outside of regular school hours and supplements the academic experience of participating students, including such activities as model United Nations, debate competitions, theatrical performances, musical performances, and other academic-related activities.
The bill also appropriates $750,000 from the General Fund to support the operations of the grant program.
