New Jersey-2022-S2430-Introduced

An Act establishing the independent State Office of the Consumer and supplementing Title 52 of the New Jersey Statutes.

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

1. a. There is established in the Legislative Branch of State Government the Office of the Consumer.

b. The Office of the Consumer shall be administered by a director. The director shall be appointed by the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the General Assembly, the Senate Minority Leader, and Assembly Minority Leader by consensus. The director shall be a person qualified by education, training, and prior work experience to direct the work of the office and to perform the duties and functions and fulfill the responsibilities of the position.

c. The director shall serve a term of six years and until a successor is appointed and qualified. No person who has served as director for two successive terms shall again be eligible to serve in the Office of the Consumer or in that position until the expiration of six years following the second successive term served by that person.

d. The director shall devote full time to the duties and responsibilities of the office and shall receive a salary as shall be provided pursuant to law.

e. During the term of office, the director may be removed by the Governor only for cause upon notice and opportunity to be heard.

f. A vacancy in the position of director due to a cause other than the expiration of the term shall be filled for the expired term only in the same manner as the original appointment.

2. a. A person who holds the positon of director shall not be a candidate for, or hold, elective public office for a period of two years immediately following the termination of that person's service as director.

b. No person who holds the position of director, or any position of employment as professional staff in the Office of the Consumer, while holding any such office or position, shall: (1) be a candidate for election to, or hold, any elective public office or any office or position with any political party or club, or (2) in connection with another individual's candidacy for public office, sign or authorize the use of that person's name in connection with political or campaign literature or material, or print, publish, or distribute such political or campaign literature or material.

3. a. The Office of the Consumer shall be responsible for conducting routine, periodic, and random phone call assessments of local government, school district, and State offices and the offices of regulated health insurance companies by calling those offices to determine the responsiveness and accessibility of the office. The office shall also be responsible for periodic assessments of the websites of local government, school district, and State offices and the offices of regulated health insurance companies and by assessing the user-friendliness of the websites.

b. The director shall establish the internal structure of the office and the bureaus therein in a manner appropriate to carrying out the duties and functions, and fulfilling the responsibilities, of the office. The director shall have the power to appoint, employ, promote, and remove such assistants, employees, and personnel as the director deems necessary for the efficient and effective administration of the office.

c. Within the limits of funds appropriated for such purposes, the director may obtain the services of professionals through contract necessary to independently perform the duties and functions of the office.

d. The director is authorized to call upon any department, office, division, agency, or independent authority of State government to provide such information, resources, or other assistance deemed necessary to discharge the duties and functions and to fulfill the responsibilities of the director under this act, P.L. c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

e. The director shall have all the powers necessary to carry out the duties and functions and to fulfill the responsibilities described in this act.

f. The director shall submit a monthly report on the activities of the office to the Governor, and the Legislature pursuant to P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1). Such report shall include, but need not be limited to, the frequency and ease of reaching a live person to speak to when calling offices and the ease of finding information and user-friendliness of the websites visited during the reporting period.

4. This act shall take effect on the first day of the sixth month following enactment.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes the independent State Office of the Consumer in the Legislative Branch of State Government.

The head of the office will be a director who will serve a term of six years. The director will be appointed the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the General Assembly, the Senate Minority Leader and the Assembly Minority Leader by consensus and be a person qualified by education, training, and prior work experience to direct the work of the office and to perform the duties and functions and fulfill the responsibilities of the position.

The Office of the Consumer will be responsible for conducting routine, periodic, and random phone call assessments of local government, school district, and State offices and the offices of regulated health insurance companies by calling those offices to determine the responsiveness and accessibility of the office. The office will also be responsible for periodic assessments of the websites of local government, school district, and State offices and the offices of regulated health insurance companies and by assessing the user-friendliness of the websites.

The director will make monthly reports to the Legislature and the Governor that include the frequency and ease of reaching a live person to speak to when calling offices and the ease of finding information and user-friendliness of the websites visited during the reporting period.