Bill Text: NJ S254 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes commission authorized to identify and locate emergency shelters.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-12 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee [S254 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-S254-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator JEFF VAN DREW
District 1 (Cape May, Atlantic and Cumberland)
Senator CHRISTOPHER J. CONNORS
District 9 (Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes commission authorized to identify and locate emergency shelters.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning emergency shelters and supplementing P.L.1985, c.48 (C.55:13C-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The State Office of Emergency Management in the Division of State Police, in consultation with the Department of Health and Senior Services and the Department of Community Affairs, shall appoint a permanent commission comprised of experts from each department that shall be authorized to:
(1) identify and reserve elementary and secondary school buildings to serve as adequate locations for temporary shelter during an emergency or local disaster emergency as defined in section 3 of P.L.1953, c. 438 (C.App.A:9-33.1);
(2) identify elementary and secondary schools that do not meet the standards for the licensing of emergency shelters promulgated pursuant to section 5 of P.L.1985, c.48 (C.55:13C-5), and allocate funding for the purpose of the renovation, repair, or alteration of those school buildings so that they may serve as adequate short term emergency shelters; and
(3) identify and reserve specific locations to serve as long term emergency shelters, during an emergency or local disaster emergency as defined in section 3 of P.L.1953, c. 438 (C.App.A:9-33.1), for the benefit of individuals who have been displaced from their residence for an extended period of time as a result of that emergency or local disaster emergency. Locations that meet the necessary standards for the licensing of emergency shelters promulgated pursuant to section 5 of P.L.1985, c.48 (C.55:13C-5) shall be archived by the commission and may be submitted on an annual basis to the Governor for approval of acquisition of the location by the State.
b. For the purposes of this act:
"Long term emergency shelter" means a building or structure in which a public entity or a private, nonprofit organization provides shelter for a period of time extending longer than six months to individuals and families who have been displaced from their homes due to an emergency or local disaster emergency as defined in section 3 of P.L.1953, c. 438 (C.App.A:9-33.1).
"Temporary emergency shelter" means a building or structure in which a public entity or a private, nonprofit organization provides shelter to individuals and families who have been displaced from their homes due to an emergency or local disaster emergency as defined in section 3 of P.L.1953, c. 438 (C.App.A:9-33.1) until that emergency or local disaster emergency has ceased.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the State Office of Emergency Management in the Division of State Police, in consultation with the Department of Health and Senior Services and the Department of Community Affairs, to appoint a commission comprised of experts from each department. The commission would be authorized to identify and reserve elementary and secondary school buildings to serve as adequate locations for temporary shelter during an emergency.
The bill specifies that the commission would be authorized to identify elementary and secondary schools that do not meet the standards requirements for emergency shelters. Once those school buildings have been identified, the commission may allocate funding for the purpose of the renovation, repair, or alteration of those school buildings so that they may serve as adequate short term emergency shelters.
Finally, the commission shall identify and reserve specific locations to serve as long term emergency shelters for the benefit of individuals who have been displaced from their residence for a period greater than six months. Under the bill, locations that meet the necessary criteria to qualify as long term shelters would be archived by the commission and may be submitted on an annual basis to the Governor for approval of acquisition of the location by the State.
This bill would implement Recommendation 6 of the Final Report of the Assembly Coastal New Jersey Evacuation Task Force which was submitted to the Speaker on May 23, 2008.
