Bill Text: NJ S3685 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Requires municipalities to accept complaints and provide certain municipal announcements by electronic means.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced) 2024-12-05 - Reported from Senate Committee with Amendments, 2nd Reading [S3685 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2024-S3685-Amended.html

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[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 3685

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

 

 

Sponsored by:

Senator  ANTHONY M. BUCCO

District 25 (Morris and Passaic)

Senator  RAJ MUKHERJI

District 32 (Hudson)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Requires municipalities to accept complaints and provide certain municipal announcements by electronic means.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As reported by the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee on December 5, 2024, with amendments.

  

An Act concerning municipal communications and supplementing Title 40 of the Revised Statutes.

 

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

 

     1.    a.  Each municipality shall maintain on its Internet website, if one exists, a webpage containing an electronic form that an individual may use to electronically transmit complaints relating to the municipality to the clerk or designee of the municipality, provided that funding is made available to the municipality for the purposes of implementing this subsection.

     b.    The Department of Community Affairs shall maintain on its Internet website a webpage containing the electronic form required pursuant to subsection a. of this section for each municipality that does not have an Internet website.  The department shall forward a completed form to the clerk or designee of the applicable municipality.

 

     2.    Each municipality shall maintain an electronic system that allows an individual to register to receive municipal announcements through e-mail, text messages, social media, or other electronic means, provided that funding is made available to the municipality for the purposes of implementing this section.

     For the purposes of this section, "municipal announcement" means information relating to a municipality including, but not limited to: adequate notice of any municipal public body meetings in accordance with the "Senator Byron M. Baer Open Public Meetings Act," P.L.1975, c.231 (C.10:4-6 et seq.); the minutes of any such meeting when made available; municipal budgets upon approval; declared emergencies; urgent public health and safety matters; and road closures and other significant traffic changes.

 

      ¹3.   Any action undertaken pursuant to the provisions of P.L.    , c.    (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall not be deemed to be an exercise of a government function and shall not be subject to the provisions of the "New Jersey Tort Claims Act," N.J.S.59:1-1 et seq.¹

 

     ¹[3.] 4.¹     This act shall take effect immediately.