Bill Text: NJ S3981 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Amended

---

Bill Title: Requires Civil Service Commission to establish and maintain hotline for State employees to submit reports of workplace discrimination and harassment.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-13 - Substituted by A5630 (2R) [S3981 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2018-S3981-Amended.html

---

[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 3981

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

218th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED JUNE 20, 2019

 

 

Sponsored by:

Senator  LORETTA WEINBERG

District 37 (Bergen)

Senator  KRISTIN M. CORRADO

District 40 (Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic)

 

Co-Sponsored by:

Senator Ruiz

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Requires Civil Service Commission to establish and maintain hotline for State employees to submit reports of workplace discrimination and harassment.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As reported by the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee on November 18, 2019, with amendments.

  

An Act concerning a Civil Service Commission hotline for State employees to submit reports of workplace discrimination and harassment and supplementing Title 11A of the New Jersey Statutes.

 

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

 

     1.    Within 60 days of the effective date of P.L.    , c.    (C.     )(pending before the Legislature as this bill), the Civil Service Commission shall establish ¹and maintain¹ a toll-free telephone hotline available, at a minimum, weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. through which an employee of any State agency may report confidentially a suspected incident of discrimination or harassment in the workplace.  ¹The hotline shall be operated separately from any existing State telephone hotline service.¹  The hotline shall receive such reports and shall respond to each report with general or individualized information regarding the laws, regulations, policies, and procedures relevant to incidents of discrimination or harassment in the workplace.  Upon the request of an employee who calls the hotline, the hotline shall provide the employee with appropriate referrals for further assistance and counseling.

     To ensure the integrity of the telephone hotline and to encourage employees to utilize it, the commission shall provide for the confidentiality of the names of the employees calling, the information discussed with each employee, and any referrals made for further assistance or counseling.  A report may be submitted by an employee anonymously.

     The commission shall take appropriate steps to publicize the hotline.

     The persons staffing the hotline shall be trained by the Civil Service Commission ¹, in consultation with the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault¹.  To the greatest extent possible, the persons staffing the hotline shall have experience or education on the laws, regulations, policies, and procedures regarding discrimination and harassment in the workplace.  The persons staffing the hotline shall be trained to make referrals for further assistance and counseling.

     ¹[The commission shall take such actions as are necessary to consolidate the telephone hotline required by this section with an existing State telephone hotline service if deemed by the commission to be an efficient and effective use of resources.]

     The commission shall prepare an annual report summarizing the volume and nature of calls received and any other information required by the commission, provided, that the report shall not contain any personal or identifying information about any caller.  The commission shall make this report available to the public on the commission's Internet site in an easily accessible location and submit the report to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature.¹

 

     2.    This act shall take effect immediately.