Bill Text: NJ S558 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Creates Office of Licensing, Grant-making, Approvals and Permitting Efficiency Ombudsman and establishes task force on feasibility of online State permit and approval transactions.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-12 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee [S558 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-S558-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
217th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator KEVIN J. O'TOOLE
District 40 (Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Creates Office of Licensing, Grant-making, Approvals and Permitting Efficiency Ombudsman and establishes task force on feasibility of online State permit and approval transactions.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act creating the Office of the Licensing, Grant-making, Approvals and Permitting Efficiency Ombudsman, a task force to examine the feasibility of State permits and approvals being submitted, granted, and renewed online, and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is created within the Department of the Treasury the Office of the Licensing, Grant-making, Approvals and Permitting Efficiency Ombudsman. The ombudsman shall be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate and shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor during the Governor's term of office. The person serving as ombudsman shall be an employee of the office and shall carry out the duties of ombudsman on a full-time basis. Any vacancy occurring in the position of ombudsman shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. If the ombudsman shall be unable for any reason to serve the full term of office, the Governor may designate an acting ombudsman until a successor is appointed and qualified.
b. The ombudsman shall:
(1) administer and organize the work of the office and hire such persons as shall be deemed necessary to effectuate duties of the office, subject to Title 11A (Civil Service) of the New Jersey Statutes, and within the limits of funds made available for that purpose; and
(2) work with the State Treasurer, the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Affairs, and the chairperson of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to:
(a) promote efficiency and simplification with regard to the issuance of licenses, certifications, authorizations, awards, grants, approvals, waivers, exemptions, permits, and similar documents issued by departments and agencies in the Executive Branch, and to the completion thereof by applicants using the Internet and the website of the departments and agencies whenever possible; and
(b) promote the expeditious approval of licenses, certifications, authorizations, awards, grants, approvals, waivers, exemptions, permits, and similar documents issued by departments and agencies in the Executive Branch that are required by current law or regulation for the commencement and continuation of economic development projects with overall costs that are estimated to be $5 million or greater.
c. The ombudsman shall report to the Governor and the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), on or before September 30 of each year, summarizing the activities of the office for the preceding year, documenting any significant problems with regard to the process by which licenses, certifications, authorizations, awards, grants, approvals, waivers, exemptions, permits, and similar documents are issued by departments and agencies in the Executive Branch, and completed by applicants, and setting forth any recommendations for statutory or regulatory changes.
2. a. There is established the Task Force on the Feasibility of Online State Approvals and Renewals. The purpose of the task force shall be to examine how the process for all State permits, licenses, approvals, grants, and other similar documents can be more efficiently commenced, granted, and renewed exclusively online and the amount of government savings produced from the online process.
b. The task force shall be chaired by the ombudsman of the Office of the Licensing, Grant-making, Approvals and Permitting Efficiency Ombudsman, created pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill), and shall be comprised of 10 members as follows: the State Treasurer, or a designee; the Chief Technology Officer from the Office of Information Technology, or a designee; one member shall be appointed by the President of the Senate; one member shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; one member shall be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; one member shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly; and four members shall be appointed by the Governor, two shall be representatives of the public sector with experience in providing permits, licenses, approvals, grants or other similar documents, and two shall be representatives of the private sector with experience soliciting or receiving government permits, approvals, and similar documents, no more than two of whom shall be from the same political party.
c. Appointments to the task force shall be made within 90 days of the effective date of this act. Vacancies in the membership of the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made. Members of the task force shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenditures incurred in the performance of their duties as members of the task force within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the task force for its purposes.
d. The task force shall organize as soon as practicable following the appointment of its members, but no later than 30 days after the appointment of the members. The task force shall also appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the task force.
e. The Department of the Treasury shall provide such stenographic, clerical, and other assistance, and such professional staff as the task force requires to carry out its work. The task force shall also be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available for its purposes.
f. The task force shall issue a report with recommendations no later than one year from the date of organization. The report shall be issued to the Governor and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1). The task force shall expire on the 30th day after the issuance of its final report.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill creates the Office of the Licensing, Grant-making, Approvals and Permitting Efficiency Ombudsman within the Department of the Treasury. The ombudsman is to work with the State Treasurer, the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Affairs, and the chairperson of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to:
1) promote efficiency and simplification with regard to the issuance of licenses, certifications, authorizations, awards, grants, approvals, waivers, exemptions, permits, and similar documents issued by departments and agencies in the Executive Branch, and to the completion thereof by applicants using the Internet and the website of the departments and agencies whenever possible; and
2) promote the expeditious approval of licenses, certifications, authorizations, awards, grants, approvals, waivers, exemptions, permits, and similar documents issued by departments and agencies in the Executive Branch that are required by current law or regulation for the commencement and continuation of economic development projects with overall costs that are estimated to be $5 million or greater.
Under the bill, the ombudsman is to report to the Governor and the Legislature on or before September 30 of each year, summarizing the activities of the office for the preceding year, documenting any significant problems with regard to the process by which licenses, certifications, authorizations, awards, grants, approvals, waivers, exemptions, permits, and similar documents are issued by departments and agencies in the Executive Branch, and completed by applicants, and setting forth any recommendations for statutory or regulatory changes.
This bill also establishes the "Task Force on the Feasibility of Online State Approvals and Renewals." The purpose of the task force will be to examine how the process for all State permits, licenses, approvals, grants, and other similar documents, can be more efficiently commenced, granted, and renewed exclusively online and the amount of government savings produced from the online process.
The task force will be chaired by the ombudsman and comprised of 10 members: the Treasurer; the Chief Technology Officer from the Office of Information Technology; one member appointed by the President of the Senate; one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; one member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly; and four members appointed by the Governor, two will be representatives of the public sector with experience in providing permits, licenses, approvals, grants or other similar documents, and two will be representatives of the private sector with experience soliciting or receiving government permits, approvals, and similar documents.
The task force will issue a report with recommendations no later than one year from the date of organization. The task force will expire on the 30th day after the issuance of its final report.
