Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
                                SENATE, No. 3600
                             STATE OF NEW JERSEY
                              220th LEGISLATURE
                                         DATED: SEPTEMBER 19, 2023
                                                  SUMMARY
    Synopsis:                   Establishes matching grant program in DCA to support community-
                                based nonprofit organizations that provide shelter services during
                                Code Blue alerts.
    Type of Impact:             Annual State cost increase.
    Agencies Affected:          Department of Community Affairs.
                                       Office of Legislative Services Estimate
    Fiscal Impact                                                 Annually
    State Cost Increase                                         Indeterminate
    The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) concludes that the bill would result in an
     indeterminate annual State expenditure increase for the Department of Community Affairs to
     provide matching grants to community-based nonprofit organizations that provide shelter
     services during Code Blue alerts.
    The department is also expected to incur some costs associated with certain administrative
     tasks required under the bill.
                                            BILL DESCRIPTION
    This bill establishes the Code Blue Shelter Matching Grant Program in the Department of
Community Affairs to provide matching grants to community-based nonprofit organizations that
provide shelter services during Code Blue alerts.
    The bill requires that a grant application submitted to the department is to relate to an
underlying grant from a county or municipality received by the nonprofit organization not more
than 12 months prior to the date of application.
    The bill provides that the department is required to award matching grants based on criteria
adopted by the department and in the order in which applications are received. The bill requires
the department to maintain a record of underlying grants provided by each county and
municipality, and is prohibited from providing a matching grant for an application if an award of
      Office of Legislative Services                                    Legislative Budget and Finance Office
           State House Annex                                                    Phone (609) 847-3105
              P.O. Box 068                                                       Fax (609) 777-2442
      Trenton, New Jersey 08625                                                  www.njleg.state.nj.us
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the amount requested would result in the department awarding matching grants in an amount
exceeding $50,000, in that calendar year, for applications related to underlying grants provided by
a particular county or municipality.
    The bill also requires the department to submit a report to the Governor and Legislature on the
effectiveness of the matching grant program and any recommendations concerning continuing or
expanding the matching grant program.
    Current law requires all counties in the state to have a plan in place to shelter all homeless
individuals during conditions of severe weather. Under this Code Blue law, counties will issue
Code Blue alerts whenever the temperature drops below 25 degrees Fahrenheit without
precipitation or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit with precipitation or when the National Weather
Service wind chill temperature will be zero degrees Fahrenheit or less for a period of two hours or
more. The Code Blue alert directs local authorities to make shelters or warming centers available
for individuals who are homeless and unsheltered. Counties must also alert municipalities with a
documented homeless population of at least 10 individuals, social services agencies, and nonprofit
organizations that a Code Blue will be in effect.
                                      FISCAL ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
   None received.
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
    The OLS concludes that the bill would result in an indeterminate annual increase in State
expenditures for the department to provide matching grants to community-based nonprofit
organizations that provide shelter services during Code Blue alerts. The bill requires the
department to provide grants to nonprofit organizations in amounts equal to an amount received
by the nonprofit organization from a county or municipal government grant. However, the bill
provides that the department is not to award matching grant funds that relate to grants from a
particular county or municipality in amounts that would result in awards that are in excess of
$50,000 per calendar year to nonprofit organizations located in that particular county or
municipality. The OLS is unable to predict the number of nonprofit organizations that will request
matching grants from the department nor the amounts that may be requested.
    The department is also expected to incur marginal costs associated with certain administrative
responsibilities required under the bill. The department would be required to receive grant
applications from nonprofit organizations, administer grant awards, maintain records of the grants,
prepare and submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature concerning the matching grant
program, and promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of the bill.
  Section:     Local Government
  Analyst:     Abigail Stoyer
               Associate Fiscal Analyst
  Approved:    Thomas Koenig
               Legislative Budget and Finance Officer
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This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the
failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.
This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).