Sponsored by:
Senator JOSEPH P. CRYAN
District 20 (Union)
Senator KRISTIN M. CORRADO
District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Amato and Beach
SYNOPSIS
Requires DMVA establish Disabled Veterans Transportation Task Force.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act requiring the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to establish a Disabled Veterans Transportation Task Force.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Department of Military and Veterans affairs shall establish a Disabled Veterans Transportation Task Force. The purpose of the task force shall be to study, evaluate, and develop recommendations to address the transportation needs of disabled veterans.
b. The task force shall consist of the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, or a designee, the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation, or a designee, the President of New Jersey Transit, or a designee, and the following persons appointed by the Adjutant General: at least three disabled veterans; at least three representatives from different veterans organizations; and at least three representatives from different Boards of County Commissioners.
Of the disabled veteran members and the representatives appointed from a Board of County Commissioners:
(1) one such disabled veteran and one such board member shall be chosen from one of the following counties: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren;
(2) one such disabled veteran and one such board member shall be chosen from one of the following counties: Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, and Union; and
(3) one such disabled veteran and one such board member shall be chosen from one of the following counties: Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem.
c. The members of the task force shall be appointed and shall hold their initial organizational meeting no later than three months after the effective date of this act. The task force may appoint a secretary, who need not be a member of the task force.
d. The Adjutant General, or a designee, shall serve as chair of the task force. The task force shall meet at the call of the chair. The task force shall hold at least three public hearings in different parts of the State and elicit testimony from the public at such times and places as the chair shall designate.
2. It shall be the duty of the task force to:
a. identify ways to improve and increase transportation opportunities for disabled veterans;
b. identify barriers that exist to providing disabled veterans with transportation opportunities;
c. develop recommendations regarding reimbursement of travel expenses, including, but not limited to, utilizing travel allowances and mileage based reimbursement; and
d. make recommendations for legislation or such other action as it deems appropriate with regard to improving, expanding, and facilitating current and future transportation opportunities for disabled veterans.
3. The task force shall 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.
4. The task force shall submit an interim report of its findings and recommendations no later than six months after its initial organizational meeting, and a final report of its findings and recommendations no later than 12 months after its initial organizational meeting, to the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), and the Governor. The report shall be publicly accessible and posted on the website of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
5. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire after the task force submits its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a Disabled Veterans Transportation Task Force. The purpose of the task force will be to study, evaluate, and develop recommendations to address the transportation needs of disabled veterans.
The task force will consist of the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation, the President of New Jersey Transit, and the Adjutant General will appoint: at least three disabled veterans; at least three representatives from different veterans organizations; and at least three representatives from different Boards of County Commissioners.
The task force will hold at least three public hearings in different parts of the State and elicit testimony from the public at such times and places as the chairs will designate.
It will be the duty of the task force to:
identify ways to improve and increase transportation opportunities for disabled veterans;
identify barriers that exist to providing disabled veterans with transportation opportunities;
develop recommendations regarding reimbursement of travel expenses, including, but not limited to, utilizing travel allowances and mileage based reimbursement; and
make recommendations for legislation or such other action as it deems appropriate with regard to transportation opportunities for disabled veterans.
The task force will submit an interim report of its findings and recommendations no later than six months after its initial organizational meeting, and a final report of its findings and recommendations no later than 12 months after its initial organizational meeting. The report will be publicly accessible and posted on the website of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.