Sponsored by:
Senator MICHAEL L. TESTA, JR.
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
Senator VINCENT J. POLISTINA
District 2 (Atlantic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Amato
SYNOPSIS
Requires regional representation for members of BPU.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing a regional residency requirement for members of the Board of Public Utilities and amending R.S.48:2-1.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. R.S.48:2-1 is amended to read as follows:
48:2-1. a. The Board of Public Utilities, named pursuant to Reorganization Plan No. 001-1994, effective on July 4, 1994, and allocated in, but not of, the Department of the Treasury pursuant to that plan, is continued and is designated as the Board of Public Utilities or the "board."
b. The board shall consist of five citizens of this State, with at least one member that resides in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State, who shall devote their entire time to the duties of the board and shall not engage in any occupation, profession or other gainful employment. As used in this subsection: northern region means Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren counties; central region means Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Mercer, Ocean, Somerset, and Union counties; and southern region means Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties.
c. Members of the board shall be appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, for terms of six years. The terms of office of the members of the board shall continue until their successors are appointed and qualified. No person shall act as a member of the board until that person's appointment has been confirmed by the Senate. Not more than three of the members of the board shall be members of the same political party. All vacancies, except through the expiration of term, shall be filled for the unexpired term only.
d. For each appointment to the Board of Public Utilities made after the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the Governor shall ensure compliance with the required geographic representation provided in subsection b. of this section.
(cf: P.L.2001, c.132, s.1)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill imposes certain residency requirements for members of the Board of Public Utilities (BPU). Under the bill, of the five members appointed to serve on the BPU, at least one member is required to reside in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State. The bill defines the northern region as Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren counties; the central region as Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Mercer, Ocean, Somerset, and Union counties; and the southern region as Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties. The bill would provide that, for each appointment made after the effective date of the bill, the Governor would be required to ensure compliance with the required geographic representation.