STATE OF NEW JERSEY
219th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2020 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman NANCY J. PINKIN
District 18 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Requires registration of international student exchange visitor placement organizations with Secretary of State.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning the placement of international students in public schools and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in this act:
Homestay means the housing accommodation offered by a host family.
Host family means a family, including a single parent or empty nester, residing in New Jersey that an international student exchange visitor resides with during his period of study.
International student exchange visitor or student means a person 18 years of age or under, or up to age 21 if enrolled or to be enrolled in high school in this State, placed by an international student exchange visitor placement organization, who enters the United States with a nonimmigrant visa.
International student exchange visitor placement organization or organization means a person, partnership, corporation, or other entity that regularly arranges the placement of international student exchange visitors for the purpose, in whole or in part, of allowing the student an opportunity to attend school in the United States.
Responsible officer means the officer or employee of the international student exchange visitor placement organization who has primary authority for supervising placements in New Jersey.
Secretary means the Secretary of State.
2. a. (1) An international student exchange visitor placement organization that places students in public schools in the State shall register with the Secretary of State. Registration with the secretary shall not be considered or represented as an endorsement of the organization by the secretary or by the State. Information provided to the secretary pursuant to this act is a public record.
(2) The secretary shall annually provide to the Commissioner of Education a list of all registered international student exchange visitor placement organizations. The commissioner shall annually distribute the list to all school districts.
b. An application for registration as an international student exchange visitor placement organization shall be submitted in the form prescribed by the secretary. The application shall include, but need not be limited to:
(1) evidence that the organization meets the standards established by the secretary pursuant to section 3 of this act;
(2) the name, address, and telephone number of the organization, its chief executive officer, and the responsible officer;
(3) the organization s business identification number, if any;
(4) the organization s Office of Exchange Coordination and Designation, United States Department of State number, if any;
(5) evidence of Council on Standards for International Educational Travel listing, if any;
(6) information on whether the organization is exempt from federal income tax; and
(7) a list of the organization s placements in New Jersey for the previous school year including the number of students placed, their home countries, the public schools in which they were placed, and the length of their placements.
c. The application shall be signed by the chief executive officer of the organization and the responsible officer. If the secretary determines that the application is complete, the secretary shall file the application and the applicant shall be registered upon the payment of an initial registration fee in such amount as determined by the secretary.
d. A registered organization shall inform the secretary of any changes in the information required under subsection b. of this section within 30 days of the change.
e. A registration issued pursuant to this act shall be valid for one year and shall be renewed annually.
3. The secretary shall adopt standards for the registration of international student exchange visitor placement organizations. The secretary may incorporate the standards of the Office of Exchange Coordination and Designation, United States Department of State, or the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel by reference, and may accept an organization s designation by the Office of Exchange Coordination and Designation as evidence of compliance with such standards.
4. The organization shall ensure that a student participating in the exchange program has medical and accident insurance from the time of departure from home to the time the student returns home. Coverage may be provided by the student or the organization. The minimum acceptable insurance shall be medical and accident coverage of $50,000 per illness or accident, and at least $5,000 in coverage for preparation and transportation of remains to the student s home county in the event of death. The organization shall maintain proof of insurance for each student.
5. An organization shall not bring a student into the State unless the student has been accepted in writing by a legally authorized person employed by the admitting public school. The organization shal