Requires NJT to publish certain safety violations and establish mechanism to report unsafe conduct.

A1257

ASSEMBLY, No. 1257

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman MICHAEL INGANAMORT

District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Fantasia

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires NJT to publish certain safety violations and
establish mechanism to report unsafe conduct.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act

concerning certain safety information related to
the New Jersey Transit Corporation, amending P.L.1979, c.150, and supplementing
Title 27 of the Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� Section 20 of P.L.1979,
c.150 (C.27:25-20) is amended to read as follows:�

���� 20.� a.� The corporation
shall, by September 15 of each year, file with the Commissioner of
Transportation a report in such format and detail as the Commissioner may
require setting forth the actual, operational, capital
,
and financial
results of the previous fiscal year, the operational, capital
,
and
financial plan for the current fiscal year and a proposed operational, capital
,

and financial plan for the next ensuing fiscal year.

���� b.��� On or before October 31
of each year, the corporation shall make an annual report of its activities for
the preceding fiscal year to the Governor
[
and
to the presiding officers and the Transportation Committees of both Houses of
the Legislature
]

, the President of the Senate, Speaker of the General Assembly, and the
Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee and the Senate
Transportation Committee, or their successor committees
.� Each such report
shall set forth a complete operating and financial statement covering its
operations and capital projects during the year.� The report shall also include
an account of the on-time performance of rail passenger service, including
light rail service, operated by, or under contract to, the corporation,
including data for each such passenger line.� The report shall provide a
detailed discussion of the methodology used by the corporation in measuring
on-time performance.

���� c.��� All records of minutes,
accounts, bills, vouchers, contracts
,
or other papers connected with or
used or filed with the corporation or with any officer or employee acting for
or in its behalf are hereby declared to be
[
public
]

government

records and shall be open to public inspection in accordance with
P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.) and regulations prescribed by the
corporation.

���� d.��� The corporation shall
cause an audit of its books and accounts to be made at least once each year by
certified public accountants and the cost thereof may be treated as a cost of
operation.� The audit shall be filed within
[
4
]

four

months after the close of the fiscal year of the corporation and a certified
duplicate copy thereof shall be filed with the Division of Budget and
Accounting in the Department of the Treasury.

���� e.��� Notwithstanding the
provisions of any law to the contrary, the State Auditor or his legally
authorized representative may examine the accounts and books of the
corporation.

����
f.���� a.� Except as
otherwise provided by law, the corporation shall publish quarterly on or by
March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31 of each year on its website
information detailing any safety violation issued to the corporation in the
previous quarter by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Federal Railroad
Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, or any other federal agency
and the amount of the fine paid by the corporation as a result of the
violation.� Information detailing safety violations issued by any federal
agency published pursuant to this subsection shall remain on the corporation�s
website for five years from the date of issuance of the violation.

����
g.��� Except as otherwise
provided by law, the corporation shall publish on its website information
detailing any safety violation issued to the corporation during the five years
prior to the effective date of P.L.���� , c.�� (C.������ ) (pending before the
Legislature as this bill) by the federal Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Federal
Railroad Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, or any other
federal agency and the amount of the fine paid by the corporation as a result
of the violation.� Information detailing safety violations issued in the five
years prior to the effective date of��� P.L.���� , c.�� (C.������ ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill) by any federal agency published pursuant
to this subsection shall remain on the corporation�s website for five years
from the date the violation is published on the corporation�s website.

(cf: P.L.2007, c.263, s.1)

���� 2.��� (New section)� The
Executive Director of the New Jersey Transit Corporation shall establish a
mechanism, by means of a toll-free telephone hotline and electronic mail
address, through which a person may confidentially report incidents of
suspected safety violations or any other conduct that is reasonably expected to
jeopardize the health or safety of the general public.

���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect on the first day of the sixth month following enactment but the
Executive Director of the New Jersey Transit Corporation may take such
anticipatory administrative action in advance of that date as may be necessary
for the timely implementation of this act.

STATEMENT

���� This bill requires the New
Jersey Transit Corporation (New Jersey Transit) to publish quarterly each year
on its website information detailing any safety violations issued in the
previous quarter to New Jersey Transit by any federal agency and the amount of
the fine paid by New Jersey Transit as a result of the violation.� The bill
requires New Jersey Transit to publish on its website information detailing any
safety violation issued to New Jersey Transit during the five years prior to
the effective date of the bill by any federal agency and the amount of the fine
paid by New Jersey Transit as a result of the violation.

���� Under the bill, information
detailing safety violations issued by any federal agency published on New
Jersey Transit�s website is to remain on New Jersey Transit�s website for five
years from the date of issuance.� Information detailing safety violations
issued in the five years prior to the bills effective date is to remain on New
Jersey Transit�s website for five years from the date the violation is
published on New Jersey Transit�s website.

���� The bill also requires New
Jersey Transit to establish a mechanism, by means of a toll-free telephone
hotline and electronic mail address, through which a person may confidentially
report incidents of suspected safety violations or any other conduct that is
reasonably expected to jeopardize the health or safety of the general public.