Establishes Second Chance Program in charge of providing opportunities through labor organizations for formerly incarcerated individuals.

A1763

ASSEMBLY, No. 1763

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

Assemblyman WILLIAM B. SAMPSON, IV

District 31 (Hudson)

Assemblyman� JERRY WALKER

District 31 (Hudson)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywomen Reynolds-Jackson, Speight, Murphy, Swain,
Quijano, Assemblyman Barlas, Assemblywoman McCoy, Assemblymen G.Rodriguez,
Karabinchak, Assemblywomen Haider, Collazos-Gill, Carter and Assemblyman
Freiman

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes Second Chance Program in charge of
providing opportunities through labor organizations for formerly incarcerated
individuals.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

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

��

An Act

concerning employment opportunities for
individuals returning to the workforce after imprisonment and supplementing
Title 34 of the Revised Statutes.

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

���� 1.��� The Legislature finds
and declares that:

���� a.���� There is a lack of
viable employment opportunities in New Jersey for individuals recently released
from prison;

���� b.��� Employment opportunities
are necessary to curtail the rate of recidivism and to reincorporate recently
incarcerated individuals back into civil society;

���� c.���� Individuals with low
educational attainment are at greater risk of engaging in criminal activity
since they have tremendous difficulty finding and maintaining adequate jobs;
and

���� d.��� Labor organizations,
given their unique understanding of their community�s economic conditions are
in the best position to identify employment opportunities for recently
incarcerated individuals and to propose a plan for attracting such employment
opportunities into their respective trades.

���� 2.��� There is established, in
the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Second Chance Program
(program). �The purpose of the program shall be to provide real and lasting
career opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals through, and in
consultation with, labor organizations in order to reduce recidivism.

���� For the purposes of this section,
�labor organization� means a labor organization as defined in section 3 of 29
U.S.C. s.402.

���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes the
Second Chance Program within the State Employment and Training Commission in
the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.� The purpose of the program
will be to provide real and lasting career opportunities through labor organizations
for formerly incarcerated individuals, with the intent to reduce recidivism.