Establishes Legislative Enactment Oversight Committee to ensure implementation of enacted laws and joint resolutions.

A4304

ASSEMBLY, No. 4304

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes Legislative Enactment Oversight Committee
to ensure implementation of enacted laws and joint resolutions.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

establishing the Legislative Enactment Oversight
Committee and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

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

���� 1.� a.� The Legislature finds
and declares that bills and joint resolutions that have been passed by the
Legislature and signed by the Governor may not be implemented in a timely
manner or in accordance with the specific provisions of that law or joint
resolution.� The adoption of administrative rules and regulations, the
appointment of essential personnel, or the establishment of a process or
program in accordance with the law or joint resolution may be delayed,
affecting the government�s ability to function effectively and provide
necessary services.�

���� A committee is needed to monitor
the implementation of laws and joint resolutions to ensure that they are
implemented by the appropriate public entity effectively and efficiently, in a
timely manner, and in accordance with their specific provisions.�

���� b.� The Legislative Enactment
Oversight Committee is hereby established in the Department of State.�

���� The purpose of the committee
shall be to monitor the implementation of laws and joint resolutions to ensure
that they are implemented by the appropriate public entity effectively and
efficiently, in a timely manner, and in accordance with their specific
provisions. The committee shall monitor all laws and joint resolutions enacted
after the effective date of this act,� P.L.��� , c.����� (C.����� )(pending
before the legislature as this bill), and all laws and joint resolutions
enacted within five years before that effective date.

���� The committee shall track the
implementation of a law and joint resolution; assess the efficiency, accuracy,
and timeliness of the implementation; evaluate the factors that contribute to a
delay in implementation; evaluate whether the public entity responsible for
implementation has the necessary resources to effectively and efficiently
implement the law or joint resolution; and collect data on the impact of the
law and joint resolution.

���� The committee may contract
with independent consultants to assist in the conduct of the monitoring,
tracking, assessing, evaluating, and collecting required of the committee.

���� The committee shall assign
staff to respond promptly to members of the Legislature who inquire about the
implementation status of a law or joint resolution.��

���� All State department and
agencies shall assist the committee in the performance of its duties upon
request of the committee.�

���� c.� The committee shall
consist of 15 members who are New Jersey residents.�

���� The members shall be appointed
as follows.

���� (1)� Three members shall be
appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the President of the
Senate, one of whom shall have experience in matters concerning elections, one
of whom shall have experience in matters concerning housing and community
affairs, and one of whom shall have experience with matters concerning labor
and workforce development;

���� (2)� Two members shall be
appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the Minority Leader of the
Senate, one of whom shall have experience in matters concerning education, and
one of whom shall have experience in matters concerning agriculture;

���� (3)� Three members shall be
appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the General
Assembly, one of whom shall have experience in matters concerning human
services, one of whom shall have experience in matters concerning accounting,
and one of whom shall have experience in matters concerning the environment;

���� (4)� Two members shall be
appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the Minority Leader of the
General Assembly, one of whom shall have experience in matters concerning
children and family services, and one of whom shall have experience with matters
concerning transportation. �

���� (5)� Five members shall be
appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall have experience in matters
concerning pensions and health benefits, one of whom shall have experience in
matters concerning law and public safety, one of whom shall have experience in
matters concerning gaming and casinos, one of whom shall have experience in
matters concerning military and veterans affairs, and one of whom shall have
experience concerning matters of diversity and minority affairs.

���� d.� The members shall serve
for a term of five years.� Of the members appointed upon the recommendation of
a member of the Legislature, the initial appointment shall be for a term of
four years.� Of the members appointed directly by the Governor, the initial
appointment shall be for a term of three years.�

���� The members shall serve until
their successors have been appointed and qualified.� Any vacancy shall be
filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the unexpired term
only.�

���� Any member of the committee
may be removed from office by the Governor, for cause, upon notice and
opportunity to be heard.�

���� The Governor shall appoint the
chair of the committee.� The members of the committee shall elect, by a
majority of the total membership of the committee, one of the members to serve
as vice-chair during that member�s term.� A new vice-chair shall be elected
upon the expiration of the current vice-chair�s term, even if that member
remains on the committee until that member�s successor is duly appointed and
qualified.�

���� e.� The committee may conduct
business without a majority of the total authorized membership of the committee
present, but shall not take any official action, such as adopt a recommendation
or a report without the approval of a majority of the total membership of the
committee.�

���� The committee shall adopt
annually a schedule of regular meetings, and special meetings may be held at
the call of the chair.�

���� The committee, in its
discretion, may divide its membership into subcommittees in the course of
carrying out its duties.�

���� The committee may adopt
policies, procedures, and rules for an organizational structure, and policies
and procedures for the committee�s internal operations, as may be necessary to
carry out its duties and responsibilities.

���� f.� The committee may employ
such personnel as it deems necessary.� The Department of State shall assign
such personnel to serve the committee as the committee may request.

���� The committee shall also 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.�

���� The Secretary of State shall
include in the annual budget request of the Department of State a request for
sufficient funds to effectuate the purposes of this act.�

���� g.� The members shall devote
full time to their respective duties of office.� Each member shall receive an
annual salary fixed and established by the Governor, which shall not exceed
$120,000 for the chair, and which shall not exceed $90,000 for the remaining
members.�

���� All appointed members of the
committee shall be members of the State�s unclassified service.�

���� The members shall not be
eligible for participation or enrollment in any State-administered retirement
system or the State Health Benefits Program.

���� The committee may incur
additional expenses within the limits of funds available to it in order to
carry out its duties and responsibilities.�

���� h.� The committee shall submit
periodic reports, no less than twice a year, concerning its findings and
actions related to its duties to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of
P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), the Legislature.�

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

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes a Legislative
Enactment Oversight Committee within the Department of State to review the
implementation of enacted laws and resolutions.� The committee will monitor the
implementation of laws and joint resolutions to ensure that they are
implemented by the appropriate public entity effectively and efficiently, in a
timely manner, and in accordance with their specific provisions.�

���� The committee will consist of
15 persons who will be New Jersey residents, and will serve for a term of five
years.� Each member will receive an annual salary fixed and established by the
Governor.� The salary for the chair will not exceed $120,000, and the salary
for the remaining members will not exceed $90,000.�

���� The committee will annually
adopt a schedule of regular meetings, and special meetings may be held at the
call of the chair.� The appointed members will be members of the State�s
unclassified service.� The committee, in its discretion, may divide its
membership into subcommittees in the course of carrying out its duties.� The
committee will submit periodic reports, no less than twice a year, concerning
its findings and actions related to its duties.�