Directs Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness to provide security risk assessment guidance to certain institutions of higher education.

S3933

SENATE, No. 3933

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 12, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� ROBERT W. SINGER

District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)

SYNOPSIS

���� Directs Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness
to provide security risk assessment guidance to certain institutions of higher
education.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning risk assessments of certain institutions of
higher education and supplementing chapter 3B of Title 18A of the New Jersey
Statutes.

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

���� 1.��� a. �The New Jersey
Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness shall develop
security risk assessment
guidance for each public or
private
institution of higher education that receives
State funds
.

���� The
security risk assessment guidance shall proactively assist institutions of
higher education to identify, analyze, and evaluate hazards and risk factors including
campus safety and security, data security, emergency response plans,
infrastructure security, and mental healthcare access. �The security risk
assessment guidance shall be biennially reviewed and evaluated by the office
pursuant to subsection c. of this section.

���� b.��� The New Jersey Office of
Homeland Security and Preparedness shall develop a security risk assessment
checklist, as a component of the security risk assessment guidance, to be used
by each public or private institution of higher education that receives State
funds.� The office shall biennially review and update the security risk
assessment checklist, in consultation with the governing board of each
institution of higher education, and update the checklist as appropriate.

���� The security risk assessment checklist
shall include, but not be limited to, a site assessment, a climate assessment,
a threat assessment, a capacity assessment, and the communication systems utilized
to facilitate notification to parents and other members of the community during
an emergency.

���� The New Jersey Office of
Homeland Security and Preparedness shall provide each institution of higher
education with technical assistance to facilitate the completion of the security
risk assessment checklists in a uniform manner.

���� c.���� Each public or private institution
of higher education which receives State funds shall annually review the security
risk assessment guidance and submit the completed security risk assessment
checklist to
the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security
and Preparedness
.� The security risk assessment guidance and checklists shall
be kept confidential and shall not be deemed a public record under P.L.1963,
c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.) or the common law concerning access to public records,
but may be utilized for the purposes of allocating any State grants or loans
made available for the purpose of school facility safety and security upgrades
for the institution.

���� d.��� The Director of the New
Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness shall promulgate rules and
regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968,
c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) as may be needed to effectuate the purposes of this
act.

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

STATEMENT

���� This bill requires the Office
of Homeland Security and Preparedness to develop security risk assessment
guidance for use by certain institutions of higher education and requires
institutions of higher education to complete an annual security risk assessment.

���� Specifically, this bill
requires the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness to develop security
risk assessment guidance for each public or private institution of higher
education that receives State funds.

���� The security risk assessment
guidance is to proactively assist institutions of higher education to identify,
analyze, and evaluate hazards and risk factors including campus safety and
security, data security, emergency response plans, infrastructure security, and
mental healthcare access. �The office is required to at least provide a
biennial review of the security risk assessment guidance, and update the
guidance as needed.

���� As a component of the security
risk assessment guidance, the office is required to develop a security risk
assessment checklist to be completed at least annually by each public or
private institution of higher education that receives State funds.� The office
is required to biennially review and update the checklist, in consultation with
the governing board of each institution of higher education, and update the
checklist as appropriate. �The checklist is to include, but not be limited to,
a site assessment, a climate assessment, a threat assessment, a capacity
assessment, and the communication systems utilized to facilitate notification
to parents and other members of the community during an emergency. �The office
is required to provide technical assistance to facilitate the completion of the
checklists in a uniform manner.

���� The security risk assessment
guidance and checklists are to be kept confidential and are not considered
public record, but may be utilized for the purposes of allocating any State
grants or loans made available for the purpose of school facility safety and
security upgrades for the institution.