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SCR98
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 98
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 12, 2026
Sponsored by:
Senator� MICHAEL L. TESTA, JR.
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
Senator� CARMEN F. AMATO, JR.
District 9 (Ocean)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Space
SYNOPSIS
���� Amends Constitution to dedicate money credited to the
�9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account� to maintain 9-1-1
system and emergency response.�
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
A
Concurrent Resolution
proposing an
amendment to Article VIII, Section II of the New Jersey Constitution.
����
Be It
Resolved
by the Senate of the State of New
Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):
���� 1.��� The following proposed
amendment to the Constitution of the State of New Jersey is agreed to:
PROPOSED
AMENDMENT
���� Amend
Article VIII, section II by addition of a new paragraph 9 to read as follows:
���� 9.��� a.� Commencing July 1,
2015, there shall be credited in each State fiscal year to a special account in
the General Fund, known as the �9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund
Account,� all revenues collected pursuant to section 2 of P.L.2004, c.48 (C.52:17C-18).
���� The amounts annually credited
pursuant to this section shall be dedicated and shall be appropriated from time
to time by the Legislature only for the purposes of paying: (1) eligible costs
pursuant to the provisions of sections 13 and 14 of P.L.1989, c.3 (C.52:17C-13 and C.52:17C-14);
(2) the costs of funding the State's capital equipment, including debt service,
facilities and operating expenses that arise from emergency response; (3) the
cost of emergency response training, including any related costs or expenses,
of the Office of Emergency Management in the Division of State Police in the
Department of Law and Public Safety; (4) the cost of operating the Office of
Emergency Telecommunications Services created pursuant to section 3 of
P.L.1989, c.3 (C.52:17C-3); (5) the cost of operating the Statewide Public
Safety Communications Commission created pursuant to section 5 of P.L.2011, c.4
(C.52:17C-3.2); (6) any costs associated with implementing any requirement of
the Federal Communications Commission concerning 9-1-1 service that is not
otherwise allocated to a carrier and not eligible for reimbursement under law
or regulation; (7) any costs associated with planning, designing, or
implementing an automatic location identification technology that is not
otherwise allocated to a wireless carrier and not eligible for reimbursement
under law or regulation; and (8) any costs associated with planning, designing,
or acquiring replacement equipment or systems, including debt service, related
to the enhanced 9-1-1 network, as defined in subsection e. of section 1 of
P.L.1989, c.3 (C.52:17C-1), in accordance with any formula as the
Legislature shall by law provide.
���� b.��� The Legislature, under
any pretense whatsoever, shall not borrow, appropriate, or use the amount
credited to the �9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account�
pursuant to this section, or any portion thereof, for any purpose or in any
manner other than as provided for in subsection a. of this section.
���� 2.��� When this proposed
amendment to the Constitution is finally agreed to pursuant to Article IX,
paragraph 1 of the Constitution, it shall be submitted to the people at the
next general election occurring more than three months after the final
agreement and shall be published at least once in at least one newspaper of
each county designated by the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the
General Assembly, and the Secretary of State, not less than three months prior
to the general election.
���� 3.��� This proposed amendment
to the Constitution shall be submitted to the people at that election in the
following manner and form:
���� There shall be printed on each
official ballot to be used at the general election, the following:
���� a.���� In every municipality
in which voting machines are not used, a legend which shall immediately precede
the question as follows:
���� If you favor the proposition
printed below make a cross (X), plus (+), or check (
a
) in the square opposite the word "Yes." If you are
opposed thereto make a cross (X), plus (+) or check (
a
) in the square opposite the
word "No."
���� b.��� In
every municipality the following question:
CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENT TO PROHIBIT THE USE OF 9-1-1 FEE FOR PURPOSES OTHER THAN THOSE
ESTABLISHED BY LAW
YES
Do you
approve amending the Constitution to limit how the money in the �9-1-1 System
and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account� may be used?
This amendment would change how
the money in the trust fund account may be spent.� The amendment would
prevent money in the trust fund account from being used for any purpose other
than to pay the costs of the State�s 9-1-1 system and emergency response.
INTERPRETIVE
STATEMENT
NO
State law
requires that 90 cents is collected on each wireless and wireline telephone
bill and credited to the �9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund
Account.�� The money from the trust fund account is for costs associated with
the State�s 9-1-1 system and emergency response.� However, in the past, this
money has been used to balance the State budget.
A �yes� vote
would amend the Constitution so that the money in the trust fund account
could only be used to maintain the 9-1-1 emergency system and emergency
response costs.
A �no� vote would leave the
Constitution unchanged.� The money in the trust fund account could be used
for other reasons.
STATEMENT
This concurrent
resolution proposes an amendment to the State Constitution prohibiting money
from being drawn from the �9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund
Account� for any purpose or in any manner other than as established under
current law.
Under current
law, money from the �9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund Account� is
used for
funding the
State�s capital equipment, facilities, and operating expenses that arise from
emergency response, emergency response training, operating the Office of
Emergency Telecommunications Services, operating the Statewide Public Safety
Communications Commission, implementing the requirements of the Federal
Communications Commission concerning 9-1-1 service, planning, designing, or
implementing automatic location identification technology, and planning,
designing, or acquiring replacement equipment or systems related to enhanced
9-1-1 network service.� In the past, money from the trust fund account has been
used for other purposes.
This amendment
to the State Constitution prohibits money in the trust fund account from being
used for any other purpose other than those established under current law.