RECENT LEGISLATION
2005

Chapter 198, P.L. 2005
Date Approved: August 18, 2005
Effective Date: February 1, 2006

Description:

This law requires the State Treasurer to provide a long term care insurance plan through which local public employees and retirees may purchase at their own expense long term care insurance. The Treasurer will negotiate contracts for the long term care insurance.

Municipalities, counties, boards of education and other local public entities, subject to the "Local Public Contracts Law," the "Public School Contracts Law," and the "County College Contracts Law," by adoption of a resolution, may elect to offer the long term care insurance plan to their employees and retirees. A local public employer that elects to offer the long term care insurance plan will submit to the Division of Pensions and Benefits the employment information necessary to administer of the plan. An employee or a retiree who chooses coverage will pay the entire cost of the long term care insurance.

To view the new law, click here: Chapter 198, P.L. 2005 (PDF 14K)
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Chapter 162, P.L. 2005
Date Approved: July 28, 2005
Effective Date:  August 1, 2005

Description:

This law prohibits the investment of New Jersey public employee retirement funds in any foreign company with an equity tie to the government of Sudan or its instrumentalities because of that country's failure to prevent genocide and its human rights abuses that include severe restrictions on the freedoms of assembly, association, movement and speech.  The law does not apply to the activities of any foreign company providing humanitarian aid to the Sudanese people through either a governmental or non-governmental organization.  The law provides that the State Investment Council and the Director of the Division of Investment must take appropriate action to divest any investments held in violation of the law after reviewing the recommendations of, and consulting with, an independent research firm that specializes in global security risk for portfolio determinations selected by the Treasurer.

To view the new law, click here:  Chapter 162, P.L. 2005 (19.24K)
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Chapter 135, P.L. 2005
Date Approved: July 7, 2005
Effective Date: July 7, 2005, with union SHBP participation to begin 120 days hence.

Description:

This law provides that an affiliate of a majority representative of State employees for collective negotiation purposes, which affiliate represents State employees, may obtain coverage in the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) for its elected officers and employees and their dependents. As used in the law, the phrase "an affiliate of a majority representative of State employees" means a local union affiliate that has some employees who are engaged in the day-to-day representation of State employees, and does not mean a local union affiliate's parent or international union.

Each affiliate electing to participate in SHBP will remit the premium rates or periodic charges to the program, as such rates or charges are determined for local government employees and applicable to the coverage provided.

This law requires that on its effective date the Division of Pensions and Benefits in the Department of the Treasury must seek a determination letter from the federal Department of Labor confirming the status of the State Health Benefits Program as a qualified and exempt governmental plan under Title I of the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). In the event the division receives a determination letter from the federal Department of Labor stating that the law as embodied in this law changes the status of the State Health Benefits Program so that it is no longer a qualified and exempt governmental plan under Title I of ERISA, the law would be void and expire immediately and no employees of an affiliate of a majority representative of State employees for collective negotiation purposes would be permitted to newly enroll or continue to participate in the State Health Benefits Program.

To view the new law, click here: Chapter 135, P.L. 2005 (18.16K)
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Chapter 6, P.L. 2005
Date Approved: January 19, 2005
Effective Date:  January 19, 2005

Description:

This law allows retired administrative law judges and workers' compensation judges to be recalled for service, with the judge's consent.

It amends N.J.S.A.52:14F-4 and N.J.S.A.34:15-49, which requires these judges to retire upon attaining age 70, to provide that upon such recall the retired administrative law judge or judge of compensation will have all the powers of such a judge and will be paid a per diem allowance to be fixed by the Director/ Chief Administrative Law Judge or the Director/Chief Judge of the Division of Workers' Compensation, as applicable.  The recalled judge will be reimbursed for reasonable expenses actually incurred in connection with the assignment and will be provided with such facilities as may be required in the performance of the judge's duties.  Those per diem compensation and expenses will be paid by the State.  Payment for services and expenses will be made in the same manner as payment is made to the judges of the Office of Administrative Law or Division of Workers' Compensation, as applicable, from which the judge retired.

To view the new law, click here:  Chapter 6, P.L. 2005 (PDF 29K)
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Chapter 64, P.L. 2005
Date Approved: April 7, 2005
Effective Date: The pension-related sections of this law are effective immediately (April 7, 2005).

Description:

This law amends several statutes to define members of Operations Northern Watch and Southern Watch as veterans for the purposes of civil service hiring preferences, the purchase of service credit and the calculation of veterans benefits in the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) and Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF), the purchase of service credit in the Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS), and the receipt of a property tax deduction or exemption.

Operation Northern Watch and Operation Southern Watch are the names given to the missions that monitored and controlled airspace above and below the 33rd parallel in Iraq, otherwise known as "no-fly zones."

To view the new law, click here: Chapter 64, P.L. 2005 (PDF 92K)
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