Bill > A1649

Introduced Session

This bill revises various provisions of the "School Ethics Act." The bill broadens the definition of "relative" to align it with the definition of "relative" under the "New Jersey Conflicts of Interest Law." Under the bill, "relative " means a school official's spouse, civil union partner, domestic partner, or the parent, child, sibling, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, grandparent, grandchild, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, stepparent, stepchild, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, or half-sister of the individual or of the individual's spouse, civil union partner, or domestic partner, whether the relative is related to the school official or the school official's spouse, civil union partner, or domestic partner by blood, marriage, or adoption. The bill also clarifies that school officials are expressly prohibited from engaging in nepotism and from using or attempting to use their positions to secure unwarranted privileges, advantages, or employment for relatives. The bill requires that school officials disclose the date that a relative began employment within the same district that employs the school official. Additionally, the bill specifies that the School Ethics Commission, which was established by the "School Ethics Act," and is currently under the authority of the Department of Education, will be allocated in, but not of, the department. The bill revises various provisions of the "School Ethics Act" to reflect this new allocation. The bill also authorizes the School Ethics Commission to choose and appoint certain staff members, including an executive director, who are qualified by training and experience to assist the commission in performing its duties and responsibilities. The commission would further be authorized to request salary adjustments and title changes pursuant to State civil service statutes. The bill provides that the Attorney General will, upon request of the commission, act as legal adviser and counsel to, and on behalf of, the commission.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Pam Lampitt (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document