Bill > A3559

Introduced Session

This bill limits eligibility for health care benefits coverage for elected public officials of a municipality or county to those elected public officials whose hours of work are fixed at 35 or more per week. This limitations applies to counties and municipality that do not participate in the New Jersey State Health Benefits Program (SHBP). The limitation is the same as the current eligibility requirement for health care benefits coverage in the SHBP. Elected public officials currently receiving health care benefits coverage may continue to receive such coverage as long as they remain eligible prior to the effective date of the bill and continuously thereafter. The bill also makes elected public officials who choose to waive health care benefits coverage ineligible for payments for such a waiver. Such payments are currently permitted for certain public employees by public employers that participate and that do not participate in the SHBP. This bill codifies the Pension Fraud and Abuse Unit (PFAU) within the Department of the Treasury, which was established by executive order in 2013 to prevent and investigate cases of intentional deception or misrepresentation that result in an unauthorized benefit to a member or to some other person from the State-administered retirement systems and benefits programs. This includes, but is not limited to, disability pension claims and improper participation in the retirement systems and other benefit programs. This bill also provides subpoena power to the PFAU to assist the unit during investigations. According to an investigative report issued by the State Comptroller, the PFAU has inadequate statutory authority to compel public employers to comply with requests for information during investigations. Codifying the unit will result in more effective investigations.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Michael Inganamort (R)*,  Cody Miller (D)*,  Dan Hutchison (D), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee (on 02/05/2024)

Official Document