Bill > S2361

Introduced Session

This bill would amend the "Municipal Hospital Authority Law," P.L.2006, c.46 (C.30:9-23.15 et al.), to allow certain counties to create a hospital authority. In so doing, the bill would change the title of the law to be the "Local Hospital Authority Law." Currently, this law is only available to municipalities that are classified as cities pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:6-4. The bill would allow a county that owns an 800-bed hospital to create a hospital authority. The bill would amend current law in several ways. The purpose of a county hospital authority would be to operate and maintain a county hospital for the county. Under the bill, a county hospital authority may exercise its powers and duties to manage, operate, and maintain a county hospital through a contract or contracts with a manager. The bill provides that management contracts are entered into by competitive contracting pursuant to the "Local Public Contracts Law," P.L.1971, c.198 (C.40A:11-1 et seq.). Management contracts could be entered into for a 20-year term, and could be renewed for two five year terms. The bill provides that despite the existence of a management entity, the hospital authority would remain primarily responsible for operating the county hospital. The bill specifies the composition and manner of appointment of members to boards of local hospital authorities. Additionally, the bill provides that the Governor would appoint an individual to the board of directors of each entity which contracts with a local hospital authority to operate and manage a hospital. The gubernatorial appointee would be a physician who is licensed to practice medicine and surgery in the State and who is knowledgeable about, or has clinical experience in, the field of chemical dependency or addiction-oriented psychiatry. The bill would supplement current law by authorizing a county hospital authority to enter into a public-private partnership agreement with a private entity to undertake certain types of projects to benefit a county hospital. This section of the bill is based upon a provision of current law that allows a State college or a county college to enter into a public-private partnership contract with a private entity.

Committee Categories

Marlene Caride (D)*,  Timothy Eustace (D)*,  Robert Gordon (D)*,  Joe Lagana (D)*,  Raj Mukherji (D)*,  Paul Sarlo (D)*,  Holly Schepisi (R)*,  Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D)*,  Loretta Weinberg (D)*, 

Approved P.L.2016, c.55. (on 09/21/2016)