ASSEMBLY LABOR COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 2890

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 11, 2024

      The Assembly Labor Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 2890.

      This bill permits the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development to appoint on a temporary basis three additional members to the Board of Review in the Division of Employment Security using either, or a combination of both, of the following two methods:

      1.   interim appointment, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 4A:4-1.6(d)3, of State employees who hold full-time primary employment in State service; or

      2.   appointment, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 4A:3-3.8, of individuals who do not hold full-time primary employment in State service to an intermittent title.

      If the commissioner appoints three additional members of the Board of Review, increasing the board membership from three to six, the commissioner shall designate two separate panels from among the six board members, each of which shall be empowered to act independently of the other as a final appeals board in cases of benefit disputes, including appeals from determinations with respect to demands for refunds of benefits pursuant to subsection (d) of R.S.43:21-16.  The commissioner may interchange panel members from among the six board members as operational needs dictate.

      The bill also removes the prohibition of any board member participating in a case in which the member is an interested party.

      This bill was prefiled for introduction in the 2024-2025 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.