LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE

SENATE, No. 988

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

 

DATED: JANUARY 7, 2025

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Synopsis:

Requires DOE and DCF to establish online reporting systems for schools and child care centers to report lead testing results.

Type of Impact:

One-time State expenditure increase.

Agencies Affected:

Department of Education, Department of Children and Families, and Department of Environmental Protection.

 

 

Office of Legislative Services Estimate

One-Time Fiscal Impact

 

 

State Expenditure Increase

Indeterminate

 

 

 

 

·         The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) anticipates that the bill will not lead to a significant increase in State expenditures.  The Executive Branch departments that would be required to establish online reporting systems for schools and child care centers to submit the results of any tests for lead in drinking water already possess the technical infrastructure to receive data from outside entities and make it public.  The agencies might incur certain one-time expenses for the initial development of the reporting system, but any ongoing maintenance costs would likely be absorbed in the operating budgets of the agencies.

 

·         The OLS also notes that there will be a one-time cost to prepare a report outlining the extent of lead contamination in the drinking water of schools and child care centers.  The OLS determines that this cost can be subsumed within existing staff duties.

 

 

BILL DESCRIPTION

 

      This bill would require the Department of Education and the Department of Children and Families to establish, within one year after the bill is enacted, online reporting systems for schools and child care centers to report lead testing results electronically.  In July 2016, the State Board of Education adopted regulations requiring every school in the State to test for lead in drinking water.  Shortly thereafter, in January 2017, the Department of Children and Families adopted regulations requiring each child care facility in the State to test for lead in drinking water.

      Within 90 days after establishment of the databases required by the bill, each school and child care center that was required pursuant to law or regulation to test for lead would be required to submit or resubmit its test results and any other required information via the online reporting system.  The Department of Education and the Department of Children and Families would be required to compile the test results on their respective websites for access by the public. 

      The bill also would require, within two years after the bill is enacted into law, the Department of Education and the Department of Children and Families, in consultation with the Department of Environmental Protection, to prepare and submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature outlining the extent of lead contamination in the drinking water of schools and child care centers, the associated need for assistance with remediation activities, and recommendations for how the State can assist schools and child care centers with remediating lead in drinking water.

 

 

FISCAL ANALYSIS

 

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

 

      None received.

 

OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES

 

The OLS anticipates that the bill will not lead to a significant increase in State expenditures.  The Executive Branch departments that would be required to establish online reporting systems for schools and child care centers to submit the results of any tests for lead in drinking water already possess the technical infrastructure to receive data and publish it for use by the public.  The agencies might incur certain  one-time expenses for the initial development of the reporting system, but any ongoing maintenance costs would likely be absorbed in the operating budgets of the agencies.

The OLS also notes that there will be a one-time cost to prepare the report outlining the extent of lead contamination in the drinking water of schools and child care centers, the associated need for assistance with remediation activities, and recommendations for how the State can assist schools and child care centers with remediating lead in drinking water.  The OLS determines that this cost can be subsumed within existing staff duties.

 

Section:

Environment, Agriculture, Energy and Natural Resources

Analyst:

Anna Heckler

Assistant Research Analyst

Approved:

Thomas Koenig

Legislative Budget and Finance Officer

 

This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.

 

This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).