A4458

An Act concerning the reporting of health and safety living conditions for certain public housing occupants and supplementing P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-1 et seq.).

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. Within one year of the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the Bureau of Housing Inspection in the Department of Community Affairs shall establish and maintain a toll-free telephone hotline available 24 hours a day, seven days per week, through which occupants of public housing, as determined under the federal "United States Housing Act of 1937" (42 U.S.C. s.1437 et seq.), may lodge complaints concerning any health, safety, or general well-being issues related to the living conditions associated with the public housing facility.

b. The hotline established pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall:

(1) include among its staff of live operators persons who speak English and Spanish;

(2) offer a multilingual, interactive voice technology response as an alternative option; and

(3) protect caller anonymity.

c. The hotline shall receive calls related to the living conditions associated with public housing and may respond to each call with general or individualized information regarding the laws, regulations, policies, and procedures relevant to the complaints. Upon the request of a public housing occupant who calls the hotline, the hotline shall provide the occupant with appropriate referrals for further assistance. The bureau may employ different technologies and processes in operation of the hotline to ensure efficiency and integrity.

2. a. The bureau shall establish and maintain a centralized, Statewide database compiling the substantiated complaints lodged from the hotline established pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) for which the bureau shall use to develop a comparative living condition profile of the applicable public housing facilities, and shall post the profile for public inspection on the bureau’s Internet website in an easily accessible location. The bureau may employ different technologies and processes in operation of the database to ensure efficiency and integrity.

b. The database established pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall contain information including, but not limited to:

(1) the total number of substantiated complaints lodged, including the total number of substantiated complaints lodged per public housing facility;

(2) categories concerning the nature of the substantiated complaints of the living conditions;

(3) whether the Commissioner of Community Affairs, or local agency pursuant to subsection b. of section 3 of P.L.1987, c.30 (C.55:13A-13a), have discovered a violation of P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-1 et seq.) or any other law affecting the habitability or living conditions of the public facility;

(4) the specific corrective actions that were taken, and number of reinspections necessary, if any, to address the substantiated complaints or violations; and

(5) the average response time from the time of the substantiated complaint being lodged on the hotline to the time the condition was addressed and, as applicable, abated.

3. The Commissioner of Community Affairs, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt rules and regulations as necessary to effectuate the provisions of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) to ensure the integrity of both the telephone hotline and the database established pursuant to sections 1 and 2 of P.L. , c. (C. and ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), and to encourage public housing occupants to use the hotline, by providing for:

a. the confidentiality of the names of the occupants calling the hotline and any individual named or otherwise identified during a call; and

b. the posting, in each public housing facility, of the hotline number and the database Internet website in one or more easily accessible, publicly conspicuous locations.

4. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill requires the Bureau of Housing Inspection in the Department of Community Affairs to establish and maintain a toll-free telephone hotline available 24 hours a day, seven days per week, through which occupants of public housing, as determined under the federal "United States Housing Act of 1937" (42 U.S.C. s.1437 et seq.), may lodge complaints concerning any health, safety, or general well-being issues related to the living conditions associated with the public housing facility.

The hotline is required, at a minimum, to:

· include among its staff of live operators persons who speak English and Spanish;

· offer a multilingual, interactive voice technology response as an alternative option; and

· protect caller anonymity.

Under the bill, the hotline is required to receive calls related to the living conditions associated with public housing and is authorized to respond to each call with general or individualized information regarding the laws, regulations, policies, and procedures relevant to the complaints.

The bill also requires the bureau to establish and maintain a centralized, Statewide database compiling the substantiated complaints lodged from the hotline for the development of a comparative profile of the applicable public housing facilities, and to post the profile for public inspection on the bureau’s Internet website in an easily accessible location.

The database is required to contain information including, but not limited to:

· the total number of substantiated complaints lodged, including the total number of substantiated complaints lodged per public housing facility;

· categories concerning the nature of the substantiated complaints of the living conditions;

· whether the Commissioner of Community Affairs or local agency have discovered a violation of P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-1 et seq.) or any other law affecting the habitability or living conditions of the public facility;

· the specific corrective actions that were taken, and number of reinspections necessary, if any, to address the substantiated complaints or violations; and

· the average response time from the time of the substantiated complaint being lodged on the hotline to the time the condition was addressed and, as applicable, abated.

To ensure the integrity of both the telephone hotline and the database, and to encourage public housing occupants to use the hotline, the commissioner is required to adopt rules and regulations to provide for: the confidentiality of the names of the occupants calling the hotline and any individual named or otherwise identified during a call; and the posting, in each public housing facility, of the hotline number and the database Internet website in one or more easily accessible, publicly conspicuous locations. The bureau is authorized to employ different technologies and processes in operation of both the hotline and the database to ensure efficiency and integrity.