A4458 1R

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

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

¹1. As used in P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill):

“Bureau” means the Bureau of Housing Inspection in the Department of Community Affairs.

“Central region” means Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, and Union counties.

“Northern region” means Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren Counties.

"Pilot housing authority" means a housing authority, created or continued pursuant to P.L.1992, c.79 (C.40A:12A-1 et seq.), that has been selected by the bureau as a pilot housing authority pursuant to section 2 of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

“Pilot program” means the Public Housing Hotline Pilot Program established in the bureau pursuant to subsection a. of section 2 of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

“Pilot public housing” means public housing, as determined under the federal "United States Housing Act of 1937" (42 U.S.C. s.1437 et seq.), that is administered by a pilot housing authority. Pilot public housing shall not include housing made affordable only as a result of an occupant’s participation in the federal section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, or other tenant-based housing subsidy program.

“Southern region” means Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties.¹

¹[1.] 2.¹ a. ¹(1)¹ Within one year of the effective date of P.L. , c. ¹[(C. )]¹ (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the ¹[Bureau of Housing Inspection in the Department] Commissioner¹ of Community Affairs shall establish ¹[and maintain] in the bureau the Public Housing Hotline Pilot Program for the purpose of maintaining¹ a toll-free telephone hotline available 24 hours a day, seven days per week, through which occupants of ¹pilot¹ public housing ¹[, as determined under the federal "United States Housing Act of 1937" (42 U.S.C. s.1437 et seq.),]¹ may lodge complaints concerning any health, safety, or general well-being issues related to the living conditions associated with the public housing facility.

¹(2) The Commissioner of Community Affairs shall select for participation in the pilot program one housing authority in each of the northern, central, and southern regions to serve as the pilot housing authority for that region. The pilot housing authority for the southern region shall be a housing authority for which the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development has intervened to take possession of the authority’s programs, projects, and assets within the five years preceding the enactment of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill). The pilot program shall operate for three years following the establishment of the hotline pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection.¹

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 ¹pilot¹ 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 ¹pilot¹ 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.

¹d. Within 90 days following the conclusion of each administrative year for the pilot program, the commissioner shall submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), regarding the results of the pilot program. The report shall include, but not be limited to, a discussion of the volume and subjects of complaints received, and the role of the pilot program in facilitating resolutions to complaints. The final report shall include the opinion of the commissioner on the advisability of continuing, expanding, or modifying the pilot program.¹

¹[2.] 3.¹ a. The bureau shall establish and maintain a centralized ¹[, Statewide]¹ database compiling the substantiated complaints lodged from the hotline established pursuant to section ¹[1] 2¹ of P.L. , c. ¹[(C. )]¹ (pending before the Legislature as this bill) for which the bureau shall use to develop a comparative living condition profile of the ¹[applicable] pilot¹ 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.

¹[3.] 4.¹ 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. ¹[(C. )]¹ (pending before the Legislature as this bill) to ensure the integrity of both the telephone hotline and the database established pursuant to sections ¹[1] 2¹ and ¹[2] 3¹ of P.L. , c. ¹[(C. and )]¹ (pending before the Legislature as this bill), and to encourage ¹pilot¹ 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 ¹pilot¹ public housing facility, of the hotline number and the database Internet website in one or more easily accessible, publicly conspicuous locations.

¹[4.] 5.¹ This act shall take effect immediately ¹, and shall expire upon submission of the final report required to be prepared pursuant to subsection d. of section 2 of this act¹.