Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman LUANNE M. PETERPAUL
District 11 (Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Requires Office of Eviction Prevention to publish eviction-related data.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning evictions and amending P.L.2021, c.188.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 5 of P.L.2021, c.188 (C.52:27D-287.11) is amended to read as follows:
5. a. Within 60 days of the enactment of P.L.2021, c.188 (C.52:27D-287.7 et al.), the department shall establish an "Office of Eviction Prevention," which shall be responsible for:
(1) identifying all federal, State, local and other sources of financial assistance which are intended or could be used to prevent the eviction of residential tenants, including but not limited to programs which provide both deep and shallow rental subsidies;
(2) becoming knowledgeable with regard to the application process for each such program; and
(3) identifying, and proposing remedies for, the gaps in the overall assistance system, especially in relation to eligibility requirements and the need for addition to, or revision of, subsidy programs so as to provide appropriate assistance of various sorts and in various amounts to households at different income levels.
b. This office shall be responsible for the compilation, publication, and ongoing update of this information, and shall also be responsible for working collaboratively with at least one non-profit, community-based organization in each county so that such organizations are able to provide information regarding the availability of and means of accessing such financial assistance by at-risk tenants.
c. This office shall collaborate with the Administrative Office of the Courts to collect data on eviction filings in each vicinage in the State. The Director of the Office of Eviction Prevention is authorized to collect and to define the data by county as necessary to effectuate the purpose of this subsection. This data shall be made publicly available on the Internet website of the Office of Eviction Prevention and shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) the number of filings in landlord-tenant-related litigation in each county;
(2) the number of households served by summons and complaint in landlord-tenant-related litigation in each county;
(3) the number of eviction orders issued in each county;
(4) the number of filed cases resulting in an eviction in each county; and
(5) the number of evictions averted in each county.
(cf: P.L.2021, c.188, s.5)
2. This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Office of Eviction Prevention (OEP) to publish eviction-related data.
Under the bill, the OEP is required to collaborate with the Administrative Office of the Courts to collect data on eviction filings in each vicinage in the State. The Director of the OEP is authorized to collect and to define the data by county as necessary for the purposes of this bill. This data is to be made publicly available on the Internet website of the OEP. The data must include, but need not be limited to, the number of filings in landlord-tenant-related litigation in each county, the number of households served by summons and complaint in landlord-tenant-related litigation in each county, the number of eviction orders issued in each county, the number of filed cases resulting in an eviction, and the number of evictions averted in each county.