S2954

An Act concerning access to information for veterans seeking public employment and supplementing Title 38A of the New Jersey Statutes.

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

1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the “New Jersey Veterans to Local Government Employment Act.”

2. a. The Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs shall, in consultation with the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, provide information related to veteran employment and training on its website. The website shall serve as a centralized resource for veterans to access the various public employment and training opportunities available to them at the federal, State, county, and municipal government levels, and shall provide information on additional resources related to career opportunities for veterans and the transition to civilian employment.

b. The website shall, at a minimum, include the following information and resources:

(1) the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs resources concerning the civil service preference for veterans and the Civil Service Veterans Preference Claim form;

(2) the Civil Service Commission’s resources for veterans, including information on the rule of three and current civil service job announcements;

(3) the Division of Local Government Services’ list of job vacancies in county and municipal government entities within the State that do not operate under the provisions of Title 11A, Civil Service, of the New Jersey Statutes, and the additional information and resources, required pursuant to section 4 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill);

(4) the Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s job search engine and information concerning veteran services;

(5) resources made available by federal government entities, including, but not limited to the United States Department of Labor, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Department of Defense Transition Assistance Program;

(6) veteran’s guides and resources made available from governmental, private, nonprofit, and other entities that seek to assist veterans in their transition to civilian employment; and

(7) any other information the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs deems appropriate.

3. The Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs, through its regional network of Veteran Service Offices, shall provide paper copies of the department’s Civil Service Veterans Preference Claim form and any veterans employment informational packets provided on the website at all such offices. The paper copies shall also be available for dissemination at each “Veteran Outreach Campaign” event scheduled by the department.

4. The Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs shall develop and maintain a list of all job vacancies in county and municipal government entities within the State for those entities that do not operate under the provisions of Title 11A, Civil Service, of the New Jersey Statutes. The list shall include any applicable information concerning veterans preferences that may be provided by such county and municipal government entities for such vacancies. The division shall also provide information and resources for individuals seeking employment with, and individuals currently employed by, such government entities, as appropriate. The list, and the information and resources, required pursuant to this section shall be made publicly available on the division’s website.

5. This act shall take effect on the 30th day after the date of enactment, except that the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs and the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.

STATEMENT

This bill, the “NJ Veterans to Local Government Employment Act,” requires the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs (DMVA) to include an employment information section on its website and to provide certain documents at Veteran Service Offices and certain outreach events.

The DMVA, in consultation with the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, will be required to, at a minimum, provide DMVA’s Civil Service Veterans Preference Claim form and certain information and resources concerning career opportunities for veterans and the transition to civilian employment. The DMVA’s website will serve as a centralized resource for veterans to access the various public employment and training opportunities available to them at the federal, State, county, and municipal government levels.

The DMVA, through its regional network of Veteran Service Offices, will also provide paper copies of its Civil Service Veterans Preference Claim form and any veterans employment informational packets provided on the website at all such offices and at each “Veteran Outreach Campaign” event scheduled by the DMVA.

This bill also requires the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs to develop and maintain a list of all job vacancies in county and municipal government entities within the State for those entities that do not operate under the provisions of the “Civil Service Act,” which must include any applicable veterans preferences for those vacancies and be made publicly available on the division’s website. The division’s website must also provide information and resources for individuals seeking employment with, and individuals currently employed by, these government entities, as appropriate.