SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 4151

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 24, 2026

      The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 4151.

      As amended, this bill expands the scope of where Class Three special law enforcement officers may provide security to include places of religious worship.  The bill further requires school districts that hire these officers to provide security in public schools to also hire them for the nonpublic schools in the district.  The bill permits a nonpublic school to enter into a memorandum of understanding with a municipality or local unit outside the municipality where the nonpublic school is located for security services.  Under the bill, the school district would be responsible for compensating the municipality for the officer’s services in both public and nonpublic schools. 

      P.L.2016, c.68 established an additional category of “Class Three” special law enforcement officers under the Special Law Enforcement Officers’ Act to provide security in this State’s public and nonpublic schools and county colleges.  Appointed by the local police department, these officers are authorized to exercise the full powers and duties as those accorded full-time police officers of the department.  A person is eligible to be appointed as a Class Three special law enforcement officer if he or she is a retired police officer less than 65 years old and has served as a duly qualified, fully-trained, full-time municipal or county police officer or was regularly employed as a full-time member of the State Police within the previous three years.  The person also has to be physically capable of performing the job and have the appropriate law enforcement and safe schools resource officer training.  These officers may be employed only to assist municipal police departments and are not to be used to replace or substitute for full-time police officers. They may only be hired in a part-time capacity. 

      Specifically under the bill, in addition to providing security in public and nonpublic schools and county colleges, Class Three officers could provide security in churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, or any other building used by a congregation as a place of religious worship.

      The bill does not require school districts to hire Class Three officers, but if they are hired to work in the public schools, these officers are also to be made available in nonpublic schools within the district.  Under the bill, school districts, not public or nonpublic schools, would be required to directly pay for these officers.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to permit nonpublic schools to enter into a memorandum of understanding with a municipality or local unit outside the municipality where the nonpublic school is located for security services.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      This bill is not certified as requiring a fiscal note.