Barnes & Singleton Bills Repealing Outdated State Laws & Eliminating Unneeded State Commissions and Boards Released by Assembly Panel

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(TRENTON) - Legislation Assembly Democrats Peter Barnes and Troy Singleton sponsored to repeal provisions of state law that are no longer relevant and eliminate unneeded state commissions and boards were released Thursday by an Assembly panel.
"Clearly, we no longer need to worry too much about stallions running at large and rams trespassing," said Barnes (D-Middlesex). "These laws are anachronistic in nature, belonging to an earlier time and irrelevant in the current legal, political and social climate. And these boards no longer serve any purpose. Let's clean this up."
"I'm sure at some point we needed to be concerned about permitting a bull to run at large, but that time has passed," said Singleton (D-Burlington). "Let's clean up the books and get rid of some of this unneeded bureaucracy."
One bill (A-3726) would repeal the provisions of law associated with the following topics and issues:

  • Records, rerecords, entries or abstracts of mortgages, and certified transcripts of these instruments as evidence;
  • Permitting a stallion to run at large; 
  • Permitting a bull to run at large; 
  • Rams trespassing or going at large during a specific period each year;
  • Pursuers of thieves may be appointed by private detective association;
  • Public drinking cups and infectious disease concerns;
  • Transportation of infected persons and items by common carriers;
  • Occupations forbidden to persons infected with venereal disease;
  • Permit to move persons with venereal disease from one jurisdiction to another; 
  • Examination of presumed typhoid carriers and involuntary commitment of confirmed carriers;
  • Killing of an unmuzzled dog running at large;
  • Separation of debtors and criminals in prison; 
  • Victualing of county prisoners;
  • Prisoners in workhouses - master to keep prisoners at labor and punish prisoners for misconduct and escape; 
  • County hospitals for communicable diseases;
  • Municipal hospitals for communicable diseases;
  • Recovery of shipwrecked bodies, disposition of personal property from shipwreck victims, and maintenance of medical examiner's records pertaining to shipwrecks;
  • Turnpike or plank road companies - vacation of public rights in, and relief from public duties associated with, turnpike or plank road; and
  • The Unfair Cigarette Sales Act of 1948. 

The other bill (A-3067) would eliminate boards and commissions that no longer are needed, including:

  • Arthur Brisbane Child Treatment Center Board of Trustees;
  • Bio-Analytical Laboratories Advisory Commission;
  • Commissioner's Advisory Committee to the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Disabled;
  • Statewide Health Coordinating Council;
  • Consolidated Police and Firemen's Pension Fund Commission;
  • Office of Information Technology Governing Board;
  • Prison Officer's Pension Commission;
  • Bank Advisory Commission;
  • Landscape Architect Exam and Evaluation Commission;
  • New Jersey Securities Law Study Commission;
  • Environmental Risk Management Study Commission;
  • Criminal Sentencing and Disposition Commission;
  • New Jersey Death Penalty Study Commission;
  • Advisory Council on Community Affairs;
  • Board of Recreation Examiners of the State of New Jersey;
  • State Housing Commission;
  • Replace references to Student Assistance Board with Higher Education Student Assistance Authority;
  • General Aviation Study Commission;
  • Replace references to "CEO and Secretary of the New Jersey Commerce and Economic Growth Board of Directions" with executive director of EDA;
  • Replace references to New Jersey Commerce Commission with EDA;
  • Replace references to New Jersey Development Authority for Small Businesses, Minorities, Women's Enterprises with EDA;
  • Replace references to New Jersey Expressway Authority with SJTA, if possible;
  • Replace references to New Jersey Highway Authority with NJ Turnpike Authority, if possible;
  • Transfer any ongoing functions of Dredging Project Facilitation Task Force to DOT;
  • Transfer any ongoing functions of Low Emission Vehicle Review Commission to DOT;
  • Transfer any ongoing function of Meadowlands Transportation Planning Board to DOT;
  • Transfer any ongoing functions of New Capital Sources Board to EDA;
  • Transfer any ongoing functions of New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology to EDA; and
  • Transfer the Statewide Public Safety Communications Commission to Department of Law and Public Safety.

The bills were released by the Assembly Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee.

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