New Jersey S 2701: Requires Department of Human Services to develop public emergency response plan for licensed providers of services to individuals with developmental disabilities.

Bill Text

S2701 

SENATE, No. 2701 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Senator BRITNEE N. TIMBERLAKE

District 34 (Essex)

Senator M. TERESA RUIZ

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

���� Permits companion to receive PFRS accidental death 
pension when there is no surviving spouse; requires adjustment of final 
compensation for calculation of accidental death benefit for surviving spouse, 
companion, and children of PFRS members.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative 
Counsel.

�� 

An Act concerning accidental death benefits for survivors of 
members of the Police and Firemen�s Retirement System of New Jersey, and 
amending P.L.1944, c.255.

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

���� 1.� Section 10 of P.L.1944, 
c.255 (C.43:16A-10) is amended to read as follows:

���� 10.� (1) Upon the death of a 
member in active service as a result of:

���� (a)�� an accident met in the 
actual performance of duty at some definite time and place, or

���� (b)�� service in the reserve 
component of the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard in a 
federal active duty status, and such death was not the result of the member's 
willful negligence, an accidental death benefit shall be payable if a report of 
the accident is filed in the office of the retirement system within 60 days 
next following the accident, but the board of trustees may waive such time 
limit, for a reasonable period, if in the judgment of the board the 
circumstances warrant such action.� No such application shall be valid or acted 
upon unless it is filed in the office of the retirement system within five 
years of the date of such death.

���� The provisions of this 
subsection shall also apply to a member who is a fireman and who dies as a 
result of an accident met in the actual performance of duty as a volunteer 
fireman in any municipality in the State, provided the member's death was not 
the result of the member's willful negligence.

���� (2)�� Upon the receipt of 
proper proofs of the death of a member on account of which an accidental death 
benefit is payable, there shall be paid to his widow or widower a pension of 
70% of the compensation upon which contributions by the member to the annuity savings 
fund were based in the last year of creditable service, or of adjusted final 
compensation, as appropriate, or a pension of $50,000 when death occurs on 
or after the effective date of P.L.2020, c.151, whichever is greater, for the 
use of herself or himself and the children of the deceased member. [; if] If there 
is no surviving widow or widower, 70% of such compensation or adjusted final 
compensation, or a pension of $50,000, whichever is greater, shall be paid to 
the member�s companion as defined herein. If there is no surviving widow or 
widower or in case the widow or widower dies or if there is no companion or 
in the case the companion dies, 70% of such compensation, or adjusted 
final compensation, as the case may be, will be payable to the member's 
surviving child or surviving children in equal shares.

���� If there is no surviving 
widow, widower, companion, or child, 25% of the compensation upon which 
contributions by the member to the annuity savings fund were based in the last 
year of creditable service, will be payable to one surviving dependent parent 
or 40% of such compensation will be payable to two surviving parents in equal 
shares.

���� As used in this section, 
"adjusted final compensation" means the amount of compensation upon 
which contributions by the member to the annuity savings fund were based in the 
last year of creditable service or final compensation as adjusted, as the case 
may be, increased by the same percentage increase which is applied in any 
adjustments of the compensation schedule of active members after the member's 
death and before the date on which the deceased member of the retirement system 
would have accrued 25 years of service under an assumption of continuous 
service, at which time the amount resulting from such increases shall become 
fixed and shall be the basis for any adjustments pursuant to the Pension 
Adjustment Act, P.L.1958, c.143 (C.43:3B-1 et seq.).� Any adjustments to 
compensation or adjusted final compensation shall take effect at the same time 
as any adjustments in the compensation schedule of active members.� The 
provisions of the Pension Adjustment Act shall not apply to any pension based 
upon adjusted final compensation other than the fixed pension in effect at the 
conclusion of the 25-year period.

���� In the event of accidental 
death occurring in the first year of creditable service, the benefits, payable 
pursuant to this subsection, shall be computed at the annual rate of 
compensation.

���� (3)�� If there is no surviving 
widow, widower, companion, child or dependent parent, there