New Jersey S 3711: Revises "Paratransit Services Improvement Act"; transfers $6 million from NJT to DHS.

Bill Text

SENATE, No. 3711

STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED MARCH 13, 2023

Sponsored by:
Senator VIN GOPAL
District 11 (Monmouth)

SYNOPSIS
Revises “Paratransit Services Improvement Act”; transfers $6 million from
NJT to DHS.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.

S3711 GOPAL
2

EXPLANATION – Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is
not enacted and is intended to be omitted in the law.

Matter underlined thus is new matter.
AN ACT concerning the paratransit best practices pilot program and 1
amending P.L.2020, c.114. 2
3
BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State 4
of New Jersey: 5
6
1. Section 3 of P.L.2020, c.114 (C.27:25-37) is amended to read 7
as follows: 8
3. For the purposes of P.L.2020, c.114 (C.27:25-35 et seq.): 9
"Community organization" means an organization that provides 10
programs and services to persons with disabilities. 11
"Corporation" means the New Jersey Transit Corporation. 12
"Corporation paratransit service" means the paratransit service 13
that is managed, administered, or provided directly through the New 14
Jersey Transit Corporation's operating budget, as a part of the 15
Access Link program or any successor program to meet the 16
requirements of the "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990" 17
(42 U.S.C. s.12101 et seq.), and does not include services directly 18
provided by county transit agencies. 19
"County transit agency" means a transportation service organized 20
under or in conjunction with a county government to provide trips 21
to senior citizens and residents with disabilities under the "Senior 22
Citizen and Disabled Resident Transportation Assistance Act," 23
P.L.1983, c.578 (C.27:25-25 et seq.). 24
"Department" means, unless another meaning clearly applies, the 25
Department of Human Services. 26
"Division" means the Division of Developmental Disabilities in 27
the Department of Human Services. 28
"Northern region of the State" means the counties of Bergen, 29
Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, 30
Sussex, Union, and Warren. 31
"Paratransit provider" means any organization or entity that 32
provides paratransit services, including State and local transit 33
agencies, directly or through contract service, and community 34
organizations that provide transportation trips, either directly or 35
through a third party, funded by the Department of Human Services 36
or the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services within the 37
Department of Labor and Workforce Development. 38
"Paratransit service" means and includes any transportation 39
service other than fixed route transportation service, except that 40
"paratransit service" does not include private or charter services 41
provided by taxicabs, limousines, or transportation network 42
companies. 43
"Southern region of the State" means the counties of Atlantic, 44
Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, 45
Monmouth, Ocean, and Salem. 46
(cf: P.L.2020, c.114, s.3) 47

S3711 GOPAL
3

2. Section 5 of P.L.2020, c.114 (C.27:25-39) is amended to read 1
as follows: 2
5. a. (1) The [New Jersey Transit Corporation] Division of 3
Developmental Disabilities within the Department of Human 4
Services, in consultation with the [Department of Human Services] 5
New Jersey Transit Corporation, shall develop and implement a 6
paratransit best practices pilot program. 7
(2) The [corporation] division, in consultation with the 8
[department] corporation, shall select a qualified community 9
organization to assist it in developing and implementing the pilot 10
program. The qualified community organization shall meet the 11
following criteria: 12
(a) the organization shall operate a facility that provides 13
services to persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities; 14
(b) the organization shall directly provide paratransit services to 15
persons with disabilities with those services paid, in whole or in 16
part, by funds received from the Department of Human Services and 17
the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services within the 18
Department of Labor and Workforce Development; 19
(c) within the previous five years, the organization has received 20
a Federal Transit Administration grant awarded by and administered 21
through the New Jersey Transit Corporation for improvement to 22
paratransit services; 23
(d) during the previous five-year period, the organization has 24
demonstrated improvement in key performance metrics, including 25
average trip time, vehicle accidents, and cost per passenger mile for 26
paratransit services; and 27
(e) the organization provides transportation trips on a sufficient 28
scale, including at least 250 daily trips under normal operating 29
conditions. 30
b. Phase one of the pilot program shall include the following: 31
[A training module for paratransit best practices shall be 32
developed jointly by the qualified community organization and the 33
New Jersey Transit Corporation in consul