New Jersey SCR 99: Creates joint committee of Legislature to study report entitled "Independent Review of New Jersey's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic."

Bill Text

(Sponsorship Updated As Of: 4/8/2024) 
SENATE CONCURRENT 
RESOLUTION No. 99  
STATE OF NEW JERSEY 
221st LEGISLATURE 
   
INTRODUCED APRIL 8, 2024 
 
 
Sponsored by: 
Senator  ANTHONY M. BUCCO 
District 25 (Morris and Passaic) 
Senator  KRISTIN M. CORRADO 
District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic) 
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS 
 Creates joint committee of Legislature to study report entitled “Independent 
Review of New Jersey’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.”  
 
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT  
 As introduced. 
    

 
SCR99 A.M.BUCCO, CORRADO 
2 
 
 
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION creating  a  joint  committee  of  the 1 
Legislature to study the report entitled “Independent Review of 2 
New Jersey’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.” 3 
 4 
 BE IT RESOLVED by  the  Senate  of  the  State  of  New  Jersey (the 5 
General Assembly concurring): 6 
 7 
 1. There is created a joint body of the Legislature to be known 8 
as the “Joint Committee on New Jersey’s Response to the COVID-9 
19  Pandemic.” The joint committee shall consist  of  12  members  of 10 
the  Legislature.   Three  members  shall  be  appointed  by  the Speaker 11 
of  the  General  Assembly, three  members  shall  be  appointed  by  the 12 
Minority  Leader  of  the  General  Assembly,  three  members  shall  be 13 
appointed  by  the  Senate  President,  and  three  members  shall  be 14 
appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate.  There shall be two 15 
co-chairs   of   the   special   committee,   appointed   from   different 16 
political  parties,  one  of  whom  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Senate 17 
President  from  among  the  appointed  members  and  one  of  whom 18 
shall  be  appointed  by  the  Speaker of  the  General  Assembly from 19 
among the appointed members.  Vacancies in the membership of the 20 
joint  committee  shall  be  filled  in  the  same  manner  as  the  original 21 
appointments are made. 22 
 23 
 2. The  joint  committee  shall  adopt  rules  for  the  operation  and 24 
the conduct  of  its  business,  including  the selection  of a  secretary 25 
who need not be a member of the joint committee. 26 
 27 
 3. The  joint  committee  is  authorized,  empowered,  and  directed 28 
to study the report produced by Montgomery McCracken Walker & 29 
Rhoads LLP, titled “Independent Review of New Jersey’s Response 30 
to  the COVID-19 Pandemic.”  The joint  committee, in  its  endeavor 31 
to  study  this  report,  shall  meet  and  hold  hearings, as  it  shall 32 
designate during the sessions or recesses of the Legislature. 33 
 34 
 4. The joint  committee shall  be  entitled to  call to its  assistance 35 
and avail itself of the services of the employees of the State of New 36 
Jersey,  any  political  subdivision  of  the  State,  and  any  agency 37 
thereof,  as  may  be  required  and  as  may  be  available  for  that 38 
purpose,  and  to  employ  any  other  services  as  may  be  deemed 39 
necessary,  in  order  to  perform  the  duties  provided  herein,  and 40 
within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available 41 
for that purpose. 42 
  43 
 5. The   joint   committee   shall   report   its   findings   to   the 44 
Legislature  on  a  routine  basis,  and  may  make  other  reports  as  it 45 
deems necessary or desirable. 46 
 47 
 6. This resolution shall take effect immediately. 48 

 
SCR99 A.M.BUCCO, CORRADO 
3 
 
 
STATEMENT 1 
 2 
 This  Senate  concurrent  resolution  creates a  joint  committee  of 3 
the Legislature to study the report entitled “Independent Review of 4 
New Jersey’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.” 5 
 The  joint  committee  is  authorized,  empowered,  and  directed  to 6 
study  the  report  produced  by Montgomery  McCracken  Walker  & 7 
Rhoads   LLP,   entitled “Independent  Review  of  New  Jersey’s 8 
Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.”   9 
 The   joint   committee   is   to   consist   of   12   members   of   the 10 
Legislature.   Three  members  are  to  be  appointed  by  the  Speaker  of 11 
the  General  Assembly,  three  members  are  to  be  appointed  by  the 12 
Minority  Leader of the General Assembly, three members are to be 13 
appointed  by  the  Senate  President,  and  three  members  are  to  be 14 
appointed  by  the  Minority  Leader  of  the  Senate.  There  are  to  be 15 
two  co-chairs  of  the  special  committee,  appointed  from  different 16 
political  parties,  one  of  whom  is  to  be  appointed  by  the  Senate 17 
President  from  among  the  appointed  members  and  one  of  whom  is 18 
to  be  appointed  by  the  Speaker  of  the  General  Assembly  from 19 
among the appointed members.   20 
 In  creating  this  joint  committee,  it  is  the  sponsor’s  intent  to 21 
address   the   concerns   and   issues   raised   in the   report   titled, 22 
“Independent Review of New Jersey’s Response  to  the  COVID-19 23 
Pandemic,” which  concludes  that  New  Jersey  is  unprepared  for  the 24 
next public health crisis.