Authorizes regional rehabilitation and reentry center authority to determine county proportional share assessment for budget purposes.

2026-2027 Regular Session Introduced by Jim Beach and 1 co-sponsor

The bill lets the Regional Rehabilitation and Reentry Center Authority set each county’s proportional share of the budget for rehabilitation and reentry services.

Passed Assembly (Passed Both Houses) (71-7-1)

Summary of Bill S 4420 (Session 222, New Jersey)

Purpose and intent

The bill authorizes the Regional Rehabilitation and Reentry Center Authority to determine each county’s proportional share of the budget. This is for budgeting purposes related to the Authority’s operations.

By granting authority to set proportional shares, the bill aims to formalize how funding responsibilities are allocated among counties served by the Regional Rehabilitation and Reentry Center Authority.

Key provisions and changes

Authority scope: The Regional Rehabilitation and Reentry Center Authority gains explicit power to calculate and assign budgetary contributions from each county.

Proportional share method: The proportional shares must reflect each county’s appropriate portion of the overall budget for the centers’ rehabilitation and reentry functions. The bill may define factors or a methodology (e.g., population, utilization, or other metrics) to determine each county’s share, though the exact formula details are not specified in the summary.

Budgeting process: Counties will be expected to contribute according to the Authority-determined proportional shares as part of the annual budget process.

Administrative alignment: The measure aims to align funding responsibility with the Authority’s governance and service footprint, potentially improving financial predictability and accountability for rehabilitative and reentry services.

Who would be affected

Counties within the Regional Rehabilitation and Reentry Center Authority’s jurisdiction: Their financial obligations would be based on the proportional shares established by the Authority.

Regional Rehabilitation and Reentry Center Authority: The Authority gains an explicit mechanism to determine and collect county contributions, influencing its budget planning and resource allocation.

Rehabilitation and reentry program beneficiaries: Indirectly affected through the funded programs and services whose continuity and scope may depend on stable, clearly defined funding from member counties.

Procedural and timeline aspects

The bill transfers or clarifies budgeting authority to the Regional Rehabilitation and Reentry Center Authority, potentially creating a statutory framework for computing proportional shares on an annual basis.

It outlines a formal process for determining each county’s share, which would tie into annual budget adoption and funding cycles.

The presence of a co-sponsor (Jim Beach) indicates legislative support, but the summary does not specify committee action timelines or amendments.

Notes and considerations

The summary does not include the exact formula or criteria to compute proportional shares; such details would be found in the text of the bill or accompanying administrative rules.

Impact considerations include: how proportional shares are calculated (e.g., fair distribution, changes in county populations or service usage), how shortfalls or overruns are handled, and how this funding mechanism interacts with state aid, grants, or other sources for rehabilitation and reentry programs.

Stakeholders to watch include participating counties, the Authority’s leadership, program providers, and advocates for rehabilitative services.

If you’d like, I can pull specific language from the bill text to provide a more granular breakdown of the proposed formula, governance provisions, and implementation timelines.