Establishes a public awareness campaign concerning the dangers of social media and cell phone use by school-age children

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Paula Kay and 1 co-sponsor

Transforms State Investigator roles from unclassified to classified civil service, granting promotions, due process, and protections for all current and future investigators.

REFERRED TO MENTAL HEALTH

Summary of Assembly Bill No. 3941 (A-3941)

Note: The material provided for this bill indicates that its substantive focus is on civil service classification for State Investigators, not on a public awareness campaign about social media use. The summary below reflects the bill’s actual enacted/proposed content as reflected in the documents provided.

Overview and Purpose

The bill changes the classification status of State Investigators within the Division of Criminal Justice, Department of Law and Public Safety. Specifically, it moves the position from unclassified service to classified service within the civil service system.

By placing State Investigators in the classified service, the bill aims to extend the full protections of the civil service system to all current and future State Investigators.

Key Provisions

Section 1: Amends the statute governing the Division of Criminal Justice to establish the State Investigator position as a classified title within the civil service, rather than unclassified.

The Attorney General would appoint the number of State Investigators necessary to assist in detecting, apprehending, arresting, and convicting offenders.

State Investigators would retain powers and rights equivalent to police officers, constables, and special deputy sheriffs in criminal matters.

The Division of Criminal Justice and the Civil Service Commission are instructed to convert the titles of all employees currently in the State Investigator position from unclassified to classified service on the effective date of the act.

Section 2: The act takes effect immediately.

Impact and Beneficiaries

Affected Employees: Current and future State Investigators in the Division of Criminal Justice.

Protections and Employment Conditions: State Investigators would gain civil service protections (e.g., eligibility for promotions, due process protections, and other civil service rights) that come with classified status.

Government Operations: Potential impacts on staffing practices, hiring, removal, and performance management within the Division of Criminal Justice due to the shift to classified status.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

Introduced: March 4, 2024.

The bill’s status has progressed through various stages, with committee activity and readings noted in the records.

Legislative actions (as recorded):

Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee (initial referral).
Reported out of committee and progressed to 2nd Reading (May 15, 2025).
Passed the Assembly (75-1-1) (May 22, 2025).
Referred to the Senate (May 29, 2025); companion measure exists as S 3071.

The stated intent is to convert titles on the effective date of the act.

Notes

The documents show a potential inconsistency between the bill’s introductory title (public awareness campaign) and the actual content of A-3941 (civil service classification). The summary above reflects the content and effect as described in the bill’s text and legislative actions found in the records provided.

Bill