Provides for training and education for sustainable wage jobs and traditional and nontraditional employment in public assistance employment programs

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Karines Reyes and 2 co-sponsors

Establishes a veteran gravesite maintenance grant program under NJ DMVA to fund qualified veterans’ organizations for gravesite upkeep, with reporting and future appropriations.

REFERRED TO SOCIAL SERVICES

Summary of Bill A 2188 (Introduced Version)

Overview
- A 2188 would establish a veteran gravesite maintenance grant program within the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA).
- The purpose is to provide grants to qualified veterans’ organizations to help maintain veteran gravesites across New Jersey.
- The introduced language indicates the bill would supplement Chapter 3 of Title 38A of the New Jersey Statutes.

Key Provisions
- Establishment of the program
- Creates a veteran gravesite maintenance grant program within DMVA.
- The program is designed to provide grants to qualified veterans’ organizations for the upkeep of veteran gravesites.
- Eligible recipients
- “Qualified veterans’ organization” means a nonprofit veterans’ organization that is either:
- A 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) tax-exempt organization under the Internal Revenue Code, or
- A federally chartered Veterans’ Service Organization.
- Administration and rules
- DMVA must develop:
- Guidelines and procedures for grant applications.
- Criteria for evaluating applications.
- DMVA must establish terms and conditions for grants and monitor compliance by recipients.
- Recipients must report to DMVA on how grant funds are used.
- DMVA must submit an annual report (to the Governor and, per statutory requirements, the Legislature) on the grant program’s effectiveness in maintaining gravesites during each year a grant is awarded.
- DMVA may adopt rules and regulations under the Administrative Procedure Act to implement the program.
- Funding and budgeting
- The Adjutant General must include in the DMVA’s annual budget request funds sufficient to carry out the program’s purposes.
- Implementation is contingent on future appropriation by the Legislature.
- Effective date
- The act takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Timeline and Status
- Introduced: January 9, 2024.
- Legislative history shows referrals to Assembly committees and later action noting a deferral or re-referral to Social Services on certain dates.
- Sponsors include Jo Anne Simon (primary) with Phil Steck and Karines Reyes as cosponsors.
- Related bills and companion legislation exist (e.g., S 1286; several prior-session A and S bills).

Impact and Implementation Considerations
- Purpose and beneficiaries: Provides structured funding and oversight to support maintenance of veteran gravesites through qualified organizations.
- Oversight and accountability: Requires reporting on fund use and annual effectiveness reports to the Governor and Legislature.
- Funding risk: Program depends on future legislative appropriations; no dollar amounts are specified in the introduced version.
- Administrative burden: Requires DMVA to develop guidelines, track compliance, and administer grants, including potential rulemaking.

Sponsor context and related bills
- Primary sponsor: Jo Anne Simon; cosponsors Phil Steck and Karines Reyes.
- Related legislation includes companion and prior-session bills (e.g., S 1286; multiple A and S predecessors).

Notes
- The bill’s stated objective focuses on veteran gravesite maintenance rather than public assistance employment or wage-training themes, despite the initial bill title provided in the prompt.