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A 4443

Relates to the residence of a sex offender near a school and the victim of such offender

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Kwani O'Pharrow

Creates a voluntary School Aid Contribution Fund funded by tax refunds/donations to boost state school aid; funds go to districts per SFRA, not replacing prior-year funding.

REFERRED TO CORRECTION
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Bill Summary · A 4443

Comprehensive Summary: Bill A 4443

Note on title vs. content
- The bill’s title references residence of a sex offender near a school, but the introduced version provided focuses on establishing a voluntary contribution mechanism to support state school aid. This summary reflects the introduced text and its immediate provisions, not any separate policy on sex offender residence.

Overview

  • Bill number: A 4443
  • Title (introduced): Relates to the residence of a sex offender near a school and the victim of such offender
  • Introduced: May 20, 2024
  • Status: REFERRED TO CORRECTION
  • Primary sponsor: Kwani O’Pharrow
  • Related/companion: S 1778 (companion)

Purpose and Intent

  • Create a new, voluntary funding mechanism to augment State school aid beyond ongoing legislative appropriations.
  • Funds are to supplement, not replace, the base level of State school aid established by the Legislature.
  • Ensure that newly collected funds are used for school aid in a manner consistent with existing school funding law (specifically not to supplant prior-year funding).

Key Provisions

1) Establishment of the School Aid Contribution Fund

  • A special fund is established in the Department of the Treasury named the “School Aid Contribution Fund.”

2) Voluntary Contributions via Tax Return

  • Taxpayers may indicate on their New Jersey gross income tax return that a portion of their tax refund or an enclosed contribution be deposited into the School Aid Contribution Fund.
  • Purpose: to fund State school aid above the amount provided by annual legislative appropriations.

3) Administration and Deductions

  • The Division of Taxation may deduct its costs of collection or administration attributable to the Fund from receipts related to this section, as determined by the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting.
  • Net contributions collected are deposited into the School Aid Contribution Fund.

4) Allocation and Use of Funds

  • The Legislature must annually appropriate all funds in the School Aid Contribution Fund to the Department of Education.
  • The Department of Education must distribute the monies to school districts in accordance with the School Funding Reform Act of 2008 (P.L.2007, c.260; C.18A:7F-43 et al.).
  • Monies appropriated from this fund may not be used to supplant the amount of State funds for State school aid in the prior fiscal year.

5) Effective Date

  • The act takes effect immediately and applies to taxable years beginning on or after January 1 next following the date of enactment.

Implications and Potential Impact

  • Who is affected:
    • Taxpayers: given a new voluntary option to donate a portion of their tax refund to support additional State school aid.
    • Department of Treasury and Division of Taxation: administrative responsibilities and potential costs, with deductions allowed for administration.
    • Department of Education and school districts: recipients of funds; distributions must follow existing School Funding Reform Act guidelines.
  • Financial impact:
    • Creates a new, optional revenue stream intended to supplement, not replace, existing State school aid.
    • Funds are subject to annual legislative appropriation and cannot be used to supplant prior-year aid.
  • Procedural/timeline:
    • Introduced May 20, 2024; referred to Assembly Education, then listed as referred to correction (notable procedural changes on February 4, 2025).
    • Effective immediately for taxable years beginning January 1 after enactment.

Additional Information

  • Sponsors and related bills:
    • Sponsor: Kwani O’Pharrow (primary)
    • Related: S 1778 (companion); A 8452, A 5071, A 2232, A 1824 (prior-session bills)
  • Legislative actions to monitor:
    • Any further committee actions, amendments, or changes in status (e.g., passage, further referrals).

This summary presents the substantive provisions of the introduced text and their likely fiscal and administrative effects, focusing on how the School Aid Contribution Fund would operate and interact with existing school funding mechanisms.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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