58:11B-4 - "New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust"
58:11B-4. "New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust"
4. a. There is established in, but not of, the Department of Environmental Protection a body corporate and politic, with corporate succession, to be known as the "New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust." The trust is constituted as an instrumentality of the State exercising public and essential governmental functions, no part of whose revenues shall accrue to the benefit of any individual, and the exercise by the trust of the powers conferred by the provisions of P.L.1985, c.334 (C.58:11B-1 et seq.) or P.L.1997, c.224 (C.58:11B-10.1 et al.), shall be deemed and held to be an essential governmental function of the State.
b. The trust shall consist of a seven-member board of directors composed of the State Treasurer, the Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs, and the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, who shall be members ex officio; one person appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the President of the Senate and one person appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly, who shall serve during the two-year legislative term in which they are appointed; and two residents of the State appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, who shall serve for terms of four years, except that the first two appointed shall serve terms of two and three years respectively. Each appointed director shall serve until his successor has been appointed and qualified. A director is eligible for reappointment. Any vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment, but for the unexpired term only.
With respect to those public members first appointed by the Governor, the appointment of each of the two members upon the advice and consent of the Senate shall become effective 30 days after their nomination by the Governor if the Senate has not given advice and consent on those nominations within that time period; the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly each shall recommend to the Governor a public member for appointment within 20 days following the effective date of this act, and a recommendation made in this manner shall become effective if the Governor makes the appointment in accordance with the recommendation, in writing, within 10 days of the Governor's receipt thereof. In each instance where the Governor fails to make the appointment, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly shall make new recommendations subject to appointment by the Governor as determined in this section.
c. Each appointed director may be removed from office by the Governor for cause, upon the Governor's consideration of the findings and recommendations of an administrative law judge after a public hearing before the judge, and may be suspended by the Governor pending the completion of the hearing. Each director, before entering upon his duties, shall take and subscribe an oath to perform the duties of his office faithfully, impartially and justly to the best of his ability. A record of oaths shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State.
d. The Governor shall designate one of the appointed members to be the chairman and chief executive officer of the trust and the directors shall biannually elect a vice-chairman from among the appointed directors. The chairman shall serve as such for a term of two years and until a successor has been designated. A chairman shall be eligible to succeed himself for one additional two-year term. The directors shall elect a secretary and treasurer, who need not be directors, and the same person may be elected to serve as both secretary and treasurer.
The powers of the trust are vested in the directors in office from time to time and four directors shall constitute a quorum at any meeting. Action may be taken and motions and resolutions adopted by the trust by the affirmative majority vote of those directors present, but in no event shall any action be taken or motions or resolutions adopted without the affirmative vote of at least four members. No vacancy on the board of directors of the trust shall impair the right of a quorum of the directors to exercise the powers and perform the duties of the trust.
e. Each director and the treasurer of the trust shall execute a bond to be conditioned upon the faithful performance of the duties of the director or treasurer in a form and amount as may be prescribed by the State Treasurer. Bonds shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State. At all times thereafter, the directors and treasurer shall maintain these bonds in full effect. All costs of the bonds shall be borne by the trust.
f. The directors of the trust shall serve without compensation, but the trust shall reimburse the directors for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary, no officer or employee of the State shall be deemed to have forfeited or shall forfeit his office or employment or any benefits or emoluments thereof by reason of his acceptance of the office of ex officio director of the trust or his services thereon.
g. Each ex officio director may designate an officer of his department to represent him at meetings of the trust. Each designee may lawfully vote and otherwise act on behalf of the director for whom he constitutes the designee. The designation shall be delivered in writing to the trust and shall continue in effect until revoked or amended in writing and delivered to the trust.
h. The trust may be dissolved by law; provided the trust has no debts or obligations outstanding or that provision has been made for the payment or retirement of these debts or obligations. The trust shall continue in existence until dissolved by act of the Legislature. Upon any dissolution of the trust all property, funds and assets of the trust shall be vested in the State.
i. A true copy of the minutes of every meeting of the trust shall be forthwith delivered by and under the certification of the secretary thereof to the Governor and at the same time to the Senate and General Assembly. The time and act of this delivery shall be duly recorded on a delivery receipt. No action taken or motion or resolution adopted at a meeting by the trust shall have effect until 10 days, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, after a copy of the minutes has been delivered to the Governor, unless during the 10-day period the Governor shall approve all or part of the actions taken or motions or resolutions adopted, in which case the action or motion or resolution shall become effective upon the approval.
If, in the 10-day period, the Governor returns the copy of the minutes with a veto of any action taken by the trust or any member thereof at that meeting, the action shall be of no effect. The Senate or General Assembly shall have the right to provide written comments concerning the minutes to the Governor within the 10-day period, which comments shall be returned to the trust by the Governor with his approval or veto of the minutes.
The powers conferred in this subsection upon the Governor shall be exercised with due regard for the rights of the holders of bonds, notes and other obligations of the trust at any time outstanding, and nothing in, or done pursuant to, this subsection shall in any way limit, restrict or alter the obligation or powers of the trust or any representative or officer of the trust to carry out and perform each covenant, agreement or contract made or entered into by or on behalf of the trust with respect to its bonds, notes or other obligations or for the benefit, protection or security of the holders thereof.
j. No resolution or other action of the trust providing for the issuance of bonds, refunding bonds, notes or other obligations shall be adopted or otherwise made effective by the trust without the prior approval in writing of the Governor and the State Treasurer. The trust shall provide the Senate and General Assembly with written notice of any request for approval of the Governor and State Treasurer at the time the request is made, and shall also provide the Senate and General Assembly written notice of the response of the Governor and State Treasurer at the time that the response is received by the trust.
L.1985,c.334,s.4; amended 1987, c.459; 1997, c.224, s.5.