A 4534

ASSEMBLY, No. 4534
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED MARCH 10, 2026
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman� JERRY WALKER
District 31 (Hudson)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Morales and Rowan
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes Skills Service Corp; appropriates funds.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act establishing a paid service program for
volunteers, supplementing Title 34 of the Revised Statutes, and making an
appropriation.�
���� Be It
Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.� a.� There is established
in the Department of State a paid service program to be known as the New Jersey
Skills Service Corps.� The program shall provide adult volunteers alternatives
to gain credentials while serving their communities.� The program shall connect
volunteers with State entities to provide workforce experience and
credentialing.�
���� b.� The program shall be
administered by the Office of Volunteerism in the Department of State.� The
Director of the Office of Volunteerism shall establish the necessary procedures
and standards for the successful implementation of the program and ensure that
all program participants meet the requirements established pursuant to this
section.�
���� The director shall ensure
that, at a minimum, the program:
���� (1)� provides participants
with training and free credential certification upon completion of the program;
���� (2)� includes volunteer work
in areas including, but not limited to, State infrastructure, renewable energy,
healthcare, education support, and community development needs;
���� (3)� includes only
industry-valued credentials, such as apprenticeship hours, that an eligible
individual can complete within 12 to 24 months;
���� (4)� prioritizes participants
in underserved communities; and
���� (5)� expands credentialing
opportunities for underserved communities.�
���� c.� Any resident of this
State, who has attained an age of at least 18 years, who enters into an
agreement to provide volunteer work for a State entity for the first time, for
at least one year to a maximum of 24 consecutive months, shall be eligible to receive
payment for their service through the program.�
���� d.� Once enrolled, a program
participant shall receive a monthly stipend, in an amount to be determined by
the director, for each month they spend at least 15 hours participating in a
volunteer program.� This shall include time spent training for the volunteer
work.� The participant shall not be considered an employee, and shall be
entitled to only those benefits available to other volunteers as provided by
law.�
���� e.� The State entity seeking
participants, shall be responsible for certifying to the director that (1) the
State entity has a need for volunteers, and (2) program participants who have
volunteered with the State entity have conducted the requisite number of hours
each month to receive their monthly stipend.�
���� f.� The Office of
Volunteerism, in collaboration with the participating State entities, shall
promote the benefits of the program and the benefits of linking volunteer work
with workforce credentialing, particularly to the State�s youth and those
seeking to explore new career opportunities in this State, as they deem
necessary and appropriate.�
���� g.� There is established in
the Department of State a special dedicated non-lapsing fund to be known as the
New Jersey Skills Service Corps Fund.� The fund shall consist of all monies
appropriated by the Legislature for inclusion in the fund, monies received from
federal grants, investment earnings of the fund, and monies contributed to the
fund by private sources, including AmeriCorps, Community Development Block
Grant allocations, and non-profit partnerships, to be used for the purposes of
this section. �The monies in the fund shall be invested and reinvested by the
Department of the Treasury.�
���� h.� As used in this section:
���� "State entity" means
a department, agency, institution, commission, or board of State government,
including a State university or college, or an authority created by the State.
���� "Underserved
community" means a school district in which at least 75 percent of public
school students are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals under the
National School Lunch Program established pursuant to the "Richard B. Russell
National School Lunch Act," Pub.L.79-396 (42 U.S.C. s.1751 et seq.).
���� 2.� There is appropriated from
the General Fund to the Department of State, for deposit in the New Jersey
Skills Service Corps Fund established pursuant to section 1 of P.L. ���
  , c.   (C. ��   )(pending before
the Legislature as this bill), an amount sufficient to effectuate the purposes
and objectives of this act.�
���� 3.� This act shall take effect
immediately.�
STATEMENT
���� This bill establishes in the
Department of State a paid service program to be known as the New Jersey Skills
Service Corps.� The program will provide adult volunteers alternatives to gain
credentials while serving their communities.� The program will connect
volunteers with State entities to provide workforce experience and
credentialing.�
���� The program will be
administered by the Office of Volunteerism in the Department of State.� The
Director of the Office of Volunteerism will establish the necessary procedures
and standards for the successful implementation of the program and ensure that all
program participants meet the requirements established pursuant to the bill.�
���� Under the bill, the director
will ensure that, at a minimum, the program:� provides participants with
training and free credential certification upon completion of the program;
includes volunteer work in areas including, but not limited to, State infrastructure,
renewable energy, healthcare, education support, and community development
needs; includes only industry-valued credentials, such as apprenticeship hours,
that an eligible individual can complete within 12 to 24 months; prioritizes
participants in underserved communities; and expands credentialing
opportunities for underserved communities.�
���� Under the bill, any resident
of this State who is 18 years or older, shall be eligible to volunteer with a
State entity and be paid for that service for up to two years.� The participant
will be expected to volunteer at least 15 hours per month to continue receiving
their payments, and the participating State entity will be responsible for
certifying that the volunteer has completed those hours.
���� The bill creates a special
fund to pay for the volunteer stipends.
���� The bill defines State entity
to mean a department, agency, institution, commission, or board of State
government, including a State university or college, or an authority created by
the State.