Diegnan, Turner Bill to Incentivize Businesses to Keep Jobs in New Jersey Passes Committee

TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Patrick J. Diegnan, Jr. and Senator Shirley Turner, which would establish “New Jersey Call Center Jobs Act,” passed the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

“If we are giving taxpayer dollars to companies to create jobs in New Jersey, they should not be able to turn around and start outsourcing those jobs to another country while still maintaining the same level of financial support from the State,” said Senator Diegnan (D-Middlesex). “These businesses were awarded incentives to create jobs in New Jersey. If they’re outsourcing those jobs, they shouldn’t continue to receive New Jersey taxpayer support.”

“New Jersey tax dollars should not be going to companies who lie about employing New Jersey residents,” said Senator Turner (D-Hunterdon/Mercer). “We should be welcoming companies that want to hire New Jersey workers and want to stay in our state. We should not waste our time with companies that want to hire elsewhere.”

The bill would make employers subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $7,500 for each day they fail to provide notification, but would permit the Commissioner to waive this penalty.

The bill would require the Commissioner to compile and maintain a list of all employers that provide this notification. The list would be required to be updated on a monthly basis and made public on the Department’s website. The bill would also require the Commissioner to keep employers who provide notification on the list for no more than 36 months after each instance of notification.

Under the bill, businesses that outsource jobs will have to pay back the unamortized portion of the tax credit they received from the state. They would also be disqualified from receiving any direct or indirect taxpayer subsidy for three years.

The bill was released from committee by a vote of 8-2-2, and next heads to the full Senate for further consideration.