WHEREAS, on January 21, 1992 the State of New Jersey passed the most comprehensive welfare reform legislation in the history of the State called the Family Development Program (N.J.S.A. 44:10-19 et seq.) which serves as a model for reform of the welfare system nationwide; and

WHEREAS, the Family Development Program was first initiated as a pilot program in three pilot counties: Camden, Essex and Hudson; and

WHEREAS, on July 1, 1993 the Family Development Program was expanded to include Passaic, Union, Mercer, Cumberland and Atlantic counties; and

WHEREAS, full State implementation of the Family Development Program should be realized by Fiscal Year 1995; and

WHEREAS, the problems of long-term and intergenerational welfare dependency have resulted in a continuation of poverty and lack of opportunity for welfare recipients to become economically self-sufficient; and

WHEREAS, a comprehensive approach is needed to remedy these complex problems; and

WHEREAS, the Family Development Program is based on the principles that education is the key to self-sufficiency and that all able-bodied welfare recipients should have the same opportunities and responsibilities to become economically self-sufficient as anyone else in our society; and

WHEREAS, this program greatly expands current education, training and employment activities for welfare recipients and moves beyond the federal Jobs Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) legislation by setting a new direction of individual responsibility, family stability, and self-sufficiency; and

WHEREAS, the Family Development Program provides a full range of services to comprehensively meet the recipients' needs, including case management, enhanced job training and education, job search assistance, extended Medicaid coverage, child care services and other supportive services; and

WHEREAS, the success of the Family Development Program is dependent upon the level of support that the Division of Family Development in the Department of Human Services receives from other State agencies in the implementation and institutionalization of change in the delivery of services at the local level; and

WHEREAS, empowering families under the Family Development Program requires a new paradigm in deployment of resources from a wide range of governmental departments and agencies at the federal, State, county and local levels; and

WHEREAS, coordination and collaboration across multiple service delivery systems is inherently difficult, requiring a serious and sustained commitment of senior agency leadership; and

WHEREAS, limited budgetary resources and multiple funding streams, including those of a categorical nature, create barriers in accessing essential services and therefore require innovative and creative strategies for program coordination; and

WHEREAS, the future expansion of the Family Development Program from three pilot counties to Statewide implementation will require greatly enhanced communication and coordination of agencies at the State, county, and local levels;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JIM FLORIO, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:

1. There is hereby established a Governor's Committee on Welfare Reform (hereinafter referred to as "the Committee").

2. The Committee shall:

a. within 90 days of the date of this Executive Order, develop a plan to coordinate and direct State resources and the efforts of each State department toward efficiently achieving the welfare reforms of the Family Development Program;

b. within 90 days of the date of this Executive Order, complete an action plan to reflect the manner in which appropriate State resources and efforts from the State Departments of Education, Labor, Health, Community Affairs, Commerce, Environmental Protection and Energy, Transportation, and Higher Education shall be directed toward the Statewide implementation of the welfare reform initiative;

c. within 12 months from the date of this Executive Order, report back to the Legislature and to the Governor on the progress of implementation of its plan, which shall coincide with N.J.S.A. 44:10-32, which requires an annual report to the Governor and Legislature on the Family Development Act, due July 1, 1995 and annually thereafter;

d. advise the Governor on the plan to direct and coordinate the resources and efforts of agencies at the State, county, and local levels;

e. assess the delivery of services provided by the Family Development Program to families and individuals receiving welfare benefits in order to identify emergent needs and recommend ways to improve the quality and efficiency of these services;

f. reasonably carry out all other duties as necessary to ensure the successful implementation of the Family Development Program; and

g. provide other information as the Governor may request.

3. The composition of the Committee shall consist of no more than twenty members appointed by the Governor. The Committee shall include the Commissioners of the following State departments: Community Affairs, Commerce, Education, Environmental Protection and Energy, Health, Human Services, Labor and Higher Education. In the event a Commissioner is unable to attend a Committee meeting, the Commissioner shall send a designee empowered to make policy decisions and decisions regarding the use of that department's resources to ensure the successful implementation of the Family Development Program.

4. The Committee shall also be comprised of at least one (1) Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) recipient who is currently receiving services from the Family Development Program. The Committee shall also consist of at least one (1) General Assistance (GA) recipient who is currently receiving services from the Family Development Program.

5. The Committee shall also be comprised of three (3) directors of Family Development Centers (one each from the northern, central and southern regions of the State). The three directors shall be selected by the Commissioner of Human Services to serve on the Committee. The three directors shall serve as ex officio, nonvoting members.

6. The Committee may also be comprised of:

(a.) other representatives from the Family Development Centers;

(b.) advocates of and for individuals receiving services through the Family Development Program;

(c.) representatives from private sector businesses;

(d.) representatives from providers and organizations that provide services to individuals participating in the Family Development Program; and

(e.) other appropriate individuals.

7. Committee members shall serve for terms of two (2) years. Committee vacancies from among the members shall be filled by appointment by the Governor for the remainder of the unexpired term. No member of the Committee can serve more than one (1) consecutive full term. Any vacancy occurring in the membership of the Committee is to be filled in the same manner as an original appointment and the vacancy is not to affect the power of the remaining members to execute the duties of the Committee.

8. The Governor shall designate the Commissioner of the Department of Human Services to serve as the Chairperson of the Committee and the Commissioner of the Department of Education to serve as the Vice Chairperson of the Committee.

9. The Committee shall further organize itself and set its own schedule for meetings as it deems necessary to complete its work.

10. The Committee is authorized to hold such hearings and forums as the Committee may determine to be necessary to carry out the duties of the Council.

11. In performing its work, the Committee shall work with other existing agencies, bodies, and providers in the State designed to plan, coordinate and deliver services to individuals participating in the Family Development Program. The Committee may also draw upon the assistance of any department, organization or agency of the State which may be made available to it for these purposes.

12. This Order shall take effect immediately.

GIVEN, under my hand and seal this
24th day of September in the Year of Our
Lord, One Thousand Nine Hundred and
Ninety Three, and of the Independence
of the United States, the Two Hundred
and Eighteenth.

/s/ Jim Florio
Governor

Attest:

/s/ Scott A. Weiner
Chief Counsel to the Governor