New Jersey § 52:13d-28

§ 52:13d-28.

The Legislature shall provide an online tutorial on legislative ethics for its members

and State officers or employees and special State officers or employees in the Legislative

Branch of government. Each member of the Legislature and officer or employee in the Legislative Branch

shall take the tutorial no later than April 1 of every even-numbered year. Each Executive Director shall submit a certification to the Ethics Counsel for himself

or herself and for his or her respective staff members that they have completed the

online tutorial. Each member of the Legislature shall submit to the Ethics Counsel a certification

that he or she and his or her district office staff members have completed the online

tutorial. The certification shall be public information. Failure to take the tutorial and file the certification shall be reported by the

Ethics Counsel to the joint committee. In addition to the tutorial, all officers and employees in the Legislative Branch

shall participate in annual ethics training as directed by their Executive Directors and all members of the Legislature shall participate in annual ethics training as

directed by the President of the Senate for members of the Senate and by the Speaker

of the General Assembly for members of the General Assembly. The Executive Directors, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the General

Assembly shall also direct the process by which completion of the training is verified. Such verification shall be filed with the Ethics Counsel. The verification shall be public information. Failure to participate in the training and file the verification shall be reported

by the Ethics Counsel to the joint committee. Each member of the Legislature shall consult with the Ethics Counsel each year regarding

the requirements of the New Jersey Conflicts of Interest Law and the Legislative Code

of Ethics and any other applicable law, rule or standard of conduct relating to the

area of ethics. The assistance of the Ethics Counsel to members of the Legislature is subject to

the attorney-client privilege. This assistance is intended as a service to the members of the Legislature and may

not be deemed to diminish a member's personal responsibility for adherence to applicable

laws, code provisions, rules and other standards of conduct. No privileged information provided to the Ethics Counsel by members of the Legislature

or officers or employees in the Legislative Branch shall be used or admitted into

evidence in any proceeding against them; but this shall not prohibit proceedings

against them from evidence independently derived.