18A:3B-54 Additional authority of commission.

9. a. In addition to the authority granted to the Commission on Higher Education pursuant to section 14 of P.L.1994, c.48 (C.18A:3B-14), the commission shall develop and enforce a code of standards to define and regulate the types of activities in which a governmental affairs agent is permitted to engage on behalf of a public research university or a State college.

b. Under the code of standards established pursuant to subsection a. of this section, a governmental affairs agent, whether employed directly or retained under contract by the institution, shall be prohibited from using the position as an agent of the institution to:

(1) solicit political campaign contributions from the institution directly or through personnel on behalf of the institution;

(2) engage in or recommend on behalf of the institution any involvement in the partisan activities of specific political parties or candidates; or

(3) support or promote directly or indirectly on behalf of the institution any specific political party or individual for election or re-election.

Under the code of standards, the commission shall not prohibit a governmental affairs agent from engaging on behalf of a public research university or a State college concerning legitimate nonpartisan and bipartisan activities that are vital to the election process including, but not limited to, the scheduling and holding of on-campus political debates, voter-registration drives, and similar nonpartisan and bipartisan events and activities.

L.2009, c.308, s.9.