ETHICS Information
External Complaints
The Authority’s Audit Committee, represented by certain members of its board, is responsible for review of complaints, charges, allegations and concerns regarding violations of a law or regulation, questionable accounting or auditing matters, acts of fraud or misuse of Authority assets that may be submitted by any external party. The Committee will review any submissions that have been received, the current status, and the resultant resolution.
Complaints, charges, allegations or concerns should be directed to the Authority’s Ethics Liaison Officer, who will notify the Audit Committee and work with appropriate parties to determine proper handling:
Uniform Ethics Code
The Audit Committee reviews the process for communicating the Authority’s Ethics Code to staff, and for monitoring compliance therewith. It also reviews all internal and external claims of violations of the Ethics Code, findings as a result of an investigation, and the resultant resolution.
The Ethics Liaison Officer is responsible for ensuring that the State Ethics Commission Uniform Code, see full Code here, which the Authority has adopted as its sole Code of Ethics, is distributed to every new NJEDA employee, along with the “Plain Language Guide to New Jersey’s Executive Branch Ethics Standards”, and an acknowledgement form that the employee signs and returns to record receipt and understanding of both documents. These documents are also posted on the Authority’s intranet under the “Ethics” section.
Each employee is responsible for following the policies within the Uniform Ethics Code, with guidance, when requested from the Ethics Liaison Officer. Employees are also subject to mandatory annual Ethics training.
Ethics complaints and/or claims of non-compliance may originate from any source, either internal to the Authority or from an outside party. Initial complaints may be filed with the Ethics Liaison Officer:
If the Ethics Liaison Officer first receives the complaint, he/she is required to file a copy of allegation with the State Ethics Commission. It is within the discretion of the State Ethics Commission to direct the Authority to transfer the allegation to it (N.J.A.C. 19:61-3.4). Notice of all determinations made by the Authority in connection with hearings conducted pursuant to N.J.A.C. 19:61-3.1 must be filed with the State Ethics Commission. All determinations with respect to the Conflicts of Interest Law which involve the removal of an officer or employee or any other disciplinary actions are effective only when approved by the State Ethics Commission.
Notice of Non-Discrimination (Title VI of the Civil Right Act of 1964 and other federal and state laws)
In accordance with federal law and the U.S. Department of Treasury policy, the NJEDA is prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in its federally funded programs.
The NJEDA is committed to providing its programs and services without discrimination and in compliance with all applicable laws, including the following federal and state civil rights laws:
1. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq., which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
2. The Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, or disability.
3. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability.
4. The Age Discrimination Act of 1975, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of age.
5. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability.
6. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities.
Additionally, the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination prohibits discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, nationality, ancestry, sex, pregnancy, breastfeeding, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, familial status (for housing), marital status, domestic partnership/civil union status, liability for military service, and in some cases atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, genetic information, and age.
Filing of Discrimination Complaints
NJEDA maintains a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination, which means that all complaints of discrimination are investigated, and employees found to have engaged in discriminatory behavior are subject to counseling and discipline, up to and including discharge from employment. Recipients of EDA federally funded programs and EDA staff may report Title VI and other discrimination complaints to EDA’s Ethics Office team via the whistleblower hotline at (609) 858-6909 or hotline@njeda.gov. You may also submit a complaint of discrimination by mail directly to The Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity at the U.S. Department of the Treasury (see below).
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Affirmative Action
To report an EEO claim please contact the Ethics Liaison Officer:
Contact Information
New Jersey Economic Development Authority
36 West State St
PO Box 990
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0990
609-858-6867 | Fred.Cole@njeda.gov
New Jersey Economic Development Authority
36 West State St
PO Box 990
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0990
609-331-4934 | Angelica.Richardson@njeda.gov
State Ethics Commission:
New Jersey State Ethics Commission
225 East State Street
PO Box 082
5th floor
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0082
Toll-free in New Jersey 1-888-223-1355
(609) 292-1892
Email: ethics@ethics.nj.gov
To report a complaint anonymously to NJEDA:
Call: 609-858-6909
Email: hotline@njeda.gov
To report an EEO claim confidentially:
Call: 609-858-6910
Email: EEO@njeda.gov
You may also submit a complaint of discrimination by mail directly to:
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity
1500 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20220
(202) 622-1160 (phone), (202) 622-0367 (fax), or email crcomplaints@treasury.gov
