Bill Text: NJ A5135 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes central registry for, and provides for informational outreach to, senior citizens living in New Jersey.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-12-16 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee [A5135 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A5135-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes central registry for, and provides for informational outreach to, senior citizens living in New Jersey.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning certain senior citizens and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Division of Aging Services in the Department of Human Services shall establish and maintain a voluntary central registry of senior citizens residing in this State. The information in the central registry shall be used for the purposes of compiling statistical information on the number of senior citizens living in the State and providing wellness check calls during emergencies and information on services and programs for senior citizens, which information may include, but may not be limited to, links to applications for programs such as NJ SAVE, addresses of local Area Agencies on Aging, and emergency preparedness information.
b. The division shall be authorized to receive death record notifications from the New Jersey Electronic Death Registration System, established pursuant to section 16 of P.L.2003, c.221 (C.26:8-24.1), concerning the death any of individual registered with the division pursuant to this section for the purposes of updating the central registry.
c. A person who is 65 years or older may apply to the division for inclusion in the registry established pursuant to subsection a. of this section and shall provide the division with the following information: the person's name, date of birth, address, income level, and contact information, such as the person's email address and phone number.
d. A person who registers pursuant to subsection c. of this section may subsequently request through the registry to have the person's information removed from the registry. The Commissioner of Human Services shall not remove the information until 21 days following the person's request. The commissioner shall subsequently destroy all records associated with that person's registration and remove that individual's name from the registry.
e. Information on senior citizens compiled pursuant to this section may be used by the department and agencies designated by the commissioner for the purposes of carrying out this act, but otherwise the information shall be confidential and not divulged or made public so as to disclose the identity of any person to whom it relates, except as provided by law. Information regarding a person's inclusion in the registry established pursuant subsection a. of this section shall not be deemed a public record pursuant to P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.), P.L.2001, c.404 (C.47:1A-5 et al.), or common law concerning access to public records.
f. The division shall conduct a Statewide multi-media public awareness campaign in English and Spanish to raise awareness among individuals, who are age 64 years or older, regarding the central registry established pursuant to subsection a. of this section.
2. The Commissioner of Human Services shall adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as necessary to implement the provisions of this act.
3. This act shall take effect 90 days after the date of enactment, except that the Commissioner of Human Services may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Division of Aging Services (division) in the Department of Human Services to establish and maintain a voluntary central registry of senior citizens residing in this State. The information in the central registry will be used for the purposes of compiling statistical information on the number of senior citizens living in the State and providing wellness check calls during emergencies and information on services and programs for senior citizens.
The division will be authorized to receive death record notifications from the New Jersey Electronic Death Registration System concerning the death any of individual registered with the division pursuant to this bill for the purposes of updating the central registry.
A person who is 65 years or older may apply to the division for inclusion in the registry and will provide the division with the following information: the person's name, date of birth, address, income level, and contact information.
A person who registers pursuant to this bill may subsequently request through the registry to have the person's information removed from the registry. The Commissioner of Human Services will not remove the information until 21 days following the person's request. The commissioner will subsequently destroy all records associated with that person's registration and remove that person's name from the registry.
Information on senior citizens compiled pursuant to this bill may be used by the division and agencies designated by the commissioner for the purposes of carrying out this bill, but otherwise the information will be confidential and not divulged or made public so as to disclose the identity of any person to whom it relates, except as provided by law. Information regarding a person's inclusion in the registry will not be deemed a public record.
The division will conduct a Statewide multi-media public awareness campaign in English and Spanish to raise awareness among individuals, who are age 64 years or older, regarding the central registry established pursuant to this bill.
