Bill Text: NJ A566 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Prohibits sex offenders from holding any job, position, or type of employment that primarily consists of contact with children.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee [A566 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A566-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman STERLEY S. STANLEY
District 18 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits sex offenders from holding any job, position, or type of employment that primarily consists of contact with children.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act regulating the employment of sex offenders in certain cases and supplementing Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in this act:
"Primarily consists of contact with children" means 80 percent or more of the actual or official duties or responsibilities include contact with a child.
"Sex offender" means a person who has been convicted, adjudicated delinquent or found not guilty by reason of insanity for commission of a sex offense as defined in subsection b. of section 2 of P.L.1994, c.133 (C.2C:7-2) and whose risk of re-offense has been assessed as moderate or high pursuant to section 3 of P.L.1994, c.128 (C.2C:7-8).
2. a. It shall be a crime of the third degree for a sex offender to accept any appointment, enter into any contract for, participate in, or serve in any job, position, situation, or employment of any type that primarily consists of contact with children.
b. The provisions of this act shall not apply to participation by a
sex offender under 18 years of age in any job, position, situation, or employment which provides rehabilitative or other services to juvenile sex offenders.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill is intended to protect the children and youth of this State by prohibiting moderate and high risk sex offenders from holding any job, position, or type of employment which primarily consists of contact with children.
The bill defines "primarily consists of contact with children" as a job where 80 percent or more of the actual or official duties or responsibilities include contact with a child.
"Sex offender" is defined as a person who has been convicted, adjudicated delinquent or found not guilty by reason of insanity for committing any of a broad range of sex offenses as defined in the sex offender registration law ("Megan's Law") and whose risk of committing another sex offense is deemed moderate or high based on the guidelines promulgated by the Attorney General.
Under the bill, it would be crime of the third degree for a moderate or high risk sex offender to accept any appointment, enter into any contract for, participate in, or serve in any job, position, situation, or employment of any type that primarily consists of contact with children.
A crime of the third degree carries a penalty of three to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $15,000, or both.
