Bill Text: NJ A703 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Mandates training for judges and judicial personnel regarding problems and issues faced by grandparents who are raising their grandchildren.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-12 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee [A703 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A703-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman SAMUEL D. THOMPSON
District 13 (Middlesex and Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Mandates training for judges and judicial personnel regarding problems and issues faced by grandparents who are raising their grandchildren.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning training about unique problems and issues faced by grandparents who are raising their grandchildren and supplementing Title 2A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
Grandparents who are raising their grandchildren presently report experiencing substantial difficulty in gaining access to their legal rights and remedies from the judicial system, particularly due to that system's unfamiliarity with the unique problems and issues they face. The stress occasioned by attempting to navigate a complex judicial system which is not sensitized to the uniqueness of their situation, combined with the many challenges created by their new role of parent, causes many grandparents to feel overwhelmed and further frustrates their gaining access to their legal rights and remedies from the judicial system.
It is the intent of the Legislature to facilitate access to the judicial system by grandparents who are raising their grandchildren when the need for such access arises.
2. a. The Administrative Office of the Courts shall develop and approve a training course which addresses and sensitizes judges and judicial personnel to the unique problems and issues faced by grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. The training course shall be reviewed at least every two years and modified by the Administrative Office of the Courts from time to time as needed.
b. The Administrative Office of the Courts shall be responsible for ensuring that all judges and judicial personnel attend initial training within 90 days of the effective date of this act or within 90 days of their appointment or transfer or date of hire, as appropriate, as well as annual in-service training as described in this section.
c. The course shall, at a minimum, include training that would:
(1) increase the awareness on the part of judges and judicial personnel of the social, psychological, financial and physical problems and issues faced by grandparents who are raising their grandchildren; and
(2) provide judges and judicial personnel with guidelines for dealing with these grandparents sensitively and in a manner which facilitates their gaining access to the legal rights and remedies available to them through the judicial system.
3. This act shall take effect on the 180th day following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to ensure that all judges and judicial personnel in the State attend a training course, developed and approved by the AOC, that would address, and sensitize judges and judicial personnel to, the unique problems and issues faced by grandparents who are raising grandchildren.
The course, which would be reviewed at least every two years and modified by the AOC as needed, would include, at a minimum:
- increasing awareness of the social, psychological, financial and physical problems and issues faced by grandparents who are raising their grandchildren; and
- providing guidelines for dealing with these grandparents sensitively and in a manner which facilitates their gaining access to the legal rights and remedies available to them through the judicial system.
The bill requires the AOC to ensure that judges and judicial personnel attend initial training within 90 days of the effective date of the bill or within 90 days of their appointment or transfer or date of hire, as appropriate, as well as annual in-service training.
