Bill Text: NJ A952 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes Statewide program to provide treatment services for children exposed to domestic violence.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-2)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee [A952 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A952-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman NANCY F. MUNOZ
District 21 (Middlesex, Morris, Somerset and Union)
Assemblyman BENJIE E. WIMBERLY
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Murphy and Reynolds-Jackson
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Statewide program to provide treatment services for children exposed to domestic violence.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning domestic violence and supplementing Title 30 of New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Department of Children and Families shall establish and maintain a Statewide evidence-based program to provide treatment services for children and their family members exposed to domestic violence.
b. The department shall provide grants to providers for developing and implementing therapeutic treatment, counseling, and supportive services to those children and their family members who have been exposed to domestic violence.
c. The department shall assign staff to develop strategies for assisting providers in implementing this program throughout the State. The department shall monitor the implementation of the program by requiring participating organizations to maintain accurate records concerning the levels of service, referral activity, and overall program management.
2. The department shall collect and maintain data on the program established and maintained by the department pursuant to section 1 of this act and provide an annual report to the Governor and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), including information on the number of counties or municipalities that have implemented the program and the number of participants in the program. The report shall also include information on the effectiveness of the program.
3. The Department of Children and Families may adopt, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), such rules and regulations as may be necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.
4. There shall be appropriated from the General Fund such funds as are necessary to implement the provisions and to effectuate the purposes of this act as shall be included in any general or supplemental appropriation act.
5. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Department of Children and Families ("DCF") to establish and maintain a Statewide therapeutic treatment program for the children and families of domestic violence victims. The bill requires that the department establish and maintain a Statewide evidence-based program to provide treatment services for children and their family members exposed to domestic violence.
The bill provides that DCF shall provide grants to providers for developing and implementing therapeutic treatment, counseling, and supportive services to those children and their family members who have been exposed to domestic violence.
The bill further provides that DCF will collect and maintain data on the program established by this bill and provide a report to the Governor and Legislature which would include (1) information on the number of counties or municipalities that have implemented the program; (2) the number of participants in the program; and (3) information on the effectiveness of the program.
The bill requires DCF to assign staff to develop strategies for assisting the providers in implementing the program throughout the State. DCF would also monitor the implementation of the program by requiring the participating organizations to maintain accurate records concerning the levels of service, referral activity, and overall program management.
The bill provides that there would be appropriated from the General Fund such funds as are necessary to implement the provisions and to effectuate the purposes of the bill as shall be included in any general or supplemental appropriation act.
The bill embodies, in part, recommendation 8 of the Report of the Supreme Court Ad Hoc Committee on Domestic Violence issued June 2016.
