ASSEMBLY HOMELAND SECURITY AND STATE PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 1727

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 10, 2022

      The Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 1727.

      As reported by the committee, Assembly Bill No. 1727 establishes a pilot program in certain municipalities to make grants available to non-profit organizations to perform outreach and provide services to victims of human trafficking.

      Specifically, under the provisions of the bill, the Department of Law and Public Safety is required to establish a three-year pilot program to make grants available to non-profit organizations to perform outreach in the community and deliver services to victims of human trafficking in conjunction with law enforcement agencies, the Victims of Crime Compensation Office, and other victims’ rights organizations.

      The pilot program is to be established in six urban municipalities with the highest crime index in this State, according to the most recent Uniform Crime Report prepared by the New Jersey Division of State Police and in six municipalities that are located near ports and have significant minority populations, as determined by the Attorney General.

      Finally, the bill requires the department to submit a report evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program to the Governor and the Legislature within 90 days after the completion of the pilot program.  The report is to recommend whether the pilot program should be continued, expanded, or made permanent.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2022-2023 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.