SENATE HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND SENIOR CITIZENS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3262

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  FEBRUARY 13, 2023

      The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 3262.

      As amended, this bill requires the Division of Children’s System of Care in the Department of Children and Families (the division) to establish a training program for the purpose of educating employees of an emergency shelter of the homeless on:  (1) the services provided by the division, including, but not limited to, mobile response and stabilization, care management, family support, and other therapeutic and support services for youth with emotional and behavioral challenges, substance use challenges, and intellectual and developmental disabilities; and (2) how to assist parents and youth in accessing the services provided by the division outlined in the bill.

      As used in the bill, “emergency shelter for the homeless” means a building or structure in which a public entity or a private, nonprofit organization provides shelter, or food and shelter, to individuals and families having neither a home nor the means to obtain a home or other temporary lodging.

      Under the bill’s provisions, the training program is to be made available to employees of an emergency shelter for the homeless in a manner determined by the division, and to be updated on a regular basis as may be appropriate.

      The division is also required to develop educational and informational materials concerning the services it offers for youth with emotional and behavioral challenges, substance use challenges, and intellectual and development disabilities.  The information contained in the educational and informational materials is to be made available to the public on the division's Internet website, both in print and in a digital format that can be easily printed from the website, and updated as necessary.

      As reported by the committee with amendments, Senate Bill No. 3262 is identical to Assembly Bill No. 4756 (ACS), which was also reported by the committee on this date.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amendments revise the bill to require that the Division of Children’s System of Care (division) in the Department of Children and Families establish a training program for the purpose of educating employees of an emergency shelter for the homeless on the services provided by the division to youth with emotional and behavioral challenges, substance use challenges, and intellectual and development disabilities.  As introduced, the bill required the division to establish divisional and treatment-specific goals related to the provision of certain services to homeless youth.

      The committee amendments provide a definition for “division” and “emergency shelter for the homeless.”

      The committee amendments provide that the training program is to be made available to employees of an emergency shelter for the homeless in a manner determined by the division, and to be updated on a regular basis as may be appropriate.

      The committee amendments provide that the division will develop educational and informational materials concerning certain services it offers, which will be made available to the public on the division's Internet website, and updated as necessary.

      The committee amendments make a change to the synopsis to reflect these changes.