ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 3977

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 18, 2025

      The Assembly Appropriations Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 3977.

      As reported, the bill amends the "Rooming and Boarding House Act of 1979" to strengthen the State’s regulation of cooperative sober living residences, as defined in the bill.

      Specifically, the bill increases the maximum civil penalty for certain licensing violations for a rooming or boarding house, including cooperative sober living residences.  The bill requires the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to maintain a list of licensed cooperative sober living residences on its Internet website including the location and contact information for each licensed cooperative sober living residence.  The bill also establishes reporting requirements for incidents affecting the safety or welfare of cooperative sober living residence residents or staff, which includes an immediate notification to DCA and a written report of the incident within five working days of the incident.  Incidents for which the bill’s reporting requirements would apply include:

      (1)  fire, flood, disaster, accident, or other unanticipated event that results in the serious injury or death of a resident or staff member, or the evacuation of residents from the cooperative sober living residence, or closure of the cooperative sober living residence for six or more hours;

      (2)  serious injury or death of a resident of the cooperative sober living residence, including overdose;

      (3)  outbreak of a communicable disease or other condition that adversely affects multiple residents or staff;

      (4)  alleged or suspected crimes that endanger the life or safety of residents or staff, or which jeopardize the operations or fiscal stability of the cooperative sober living residence;

      (5)  disciplinary actions concerning staff, including termination, resulting from inappropriate staff interaction with residents; and

      (6)  criminal convictions or disciplinary sanctions imposed on staff or board members or representatives of the governing authority by licensing or credentialing boards since the prior application for licensure.       

FISCAL IMPACT:

      Fiscal information for this bill is currently unavailable.