LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE

[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 4651

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

 

DATED: DECEMBER 17, 2025

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Synopsis:

Establishes penalties for certain conduct related to public brawl and disorderly conduct.

Type of Impact:

Annual State and local expenditure and revenue increases.

Agencies Affected:

The Judiciary; Municipalities; Counties.

 

 

Office of Legislative Services Estimate

Fiscal Impact

 

Annual 

 

 

State Expenditure Increase

 

Indeterminate

 

 

State Revenue Increase

 

Indeterminate

 

 

Local Expenditure Increase

 

Indeterminate

 

 

Local Revenue Increase

 

Indeterminate

 

 

 

·         The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) finds that establishing penalties for parents or guardians for certain conduct related to a minor’s delinquent behavior and disorderly conduct will result in an indeterminate annual increase in State and local expenditures and revenues.  The OLS lacks sufficient information to quantify the fiscal impacts, as it is not possible to estimate the number of offenses likely to be committed or penalties collected under the bill.

 

·         The Judiciary may need to adjudicate additional civil cases and may experience increase in workload in Family Courts.  The Judiciary may also receive additional, indeterminate revenues from fines from the civil actions permitted under the bill.

 

·         Annual local expenditures and revenues are likely to increase by an indeterminate amount from the petty disorderly and disorderly persons offenses established under the bill.  The arrest, initial detention, and the issuance of complaint warrants for petty disorderly and disorderly persons are handled by municipal law enforcement.  Further, petty disorderly and disorderly persons offenses are adjudicated in municipal courts and defendants are sentenced to county jails.  Annual municipal revenue would also likely increase from court fees and penalties.

BILL DESCRIPTION

 

      This bill provides that parents and legal guardians having legal custody of minors may be subject to a fine or guilty of a petty disorderly or disorderly persons offense for certain conduct related to willful or wanton disregard in the exercise of supervision and control of a minor.

      Under the bill, a parent or legal guardian who demonstrated willful or wanton disregard in the exercise of the supervision and control of the conduct of a minor such that the minor was adjudicated delinquent for:

      1)   engaging in improper behavior, which resulted in property damage, would be subject to a fine of $1,000;

      2)   a first offense of inciting a public brawl would be guilty of a petty disorderly persons offense; or

      3)   a second or subsequent offense of inciting a public brawl would be guilty of a disorderly persons offense.

      A disorderly persons offense is punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of up to $1,000 or both.  A petty disorderly persons offense is punishable by imprisonment of up to 30 days, a fine of up to $500, or both.

 

 

FISCAL ANALYSIS

 

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

 

        None received.

 

OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES

 

      The OLS finds that establishing penalties for parents or guardians for certain conduct related to a minor’s delinquent behavior and disorderly conduct will result in an indeterminate annual increase in State and local expenditures and revenues.  The OLS lacks sufficient information to quantify the fiscal impact, as it is not possible to estimate the number of offenses likely to be committed or penalties collected under this bill.

      The Superior Court will likely experience caseload increases due to the bill’s establishment of the $1,000 fine to be collected in a civil action in certain circumstances from parents and guardians if the juvenile in their care was adjudicated delinquent for engaging in improper behavior, in violation of current statute, which resulted in property damage.  The State is likely to receive any resultant fine revenue.

      Annual local expenditures and revenues are likely to increase by an indeterminate amount from the petty disorderly and disorderly persons offenses established under the bill.  The arrest, initial detention, and the issuance of complaint warrants for petty disorderly and disorderly persons are handled by municipal law enforcement.  However, the OLS cannot estimate the number of offenses likely to be committed under the provisions of this bill.

      Petty disorderly and disorderly persons offenses are adjudicated in municipal courts and defendants are sentenced to county jails.  According to information provided by the Administrative Office of the Courts, the median daily cost to house an incarcerated person in a county jail is $228.

      Annual municipal revenue would likely increase due to an increase in court fees and penalties from the petty disorderly persons offense and disorderly persons offense established in the bill.

Section:

Judiciary

Analyst:

Anuja Pande Joshi

Senior Fiscal Analyst

Approved:

Thomas Koenig

Legislative Budget and Finance Officer

 

 

This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.

 

This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).