ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 5305

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  FEBRUARY 20, 2025

      The Assembly Appropriations Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 5305.

      As reported, this bill broadens the public awareness signs containing national, 24 hour hotline information about human trafficking to include translations in Chinese and Korean. 

      This bill is in response to a recommendation contained in a report by the Commission of Investigation, entitled “An Inquiry into Human Trafficking Activity in the Massage and Bodywork Therapy Industry in New Jersey,” released on October 17, 2024.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) concludes that this bill will result in a one-time, indeterminate State cost increase for the Department of Law and Public Safety to provide the required translations for the updated human trafficking public awareness signs.

      One provider of translation services that serves State government entities informed the OLS that it charges $0.15 per word to translate documents into Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) and Korean.  Document translations also incur an additional cost of $39.50 per hour for desktop publishing.

      The website for the Department of Law and Public Safety provides business owners and other establishments with a downloadable sign that can be printed and displayed on their premises so as to be in compliance with current law.  The OLS does not anticipate the department having any additional costs to print and distribute the signage in Chinese and Korean, although some costs may be incurred to update the department’s website to provide links to the signs in the new languages.