SENATE HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND SENIOR CITIZENS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 2496

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 8, 2025

      The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 2496.

This bill, as amended, establishes the Office of New Americans in the New Jersey Department of Human Services to support individuals who are eligible to access services under existing laws. In doing so, this bill codifies the Office of New Americans established in 2019 pursuant to Executive Order No. 74 of 2019.

     The commissioner will appoint the director, and the director will be the administrator and head of the office.

     The bill requires the office to be a centralized location for expertise and data on New Americans and to engage in programs, initiatives, and policies focused on successful integration for immigrants, refugees, and their children.  The office will also provide technical assistance, recommendations, and training to other offices and departments in the Executive Branch on issues pertaining to effective and equitable engagement with New Americans.

     The bill also requires the Department of Human Services, through the Office of New Americans, to:

     1) administer services for New Americans;

     2) engage directly with immigrant and refugee communities and service providers to understand and address their concerns and the obstacles they face in accessing services and resources; and

     3) support and provide policy and programmatic guidance and expertise to State departments and agencies, as well as other organizations, on community engagement and outreach to promote best practices and improve the accessibility of State programs and information by New Americans.

      Additionally, the bill requires the office to use any individual’s contact information obtained by the office solely for the purpose of administering programs and providing services implemented and overseen by the office and to not use or disclose such individual’s contact information for any other purpose except to the extent required by federal law or a judicial order. Records maintained by the office in connection with services offered by the office to any individual, including the portion of any record containing "personal identifying information" as defined under existing law, would be exempt from the public access provisions of P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.), commonly referred to as the Open Public Records Act.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amendments require that the Office of New Americans is to follow all federal requirements under title IV of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which establishes the framework for the domestic resettlement and assistance of refugees, when providing refuge services and services under the Refugee Resettlement Program.  The committee amendments remove language referring to services “in connection with the department’s responsibilities” as a duty of the Office of New Americans in administering services for New Americans.

      The committee amendments require that the office is to provide recommendations to other offices and departments in the Executive Branch on issues pertaining to effective and equitable engagement with New Americans.  As introduced, the office was only required to provide assistance and training in this regard.

      The committee amendments require that the office, upon request from the Governor’s Office or Executive Branch agencies, is to offer guidance on issues involving New Americans.

      The committee amendments clarify that the office is to focus on policy and programmatic guidance and expertise in regard to its collaborative efforts with other entities, as described in the bill.

      The committee amendments update the findings and declarations section of the bill to conform with the existing work of the Office of New Americans.

      This committee amendments remove language requiring the office to use data for informing the State’s efforts only as authorized under State and federal law to advance integration for immigrants and to not use or share data for the use of civil immigration enforcement.  This language is to be replaced by a provision which requires the office to use any individual’s contact information obtained by the office solely for the purpose of administering programs and providing services implemented and overseen by the office and to not use or disclose such individual’s contact information for any other purpose except to the extent required by federal law or a judicial order.

      The committee amendments add language which require records maintained by the office in connection with services offered by the office to any individual, including the portion of any record containing "personal identifying information" as defined under existing law, to be exempt from the public access provisions of P.L.1963, c. 73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.), commonly referred to as the Open Public Records Act.

      The committee amendments make various technical changes regarding syntax and drafting conventions.