SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3492

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 9, 2024

      The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 3492.

      This bill implements various measures to strengthen access to reproductive health care services in the State and establishes the “Reproductive Health Care Access Fund” (fund) to address those purposes.

      The fund will be used for the following purposes: the Reproductive Health Care Clinical Training Program established by the bill; the Reproductive Health Care Security Grant Program established by the bill; and the Reproductive Health Care Facility Loan Program established by the bill.

      The purpose of the “Reproductive Health Care Clinical Training Program,” which is to be established in the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety, will be to protect access to reproductive health care by ensuring that there are sufficient number of health care professionals to provide reproductive health care services. The program will contract with a coordinating organization that has demonstrated experience in coordinating health care training programs for reproductive health care services and family planning services. The coordinating organization will be responsible for administering grants to develop and sustain reproductive health care services.

      The bill establishes the “Reproductive Health Care Security Grant Program” in the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, which program will make available grants to eligible reproductive health care facilities which the Director of the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness determines are at a high risk of being the target of unlawful activity, including acts of violence, property damage, vandalism, cyber attacks, and harassment. Grants provided under the program will be used to hire security personnel and target-hardening equipment.

      Further, the bill establishes the “Reproductive Health Care Facility Loan Program,” which program will award loans to eligible reproductive health care facilities that provide reproductive health care services. Under the bill, loans awarded will be used to support establishing or renovating existing health care facilities, investments in technology to facilitate care, the recruitment and retention of staff, and other operational needs that increase reproductive health care services.

      The bill requires that the Department of Health conduct a Statewide needs assessment to examine the gaps in access and delivery of reproductive health care services in the State, including the impact that out-of-State restrictions have had on the need for reproductive health care services and the provider network in the State.

      Finally, the bill appropriates monies from the General Fund, subject to availability, to the “Reproductive Health Care Access Fund.”

FISCAL IMPACT:

      The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) concludes that this bill would increase State costs by an indeterminate amount to support the purposes of the newly established Reproductive Health Care Access Fund, as outlined in the bill.

      The bill appropriates an unspecified amount of State resources to this fund to support three existing programs codified under the bill.  The OLS notes that in each Appropriations Act since FY 2023, the three programs have collectively received a total of $20 million in annual State funding.

      The Department of Health would incur one-time costs to conduct a Statewide survey, as described in the bill.  The cost to design the survey and to collect survey data cannot be quantified without information on the manner in which the department would carry out the survey requirements.