SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3751

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  NOVEMBER 13, 2025

      The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 3751.

      As reported, this bill revises the definition of child abuse or neglect to include persons between 18 and 21 years of age in certain settings.

      Specifically, the bill amends the definition of “child” in section 1 of P.L.1974, c.119 (C.9:6-8.21) to mean any person: (1) less than 18 years of age alleged to have been abused or neglected; or (2) less than 21 years of age alleged to have been abused or neglected, or subject to exploitation by a teacher, employee, contractor, or volunteer, whether compensated or uncompensated, of an institution that is regulated by the Department of Children and Families (department) and responsible for the care or supervision of that person, including employees of day schools.  The bill also amends the definition of “abused or neglected child” in section 1 of P.L.1974, c.119 (C.9:6-8.21) to have the term also apply to a person between 18 and 21 years of age.

      Although the department regulates and funds services for individuals with disabilities under the age of 21, the Office of Program Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) in the Department of Human Services currently conducts investigations involving a person between the ages of 18 and 21 in facilities regulated by the department and forwards all of its investigatory materials and findings to the department.

      By revising certain statutory references pertaining to the department, this bill also transfers full investigatory responsibility to the department for the populations served and settings regulated by the department.  The bill also revises statutory references to child abuse to reflect the full range of ages under the department’s jurisdiction for persons up to 21 years of age in regulated facilities.

      The bill also updates section 3 of P.L.2010, c.5 (C.30:6D-75) to eliminate conflicting and superfluous references to the department, since the statute applies to individuals receiving services from the Department of Human Services.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      Fiscal information for this bill is currently unavailable.