SENATE HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND SENIOR CITIZENS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 4050

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 9, 2025

      The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 4050.

      As amended by the committee, the bill amends section 1 of P.L.1968, c.230 (C.9:17A-4) to stipulate that a minor who reports being 16 years of age or older, believes that the minor is in need of behavioral health care services for the treatment of mental illness or emotional disorders, and places a telephone call or other communication to, or is transferred from another hotline to, an operator of the telephone number for mental health and suicide crisis resources, as determined by the Commissioner of Human Services, or a 9-8-8 crisis hotline center for counseling and support is allowed to receive a follow-up call, text, or chat message from an operator of the telephone number for mental health and suicide crisis resources or a 9-8-8 crisis hotline center in response to the minor’s original call or other communication without the minor’s consent, or parental consent or authorization in accordance with the provisions of this bill.

      Presently, minors can consent to certain types of temporary, outpatient, behavioral health, and substance use disorder treatment services.  Current law does not allow minors to receive follow-up calls, texts, or chat messages from the operators of suicide hotlines, including the telephone number for mental health and suicide crisis resources, as determined by the Commissioner of Human Services, or a 9-8-8 crisis hotline center without parental consent.

      As amended, the bill also amends section 1 of P.L.1968, c.230 (C.9:17A-4) to mandate that a follow-up call, text, or chat message authorized pursuant to this bill would be solely for suicide prevention purposes and would not be considered behavioral health treatment, diagnosis, or clinical care.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amendments add a findings and declarations section to the bill.

      The committee amendments replace the term “New Jersey Suicide Hopeline,” or “hopeline” with the term “the telephone number for mental health and suicide crisis resources.”

      The committee amendments allow minors who believe that they are in need of behavioral health care services for the treatment of mental illness or emotional disorders to place telephone calls or other communication to both the telephone number for mental health and suicide crisis resources (formally the hopeline) and the 9-8-8 hotline, instead of only to the former hopeline, as originally provided in the bill, to reflect the State’s transition to the nationwide 9-8-8 hotline.

      The committee amendments clarify that a minor who reports being 16 years of age or older and believes that the minor is in need of behavioral health care services for the treatment of mental illness or emotional disorders and places a telephone call or other communication to, or is transferred from another hotline to, the telephone number for mental health and suicide crisis resources (formally the hopeline) or a 9-8-8 crisis hotline center for counseling and support is allowed to receive a follow-up call as well as a text or chat message from an operator of the telephone number for mental health and suicide crisis resources or the 9-8-8 crisis hotline center in response to the minor’s original call or other communication without parental consent or authorization in accordance with the provisions of this bill.

      As originally provided in the bill, operators of the telephone number for mental health and suicide crisis resources (formally the hopeline) would be allowed only to place follow-up telephone calls to minors, 16 years of age or older who place calls for counseling and support and who are identified as being at a high risk of committing suicide, without having to obtain the consent or authorization of the minor’s parent.

      The committee amendments stipulate that a follow-up call, as well as a text or chat message authorized pursuant to the bill, would be solely for suicide prevention purposes and would not be considered behavioral health treatment, diagnosis, or clinical care.  Originally, the bill stipulated that only a follow-up call would be solely for suicide prevention purposes and would not be considered behavioral health treatment, diagnosis, or clinical care.

      The committee amendments renumber the sections of the bill and update the title and the synopsis of the bill to reflect the changes made by the committee amendments.