ASSEMBLY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND WOMEN'S AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 1679

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 9, 2026

      The Assembly Community Development and Women's Affairs Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 1679.

      As amended, this bill provides that certain deceptive practices in advertising of pregnancy-related services or health care services violate the consumer fraud act.

      Under the amended bill, it is an unlawful practice under the consumer fraud act, P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.), for a person to:

      (1) make, publish, disseminate, circulate, or place before the public, or cause, directly or indirectly, to be made, published, disseminated, circulated, or placed before the public, in a newspaper, magazine, or other publication, or in the form of a notice, circular, pamphlet, letter, or poster, or over any radio station, or via the Internet, or in any other way, an advertisement, announcement, or statement containing any assertion, representation, or statement with respect to pregnancy-related services or the provision of health care services which is false or misleading;

      (2)  make false or misleading statements about, or misrepresent the person’s intent to provide, pregnancy-related services or health care services; or

      (3) falsely represent that the person is a health care facility if the person is not, in fact, a health care facility.

      The bill requires a complaint alleging a violation to be investigated within 30 days of receipt.  A person that violates the provision of the bill is subject to all remedies and penalties available pursuant to the State’s consumer fraud act.  In addition to these penalties, and any other penalties under current law, a person that is in violation of the bill is required to: (1) immediately cease and desist the false or misleading representation, advertisement, announcement, or statement; and (2) issue an advertisement, announcement, or statement, correcting the false or misleading representation, advertisement, announcement, or statement that was the subject of the violation.

      The bill further provides that if a person is about to engage in, is continuing to engage in, or has engaged in conduct which is in violation of the bill, or if it is in the public interest, the Attorney General may issue a cease and desist order, seek and obtain an injunction prohibiting the person from advertising or providing pregnancy-related services or health care services, and seek and obtain a court order requiring the person to take whatever remedial steps the court deems necessary to correct the adverse effects of the person’s untrue, deceptive, false, or misleading advertising or statements on any client seeking pregnancy-related services or health care services.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2026-2027 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

      (1) Remove the definition of “crisis pregnancy center,”  “physician,” and “false or misleading,” as well as references to these terms in the bill;

      (2) Revise the definition of “pregnancy-related services” to include abortion services;

      (3) Provide definitions of “health care services” and “person”;

      (4) Prohibit a person from falsely representing that the person is a health care facility if the person is not, in fact, a health care facility; and

      (4) Make clarifying and technical changes to the bill.