ASSEMBLY CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND FOOD SECURITY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 2232

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  SEPTEMBER 17, 2026

      The Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 2232.

      As amended by the committee, this bill amends various sections of P.L.2017, c.90 (C.9:6-8.108 et seq.) to:  (1) include definitions relating to the establishment of the program; (2) stipulate that the board is to establish an annual progress review, instead of a certification process, as originally required by law, for the State's child advocacy centers and multidisciplinary teams; (3) establish a Problematic Sexual Behavior Subcommittee; and (4) administer, in coordination with the DCF, the "Child Treatment Assistance Fund" established in the bill.

      The bill also amends P.L.2017, c.90 to increase the number of members of the "Child Advocacy Center-Multidisciplinary Team Advisory Board" (the board) from 14, as originally provide by the law, to 17, update the guidelines of practice for child advocacy centers and multidisciplinary teams must adopt to receive satisfactory annual progress reviews, and clarify how the grants distributed by the DCF to centers and teams, through the Child Advocacy Center-Multidisciplinary Team Fund, are to be spent.

      The bill establishes the Problematic Sexual Behavior Program (the program) administered by the New Jersey Children’s Alliance and funded by the DCF.  The purpose of the program is to institute a Statewide, coordinated response to, and address the medical and mental health care services needs of those impacted by, problematic sexual behavior. 

      The bill also establishes the "Child Treatment Assistance Fund" in the DCF.  The fund is to be the repository of monies appropriated to cover the cost of the medical and mental health care services provided through the program.

      The bill defines "problematic sexual behavior" to mean behavior, initiated by youth under the age of 18, involving the use sexual body parts in a manner that is developmentally inappropriate or potentially harmful to themselves or the person or persons impacted by the behavior, and also includes technology facilitated adverse sexualized behaviors that can be considered problematic and harmful.

      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 amendments clarify that the definition of "problematic sexual behavior" means behavior, initiated by youth under the age of 18, involving the use sexual body parts in a manner that is developmentally inappropriate or potentially harmful, not only to the person or persons impacted by the behavior, as originally provided in the bill, but to the youth who initiated the behavior.

      The committee amendments make a technical change to correct a citation relating to the number of members of the Child Advocacy Center-Multidisciplinary Team Advisory Board originally referenced in P.L.2017, c.90.

      The committee amendments include the Director of the Problematic Sexual Behavior Program as a member of the Child Advocacy Center-Multidisciplinary Team Advisory Board.

      The committee amendments reduce the number of public members on the Child Advocacy Center-Multidisciplinary Team Advisory Board from 13, as originally provided by the bill, to 12 by removing the specialized care coordinator or specialized care coordinator supervisor from the board’s membership.  The committee amendments clarify that the public member, who is a representative of a victim or family advocacy group, has expertise in child abuse and neglect and problematic sexual behaviors in children.

      The committee amendments increase the number of members of the Problematic Sexual Behavior Subcommittee appointed by the board from nine, as originally provided in the bill, to 11, and the number of public members from at least six, as originally provided by the bill, to at least eight to include a representative of a child advocacy center and a representative of the State Central Registry.

      The committee amendments clarify that the on-going, specialized interdisciplinary training required for team members is to be based on the most recent progress review or training requirements outlined in the standard developed by the National Children’s Alliance, instead of a multidisciplinary team’s most recent progress review, as originally provided by the bill.

      The committee amended the legislative finding and declarations section of the bill to stipulate that the framework created by the Problematic Sexual Behavior Workgroup recommended establishing specialized positions within care management organizations, instead of a specialized assessment team within the State Central Registry as originally provided in the bill, to refer youth who have been engaged in or have been impacted by problematic sexual behavior and their families to treatment and other appropriate services.

      The committee amendments specify that the Problematic Sexual Behavior Program is to coordinate with care management organizations to select specialized care coordinators to provide care coordination services throughout the State

      The committee amendments specify that care coordination services are to be provided at no cost until efforts to contact the youth’s family have been unsuccessful, or the youth’s family declines to accept care coordination service.

      The committee amendments include language requiring the Problematic Sexual Behavior Program develop a system of data collection, analysis, and reporting of information concerning the effectiveness of the services provided by the program to youth who engage in or have been impacted by problematic sexual behavior and their families, to be forwarded to the Problematic Sexual Behavior Subcommittee, including any recommendations to improve the functioning of the program.

      The committee amendments remove the $8,500,000 appropriation from the bill.

      The committee amendments make various technical changes involving grammar syntax, and punctuation, and to correct certain cross-citations.

      The committee amendments provide technical changes to the synopsis and title to reflect the changes made by committee amendment.