ASSEMBLY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND WOMEN'S AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 4074

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.  4074.

     This amended bill requires the Department of State to establish the “New Jersey Reproductive Health Travel Advisory” to inform New Jersey residents of the extent to which states within the United States restrict access to reproductive health care services.

     While many pregnancies are safe and uneventful, there is always some risk that a pregnancy will unexpectedly result in a medical emergency endangering the life or health of the patient.  The effective treatment of such emergencies sometimes requires termination of the pregnancy.  In the states that limit reproductive health care services, it is unclear to what extent necessary medical treatment for pregnancy-related emergencies will be permitted.  There is thus a need to create an advisory that will inform New Jersey residents of the extent to which states within the United States limit reproductive health care services so that they may make informed travel decisions while pregnant. 

     Pursuant to the amended bill, the travel advisory is to provide a description of each state in the United States with respect to reproductive health care services, including but not limited to, gestational duration bans, waiting periods, insurance coverage bans, medication restrictions, constitutional protections, reproductive health care funding, and criminal and civil liability for patients and health care providers.  The travel advisory is required to provide the information according to the following tiered system:

     (1)   “Blue: Exercise normal caution,” which signifies that pregnant individuals have access to all forms of reproductive health care without fear of civil or criminal prosecution;

     (2)  “Yellow: Exercise increased caution,” which signifies that pregnant individuals have restricted access to reproductive health care that could result in civil or criminal prosecution; and

     (3)  “Red: Reconsider travel,” which signifies that pregnant individuals have extremely restricted access to reproductive health care that could result in an adverse medical outcome, pregnant individuals being subject to civil or criminal prosecution, and individuals seeking emergency reproductive medical care  not being provided life-saving care due to state law.

     The Department of State is to publish the travel advisory in a prominent location on its website and update the advisory for each state every time a state experiences a change in its law, rules, or regulations concerning reproductive health care services.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to make consistent all references to “reproductive health care.”