ASSEMBLY HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 5223

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 15, 2026

      The Assembly Health Infrastructure Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 5223.

      This bill creates a voluntary pilot program that would allow licensed inpatient psychiatric facilities to temporarily use existing adult acute psychiatric beds as adult closed acute psychiatric beds.  Under the program, the use of such beds would not constitute a change in the facility’s licensed bed capacity, require approval by the Department of Health (department), or require a change to the facility’s licensure status.  The program would initially run for 24 months but the Commissioner of Health (commissioner) may recommend legislative action to extend or make permanent the program.  A list of participating facilities would be published on the department’s Internet website for the duration of the pilot program.

      This bill also requires each participating facility to submit a quarterly report to the department, detailing:  (1) the patient type for whom the flexibility was temporarily utilized; (2) the duration of the utilization; and (3) the number of instances in which a psychiatric inpatient bed was converted.  The reports are required to be made public within 60 days of the submission of the report to the department.  Additionally, within 90 days of the end of the pilot program, the commissioner would be required to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature regarding the pilot program and whether the program should be continued or made permanent.