SENATE HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND SENIOR CITIZENS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 299

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  OCTOBER 5, 2026

      The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 299.

      This bill establishes the Blue Band Program in the Office Maternal and Child Health in the Department of Health to reduce preventable pregnancy-related complications associated with preeclampsia by clearly alerting health care providers to an individual’s risk to related health complications that can lead to maternal death, and to reduce the maternal mortality and morbidity rates in the State.

      The Office of Maternal and Child Health is to:  (1) implement requirements for, and provide information to hospitals and federally qualified health centers, on participating in the Blue Band program established pursuant to this bill; (2) establish a procedure by which a hospital and federally qualified health center may voluntarily opt in to the program; and (3) develop guidelines for the distribution of blue wristbands by participating hospitals and federally qualified health centers to pregnant and postpartum individuals at risk of preeclampsia or diagnosed with preeclampsia, in order to clearly alert health care providers to the individual's risk to related health complications that can lead to maternal death.

      The Office of Maternal and Child Health shall develop educational resources to support participating hospitals and federally qualified health centers in implementing the Blue Band program, and make such resources available, in print and in an easily printable format, on the Office’s Internet website.

       The Office of Maternal and Child Health is to submit an annual report to the Governor and Legislature on the implementation of this program.  The report shall include data on the number of hospitals and federally qualified health centers in the State that are actively participating in the program, the counties in which the participating hospitals and federally qualified health centers are located, and the impact of the Blue Band program on maternal mortality in the counties where the participating hospitals and federally qualified health centers are located.

      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.