SENATE HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND SENIOR CITIZENS COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
SENATE, No. 740
with committee amendments
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: OCTOBER 5, 2026
The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 740.
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 Department of Children and Families, 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" 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 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 prefiled 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 revise the membership of the Child Advocacy Center-Multidisciplinary Team Advisory Board, adding the Director of the Problematic Sexual Behavior Program established by the bill and removing a public member, who is a specialized care coordinator or a specialized care coordinator supervisor, to the board’s composition.
The committee amendments revise the membership of the subcommittee appointed by the board from nine to 12, and the number of public members from at least seven, to at least nine to include a representative of the State Central Registry and a representative of the Office of the Public Defender with experience, background, or specialized knowledge in cased involving problematic sexual behavior, or who is a staff member of the Office of Law Guardian, the Office of Parental Representation, or the Youth Defense Unit.
The amendments amend the legislative finding and declarations section of the bill to specify that the fund received an additional $5 million in each of the State’s Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027 Appropriation Acts to cover medical and mental health expenses for youth referred to medical and mental health services through the program.
The amendments stipulate that additional monies were allocated to the fund through the State’s Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027 Appropriation Acts to support the creation of specialized positions throughout the State necessary to carry out the responsibilities of the program.