SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 1090

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 4, 2026

      The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 1090.

      As amended, this bill creates the new crime of political violence and establishes a training mandate for law enforcement officials.

Political violence.   Under the bill, political violence occurs when a person commits, attempts to commit, or conspires with another to commit specific criminal offenses against the target or other victim, a family or household member of the target or other victim, or a bystander with a purpose to interfere with or retaliate against the victim because of the victims political participation or expression or the political participation or expression of another.

      The following constitute those specific criminal offenses:

      (1)  Criminal Homicide;

      (2)  Murder;

      (3)  Manslaughter;

      (4) Death by auto or vessel;

      (5)  Assault;

      (6)  Kidnapping;

      (7)  Criminal Restraint;

      (8)  False Imprisonment;

      (9)  Sexual Assault or Aggravated Sexual Assault;

      (10)  Aggravated Criminal Sexual Contact;

      (11)  Robbery;

      (12)  Carjacking;

      (13)  Arson and Related Offenses; or

      (14)  Terrorism.

      Political violence is graded as a crime one degree higher than the most serious underlying crime.  However, where the underlying crime is a crime of the first degree, political violence is a first-degree crime and, upon conviction, the sentence would be an ordinary term of imprisonment between 15 years and 30 years, with a presumptive term of 20 years.

Procedural Elements and Defenses.  The bill provides for a permissive inference concerning the selection of targeted persons by providing that proof that the target of the underlying offense was selected because of political affiliation or expression or the political affiliation or expression of another would give rise to the inference that the defendant acted with purpose to intimidate an individual or group.

      The bill would bar the merger of a conviction for political violence with a conviction of any of the underlying offenses, and no underlying offense shall merge with a conviction for political violence.

      The bill provides that it is not a defense to a prosecution for political violence that the defendant was mistaken as to the political affiliation or political expression of the victim.

Training Developed by the Division of Criminal Justice.  The bill establishes a training mandate for law enforcement officers and prosecutors who investigate and prosecute political violence.  The Division of Criminal Justice, within the department, is responsible for the creation of the training course and curriculum on the handling, investigation and response procedures concerning reports of violations of the newly created crime of political violence.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

      (1)  delete the provision establishing a Political Violence Review Board;

      (2)  revise the bill synopsis in accordance with the amendments; and

      (3)  renumber the sections of the bill to account for the deleted section and make technical changes.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) anticipates that the State, county prosecutor’s offices, local law enforcement agencies, and courts may incur indeterminate additional annual operating expenses from the implementation of the provisions of this bill from:  (1) investigating, enforcing, prosecuting, and trying the offenses established by the bill; (2) incarcerating any offenders; (3) establishing a review board; and (4) establishing and disseminating training curriculum.  The State and municipal governments also may receive indeterminate additional annual revenue from fines and penalties imposed on and collected from individuals convicted of the offenses established by this bill.

      The OLS, however, lacks sufficient information to quantify the bill’s fiscal impacts.  It is unclear how many persons would be prosecuted, tried, and sentenced for the crime of political violence offenses in fiscal years following enactment.