SENATE, No. 1400

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Senator JOSEPH A. LAGANA

District 38 (Bergen)

Senator ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT

District 31 (Hudson)

Co-Sponsored by:

Senator Diegnan

SYNOPSIS

     Directs DHS to establish three year advertising campaign to attract certified home health aides to health care professions; appropriates $3 million.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

An Act establishing a three year advertising campaign to attract certified home health aides to health care professions and making an appropriation.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

     1.  a.  The Department of Human Services, in consultation with the Department of Health, shall establish a three year advertising campaign to attract certified home health aides to health care professions.  The campaign shall promote:

     (1) health care professions as engaging, dynamic, and rewarding career opportunities; and

     (2) available scholarships, student loan redemption programs, and other available financial support opportunities for certified home health aides seeking careers in health care professions.

     b.  The department, in developing and administering the advertising campaign, shall also create targeted advertising to increase the recruitment of certified home health aides to health care professions:

     (1) from underrepresented racial groups;

     (2) with expertise in providing care to senior citizens; and

     (3) into high-demand fields, as identified by the Commissioner Human Services, in consultation with the Department of Health.

     2.  The Department of Human Services, in consultation with the Department of Health, shall submit a report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), on the implementation and effectiveness of the advertising campaign established in section 1 of this act no later than six months after the advertising campaign has ended.  The report shall include the commissioner’s recommendation on the advisability of the advertising campaign’s continuation.

     3.  There is appropriated $3,000,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Human Services to develop and administer the advertising campaign established pursuant to section 1 of this act.

     4.  This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon submission of the report required to be submitted to the Governor and the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of this act.

STATEMENT

     This bill directs the Department of Human Services (DHS), in consultation with the Department of Health (DOH), to establish a three year advertising campaign to attract certified home health aides to health care professions.  The campaign will promote:  health care professions as engaging, dynamic, and rewarding career opportunities; and available scholarships, student loan redemption programs, and other available financial support opportunities for certified home health aides seeking careers in health care professions.

     The DHS, in developing and administering the advertising campaign, is also required to create targeted advertising to increase the recruitment of certified home health aides to health care professions: (1) from underrepresented racial groups; (2) with expertise in providing care to senior citizens; and (3) into certain high-demand fields.

     The bill requires the DHS, in consultation with the DOH, to submit a report to the Governor and to the Legislature on the implementation and effectiveness of the advertising campaign.  The report must include the commissioner’s recommendation on the advisability of the advertising campaign’s continuation.

     The bill takes effect immediately and expires upon submission of the report required to be prepared under the bill.