ASSEMBLY HEALTH COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 2953

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 18, 2026

      The Assembly Health Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 2953.

      Since January 2025, several federal executive orders have been signed aiming to end diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within the federal government.  Subsequently, several federal agencies have taken actions to comply with the executive orders, including the Defense Intelligence Agency, which has ordered a pause of all events related to several special observances.  These special observances include Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Pride Month, Juneteenth, Women’s Equality Day, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and National American Indian Heritage Month.

      These federal executive orders have also resulted in the removal of certain terms related to gender identity.  The removal is evidenced through actions taken by the federal government, such as updated forms replacing the term “gender” with “sex,” websites related to diversity, equity, and inclusion being shut down, and health resources for transgender individuals being taken down from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.  In addition, since the Stonewall National Monument is funded by the National Park Service, the monument’s website removed any references to transgender or queer individuals.  Federally funded research projects have also been required to pause while staff at the National Science Foundation search the research projects for dozens of words that could violate the executive orders, including “women,” “disability,” “bias,” “status,” “trauma,” “Black,” “Hispanic,” “socioeconomic,” “ethnicity,” and “systemic.”

      The State of New Jersey currently celebrates commemorative days and months including, but not limited to, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Juneteenth, Women’s Equality Day, Hispanic Heritage Month, and Disability Employment Awareness Month.  It is appropriate for the State of New Jersey to acknowledge the importance of promoting the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion by additionally commemorating “LGBTQIA+ Pride Month.”

      Therefore, this bill designates the month of June of each year as “LGBTQIA+ Pride Month” in New Jersey.  LGBTQIA+ individuals have historically been persecuted by discriminatory laws and policies that denied access to rights, programs, benefits, and services otherwise guaranteed to the general population.  Commemorating “LGBTQIA+ Pride Month” is imperative to acknowledge the contributions LGBTQIA+ individuals, including those who identify as transgender or queer, have made and continue to make to strengthen the fabric of American society, as well as to celebrate authenticity, acceptance, inclusion, and love.

      As reported by the committee, Senate Bill No. 2953 is identical to Assembly Bill No. 5162, which was also reported by the committee on this date.