Health
Judge Dismisses Challenge to New Jersey’s Assisted Suicide Residency Requirement – On September 18th, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging the residency requirement for New Jersey’s Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act, codified as P.L.2019, c.59. This law allows terminally ill, hospice-eligible, mentally capable adults to obtain self-administered, life-ending prescription medication. The lawsuit alleged that restricting the law to New Jersey residents only was unconstitutional. However, the judge disagreed, dismissing the case on the grounds that the Constitution does not require a state to extend non-fundamental privileges to non-state residents. Around 300 people were approved to end their life under the law between 2019 and 2023.
Assembly Panel Approves Bill Allowing Mental Health Referrals by School Counselors – On September 19th, the state Assembly Education Committee advanced Bill A1657A by a 7-2 vote, which allows school counselors and mental health professionals working in school districts to refer students to outside mental health practitioners. An outside referral would not compel parents to seek services, nor would it prohibit school counselors and mental health practitioners from continuing to offer mental health services. This bill requires parental notification of outside referral only if the student is 16 years of age or younger. This generated some opposition from parental rights groups, arguing the bill would diminish parental involvement in decisions about their children’s care. Bill A1657A also has a companion bill in the state Senate, which was introduced and referred to the Senate Education Committee as of January 2024.
Family Connects NJ, a Free Nurse-Visitation Program for New Mothers, Expanding into Additional Counties – On September 17th, the New Jersey Department of Children and Families announced the expansion of the Family Connects NJ program into Somerset, Sussex, Passaic, Hudson, Bergen, and Ocean counties, starting in January 2025. The program dispatches nurses to family homes during the first few weeks after birth to evaluate the health of both the mother and baby while also connecting the family to services like breastfeeding support and housing assistance. Family Connects NJ initially launched in January 2024 in Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex, and Essex counties. New Jersey has committed $45 million over the next five years to support the program, and Governor Murphy allocated an additional $20 million to fund the expansion in the Fiscal Year 2025 State Budget, which was adopted in June.
Public Administration
Lawmakers Advance Bill to Limit Police Use of DNA from Babies and Crime Victims – On September 19th, the state Assembly Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to advance Bill A3004, which seeks to limit law enforcement’s use of DNA samples from newborns and crime victims. The bill would restrict the use of DNA from newborns to disease screening purposes only and would additionally limit the use of DNA from crime victims or witnesses to identifying the alleged criminal suspect, absent parental informed consent, a judge-issued warrant, or a court order. This bill follows a discovery made over two years ago by the state Office of the Public Defender, which alleged that state police used a baby’s blood sample collected through New Jersey’s mandatory newborn disease-screening program to charge the child’s father with a crime. The provisions of this bill were first introduced as Bill A4642 by Assemblywoman Mila Jasey and Assemblyman Raj Mukherji during the 2022-2023 session. It was similarly advanced by the Judiciary Committee but ultimately failed to reach the Assembly floor.
Transportation
NJ Transit Close to Hiring New Customer Advocate – On September 18th, an NJ Transit board member reported that the agency is in the final stages of hiring for the customer advocate position, which has been vacant since the last advocate (Stewart Mader) resigned in 2020. The customer advocate reports directly to NJ Transit’s board and serves primarily as a liaison for rider feedback by identifying needed facility improvements and communicating the results of customer surveys and on-time performance statistics to the agency, among other responsibilities. The NJ Transit board first recommended a candidate for the position back in March and has faced regular calls from riders to fill the position, particularly after fare hikes this spring and service reliability concerns this summer. In January 2024, the state Assembly introduced Bill S1190, which would remove the customer advocate position from NJ Transit’s internal structure and instead establish an independent Rider Advocacy Commission to enhance oversight of the agency.