Provides for annual fellowship stipends for Direct Support Professional Career Development Program participants.

This bill (A3597) establishes annual state funding to support New Jersey's Direct Support Professional Career Development Program. It requires the state to appropriate annual funds starting in Fiscal Year 2026 to cover living expenses for new program participants and education costs for existing direct support professionals working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The funds, managed through the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, will be distributed to the New Jersey Community College Consortium, with no more than 10% allocated for administrative costs. This amends prior law (P.L.2021, c.421) that provided only a one-time $1 million appropriation for the program's initial setup.