S 2260 New Jersey Senate · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Secures protections for patients and providers accessing and providing reproductive health care services; establishes right of residents to reproductive health care activity that is restricted in other states.*

New Jersey's S 2260 strengthens legal protections for patients and providers accessing or delivering reproductive and gender-affirming health care services within the state. The bill explicitly defines "legally protected health care activities" to include seeking, providing, or assisting with these services (such as abortion, contraception, or gender-affirming care), regardless of a patient's location. It prohibits obstruction, intimidation, or physical barriers at facilities offering these services and grants licensing boards authority to impose civil penalties for violations. This directly affects patients traveling to New Jersey for care (not available in their home states) and healthcare providers operating in these fields. The law codifies existing protections to prevent harassment or violence against these services, following increased threats and protests nationwide after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Issues: ✓ Healthcare

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

May 2026

Senate Passage

Jun 2026

General Assembly Passage

Jun 2026

Signed into Law

Aug 2026

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Signed Aug 20, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Senate Committee Substitute → Reprint Of Substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill moved from the Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee to the Judiciary Committee with substantive amendments. The most significant change expands protections against out-of-state legal actions to also cover federal proceedings (to the extent permitted by federal law), and broadens the public policy declaration to cover any law rather than only laws of another state. Several definitions were removed or restructured, and the definition of reproductive health care services was refined.

Scope change

The bill's protective scope is significantly broadened. Previously it shielded persons only from interstate (out-of-state) legal actions related to reproductive health care activity. It now also extends those shields to federal proceedings to the extent permitted by federal law, and the public policy declaration in section 11 now covers any law rather than only laws of another state.

SCOPE

Protections against providing information, issuing subpoenas, search warrants, wiretapping orders, and out-of-state summonses for discovery are expanded to cover not only interstate proceedings but also federal proceedings, in each case 'to the extent permitted by federal law.'

The public policy declaration in new section 11 is broadened from declaring that a law 'of another state' authorizing prosecution of reproductive health care activity is against public policy, to declaring that any such law (including federal) is against public policy.

DEFINITION

Definitions for 'Entrance,' 'Gathering,' 'Impede,' and 'Social media' are bracketed for deletion. The definition of 'Physical obstruction' is replaced with the verb form 'Physically obstruct.'

The definition of 'Reproductive health care services' is refined: 'assisted reproduction technology' becomes 'assisted reproductive technology'; the phrase 'delivered or overseen in accordance with the accepted standard of care, pursuant to' is replaced with 'consistent with'; and the exclusion for conduct violating state law now also covers violations of 'any regulation, or agency standard' and 'deviation from the applicable professional standard of care.'

TECHNICAL

The bill's reporting committee changed from the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee to the Senate Judiciary Committee, with a report date of May 21, 2026.

Introduced → Senate Committee Substitute · 13 edits

MAJOR

The Senate Committee Substitute for S2260 significantly restructures the reproductive rights bill by removing all standalone references to gender-affirming health care services (though some gender-related protections are folded into a broader 'reproductive health care services' definition), eliminating several controversial provisions including a fetal rights disclaimer, a constitutional right declaration, medical examiner amendments, and dispersal order authority. In exchange, it adds new medical malpractice insurance protections for providers serving out-of-state patients, broadens the physical facility definition to cover all 'health care services facilities,' and restructures criminal penalties by removing the disorderly persons offense tier and the specific anti-videotaping provisions.

Scope change

The bill's scope narrows in some ways (removing standalone gender-affirming care protections, removing dispersal orders, removing the fetal rights disclaimer, removing constitutional right language) but broadens in others (facility definition now covers all health care facilities, insurance protections added, licensing board protection strengthened with notwithstanding language). The net effect is a more focused bill centered on reproductive health care with some gender-related protections absorbed into the broader reproductive category.

SCOPE

All standalone references to 'gender-affirming health care services' are removed throughout the bill. The term 'legally protected health care activity' (which covered both reproductive and gender-affirming care) is replaced with 'reproductive health care activity.' However, the expanded definition of 'reproductive health care services' now includes services 'to support a person's alignment with their gender identity or expression' per C.17:48A-7ll, so some gender-related protections are preserved within the broader reproductive category.

The facility definition is broadened from 'reproductive or gender-affirming health care services facility' to simply 'health care services facility,' meaning the physical obstruction and interference protections now apply to any health care facility, not just those providing reproductive or gender-affirming care.

The section authorizing law enforcement officers to issue dispersal orders for gatherings that substantially impede access to reproductive health care facilities is entirely removed.

The section declaring that 'a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus shall not have independent rights under the laws of this State' is removed.

The amendment to C.10:7-2 establishing reproductive choice as a fundamental constitutional right enforceable under the Civil Rights Act is removed.

The section repealing C.2A:65A-5 through C.2A:65A-7, C.9:17A-1.1 through C.9:17A-1.12, and C.30:4D-6.1 is removed.

DEFINITION

A new definition of 'reproductive health care activity' is added covering 'providing, seeking, receiving, advising, aiding, facilitating, encouraging, referring for, assisting with, providing material support for, or inquiring about reproductive health care services that are lawful in this State,' with an explicit exclusion for conduct that could form the basis of a civil, criminal, or administrative action under NJ law.

The definition of 'reproductive health care services' is substantially expanded to include telehealth, assisted reproduction technology, miscarriage management, and gender identity/expression alignment services. A new definition of 'assisted reproductive technology' is added referencing C.9:17-62.

FISCAL

A new section amends C.17:30D-22 to prohibit medical malpractice insurers from increasing premiums based on claims dismissed within 180 days of the last responsive pleading, and prohibits adverse actions (denial of coverage, sanctions, fines, rate increases) against insureds for reproductive health care activity based on the patient's out-of-state residency or an out-of-state license revocation tied to that activity.

ENFORCEMENT

The licensing board protection is strengthened with 'notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary' language and now covers all 'reproductive health care activity' rather than just specific services. The Attorney General enforcement section now also includes county or municipal prosecutors as authorized to bring civil actions.

The interference crime is restructured: the specific anti-videotaping/filming provisions (old paragraphs 5 and 6) are removed and replaced with a new paragraph covering causing damage to business or personal reputation, financial harm, or emotional harm. The disorderly persons offense tier is eliminated; the crime is now only third degree (bodily injury) or second degree (significant or serious bodily injury).

TECHNICAL

The extensive amendments to the medicolegal death investigation statute (C.26:6B-10) are removed from the bill.

The section authorizing DHHS commissioners to adopt implementing regulations on an emergency basis is removed, along with the severability and liberal construction provisions.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Jun 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed Senate (Passed Both Houses) (25-15)

upper

Jun 30, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed by the Assembly (55-23-0)

lower

Jun 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

Assembly Floor Amendment Passed (Voice) (Speight)

lower

May 28, 2026

Committee

Received in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee

lower

May 28, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed by the Senate (23-12)

upper

May 21, 2026

Committee

Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee

upper

Jan 13, 2026

Introduced

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee

upper

5 primary · 49 co-sponsors