Establishes Council for Community Recovery and Family Success.*
What changed between versions
The council's core function changed from 'guide and oversee the development and implementation of a Statewide initiative' to 'oversee and support the development of community-based service networks in communities throughout the State with priority attention to those communities of greatest need.' The networks are defined as place-based partnerships that may include local residents, governmental authorities, education agencies, nonprofits, business leaders, and health systems, each with a lead agency responsible for fiscal and administrative management.
The provision to establish new 'community recovery and family success councils' in each county was replaced with a requirement that the council 'provide funding, technical support, and oversight of the community-based service networks.' This shifts the model from creating new state-mandated county bodies to supporting community-driven networks.
Section 1(d) legislative findings were rewritten to emphasize 'services and supports designed and delivered by community-based service networks' rather than generic 'programs, which promote prevention, early intervention, and the well-being.' The phrase 'improve life outcomes' replaced 'improve the outcomes.'
The entire Section 6 appropriating $4,000,000 from the General Fund to the Council for Community Recovery and Family Success was struck. The bill no longer includes a direct state appropriation.
New subsection 2(h) requires that all funds provided to the council - including appropriations, federal/state/local grants, private sector donations, and philanthropic gifts - be held by and administered by the Community Foundation of New Jersey or a similar non-governmental, nonprofit entity.
The three-year implementation timeline ('Subject to the availability of funds, the council shall implement the Statewide initiative pursuant to this section over the course of the next three fiscal years') was removed from Section 3(c).
Section 3(c) allocation criteria changed: 'local family success councils' was replaced with 'each community-based service network,' and the criteria for initial findings changed from 'an assessment of need and county readiness' to 'an assessment of need, collective impact, and readiness to implement or expand family success programs.'
In Section 3(b)(1)(c), the language was changed from identifying policies relating to 'preventive services' to identifying policies relating to 'supportive services,' and the council is now required to work 'in collaboration with community-based service networks' and to 'eliminate any gaps' in those policies.
