This bill expands New Jersey's "Daniel's Law" to protect victim support advocates and victim support care providers by prohibiting the online disclosure of their home addresses and unpublished phone numbers. It creates a process where authorized representatives (like family members or legal agents) can request removal of this personal information from the internet. Violating this prohibition could result in criminal charges, ranging from a fourth-degree crime for reckless disclosure to a third-degree crime for intentional violations. The law directly affects professionals working with crime victims who face safety risks from public exposure of their personal contact details.
This bill establishes a rebuttable presumption that defendants charged with certain child sexual abuse or endangerment crimes must be held in pretrial detention, unless they can prove otherwise. It directly affects individuals accused of specific offenses including endangering the welfare of a child (N.J.S.2C:24-4), sexual assault with minor victims, or criminal sexual contact with minor victims. Under the bill, courts must assume no bail or release conditions would ensure court appearance or community safety for these cases, shifting the burden to the defendant to rebut the presumption. Defendants must actively challenge the detention order at a hearing, and appeals are handled urgently while detention continues pending resolution. This changes the default from presuming release (as in most cases) to presuming detention for these specific child-related offenses.
This bill creates a new criminal offense for committing domestic violence in the presence of a child under 16 years old, specifically when the perpetrator knows the child is present. It applies to individuals committing acts of domestic violence (like assault or harassment) where the child is a parent, guardian, or resource family parent. The law requires a separate conviction and sentence for this new offense alongside the underlying domestic violence charge, rather than merging the two. This change ensures offenders face distinct legal consequences for exposing children to violence, regardless of whether they're convicted of the original domestic violence act. The severity of the new charge depends on the underlying offense (e.g., fourth degree if the original was a minor offense).
This bill creates a new criminal offense for targeting senior citizens (60+ years old) or people with disabilities (defined as those with long-term medical conditions limiting their ability to resist). It automatically upgrades the penalty for any crime committed against these groups by one degree (e.g., a fourth-degree offense becomes a third-degree crime), and makes the perpetrator strictly liable - meaning ignorance of the victim’s status is never a defense. The bill also requires separate sentencing for both the original crime and the new "victimization" offense, rather than merging the charges. It specifically includes protections for crimes listed in New Jersey’s criminal code, such as assault, burglary, and harassment.
New Jersey's S 978 makes it a fourth-degree crime (carrying up to 18 months in jail or $10,000 fine) to secretly install or use electronic tracking devices or apps to monitor another person's location with intent to facilitate unlawful acts like stalking or harassment. The bill directly affects individuals who secretly track others without consent, such as in cases of relationship surveillance. Key exemptions include parents tracking minor children, caregivers monitoring vulnerable individuals, businesses disclosing location tracking in privacy policies, and employers tracking work vehicles under specific conditions. The law creates a legal presumption that secret location tracking is intended for unlawful purposes, while excluding government entities and certain business/employer uses.
S 2503 upgrades penalties for purposely damaging or defacing public monuments, symbols, places of worship, or burial sites from a disorderly persons offense to a fourth-degree crime. It defines "desecrate" as defacing, damaging, or polluting such protected sites. If passed, the offense would carry up to 18 months in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both - up from a maximum of six months and $1,000 under current law. The bill directly affects individuals who intentionally harm these sites, with no exemptions specified. The bill was introduced in the New Jersey Senate on January 13, 2026, and referred to the Judiciary Committee.
This bill establishes "fertility fraud" as a crime in New Jersey. It makes it illegal for health care practitioners to perform fertility treatments using their own or another person's reproductive material without the patient's written consent, directly affecting patients who could become victims and practitioners who violate this rule. The offense is classified as a third-degree crime, punishable by up to five years in prison, a $15,000 fine, and permanent loss of medical licensure. Prosecutions must occur within 20 years of the treatment or 10 years after the victim discovers the fraud.
This bill requires all state agencies and political subdivisions (including counties, municipalities, school districts, and local government entities) to make a good faith effort to purchase 5% of their goods and services from the Central Nonprofit Agency (CNA), which sources products from approved rehabilitation facilities. The CNA is granted the right of first refusal for these purchases, meaning state entities must consider the CNA before other vendors. Additionally, the bill mandates that the Division of Purchase and Property establish mandatory training protocols for purchasing agents, requiring new hires to complete training and renewing it every two years. The bill also requires regular reporting to track compliance with the 5% procurement goal and training requirements.
This bill allows inmates with disabilities in New Jersey state correctional facilities to use service animals or "incarcerated person companion animals" (pets kept for companionship) under specific conditions. It requires the Department of Corrections to create a program where inmates can apply for animal assistance, with evaluations conducted within 30 days for companion animal requests. Key provisions include mandatory health documentation for animals, rules for when and how animals may be present, and processes for handling requests from inmates with existing service animals or those seeking new ones. The bill appropriates funds for implementation and sets standards to balance inmate needs with facility safety and operations.
This bill adds 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), a psychoactive compound found in Kratom, to New Jersey's Schedule I list of controlled substances. It directly affects anyone possessing, manufacturing, distributing, or using 7-OH in the state. Under the law, 7-OH would be classified as a substance with "high potential for abuse" and "no accepted medical use," making it illegal for non-medical purposes. Possession of 1 ounce or more would be a second-degree crime, while smaller amounts would be a third-degree crime under New Jersey's drug laws.
