Establishes Advisory Committee on Family Services and Communications in Division of Developmental Disabilities in DHS.

A1125

ASSEMBLY, No. 1125

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman JOE DANIELSEN

District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes Advisory Committee on Family Services and
Communications in Division of Developmental Disabilities in DHS.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
concerning
the Division of Developmental
Disabilities in the Department of Human Services and the division�s
interactions with, and provision of services and supports to, the family
members and legal guardians of individuals with developmental disabilities in
the State, and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a.���� The Advisory
Committee on Family Services and Communications is established in the Division
of Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Human Services.� The purpose
of the advisory committee shall be to identify, and work with division
leadership to redress, any inefficiencies, shortcomings, or other problems that
may be associated with the division�s outreach to, communications with, or
provision of appropriate services and supports to, the family members and legal
guardians of individuals with developmental disabilities.

���� b.��� The advisory committee
shall be composed of nine members, as follows:�

���� (1)�� the division�s Family
Outreach Liaison, the division�s Communications and Constituent Inquiries
Liaison, and the chair of the Family Advisory Council, or their designees, who
shall serve ex officio; and

���� (2)�� six public members, to
be appointed by the Governor, including:� (a) two residents from Bergen, Essex,
Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, or Warren County, one of whom shall be a
family member of an individual with a developmental disability and one of whom
shall be the legal guardian of an individual with a developmental disability;
(b) two residents from Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset,
or Union County, one of whom shall be a family member of an individual with a
developmental disability and one of whom shall be the legal guardian of an
individual with a developmental disability; and (c) two residents from
Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, or Salem
County, one of whom shall be a family member of an individual with a
developmental disability and one of whom shall be the legal guardian of an
individual with a developmental disability.

���� c.���� The public members of
the advisory committee shall serve for terms of two years, except that, of the
members first appointed to the committee, three shall serve an initial term of
one year, and three shall serve an initial term of two years.�

���� d.��� Vacancies in the
membership of the advisory committee shall be filled in the same manner
provided for the original appointments.� Public members shall be eligible for
reappointment to the commission following the conclusion of their terms.

���� e.���� The advisory committee
shall organize as soon as practicable, but not more than 30 days after the
appointment of a majority of its members.� Upon its organization, the advisory
committee shall select a chairperson from among its membership, and the chairperson
shall appoint a secretary, who need not be a member of the advisory committee.

���� f.���� The advisory committee
shall meet at the times and places designated by the chair, but not less than
twice per year.� The advisory committee may conduct business without a quorum,
but may only vote on recommendations when a quorum is present.

���� g.��� The members of the
advisory committee shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for
travel and other miscellaneous expenses incurred in the necessary performance
of their duties, within the limits of funds made available to the advisory committee
for its purposes.

���� h.��� The division shall
provide professional, stenographic, and clerical staff, support, and resources
to the advisory committee, as may be necessary to ensure the proper
effectuation of the committee�s duties under this act.

���� 2.��� a.���� The Advisory
Committee on Family Services and Communications shall have the duty to:

���� (1)�� provide the family
members and legal guardians of individuals with developmental disabilities with
comprehensive information, upon request, regarding:� (a) the nature and details
of the division�s family outreach and communications systems, policies, procedures,
protocols, and practices; (b) the nature and type of services and supports that
are available from the division to assist the family members and guardians of
individuals with developmental disabilities; and (c) any proposed or actualized
changes in these areas;

���� (2)�� engage in the ongoing
evaluation of existing division systems, policies, procedures, protocols, and
practices that are used to facilitate the division�s outreach to,
communications with, and provision of services and supports to, the family
members and legal guardians of individuals with developmental disabilities, and
determine the extent to which those systems, policies, procedures, protocols,
and practices, or components thereof, are resulting in inefficiencies,
ineffectiveness, or a lack of transparency or responsiveness in association
with the division�s outreach to, communications with, or provision of services
and supports to, the family members or legal guardians of individuals with
developmental disabilities;

���� (3)�� solicit, receive, and
review complaints, suggestions, and recommendations from relevant organizations
and from the family members and legal guardians of individuals with
developmental disabilities regarding the ways in which the division can improve
its systems, policies, procedures, protocols, and practices to more
efficiently, effectively, transparently, and respectfully serve and respond to
the needs, questions, and concerns of the family members and legal guardians of
individuals with developmental disabilities;

���� (4)�� identify elements within
the division�s existing systems, policies, procedures, protocols, and practices
that can be improved or modernized, and other remedial actions that can be
undertaken by division staff, to redress the inefficiencies or other problems
identified pursuant to paragraph (2) of this subsection; and

���� (5)�� recommend, and work
with division leadership to facilitate the implementation of, changes to the
division�s systems, policies, procedures, protocols, and practices, as may be
necessary to ensure that division staff is consistently engaging in efficient,
effective, responsive, and fully transparent outreach to, communications with,
and provision of appropriate services and supports to, the family members and
legal guardians of individuals with developmental disabilities.�
Recommendations developed pursuant to this paragraph shall be presented, in
writing, to the Assistant Commissioner of the Division of Developmental
Disabilities in the Department of Human Services, within one year after the
effective date of this act and annually thereafter.�

���� b.��� In effectuating its
duties under this section, the advisory committee shall be authorized to:�

���� (1)�� consult with, and
solicit and receive testimony, information, documents, and input from, division
staff, relevant external organizations, and the family members and legal
guardians of individuals with developmental disabilities; and

���� (2)�� solicit and receive,
from the Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental
Disabilities and Their Families, any complaints received by the ombudsman that
involve concerns related to the division�s outreach to, communications with, or
provision of services and supports to, the family members or guardians of
individuals with developmental disabilities.� The ombudsman shall promptly
provide the advisory committee, upon request, with any such complaints received
thereby.

���� c.���� Within 10 days after
the advisory committee is organized pursuant to subsection e. of section 1 of
this act, the division shall publish, on its Internet website, the names of the
committee�s members, and the contact information that can be used by relevant
organizations and by the family members and legal guardians of individuals with
developmental disabilities to submit questions, concerns, or suggestions to the
committee.� The division shall update its website, within 10 days following any
change in the committee membership.

���� 3.��� The Assistant
Commissioner of the Division of Developmental Disabilities, in consultation
with the Commissioner of Human Services, shall adopt rules and regulations,
pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et
seq.), as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this act.

���� 4.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes the
Advisory Committee on Family Services and Communications in the Division of
Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Human Services.� The purpose of
the advisory committee will be to identify, and work with division leadership
to redress, any inefficiencies, shortcomings, or other problems that may be
associated with the division�s outreach to, communications with, or provision
of appropriate services and supports to, the family members and legal guardians
of individuals with developmental disabilities.

���� The advisory committee is to
be composed of nine members, including the division�s Family Outreach Liaison
and Communications and Constituent Inquiries Liaison, as well as the chair of
the Family Advisory Council, or their designees, who would serve ex officio,
and six public members to be appointed by the Governor.� The six public members
are to include:� 1) three residents, one from each of the northern, central,
and southern regions of the State, who are family members of an individual with
a developmental disability; and 2) three residents, one from each of the
northern, central, and southern regions of the State, who are legal guardians
of an individual with a developmental disability.� The advisory committee will
be required to organize as soon as practicable, but not more than 30 days after
the appointment of a majority of its members.�

���� Under the bill�s provisions,
the Advisory Committee on Family Services and Communications will have the duty
to:

���� 1)��� provide the family
members and legal guardians of individuals with developmental disabilities with
comprehensive information, upon request, regarding:� the nature and details of
the agency�s family outreach and communications systems, policies, procedures,
protocols, and practices; the nature and type of services and supports that are
available from the division to assist the family members and guardians of
individuals with developmental disabilities; and any proposed or actualized
changes in these areas;

���� 2)��� engage in the ongoing
evaluation of existing division systems, policies, procedures, protocols, and
practices that are used to facilitate the division�s outreach to,
communications with, and provision of services and supports to, the family
members and legal guardians of individuals with developmental disabilities, and
determine the extent to which those systems, policies, procedures, protocols,
and practices, or components thereof, are resulting in inefficiencies,
ineffectiveness, or a lack of transparency or responsiveness in association
with the division�s outreach to, communications with, or provision of services
and supports to, the family members or legal guardians of individuals with
developmental disabilities;

���� 3)��� solicit, receive, and
review complaints, suggestions, and recommendations from relevant organizations
and from the family members and legal guardians of individuals with
developmental disabilities regarding the ways in which the division can improve
its systems, policies, procedures, protocols, and practices to more
efficiently, effectively, transparently, and respectfully serve and respond to
the needs, questions, and concerns of the family members and legal guardians of
individuals with developmental disabilities;

���� 4)��� identify elements within
the division�s existing systems, policies, procedures, protocols, and practices
that can be improved or modernized, and other remedial actions that can be
undertaken by division staff, to redress the inefficiencies or other problems
identified by the committee; and

���� 5)��� recommend, and work
with division leadership to facilitate the implementation of, changes to the
division�s systems, policies, procedures, protocols, and practices, as may be
necessary to ensure that division staff is consistently engaging in efficient,
effective, responsive, and fully transparent outreach to, communications with,
and provision of appropriate services and supports to, the family members and
legal guardians of individuals with developmental disabilities.�
Recommendations developed by the committee are to be presented, in writing, to
the Assistant Commissioner of the Division of Developmental Disabilities in the
Department of Human Services, within one year after the bill�s effective date
and annually thereafter.�

���� In effectuating its duties
under the bill, the advisory committee will be authorized to:�

���� 1)��� consult with, and
solicit and receive testimony, information, documents, and input from, division
staff, relevant external organizations, and the family members and legal
guardians of individuals with developmental disabilities; and

���� 2)��� solicit and receive,
from the Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental
Disabilities and Their Families, any complaints received by the ombudsman that
involve concerns related to the division�s outreach to, communications with, or
provision of services and supports to, the family members or guardians of
individuals with developmental disabilities.� The ombudsman will be required to
promptly provide the advisory committee, upon request, with any such complaints
received thereby.�

���� The advisory committee is to
meet at the times and places designated by the chair, but not less than twice
per year.� The committee may conduct business without a quorum, but may only
vote on recommendations when a quorum is present.�

���� The division will be required
to provide professional, stenographic, and clerical staff, support, and
resources to the advisory committee, as may be necessary to ensure the proper
effectuation of the committee�s duties.� The division will also be required to
publish, on its Internet website, the names of the committee�s members, and the
contact information that can be used by relevant organizations and the family
members and legal guardians of individuals with developmental disabilities to
submit questions, concerns, or suggestions to the committee.� The website is to
be updated within 10 days following any change in the committee membership.