Authorizes majority of Commission on Human Trafficking membership to exercise powers and duties of commission.

A1413

ASSEMBLY, No. 1413

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman ELLEN J. PARK

District 37 (Bergen)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Stanley

SYNOPSIS

���� Authorizes majority of Commission on Human
Trafficking membership to exercise powers and duties of commission.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

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

��

An Act

concerning the Commission on Human Trafficking
and amending P.L.2013, c.51.

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

����� 1.�� Section
1 of P.L.2013, c.51 (C.52:17B-237) is amended to read as follows:

����� 1.
a. There is hereby created, in the Division of Criminal Justice in the
Department of Law and Public Safety, a commission to be known as the Commission
on Human Trafficking
[
, consisting
]

.

�����
The
commission shall consist
of 17 members as follows: the Attorney General, or
the Attorney General�s designee; the Commissioner of Children and Families, or
the commissioner�s designee; the Commissioner of Human Services, or the
commissioner�s designee; a county prosecutor, appointed by the Governor based
upon the recommendation of the County Prosecutors Association of the State of
New Jersey; one member of the New Jersey Human Trafficking Task Force
established within the Department of Law and Public Safety, designated by the Attorney
General; the Executive Director of the Division of Violence Intervention and
Victim Assistance or the executive director�s designee; two public members
appointed by the Governor based upon the recommendation of the Senate
President, one representing law enforcement and one representing a victim�s
assistance organization; one public member appointed by the Governor based upon
the recommendation of the Senate Minority Leader representing either a
non-profit health care facility or mental health services; two public members
appointed by the Governor based upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the
General Assembly, one representing law enforcement and one representing a
victim�s assistance organization; one public member appointed by the Governor
based upon the recommendation of the Assembly Minority Leader representing
either a non-profit health care facility or mental health services; and five
public members appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall be a representative
of a child advocacy organization concerning missing, abducted, or exploited
children, and one of whom shall be a human trafficking survivor.�

����� All
public members shall have experience with, possess a background in, or
demonstrate a specialized knowledge of, the legal, policy, educational, social,
or psychological aspects of human trafficking.

����� b.
(1) Of the public members first appointed:

����� (a)
the following shall serve for a term of three years: one member appointed upon
the recommendation of the Senate President; one member appointed upon the
recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly; and two members
appointed by the Governor; and

����� (b)
the following shall serve for a term of two years: one member appointed upon
the recommendation of the Senate President; one member appointed upon the
recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly; each member appointed
upon the recommendation of the Senate and Assembly Minority Leaders; and three
members appointed by the Governor.

����� (c)
Upon the conclusion of the initial terms, each public member shall be appointed
for a term of three years.

����� (2)
Each member appointed shall hold office for the term of appointment and until a
successor shall have been appointed and qualified.

����� (3)
Any vacancy in the membership of the commission shall be filled by appointment
in the same manner as the original appointment was made.

����� c.
(1) The commission shall organize upon the appointment of a majority of its
[
authorized
]
membership.�
The members shall elect one of the members to serve as chair and vice-chair,
and the chair may appoint a secretary, who need not be a member of the
commission.

����� (2)
The commission shall meet at those times and places within the State of New
Jersey as the commission shall determine.� A majority of the commission�s
[
authorized
]
membership
shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business, for the
performance of any duty, or for the exercise of any power of the commission.

����� d.�� The
members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but shall be
eligible for reimbursement for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in
the performance of their official duties within the limits of funds
appropriated or otherwise made available to the commission for its purposes.

����� e.�� The
Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety shall,
at the direction of the Attorney General, provide legal, stenographic,
technical, clerical, and other staff and resource assistance to the commission,
and additionally the commission may incur expenses as may be necessary in order
to perform its duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made
available to it for its purposes.

����� f.��� It
shall be the duty of the commission to:

����� (1)
Evaluate the existing law concerning human trafficking and the enforcement
thereof, and to make recommendations for legislation, if appropriate;

����� (2)
Review existing victim assistance programs and analyze the costs, organization,
and availability of these services for victims of human trafficking and to make
recommendations for legislation, if appropriate;

����� (3)
Promote a coordinated response by public and private resources for victims of
human trafficking; and

����� (4)
Develop mechanisms to promote public awareness of human trafficking, victim
remedies and services, and trafficking prevention including the creation of a
public awareness sign promoting the national, 24-hour toll-free hotline
telephone service on human trafficking described under section 18 of P.L.2013,
c.51 (C.2C:13-11), and the promotion of training courses and other educational
materials for use by persons required under section 19 of P.L.2013, c.51
(C.2C:13-12) to undergo training on the handling of and response procedures for
suspected human trafficking activities.

����� g.�� The
commission shall report annually to the Governor and to the Legislature,
pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), its activities, as
well as its findings and recommendations for any needed new services or
resources for victims of human trafficking, and any proposed changes to the
current law concerning human trafficking.

(cf:
P.L.2023, c.167, s.14)

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

STATEMENT

���� This bill authorizes a
majority of the members of the Commission on Human Trafficking (commission) to
exercise the powers and duties of the commission.�

���� The commission is a 17-member
commission that was created by the Legislature in 2013 as part of the Human
Trafficking Prevention, Protection, and Treatment Act (P.L. 2013, c. 51).� The
commission is responsible for: evaluating existing law concerning human
trafficking and making recommendations for legislation; reviewing existing
victim assistance programs and analyzing the costs, organization, and
availability of services for victims; promoting a coordinated response by
public and private resources for victims of human trafficking; and developing
mechanisms to promote public awareness of human trafficking, victim remedies
and services, and trafficking prevention.� The commission is required to report
annually to the Governor and to the Legislature regarding its activities,
findings, and recommendations.

���� Under current law, a majority
of the commission�s �authorized membership� is required to achieve a quorum.�
Accordingly, nine members must be present in order for the commission to
perform its duties.� Due to vacancies in the commission, this requirement can
make it difficult to achieve a quorum, and can result in an inability of the
commission to perform its duties.� The provisions of the bill would authorize
the commission to exercise its powers and perform its duties when a majority of
the commission�s current members are present, rather than the fixed number of
nine members.�