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A1421
ASSEMBLY, No. 1421
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman ELLEN J. PARK
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes Alternative Responses to Reduce Instances
of Violence and Escalation (ARRIVE) Together Program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act
establishing the Alternative Responses to Reduce
Instances of Violence and Escalation (ARRIVE) Together Program and
supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes and Title 2A of the New Jersey
Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� a.� The Alternative
Responses to Reduce Instances of Violence and Escalation Together Program,
known as the ARRIVE Together Program, is established in the Department of Law
and Public Safety.� The purpose of the program shall be to provide a
coordinated response to individuals who are experiencing a mental health or
substance use crisis and engaging with law enforcement.
���� b.��� The Attorney General
shall develop guidelines for a mental health services provider or a mental
health services agency to contract with a law enforcement agency to respond to
a request for assistance involving a person alleged, reported, or suspected to
be experiencing a mental health crisis or substance use crisis. �The guidelines
shall provide that mental health services are available on an as-needed basis
for up to 24 hours per day and up to seven days per week.�
���� c.���� A law enforcement
agency eligible to participate in the ARRIVE Together Program shall include the
Division of State Police, a department or force established pursuant to
N.J.S.40A:14-106 or N.J.S.40A:14-118, or any other law enforcement agency the
Attorney General deems appropriate.�
���� d.��� (1)� A law enforcement
agency that chooses to participate in the ARRIVE Together Program shall
designate at least one individual as the crisis response support coordinator to
develop and implement the agency�s procedures to comply with guidance issued by
the Attorney General.
���� (2)�� Each county prosecutor
shall designate a county crisis response support coordinator to develop and
implement procedures for the county to comply with guidance issued by the
Attorney General.� The county crisis response support coordinator also shall
coordinate with the Attorney General, or a designee, to provide documentation
or information as required by the Attorney General.
���� 2.��� a.� As used in this
section, �personal identifying information� means information pertaining to the
assessment, diagnosis, treatment or health status of an individual, including
but not limited to an individual�s name or identity; whether the individual is
the subject of an emergency call or other report; whether the individual is
alleged or suspected to be experiencing a mental health crisis or substance use
crisis or other emergency, incident, or distress; and whether the individual is
receiving an assessment for crisis intervention, a mental health screening, or
other support services through the ARRIVE Together Program.
���� b.��� Personal identifying
information obtained as the result of an ARRIVE Together Program response is
confidential and shall not be disclosed, except upon express consent of the
individual, as determined necessary by the Attorney General to implement the
provisions of P.L.��� , c.�� (C.�������� ) (pending before the Legislature as
this bill), or as otherwise required by court order or law.
���� c.���� Notwithstanding any law
or Attorney General Directive to the contrary, information and records created
by a law enforcement agency solely as the result of the ARRIVE Together Program
or maintained by the Department of Law and Public Safety for the ARRIVE
Together Program shall be considered confidential and shall not be disclosed to
the public or considered a government record pursuant to P.L.1963, c.73
(C.47:1A-1 et seq.).
���� 3.��� A licensed mental health
services provider or mental health services agency contracted to provide crisis
response services to the Division of State Police or a police department or
force pursuant to P.L.2022, c.36, P.L.�� , c.�� (C.������ ) (pending before the
Legislature as this bill), or a substantially similar program, shall not be
liable for any civil damages as a result of any acts or omissions undertaken in
good faith in rendering care at the scene of a crisis or emergency to any victim
thereof, or in transporting any victim to a hospital or other facility where
treatment or care is to be rendered, or for any follow up care provided; except
that nothing in this section shall exonerate a licensed mental health provider
for gross negligence.
���� 4.��� The Attorney General,
pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, C.410 (C.52:14B-1 et
seq.), may adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the provisions of this
act.
���� 5.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
���� This bill codifies in
permanent law the ARRIVE Together Crisis Response Pilot Program established
pursuant to P.L.2022, c.36.
���� The bill establishes the
Alternative Responses to Reduce Instances of Violence and Escalation (ARRIVE)
Together Program in the Department of Law and Public Safety (DLPS).� The bill
requires the Attorney General (AG) to issue guidelines for a mental health
services provider or mental health services agency to contract with a law
enforcement agency to respond to a request for assistance involving a person
alleged, reported or suspected to be experiencing a mental health crisis or
substance use crisis.�
���� The bill permits an eligible
police force to participate in the ARRIVE Together Program, including the
Division of State Police, a county police department or force established
pursuant to N.J.S.40A:14-106, a municipal police department or force established
pursuant to N.J.S.40A:14-118, or any other police department or force the AG
deems appropriate.�
���� Under the bill, a law
enforcement agency that chooses to participate in the ARRIVE Together Program
is required to designate at least one person as the crisis response support
coordinator to develop and implement the agency�s procedures to comply with AG�s
guidance.� The bill also requires the county prosecutors to designate a county
crisis response support coordinator to develop and implement county level
guidance issued by the AG and to provide documentation or information to the AG
as necessary.
���� The bill also provides certain
protections for personal identifying information.� In the bill, �personal
identifying information� is defined as information pertaining to the
assessment, diagnosis, treatment or health status of an individual, including
but not limited to an individual�s name or identity; whether the individual is
the subject of an emergency call or other report; whether the individual is
alleged or suspected to be experiencing a mental health crisis� or substance
use crisis or other emergency, incident or distress; and whether the individual
is receiving an assessment for crisis intervention, a mental health screening,
or other support services through the ARRIVE Together Program.� Under the bill,
personal identifying information is confidential and is not to be disclosed
except upon express consent of the individual subject to an ARRIVE Together
response, as determined necessary by the AG to implement the provisions of the
bill, or as otherwise required by court or by law.� Information and records
created by a law enforcement agency solely as a result of the ARRIVE Together
Program or maintained by the DLPS for the ARRIVE Together Program are also
confidential and exempt from the open public records act, P.L.1963, c.73
(C.47:1A-1 et seq.), under the bill.
���� Finally, the bill supplements
the Good Samaritan Act, P.L.1963, c.140 (C.2A:62A-1 et seq.), by providing that
a licensed mental health services provider or mental health services agency
contracted to provide crisis response services for the ARRIVE Together Program
or a substantially similar program would not be liable for any civil damages
resulting from any acts or omissions taken in good faith.