KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to New Jersey

A1562 • 2026

Requires health care representative to make health care decisions for incapacitated patient in accordance with patient's religious beliefs.

Requires health care representative to make health care decisions for incapacitated patient in accordance with patient's religious beliefs.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Kean, Sean T.
Last action
2026-01-13
Official status
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Requires health care representative to make health care decisions for incapacitated patient in accordance with patient's religious beliefs.

Requires health care representative to make health care decisions for incapacitated patient in accordance with patient's religious beliefs.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires health care representative to make health care decisions for incapacitated patient in accordance with patient's religious beliefs.
  • Topic: Health Fiscal note: This bill has not been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-13 New Jersey Legislature

    Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health Committee

Official Summary Text

Requires health care representative to make health care decisions for incapacitated patient in accordance with patient's religious beliefs.
Topic:
Health
Fiscal note:
This bill has not been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A1562

ASSEMBLY, No. 1562

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman SEAN T. KEAN

District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires health care representative to make health
care decisions for incapacitated patient in accordance with patient's religious
beliefs.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

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

��

An Act
concerning advance directives for health care and
amending P.L.1991, c.201.

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

���� 1.��� Section 9 of P.L.1991,
c.201 (C.26:2H-61) is amended to read as follows:

���� 9.��� a.� If it has been
determined that the patient lacks decision making capacity, a health care
representative shall have authority to make health care decisions on behalf of
the patient.� The health care representative shall act in good faith and within
the bounds of the authority granted by the advance directive and by this act.

���� b.��� If a different
individual has been appointed as the patient's legal guardian, the health care
representative shall retain legal authority to make health care decisions on
the patient's behalf, unless the terms of the legal guardian's court
appointment or other court decree provide otherwise.

���� c.���� The conferral of legal
authority on the health care representative shall not be construed to impose
liability upon the health care representative for any portion of the patient's
health care costs.

���� d.��� An individual designated
as a health care representative or as an alternate health care representative
may decline to serve in that capacity.

���� e.���� The health care
representative shall exercise the patient's right to be informed of the
patient's medical condition, prognosis and treatment options, and to give
informed consent to, or refusal of, health care.

���� f.���� In the exercise of
these rights and responsibilities, the health care representative shall seek to
make the health care decision the patient would have made had he possessed
decision making capacity under the circumstances, or, when the patient's wishes
cannot adequately be determined, shall make a health care decision in the best
interests of the patient
, and in accordance with the patient�s religious
beliefs
.

(cf: P.L.1991, c.201, s.9)

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect on the 60th day after enactment.

STATEMENT

���� This bill amends the �New
Jersey Advance Directives for Health Care Act,� P.L.1991, c.201 (C.26:2H-53 et
seq.), to provide that a designated health care representative shall make
health care decisions in accordance with the patient�s religious beliefs, as
well as in the best interests of the patient, as the law currently provides.

���� The advance directives law
provides that an adult may execute an advance directive, which may include a
proxy directive designating a competent adult to act as his health care
representative and an instruction directive, stating his general treatment philosophy
and objectives or his specific wishes regarding the provision, withholding, or
withdrawal of any form of health care, including life-sustaining treatment.