Requires Homelessness Prevention Program agencies to remain open during public health emergency and provides for funding of each agency.

A1779

ASSEMBLY, No. 1779

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

Assemblywoman SHAMA A. HAIDER

District 37 (Bergen)

Assemblyman WILLIAM B. SAMPSON, IV

District 31 (Hudson)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywomen Reynolds-Jackson, Lopez, Quijano and
Assemblyman Rodriguez

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires Homelessness Prevention Program agencies to
remain open during public health emergency and provides for funding of each
agency.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

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

��

An Act
concerning Homelessness Prevention Program agencies and
supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

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

���� 1.� As used in P.L.��� , c.���
(C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill):

���� �Agency� means a non-profit
organization in this State that is responsible for administering the program in
a county.

���� �Commissioner� means the
Commissioner of Community Affairs.

���� �Department� means the
Department of Community Affairs.

���� �Populous county� means any
county with a population of 350,000 or more, according to the most recent
federal decennial census.

���� �Program� means the
�Homelessness Prevention Program� established under chapter 41 of Title 5 of
the New Jersey Administrative Code by the department in order to implement the
provisions of P.L.1984, c.180 (C.52:27D-280 et al.).

���� �Public health emergency"
means an occurrence or imminent threat of an occurrence that:

���� a.���� is caused or is
reasonably believed to be caused by any of the following:

���� (1) bioterrorism or an
accidental release of one or more biological agents;

���� (2) the appearance of a novel
or previously controlled or eradicated biological agent;

���� (3) a natural disaster;

���� (4) a chemical attack or
accidental release of toxic chemicals; or

���� (5) a nuclear attack or
nuclear accident;

���� b.��� poses a high probability
of any of the following harms:

���� (1) a large number of deaths,
illness, or injury in the affected population;

���� (2) a large number of serious
or long-term impairments in the affected population; or

���� (3) exposure to a biological
agent or chemical that poses a significant risk of substantial future harm to a
large number of people in the affected population, and

���� c.� has been declared a public
health emergency by the Governor pursuant to the �Emergency Health Powers Act,�
P.L.2005, c.222 (C.26:13-1 et seq.).

����
2.��� a.�
The department shall, at all times, provide funding to support operations of

one agency
in each populous county to help manage and
implement the program within such a populous county.

���� b.��� (1)�
The commissioner shall require that an agency remain open and available in
order to serve New Jersey residents throughout the duration of a public health
emergency.

���� (2)�� If
federal funding intended to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is not
available to satisfy the full amount of establishing
this
agency within a populous county, then the commissioner may
notify the State Treasurer and the Joint Budget Oversight Committee of the
Legislature of the deficiency and may request that the Legislature appropriate
a portion of the remainder from the General Fund, or other available State
funding sources, for the purposes of the program.

���� 3.��� The commissioner shall
promulgate rules and regulations in accordance with the �Administrative
Procedures Act,� P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) to effectuate the
provisions of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill).

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

STATEMENT

����� This bill requires that one Homelessness
Prevention Program (HPP) agency operates in certain populous counties and that
all HPP agencies remain open during public health emergencies.� Under the bill,
"populous county" means any county with a population of 350,000 or
more, according to the most recent federal decennial census.

����� The bill specifically requires the
Department of Community Affairs to provide funding to ensure that one agency is
established in populous counties to help manage and implement the HPP within
that populous county.

����� Under the bill, if federal funding
intended to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is not available to
satisfy the full amount of establishing this agency within a populous county,
then the Commissioner of Community Affairs is permitted to notify the State
Treasurer and the Joint Budget Oversight Committee of the Legislature of the
deficiency and to request that the Legislature appropriate a portion of the
remainder from the General Fund, or other available State funding sources.