Read the full stored bill text
A1970 TR
ASSEMBLY, No. 1970
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO
District 20 (Union)
Assemblywoman TENNILLE R. MCCOY
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Assemblywoman ROSAURA "ROSY" BAGOLIE
District 27 (Essex and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Reynolds-Jackson, Haider, Rowan and Park
SYNOPSIS
���� Enters New Jersey in Women's Reproductive Health Care
Compact.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As reported by the Assembly Community Development and
Women's Affairs Committee with technical review.
��
An Act
entering New Jersey in the Women's Reproductive Health
Care Compact and supplementing Title 10 of the Revised Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� This act shall be known
and may be cited as the �Women's Reproductive Health Care Compact Act.�
���� 2.��� The Governor of New
Jersey, on behalf of this State, is authorized to execute a compact in
substantially the following form with any one or more of the states, districts,
or territories of the United States of America:
���� ARTICLE 1 MEMBERSHIP
���� A state, district, or
territory of the United States of America may become a member state of this
compact by enacting this compact.
���� ARTICLE 2 DEFINITIONS
���� As used in this compact:
���� "Member state" means
a state, district, or territory of the United States of America that has
entered into this compact.
���� "Reproductive health care
services" means a medical, surgical, counseling, or referral service
relating to the human reproductive system, including services relating to
pregnancy or the termination of a pregnancy.
���� ARTICLE 3 FINDINGS
���� The member states find that:
���� a.� In 1973, Roe v. Wade, 410
U.S. 113 (1973), articulated the protection under the Constitution of the
United States of a woman's fundamental right to make reproductive health care
decisions.
���� b.� Today, the fundamental
right of a woman to make reproductive health care decisions has been denied to
millions of women across the United States.
���� c.� In states that are banning
or severely restricting abortion care, access to reproductive health care
services is now threatened.
���� d.� States must collect data,
protect women's reproductive health care service delivery, and find ways to
work with neighboring states to protect and defend reproductive rights.
���� ARTICLE 4 PROHIBITIONS
���� A member state shall work with
other member states to:
���� a.� prevent the extradition or
investigation of an individual or entity involved in the provision or receipt
of women's reproductive health care services;
���� b.� prevent the disclosure of
records or permitting civil discovery orders for the provision or receipt of
women's reproductive health care services;
���� c.� prevent negative licensing
actions or malpractice insurance increases and clawback lawsuits against
individuals or entities for the provision or receipt of women's reproductive
health care services; and
���� d.� prohibit any external
collection of individually identifiable data on:
���� (1) the number of individuals
seeking women's reproductive health care services;
���� (2) the domicile of an
individual seeking women's reproductive health care services;
���� (3) the form of actions taken
against women and their medical providers for seeking out-of-state reproductive
health care services; and
���� (4) barriers identified by
women seeking out-of-state reproductive health care services, including costs
for transportation, lodging, food, child care, and any other relevant issues.
���� ARTICLE 5 EXCLUSIONS
���� The following are not subject
to this compact:
���� a.� The collection of data not
relating to women's reproductive health care services; and
���� b.� The collection of
information which would constitute
a violation of:
���� (1) the �Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act of 1996,� Pub.L.104-191; or
���� (2) Any federal or state
privacy law.
���� ARTICLE 6 WITHDRAWAL
���� Any member state may withdraw
from this compact with six months' written notice to the chief executive
officer of every other member state to the compact.
���� ARTICLE 7 ENFORCEMENT
���� The attorney general of each
member state shall enforce this compact.� A taxpaying resident of any member
state has standing in the courts of any member state to require the attorney
general of that member state to enforce this compact.
���� ARTICLE 8 CONSTRUCTION AND
SEVERABILITY
���� This compact shall be
liberally construed so as to effectuate its purposes.� If any provision of this
compact, or the applicability of any provision of this compact to any
government, agency, person, or circumstance, is declared in a final judgment by
a court of competent jurisdiction to be contrary to the Constitution of the
United States or is otherwise held invalid, the validity of the remainder of
this compact and the applicability of the remainder of this compact to any
government, agency, person, or circumstance shall not be affected.� If this
compact is held to be contrary to the constitution of any member state, the
compact shall remain in full force and effect as to the remaining member states
and in full force and effect as to the affected member state as to all
severable matters.
���� ARTICLE 9 OPERATION
���� When the Governor executes the
Women's Reproductive Health Care Compact on behalf of this State and files a
verified copy thereof with the Secretary of State and when the compact is
ratified by one or more other states, districts, or territories of the United
States of America, the compact shall become operative and effective between
this State and the other states, districts, or territories of the United States
of America.� The Governor is authorized and directed to take action as may be
necessary to complete the exchange of official documents between this State and
any other state, district, or territory of the United States of America
ratifying the compact.
���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect 60 days following the date of enactment.