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A2158 • 2026

Creates crime of incest.

Creates crime of incest.

Children Crime
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Pintor Marin, Eliana
Last action
2026-01-13
Official status
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Children, Families and Food Security 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.

Creates crime of incest.

Creates crime of incest.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates crime of incest.
  • Topic: Children, Families and Food Security Fiscal note: This bill has 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 Children, Families and Food Security Committee

Official Summary Text

Creates crime of incest.
Topic:
Children, Families and Food Security
Fiscal note:
This bill has been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A2158

ASSEMBLY, No. 2158

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman ELIANA PINTOR MARIN

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

Assemblywoman� CARMEN THERESA MORALES

District 34 (Essex)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywomen Bagolie

SYNOPSIS

���� Creates crime of incest.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

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

��

An Act

creating the crime of incest and supplementing
chapter 24 of Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes.

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

���� 1. An actor is guilty of
incest, a crime of the third degree, if the actor marries or enters into a
civil union, or commits an act of sexual penetration, with the actor�s ancestor
or descendant, the actor�s sibling, a sibling of the actor�s parent, or a child
of the actor�s sibling.� The relationships referred to herein include blood
relationships of the whole or half blood, without regard to legitimacy and
relationship of parent and child by adoption.

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

STATEMENT

���� This bill would establish a
third degree crime of incest that may be prosecuted separately from or in
addition to other sexual offenses, such as sexual assault (N.J.S.2C:14-2) or
endangering the welfare of children (N.J.S.2C:24-4).� Under current law, the
crime of sexual assault does not apply to incestuous acts between consenting
adults.

���� Under the bill, a person
commits the crime of incest if the person marries or commits an act of sexual
penetration with a person�s ancestor or descendant, a sibling, a sibling of the
person�s parent (i.e., aunt or uncle), or a child of the person�s sibling
(i.e., niece or nephew).� These relationships enumerated in the bill would
include blood relationships of the whole or half blood, without regard to
legitimacy or relationship of parent and child by adoption.�

���� A crime of the third degree is
punishable by a term of imprisonment of three to five years, a fine of up to
$15,000, or both.

���� Incest was previously a crime
under State law, N.J.S.A.2A:114-1 and 2A:114-2, but those laws were repealed by
P.L.1978, c.95.