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A4713
ASSEMBLY, No. 4713
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED MARCH 16, 2026
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman� SHANIQUE SPEIGHT
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes NJ Council on Lupus Education and
Awareness in DOH.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
establishing the New Jersey Council on Lupus Education
and Awareness in the Department of Health and supplementing Title 26 of the
Revised Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.� The Legislature finds and
declares that:
���� a.� Lupus is a chronic
autoimmune disease that can cause inflammation and damage to various parts of
the body, including the skin, joints, kidneys, heart, lungs, and brain.
���� b.� Systemic lupus
erythematosus is the most common and serious form of lupus and
disproportionately affects women, particularly women of color.
���� c.� Early diagnosis and
appropriate treatment can significantly improve health outcomes and quality of
life for individuals living with lupus.
���� d.� Increased public
awareness, provider education, research collaboration, and coordinated policy
development are essential to improving access to care, reducing health
disparities, and advancing scientific understanding of lupus.
���� e.� It is therefore in the
public interest to establish a council dedicated to lupus education, awareness,
and policy recommendations in this State.
���� 2.� There is established the
New Jersey Council on Lupus Education and Awareness within the Department of
Health.
���� a.� The council shall consist
of 15 members, to be appointed as follows:
���� (1) the Commissioner of
Health, or the commissioner�s designee, who shall serve ex officio;
���� (2) six public members to be
appointed by the Governor, including: a physician licensed to practice medicine
in this State with expertise in the diagnosis or treatment of lupus; a
physician licensed to practice medicine in this State with expertise in rheumatology;
a representative of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School who is engaged
in autoimmune disease research or clinical practice; a representative of a New
Jersey academic medical center or research institution with expertise in lupus
or related autoimmune disorders; a health care professional with expertise in
immunology, nephrology, dermatology, or other lupus-related specialty care; and
a member who is a lupus patient, caregiver, or immediate family member of a
person diagnosed with lupus;
���� (3) four public members to be
appointed by the President of the Senate, including: a representative of a
nonprofit organization with a demonstrated focus on lupus patient advocacy,
education, or support services; a public health professional with experience in
health disparities or community-based health education; a representative of a
hospital or health care system in this State that provides multidisciplinary
lupus care; and a representative with expertise in health insurance coverage,
reimbursement, or access to care issues affecting individuals with chronic
autoimmune diseases; and
���� (4) four public members to be
appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, including: a representative
of the New Jersey Hospital Association; a representative of the Medical Society
of New Jersey; a representative of an institution of higher education in this
State with expertise in autoimmune disease research or health workforce
development; and a member of the public with experience in community-based
lupus education or outreach initiatives.
���� b.� The term of office of each
public member shall be three years.� All vacancies shall be filled for the
balance of the unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment.�
A member of the council is eligible for reappointment.
���� c.� The members of the council
shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for any expenses
incurred by them in the performance of their duties, subject to the
availability of funds.��������
���� d.� The council shall organize
as soon as practicable after the appointment of its members and shall select a
chairperson from among its members.
���� e.���� The council shall be
entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the
employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau,
commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available to perform its
duties.
���� 3.� The purpose of the council
shall be to ensure that a comprehensive lupus education and awareness plan is
implemented in the State for health care providers and the general public.
���� a.� The council shall conduct
an initial assessment of the state of education on lupus in the State.
���� b.� Based on the assessment
required pursuant to subsection a. of this section, the council shall develop
information on lupus that is endorsed by government agencies, including, but
not limited to, the National Institutes of Health and the federal Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.� The Department of Health shall post the
information that the council develops on its Internet website.� Subject to
available appropriations, the department may distribute this information to
individuals with lupus, their family members, health care professionals,
hospitals, local health departments, schools, agencies on aging, employers,
health plans, women's health groups, and nonprofit and community-based
organizations.
���� c.� The council shall develop
a directory of lupus-related health care services, which shall be made
available on the Internet website of the Department of Health, and shall
include a list of health care providers who specialize in the diagnosis and
treatment of lupus.
���� 4.� The council shall report
to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991,
c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), no later than one year after the effective date of this
act and annually thereafter, on the council�s activities and may include any
recommendations for legislative action that it deems appropriate.
���� 5.� This act shall take effect
immediately.
STATEMENT
���� This bill establishes the New
Jersey Lupus Education and Awareness Council (council).� Many New Jersey
residents suffer from lupus. Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can
cause inflammation and damage to various parts of the body, including the skin,
joints, kidneys, heart, lungs, and brain.� Systemic lupus erythematosus is the
most common and serious form of lupus and disproportionately affects women,
particularly women of color.� Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment can
significantly improve health outcomes and quality of life for individuals
living with lupus.
���� This bill establishes a fifteen-member
New Jersey Council on Lupus Education and Awareness in the Department of Health
(DOH). The purpose of the council is to assess the status of education on
lupus in the State and develop and implement a comprehensive lupus education
and awareness plan accordingly. In addition, the council is to develop a
directory of health care providers who specialize in the diagnosis and
treatment of lupus that will be available through DOH.
���� The council is to be
compromised of 15 members, to be appointed as follows: the Commissioner of
Health, or the commissioner�s designee, who shall serve ex officio; six public
members to be appointed by the Governor, including: a physician licensed to
practice medicine in this State with expertise in the diagnosis or treatment of
lupus; a physician licensed to practice medicine in this State with expertise
in rheumatology; a representative of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
who is engaged in autoimmune disease research or clinical practice; a
representative of a New Jersey academic medical center or research institution
with expertise in lupus or related autoimmune disorders; a health care
professional with expertise in immunology, nephrology, dermatology, or other
lupus-related specialty care; and a member who is a lupus patient, caregiver,
or immediate family member of a person diagnosed with lupus; four public
members to be appointed by the President of the Senate, including: a
representative of a nonprofit organization with a demonstrated focus on lupus
patient advocacy, education, or support services; a public health professional
with experience in health disparities or community-based health education; a
representative of a hospital or health care system in this State that provides
multidisciplinary lupus care; and a representative with expertise in health
insurance coverage, reimbursement, or access to care issues affecting
individuals with chronic autoimmune diseases; and four public members to be
appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, including: a representative
of the New Jersey Hospital Association; a representative of the Medical Society
of New Jersey; a representative of an institution of higher education in this
State with expertise in autoimmune disease research or health workforce
development; and a member of the public with experience in community-based
lupus education or outreach initiatives.
���� The council is to report
annually to the Governor and the Legislature on its activities and may include
any recommendations for legislative action that it deems appropriate.