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S3444
SENATE, No. 3444
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 9, 2026
Sponsored by:
Senator� JAMES BEACH
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
���� Requires employers to report certain allegations of
sexual assault.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
concerning sexual assaults occurring at places of
employment, and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� a.� Notwithstanding the
provisions of any law or regulation to the contrary, in the event that an
employer receives a report of an alleged sexual assault made by a consumer or
employee against another consumer or employee, the employer shall, within 24 hours
of receiving the report, notify the local law enforcement agency or the county
prosecutor, in the jurisdiction in which the alleged sexual assault occurred,
of the allegation.� In the case of an employer notifying a local law
enforcement agency as required by this subsection, the local law enforcement
agency shall notify the county prosecutor for purposes of providing services
under section 2 of this act.
���� b.��� In addition to any other
penalty provided by law, an employer which fails to notify the local law
enforcement agency or the county prosecutor of an alleged sexual assault as
required pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall be subject to a civil
penalty of $10,000.
���� c.���� The civil penalty
prescribed pursuant to subsection b. of this section shall be collected and
enforced by summary proceedings pursuant to the provisions of the �Penalty
Enforcement Law of 1999,� P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.).
���� d.��� Nothing in this section
shall be construed to preclude, or in any way restrict, an employer from
responding to and investigating an allegation of sexual assault for the purpose
of imposing disciplinary action on the alleged perpetrator of the assault.� Nothing
in this section shall interfere with the discretion of a local law enforcement
agency or a county prosecutor to allocate resources for investigations of
crimes.
���� e.���� As used in this
section:
���� �Consumer� means a natural
person.
���� �Employer� means any person,
corporation, partnership, individual proprietorship, joint venture, firm,
company, or other similar legal entity who engages the services of an employee
and who pays the employee�s wages, salary, or other compensation, and any
person, agent, representative, or designee of the employer, exercising
supervision of employees on an employer�s behalf, in this State.
���� 2.��� a.� In the event that a
county prosecutor receives a report from an employer or local law enforcement
agency concerning an alleged sexual assault pursuant to section 1 of this act,
upon the request of the accuser the county prosecutor shall immediately appoint
an advocate through the Sexual Assault Response Team established pursuant to
section 6 of P.L.2001, c.81 (C.52:4B-54) for the duration of the employer�s
investigation of the allegation of sexual assault.
���� b.��� The advocate shall
notify the sexual assault victim of the existing available services, including
but not limited to, medical treatment, counseling, legal options, forensic
medical services, and mental health services for victims of sexual assault.
���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
���� This bill requires employers
to report certain allegations of sexual assault to a local law enforcement
agency or county prosecutor.
���� Under the bill, an employer
that receives a report of an alleged sexual assault made by a consumer or
employee against another consumer or employee, must, within 24 hours of
receiving the report, notify the local law enforcement agency or the county
prosecutor, in the jurisdiction in which the alleged sexual assault occurred,
of the allegation.� An employer that fails to notify the local law enforcement
agency or the county prosecutor of an alleged sexual assault will be subject to
a civil penalty of $10,000.
���� In the event that a country
prosecutor receives notification of an allegation of sexual assault pursuant to
the provisions of the bill, upon the request of the accuser the county
prosecutor is required to immediately appoint an advocate through the Sexual
Assault Response Team for the duration of the employer�s investigation of the
allegation of sexual assault.� The advocate will notify the sexual assault
victim of the existing available services, including, but not limited to,
medical treatment, counseling, legal options, forensic medical services, and
mental health services for victims of sexual assault.